BLACK PANDA RACING - Team BPR

Q&A - Amanda C. Muller (BPR Team Managaer)

First of all we congratulate you on successful takeover of BPR team. How are you feeling on entering TSS League?
 
Hehe thanks, but I own the Black Panda Racing team. I'm taking over the SimRacing - TATA F1 Team with "re-structuring in mind only as a Team Manager".
I fell very flattered to be offered the opportunity, but being just a Team Manager it's hard to "cyber whip" team drivers to perform better.

What are your expectations out of your team? Should we expect your team to be on podium regularly?
 
To be honest when you start from scratch...if I can get 2x EXP class drivers to just show up for every remaining race and finishing, I'd be very happy!
The persons I'm hoping to join my team are of an un-known commodity with me/my team sofar, so fingers crossed!

Are you satisfied with the livery of your car? Who designed it?

Well anytime I don't have to do my own livery I'm all ready excited. When the sheet was pulled back a big smile broke across my mouth as it's based on my un-finished Team BPR/F1C/2008 car.
It was my original idea to remove all the real world constructors logos as they are not sponsoring me in any way. As the car is a BMW it's base colour is white so naturaly the blue had to go for black - Panda colours.
The badges to date are custom but not 100% completly selected. I had three painters in-mind, two of them were a little slow to reply via email. Pelayo had all ready shown me a base car with barely dried paint so he got the contract!

Is BPR team making a debut in simulation racing or this team has entered in any competition some where else?
 
Oh no! Team BPR has been around since March 01,05 when I tried my first ever league - I think it is now called FSR. The Qual + Race procedures I found was a disaster, so BPR became dormant for the next 37 months with nothing on the internet that I liked.
Team BPR has been entered in a multitude of Leagues in both F1C & rFactor for nearly 13 months now. There are 15 drivers on the roster, not all for F1 and only a handful are in more then one league.

We have heard that you have been racing in various SimRacing leagues. Give us a glance at your simulation racing career. Have you ever won a championship?
 
First of all I'm an AMA class racer which means I can't race without a few aids such as SC, TC, ABS & Auto Clutch. I'm by no means fast but rather a mid-back of the pack racer.
I did win a heat race one time at the old F1RST3 League at Turkey(F1C) & nearly at SPA (F1C). My best at the old FIL League with the 94 mod was a win in France.
At the MD Racers League last week I scored a 2nd in Bahrain, also at the F1 Online League a 3rd at Brazil & a 5th at the F1 Legends League in Australia. 
At the TYKA league my best was a 5th with a much larger field of racers. I'm the only female team owner and only one of two active female racers.
I plan for Team BPR to keep it's strangle hold on second place for the Team Championship. Early last year a team did offer to buy me out, I said "no thank-you".
Then I was futher asked to merge with a team, again I said "no, thank-you". Numerous drivers have asked to be on the team so I guess I'm no longer seen as a novelty!

The Administration of Total Racing Series has told that the physics will be easy to drive. But as you know that when ever we hear the name rFactor wheel comes in our mind. Will your future drivers be comfortable driving without traction control? Do you have a wheel?
 
As the two drivers I'm hoping for are both EXP racers they are both used to driving with no aids.
Yes, I myself have two racing wheels. I use a Logitech WingMan Formula Force GP (red) wheel & this past November I purchased a brand new Logitech WingMan Formula GP (yellow) wheel.
This was due to my over enthusiasm when I snapped off my accelerator pedal, so I used tiny wooden inserts with two packs of crazy glue and it works better then new pedals!

Your reporter: Shahrukh Salman

Announcements from Administration

- Black Panda Racing have joined TSS by acquiring SimRacingF1 Tata team. The Administration of TSS welcome the team.Amanda C.Muller will be managing this team. She is a very famous simracer and TSS media team will be publishing her interview very soon. Welcome Amanda!

Your reporter: Shahrukh Salman

"AMA race

Sitting in my car towards the back of the grid I notice to my horror that I can't see the start lights !!  I decide to simply wait until I see cars start to move and fortunately I manage to get away safely but Krzysztof and Roger171 get past me and Kamilo pulls alongside as we approach T1. Up ahead I see a massive shunt with a Ferrari heading skywards. I brake early and receive a slight tap from Kamilo as he brakes to avoid the crash. Kamilo passes me as we dodge through the mayhem but I get better drive out of T1 and pass him and Roger171 as we head for T2. Kamilo then puts me under pressure at T3 and tries for the inside at T4. He cannot make the move stick and I steadily pull away from him as I set off in pursuit of Ianstuart, Gingt and Arti. I cannot catch them and at the end of L1 I am receiving close attention from Josimario Carvalho. After a few corners, Josi has passed me and I have an uneventful couple of laps as I circulate in P11.

As I exit T1 on L5, I see Ianstuart recovering from a spin so I follow Ian closely and stay with him for a couple of laps. By L8 we have a four-car train with Arti, Flyer23, Ianstuart then me but I cannot get close enough to Ian to try a pass. By L10 they are pulling away from me and I continue in P11 until the start of L13 when I pass Flyer23 who is recovering from a spin at the exit of T1. WooooHoooo … P10 for Marv !! As I start L14 I move up to P9 because Ianstuart is making his pitstop. As I exit T1, West enters the track from  the pitlane and I follow him whilst Flyer23 follows me. Starting L15 I notice I am now in P8 since Gingt is in the pits. At the end of L15 it's pit-stop time for me and when I re-join the track I am in P11. I catch an occasional glimpse of Ianstuart in the distance but he is just too fast for me. I am pleased to note that I have moved up to P10 as L17 starts … Kamilo is pitting. A similar occurrence at the start of L18: I move into P9 as  Krzysztof makes his stop. I steadily reel off the laps with no-one in view ahead and no-one in my mirrors until the start of the last lap when I notice Soyer in the pits. This means I am now in P8 and this continues until the end of the race … yippee !!

  P8 is a very satisfying result, particularly after the Monaco fiasco where I wrecked my car on the Armco near the swimming pool on L23."

By A_C_Muller:

"This Panda was quite optimistic for Qual in the top 17, though this was not the end result.
The start of the race was clean though I had to back out of it as I was totaly surrounded by fellow team mates.
I managed to squeeze in between the two cars infront of me, but fearing that all three of us would end up with broken cars...
I opted to fall back and possibly take advantage of someone going wide with cold brakes - this was not the case.
The race went on lap after lap with a good fight with a fellow Panda especialy in the last three turns.
A fellow Panda passed me from behind when I accelerated out from a turn a little too slowly.
My only hope was to makeup for it in the pits and with luck it worked out to my favour.
I clawed my way 1/3 up from where I had started, perhaps I should be happy with this result...
We now move onto Silverstone, which I must say is not one of the immediate favourites for this Panda."

Your reporter: CasH

The same story as for EXP, could be told for AMA, where not only the drivers themselves are in fierce battles with eachother, but the Teams Championship is heating up as well!

Your reporter: CasH

Attacking the curbs - Black Panda Racing's kamilo62

(click image to enlarge)
© StewartRACINGIMAGES

Your reporter: CasH

I bet most of you thought Josimario Carvalho would now easily dominate the AMA Championship. Even more after getting a big contract with BPR!

I wonder what BPR Team Boss A_C_Muller has to say to Josi, once back from a well deserved holiday...

Your reporter: CasH

Pole, win & fastest lap in AMA for Josimario Carvalho

(click image to enlarge)
© StewartRACINGIMAGES

By A_C_Muller:

Memorable is the amazing 5th place for BPR's Team Captain A_C_Muller, finishing in 5th place! Amanda showing the Team how it's done, as she was the best finishing Panda in AMA. All proving the AMA Championship will again be a great battle between drivers and Teams!

By Marvin42:

As a newcomer to F1, I was very pleased to qualify in P6 and was quite nervous as I sat on the grid watching the red lights come on. RACE START and I use launch control in order to avoid an embarrassing spin off the line. SUCCESS . I find myself in P4 going into T1 but this is short-lived when JS passes me along the start/finish straight as we commence L2. I settle down into a steady rhythm and on L3 I pass an unfortunate kamilo62 who is touring back to the pits. This puts me in P5 and when NMansell has a spin on L4 I am suddenly in P4. I like this F1 business. Half-way around L5 I run wide and NMansell re-passes me as I head back towards the track. A few seconds later Rinker also passes me and so in the space of two corners I have gone from P4 to P6. I manage to stay with Rinker until  L7 when I apply too much throttle on a corner exit and spin into a wall. I lose the front wing and have suspension damage. Now I'm less keen on F1. I slowly crawl back to the pits for repairs and I am lapped as I sit waiting. Eventually the repairs are complete and I get moving again but I am now in P10. Even worse … the suspension damage has resulted in my steering wheel being at approx. 20 degrees from horizontal just to keep going straight ahead. I decide that it's worth trying to continue and fortunately the car doesn't feel too bad; it's just a shame that there's still so many laps until the end of the race. I circulate at about 5s per lap slower than my previous pace and am not surprised when I get blue flagged to let Nmansell and Rinker past on L9. I try to get my head down and be consistent … my laptimes stabilise at around 1:32 and nothing much happens until L17 when I pass JS who is slowly heading back to the pits. The next time I see another car is on L19 when I get a blue flag for Snakey_UK. He zips past me on the start/finish straight and Flyer23 also goes by later in the same lap. I settle into a steady rhythm again and notice that I am in P6. I decide that this must be due to retirements since I certainly had not passed anyone for position. On L23 I pass NMansell as he heads back onto the track and then on L24 I pass Snakey as he circulates slowly. My car starts to feel like it is losing grip on L25 but I decide to carry on since there must only be a couple of laps remaining. This is a mistake … I get a puncture on the front left during L26 which means another pit-stop. Again I am lapped as I sit waiting and I re-join the track just behind Snakey. I try to keep up with him but he quickly pulls away. At the end of my 27^th lap I am surprised to find the race over and even more surprised to be in P7. Yes, I do like this F1 business after all. Congrats to all finishers; I enjoyed this experience and look forward to Malaysia.

Another Team doing well and scoring points was Black Panda Racing.
Both race reports below are from most enthousiastic members (and Team Captain Amanda, who I had the privilege af chasing her *ss, which was fun!) of the small but fanatic Team!

"Heat 2 Race 1

Qualifying was surprisingly good for me and I get a great start to race 1 from 4^th on the grid, passing KostasCB1 for 3^rd place. T1 approaches and I see a gap on the inside of Stokerel. As he turns into T1 we touch and I go up the kerb and into the barrier. Desperate to select reverse gear, I go for neutral then pull the gear paddle on the wheel so hard that the wheel comes clean off the desktop … AARGH !!!   By the time I have the wheel back in position I re-join the track in last place. Sorry for causing mayhem, everyone. As I exit T2 I pass ianstuart who looks like he has had a spin and I can see CasH and my team-leader Amanda in the distance so I set off in pursuit. About three-quarters of the way around L1 Amanda lets me past; unfortunately her new PC is giving her video problems, making racing difficult. At the final hairpin Snakey has had an incident so I pass him as we start L2. I see CasH up ahead and by L3 I am on the back of an epic tussle between sailsy, CasH and Rinker. Sailsy spins and so I follow Rinker as he chases CasH; at least I am now in P10. I make a move on Rinker on L4 and it sticks : yippee … now P9. CasH gradually pulls away but by L9 I have caught Don_Huio. Don is great to watch: he just pitches the car into a corner then gathers it up on the exit. Somehow I pass him on L10 and he passes me back 2 corners later. We have a brilliant battle on L11 but I just cannot get past. By L12 I am over-driving in my efforts to pass Don and he starts to pull away from me. I circulate in P9 until the end of the race. Not bad considering my T1 mistake on L1.

 Heat Race 2

9^th on the grid after race 1 and a reasonable start sees me in 8^th after some action at T1. Sailsy is ahead of me and in my mirror I can see that Snakey is right behind. Snakey is pushing hard and I try to be defensive whilst still chasing sailsy. This works until half way around L2 when I take a right-hander too tight and clip the wall. I half-spin and both Snakey and Ricardo Ferreira go past … now I am P10. On L3 there is a flash of red flying past me … CasH has pushed me down to P11 :(   I manage to stay with CasH and as we start L4 we meet Don_Huio. CasH passes Don on the outside and I pass him on the inside into T1. Unfortunately CasH is turning into T1 as I get there and I hit him on his right rear quarter. This pushes the two of us wide and Don_Huio passes us both. Sorry CasH. Don and CasH steadily pull away from me and my next surprise is a mirror full of Patrick Wartenburg on L7. Patrick does a fine job of braking late into a right-hander and is past. On the exit of the next corner we catch Don_Huio and we chase Don for the next couple of laps. By L9 we have all caught sailsy and Patrick slips past Don under braking. Don immediately puts Patrick under pressure whilst Patrick is trying to find a way past sailsy.  I think to myself “something will have to give” and sure enough on L10 Patrick spins causing Don to brake hard to avoid him. I pass them both and then try to catch sailsy. I am behind him by L11 and he makes life easy for me by making a small error, letting me by. For the remaining laps I occasionally see Snakey in the distance but he is too far ahead and so I maintain P8 to the end.

 Don't forget your umbrellas for Spa"

---

By A_C_Muller:

"After missing many races this Panda was eager to do well at Valencia!
Race 1 - Started off well, but on lap 1 tiny errors caused spins, contact with the walls and plenty of car damage.
With two of these errors causing flat tires, I lost plenty of time in the pits.
At one point in time my screen locked-up for what felt like 15 seconds.
When it cleared up I found myself in the wall with plenty of black smoke.
I shifted into 1st gear, trying out my car and the motor wasn't burnt out - but then I had no in-car view.
Switching to my Roof-cam view, it felt like I was driving a truck (height wise) that's Porsche powered.
I then experienced other video troubles that hampered my race - arg!
To my surprise, I finished 29th with the chance of scoring my first points at FPSC 2008, YAY!
Race 2 - I had no graphic troubles, no screen lock-ups and only one flat tire due to tagging a wall at speed.
The first turn mele, like in race one was predictable but required carefuly picking my way through cars.
I did much better in this race with less car damage and a 28th place finish and a chance to score more points!
We now move onto Spa & this Panda eagerly awaits the challenge of driving in the rain, the dark & as if on ice - WEE!"

fending off 2 cars early on

(click image to enlarge)
© AmandaRACINGIMAGES

 Your reporter: CasH

By Marvin42:

"Race 1

Waiting for the green lights … waiting … waiting … GO.  I had a good start and when zunik braked early for T1, I went for the inside line. Big mistake. I had not seen RicardoFerrei trying an inside move on me and so we collided: Ricardo spinning to the inside of the corner, me spinning to the outside. To add insult to the injury, when we both re-joined from opposite sides of the track, we met nose-to-nose and came to a stop again !!! Sorry Ricardo, we both lost out at T1. Ricardo then gets going ahead of me so I follow and we both pass jamesowen as he takes to the grass. OMG, all this action and we're only on lap 1. I continue to follow Ricardo who is closing in on Ianstuart and manage to pass Ian on  lap 4 as he re-joins the track. I manage to get close to Ricardo on lap 5 but on lap 8 I brake too late at the Sachs Kurve and slide onto the gravel. Ricardo has now disappeared into the distance and I have a lonely drive until the end of lap 11 where I catch sight of Ricardo and Rinker having a good battle up front. As I go around T2 on lap 12 I see Rinker on the grass … he re-joins behind me and follows close so I try to be as smooth as I can. Part-way around lap 13 Rinker disappears from my mirror so I simply try not to crash as I circulate on my own to the end of the race.

 Race 2

Another good start and, thankfully, clean through T1 and T2. Bit of a shock exiting T2 though, as poor old zunik is sitting in the middle of the track, pointing the wrong way !

Safely past zunik and off in pursuit of Snakey, Veldt and sailsy. RicardoFerrei and Don Huio both get past me under braking and I try to stay with these five guys as they have an epic battle for the next few laps. By lap 5 my mirror is full of Walter976 and he makes a lunge up the inside at the Spitzkehre. Walter runs wide and I cut back inside but he has better drive out of the corner and is ahead by the next turn … nice one, Walter. He pulls away and it gets lonely again until I enter T2 on lap 6 where I see a car re-joining the circuit. It's RicardoFerrei and I just have enough momentum to pass him. Ricardo follows closely but when I look in my mirror at the start of lap 7 it's Rinker I see, not Ricardo. Rinker puts the pressure on and I run wide into T2 … damn … Rinker and zunik both go past and I can see Ricardo again in my mirror. I try to stay with Rinker and zunik but by the end of lap 9 Ricardo has caught me and is looking for a way past. I take a defensive line into T2 but brake way too early. Ricardo simply drives right around the outside of me and he is gone. A short while later it looks like Ricardo and zunik have had an encounter and this allows me to close right up to zunik. Lap 11 is tense as I try to keep up with zunik and as we exit T3 on lap 12 we both pass Ricardo who appears to be recovering from another spin. Maximum concentration is required for the next few laps as I try to find a way past zunik but he is just too quick. I have a fright on the last lap when Rinker makes a lunge down the inside at the Spitzkehre but he is just a bit too late on the brakes and runs wide. I glance in the mirror to see where he is but Rinker is not there … it's Ricardo yet again.  Ok, this is the final half of the last lap, don't mess up and maybe Ricardo won't get past. He tries a move on every corner but I just hang on to the end of the race. Great driving Ricardo, you made me work for that finish."

By KIWI:

"Practice/test setup
Wasnt totally haappy with any setup here,settled for a looser set for quailfy.

Quailfy
92 laps were done here,managing 1:45:368 I was happy with it.

Overall: 39/50

Race 1  TZC

Well 10 racers were meant to race but only six showed up,a little disappointing. started fourth out of six in the first,couldnt really settle with the loose setup,but finished the race in fourth,so a very good results. Frantic start,trailed the faster three guys for the first two laps,till they pulled away,more or less had the track to myself,till the finish. finishing fourth out of 6.
fastest lap 1:46.009 overall managed to beat some well respected faster racers > Flyer23
,jamesowen , KostasCB1 ,Caner_Basol,sander_n,McMilan, stokerel,Ianstuart

Overall Finishing: 31/42 pending results

Race 2 TZC

Settled for a tighter setup for this race. Same as first race 10 racers were meant to race,but only 6 showed. Started in 4th place,and like the first race,more or less raced alone after the faster guys skipped away after lap 2,only team mate kf12006,was seen now and then,way back chasing hard.Finishing the race in fourth out of 6. fastest lap 1:45.536 overall managing to beat well know faster drivers >Patrick Wartenberg,Flyer23 ,Snakey_Uk, Ianstuart,  Rinker,  jamesowen, McMilan, KostasCB1 , FreeThinker

Overall Finishing : 32/43 Pending results

Private Team Panda jet now heads to Silverstone....."

"Qualifying - Quite good lap times, a vast improvement on past qualifying sessions. Now its either 1 of 3 things ( or all ) , we had 2 weeks to practice on this track , the track suited my driving style, or , im getting better at driving these tin tops. I like to think its the last one , but lets see at next track.

Race 1 - Well, what a fook up ! Before the race i had high expectations of finishing in quite a high place, 3rd maybe 4th and if i was having an off day i would be able to hold onto 5th position.
I got off to a good start from 3rd place on the grid. Made my way down the long straight towards Adelaide with a good pace and was half a second infront of 4th place guy. Sweet i thought, just gotta get round the tight bend fast approaching and im zoom zoom zoom for the rest of the track.

Got myself positioned nicely in the middle of the track ready for the long brake into Adelaide corner. I say middle of the track because, from my many practice laps, the braking zone gets a bit wobbly, the track is quite uneven down there, and if you are on the left hand side of the track as you normally would be getting ready for a right hand turn and you start braking hard, the track throws your car to the left and you can quite easily end up on the grass. So, middle of the track and i see the 150m marker fast approaching. On this 1st lap we have to start braking at that 150m marker cos the brakes are so cold they hardly even work, normally you can start braking at the 100m marker once the brakes have warmed up.

I timed my braking just right and was making a perfect right turn around that corner then all of a sudden a bump on my back end and i spin right around........ What the hell !!!, the nearest guy was half a second away, i should have been exiting the turn when he was just entering it, the dumbass braked tooo late and he just happen to use my rear bumper to slow himself down enough so he didnt overshoot the corner.

I managed to set off again and came out of Adelaide corner in 6th place. Not bad i thought , only lost 3 places considering i had come to a total stop and had to let a couple of cars pass me before i set off again.
So the race was on again, held my position and was settling into a comfortable pace for the next couple of laps , pulling away from 7th place and gaining on 5th place. Now, i think it was 2-3 laps later we had just crossed the start/finish line , through Grande Courbe and around Estoril bend and im in 5th place, 4th and 3rd place guys must have had a battle on that bend and both of them came out of it with a slow pace, i was quickly gaining on both of them.
All 3 of us were on the long straight towards Adelaide , 1 guy on the left of the center line and 1 guy on the right of it, i saw the gap in the middle of them and headed straight for it hoping to squeeze through and come out of Adelaide in 2nd place. The gap in the middle starts to close but its too late, my front end is already half way into the gap, the guy on my left kept moving over and all of a sudden my front wheels lose traction and im suddenly sliding off to the right, i hit the brakes but i couldnt steer and WHAM...... i hit the wall running down the right hand side of that long straight. FOOOOOOK !!!

I tried turning left back onto the track and it just wasnt having any of it , no left turn for this car anymore. It felt like i had lost a front wheel , but it was the suspension that had gone on 1 side of the car. I slowly limped back to the pits all the while spinning at nearly every right hand turn and everyone behind me overtaking me. By the time i had got to the pits i was in last position.
At this point i was seriously thinking about DNF'ing the race, but in the name of team spirit, i decided to carry on and make it a challenge to try and not come last.

In the pits my car was repaired and had to sit there an agonising 18 seconds before i could set off again. The pit timer hits zero and i slam it into 1st gear and im away with the only thought on my mind to catch up to the back runners and try and gain some dignity by not finishing last. Now at this point, exiting the pits , ive done so many practice laps that normally i set off from the pits and turn off the pit speed limiter as soon as im out of the garage, i had done it a hundred times before, it was just so natural for me to hit that button, except , this was RACE DAY, and guess what.... I HIT THAT BUTTON .. NOOOOOO, too fast in the pits !!
In my short time as a professional racing driver ive only ever pitted once during the race , and that one other time i rememberd NOT to turn the pit speed limiter button OFF.

I saw a sign appear that i had never seen before , apparently it was a drive through sign for going too fast in the pits. Ok i thought, i go round the track again and then go back into the pits , not too much of a problem. So i enter the pits for a 2nd time this race, i pull into the red box, my tyres get changed by the pit crew and 13 seconds later i exit the pits again... but.... that sign is still there ...hmmmm... what ... i just did my penalty.... didnt i ??
So i go round again, down the stright towards Adelaide, start my braking just after the 150m marker ( cold tyres ) , but... whats this ... has the straight got shorter ... Adelaide bend is approaching waaaay tooo fast , i didnt stop in time and off the track i go ... hmmm, ok, the tyres must be even colder than i anticipated. To the pits i go to try and serve that penalty AGAIN! I didnt want to ignore it or i would end up with a DSQ after a few laps. So into the pits a 3rd time , stop in the red box, tyres changed , 13 seconds later im off again... that damned sign is stilll there , oh well, im driving on regardless this time.

Down the long straight towards Adelaide . again.. and i start braking at what i thought was the 150m marker , nice and early this time, dont wanna overshoot the track again.... but.... OMG!!! The track has definatly gotten shorter , i go sliding off AGAIN !!!!, what the hell is happening here... as i spin round to get back on the track , i look back up the long straight and catch a glimps of the marker signs ....... there is ONLY 2 SIGNS there , usually there is 3 !!!.
Turns out that a couple of laps previously someone had taken out the 150m marker sign , so what ppl were thinking was that 150m marker was actually the 100m marker, on the replay i saw a couple of ppl make the same mistake.

So i had just gotten back on the track and of course the drive through sign is still showing ( can this race get any worse !! ) and all of a sudden i hear my pit chief say to me " Drive through the pits to serve your penalty THIS LAP " .. oh my lord .. what a numbskull .. derrrr , a DRIVE THROUGH means exactly what it says on the tin .. no need to STOP.
So now i know that you drive THROUGH the pits at PIT SPEED and only when the chief tells you to.
I serve my penalty CORRECTLY this time and persue my goal of not finishing last... would it even be possible after this comedy of errors.

Well, after that not much interesting happend .. end result -- finished 13th out of 16 .. GOAL !!!!! and a valuable lesson learned ... Dont eat yellow snow."

Your reporter: CasH

One more Team that I HAVE to mention is again Black Panda Racing.
TWO of their drivers, 4L4N as well as KIWI managed to score the first points of the season for their Team! Amazing! Keep it up!!!

By KIWI:

"Practice
80 odd laps at Monaco with my Team BPR and other Teams,I have to admit,tight tracks and Walls anit my favorite.

 Quailfy
Managed to get to five out of six sesions, with my best and PB of 1:43:013 slow,steady and I was happy with setup and feel of car,and funny enough the track
I quailfied 11/14 for TZC   overall 40/51

Race 1
A terrible start didnt help,lost rythmn and heaps of silly mistakes and errors, plenty of walls were hit,I pitted but got an stop/go penalty,not sure why lol anyway,I thought it was drive in/out so did so,but saw the stop/go still up so,pitted again,looked to the stop/go and saw I had another stop/go to serve omg anyways finished this race 11/14 , overall :race 1 finishing 42/46

Race 2
started 11/14 a fantasic start and good chase from team members of BPR kamilo,kf12006 as well as lokb first few laps lokb and I ,began to leave my two other team mates behind, with close quater racing,he was hot on my exaust pipe from start to finish but a small error last corner costing Kiwi,with lokb flys by and takes back the lead with finish line with in sights.

I was very pleased at my pace and race finishing 6/11 and overall 30/44

I've add a small slideshow,my first attempt."
Slideshow can be found HERE

Your reporter: CasH

Black Panda Racing fastest driver 4L4N both races JUST missed the positions to score. I wonder when they score their first point(s), as I know the Team is very close and dedicated! Partly due to the strict leadership of the Team: A_C_Muller. Keep it up guys (and girl)!

4L4N was a consistent performer for Black Panda Racing
(Click image to enlarge!)
© StewartRACINGIMAGES

By KIWI:
"Fanatec Porsche Supercup 2008

Fantastic turn out for TZC first race at Bahrain,plenty of driver from all parts of the world,were in my group,,but the time frame suited them,as it did I lol

Practice

I had a fantastic practice sesion with team fellow Black Panda Racing Team(ty Team) and other fellow racers.A few ty to Timon Boiler,Taurus,Cash,Tyger a few sleepless nites and overwhelm eager to help us all out, cheers.

my PB at this track was a blisting 2:07:001 but was more comftable with my slower high 2:08's tryed a few setups,but stuck with what I felt best for me.
lost count of how many practice laps were put into this track lol.

Quailfy

Two stints at this, as time frames,suited,anyways second seasion managed a 2:08.428 (found this a bit unusally as no other car was on track,with you,yet they were out there as well) third seasion managed a slower 2:08:446

Seasion two 19th/20 Seasion three 16/34 overall 48/70

Race 1

Started 14/21 had a bad start missing second gear(sweety fingers)back end drifted at start,got speared before even crossing start line lol,at first corner was in 21st postion(didnt really settle after that) didnt see to much action in the race or behind me,but saw a few clouds of smoke in front,raced on finding some speed,but about lap 6 car felt horrible,so decided to pit,costing me big time,all the fast leaders lapped me ,whilst sitting in pit getting repairs/gas/tyres,out of pits safely raced around a lap or two,before the fast races finished the first of the two races.

Race 2

Well a few races for various reason didnt get back to race 2, started 18 in this ,could see all from here,first corner was a bit mayhem to say the least lol smoke every were, had some good battles in this race,a few bumps and nudges,but all good,honest racing in my books. settled in well finding a good pace 2:09's was happy with all the way to the end,having a few spin in hairpin and at the S's finally finishing 12th in race,a very good result in all.

Summary

A few chats in race,and a few Incidents to be reported,but all in all WTG awesome league (This Panda now heads off to a well deserved family break,see you all,best wishes and new years)".

Your reporter: CasH

Another (new) Team doing well was Black Panda Racing (TC: A_C_Muller). They managed as AMA Team to clinch 12th place of 26 Teams! Not bad for a first (incomplete) season!

A_C_Muller wrote: 

"With a busy schedule for this Panda, I had little time to get used to the new track. My setup was good but it was my lack of seat time that did me in. I had a few minor incidents like having to back-up while going under the bridge and stopping two times when I nearly ran into it. I developed a good flow until...I hit the tight chicane with some speed.
I went bouncing into the air and when I came down I slammed on the gas to be spun ninety degrees to the left and lost my front wing. I lost plenty of time limping back to the pits. My fastest lap during the race was a good one second faster then my Qual session. Then I tested a fellow Pandas setup and I was another two seconds faster. I wish I'd of had it for the race and I could of saved the lost time during my one incident. With a one point lead over my opponent this Panda finshed out the year in 9th place of 43 racers (even with missing the first two races)!"

The only female AMA driver, Canadian A_C_Muller scored valuable points again for her Team Black Panda Racing, finishing in 8th position! Leaving some other fast drivers behind her! Well done yet again!

A_C_Muller wrote: 

"Brazil, the fastest race track for this Panda but not in rFactor. I altered a race set-up of mine for Interlagos that was a fraction of a second slower then the one I was given. I opted for this one as it was slightly more stable with my race fuel set-up. I started the race well, but as the laps were clicking away intime for my first pit stop, they were all in the 1:13.xxx range with my best at 1:13.010. This had worried me as my times were consistent eventhough my fuel load was getting lighter and I should of been faster. My best off-line practice time was a good 2 seconds faster. As soon as I exited the pits my car was faster with "proper" lap times. As I had to race alone (my team mate and I could not enter each others hosted room) I raced at a different time of day. When my parents came home and I called out to them...I lost control of my car in the first turn and the rumble strip pulled me onto the grass and BANG! I lost my front wing on lap 32 and limped it around in gears 1-3, with the odd time getting it up into 5th. What a way to have 1 laps worth of time added to my total. We now move onto Singapore and an exciting new track for the 2008 calendar.
This Panda hopes it won't feel like Monaco of the Orient!"

Kiwi wrote:

"pre race
           manage to get a good setup,one that suited this Panda's
driving skills.Set a few 1:10:xxx in practise and Qualify.

Race
       Meet up with lovely A_C_Muller (not Cash ;p  hehe ) in f1rst,we
pre tryed our connection to join each others game to no avail,so
decided to race alone,wishing each other well ;)
Off I went setup game,hosted,launched game.
set fuel for a two stopper,set button,for pit request,set other for rev limiter.

did a few practice laps ,just to be happy,and I was :), so jumped into
race,redlights time 5,4,3,2,1 go,go,go off I went,cold tyres,weren't
an issue,just took firstlap eazy,did a few more laps,setting a
quickish 1:11:183 before  the 10th lap, taking it eazy for the next
few laps,as pits were due in a few laps.
got to with one lap of pit,so whilst under the bridge front
straight,first corner,I clicked button to pit,no problem,sore the blue
flag,,,cool,,got to the S's,had a sneezing fit,of all places,lol,,any
ways,got back on track cool,no damage,raced to pit,then cat attack
leg,just as I got to pit guys,I got trigger happy,missing the pit
guys,so lucky I had 3 lites of fuel left,out I went,request pit again,
omg lol, got back to pit only just on fumes of fuel,anyways,I could
get to the pit guys,it was like there was a wall,between me and
them,sat,there,they looked at me,I looked at them, :( run out of fuel
in pits,thought I must of not requested pit,but sore the blue flag,and
pit crew,I dont know,I think there were distract by some brazilian
girls{Cash ;) }.
Another dnf for this Panda,A little disappointed,as had a very quick
pace on this fast Brazil track,

Summary

Sack the pit crew lol,lock the cat outside.
Looking to the technical Singapore track,car and driver ,bamboo,were
loaded,but pit crew AWOL :p"

Your reporter: CasH

A_C_Muller wrote:

Brazil, the fastest race track for this Panda! Perhaps it was the fact that I got my custom car skin completed intime for the last race of the F1C calendar or that I realy like Interlagos. I got a set-up from a fellow team mate that was rocketing fast! He could of captured the pole for a second time, but he was busy. My race alone was ideal to have no traffic with and for once I made no errors (as in crashes or lost car parts). I had no spins at all, just the odd late braking situation. I opted for a one-stop pit strategy with soft compound tires that seems to of paid off for me!
For my first full Rookie year as both a Driver + Team Owner, this was an excellent season for me finishing in 7th place of 33 Drivers & nearly 6th had I not made an error at Spa. I eagerly look forward to the start of the 2009 F1C Season!

Kiwi wrote:

Pre Race
check my antivirus wasn't due to kick in. lol Did a lot of practing, pretesting a setup, lap after lap till was happy
with a setup. checked fuel loads,tyres as had to as knew my race alone had me at 30+ secs.
Race
loaded setup,fuel,checked tyres, did a few warm up laps,to check my game pad. all good,yip cats outside,yip and scratching the door and not my leg.
sat at start line in my race alone,time to think,but not much,as count
down began,then the five red lights ...go,go,go off I raced,a good steady pace was found at the 10th lap,line and rhythm are coming back cool,I thought to my self got passed first corner after the finish line,not sure what happened,but I spun,(scratches back of head) anyways got back on track settled in again till I hit the 20 min mark,guess what...yep a black screen lol stopped the car,best I could,played around with cords for at least 15 sec,the screen come back on,there I'm sitting at start/finish line
bemused with the screen ,continued to race with a rye smile upon my
face,car was handling well,my pace grew faster, each lap getting back into the line and rhythm again about the 40 min mark and yes,you guessed it,screen went black AGAIN!? omg ,quick thinking again,and share luck,I was in the back straight,stopped the car best I could,played around with cords,turning screen off/on finally it come back on,wasting at least 30-45sec there I was at the start/finish line again (deju ve , lol) off I went
to finish the rest of the race out with approx 10 liters,a few minor scrapes on the car,no mechanical,structural repairs for my Team Panda mechanics.
Summary
End of season race for F1C RH mod,at Brazil enjoyable,fun,I hope more from this side of world will join,so I don't
get 30+ sec race alone penalty lol
To all those behind the the f1rst racing league A very big Thank
you,to those that raced in the league,well done and see you again next season/soon (psst watch out,hopefully,I'll have my momo up and running)
To those I practiced with,gave tips/helped Thank you{You know who you all are....smiles},especially Team Panda,who now I'm a proud team
member.
TYVM .Form, your roving reporter from down under, Kiwi ;)

Your reporter: Veldt000

At the back of the pack two Teammates finishing, thus scoring yet more points for Black Panda Racing: A_C_Muller and KIWI (yes, the driver older than CasH ;)).
This team can still catch up some places in the rankings if all keep finishing this way!

Poor KIWI lost it this time, leaving only A_C_Muller to score for the Team. However, still 2 races to go, so lots is still possible!

SHANGHAI

A_C_Muller wrote:

"High hopes in China, the land of the PANDA! The steering of my vehicle was good but the top speed was lower then I had expected. Again I had to race alone so I had no excuses for my few errors. The double apex corner provided me with troubles & offs. The first 2 of 3 spins I experienced were my fault. The first spin, was in the "S" as I slammed on the gas a little too early on the exit. The second was while entering the double apex and I accidently shifted drown from 3rd to N and the back-end of the car spun out from under me. But, on one lap I went wide in the first turn and I knew I shouldn't touch the gas while driving over the grass...well I did and a spin ensued. Atleast my errors are limited to spins and are consistant from track to track. Now, we go onto the southern hemisphere for the second time. I do hope this PANDA has a better result (my fastest track) and not end up like in Australia!"

Kiwi wrote:

"After a long beach holiday,semi retirement,out came his momo
wheel,minus the power pack :(
lucky,on hand he had a backup gamepad to resume his racing.
Pre Race:
First race,meet up with A_C_Muller in f1rst,both tried to host,to no
avail,we had to race alone,wishing each other breath there fumes,and
cough...cough....dust
Into the race:
 Twitch fingers,sweaty palm...minus Rinkers setup he lent,somehow I
forgot to save it,lol.
frankiclly usedd a stock setup, mechanics,pit crew,were all at odds
and ends,to what fuel to put in,tyres to put on
time was running short,so eventually tossed 68liters,hard tyres on.
Off into the race,,car felt like my snail,towing an elephant,,rear
felt lite,spun a few times,in different sectors,trying to find,rhythm
and the best line...a few laps he did find the line and rhythm,but
inconsistency,errors cost time in the rest of the race.
eventually crossing the finish line,car in one piece,a few,scape's but
the car held together,finishing the race.
After race:
Kiwi,known for finding party's  and sense of direction  ...found his
way into BPR_PANDA function tent  ,lucky his kiwi,black and white race
suit,look very similar to BPR colours  ,he didn't look out of place,as
he made his way through the party  (Pandas and bamboo),someone grab
him, none other than (A_C_Muller,Team Captain) while he was pouring
pink bubbly Panda juice .....a few drinks later and leaghty chats of
free jet flights,zoo passes,as much bamboo as he could eat , and
numerous other goods,he signed up......
Summary:
well I finished the race on a stock setup,Yes Rinker,I forgot to save
the one you left lol,most important : My First POINTS"

A_C_Muller wrote:

"The Monza of the Orient "Fuji" was very good to this Panda in two respects! Firstly, due to other league deadlines I had to race alone. As I have raced this course earlier in the year, I was prepared for Fuji. My race was nearly perfect in the sense that I never ran off the course, didn't hit anything and kept all my original car parts. I did overshoot my pit and I had to back-up a little. Sorry guys for the scare and possibly running over some toes. I spun two times on the course both times in the chicane. The first was on the entrance when I slammed on the gas a little too early. The second time I was going so fast that I went far to the left with my left side tires on the grass and, ahhh!
I figure I lost a huge 30 seconds due to these errors on my behalf. The good aspect was a new team mate was signed up "TKR_Kiwi" & we now proceed to China - The Home of The PANDA!"

Your reporter: CasH

A_C_Muller wrote:

The 2008 Chinese F1 GP taking place online at The Home of The PANDA! I Qualified my usual place in a short field of racers - near the end. I was super happy to see my team mate Cheytac had captured the pole position for his first time and for the team. With the odd mistake here and there, I again finished third on a heat race of 3 cars. I was hoping for a fellow driver to pit and overtake him, but as the laps clicked away I saw that this was not to be. My car managed to stick to the track except for the four times when I stepped on the gas a little too early or got on the brakes a tad too late. The fifth last turn is the one that gave me hard times. I ran wide into the kitty litter twice and onto the bumpy grass on it's exit. Other then that my race was pretty much eventless. Being at home for this Panda, I managed to repeat my best result with a seventh place finish. Now...onto Interlagos, one of my top five favourite tracks and this PANDA's fastest!

Kiwi wrote:

Prerace:
To meet myself in f1rst and race lol but alone,loaded fuel,stock setup,just tweaked the wings,soften the suspension,throw on hards.
Race:
Catching the end of the session, blowing out cobwebs, dust from his sauber. Sitting at the start, fueled for a no stopper on hard tyres, but twitchy fingers,sweaty palm and cat attacking my leg,,jumped the pre countdown, thinking I would be ok,reversed,back to start spot,sat and waited ....off the lights go race,race....
bugger a stop/go penalty, annoyed with cat and self lol, he went to
pit, but missed the entrance (I was on the grass, last turn, looking right at it,why I didn't pit,then and there, meant, backing up, doing a 3 point
turn almost.rofl) Decided to race on a few more laps,then pitted...wasting time. A slow steady pace was had throughout this race,still yet to find his rhythm and line,ho rah,ho rah the finish line.Phew only 2litres left
and yes made it....My First Points
After race/Summary:
Just glad to get my first race,under my belt and finish without crashing or damaging the car and gain valuable points Party was found @ Panda headquarters, Race Team private events building, lucky for Kiwi his race suit> black and white looks very
similar to the fancy dance party @ Pandas headquarters,he fitted
in,without looking out of place, bumping into A_C_Muller,Team Captain at the bar,a few chats and goodies were offered *reporter heard free Bamboo,jet,Beach's, gym,training race track* and sore Kiwi without
hesitation signing on the dotted line....

Your reporter: Veldt000

Amanda Muller: First and only one Woman in league. Beautiful and very hard to defeat. Reach valuable points but sometimes crashes. She's very good drivers. Amanda Muller - Caution - New ProFormula champion in Future.

Some AMA drivers had to race alone, due to several circumstances. One of them, NMansell, managed to even take pictures during his race. This causing him to spin several times, and by that, giving his position to his rival A_C_Muller.

"This Panda must of slipped on some pasta, as I could of finished one place higher in the final results.
I didn't have, ask or get a set-up for this race so I had to use a previous tracks. It was good but not ideal until I tried something else and it was a hair faster. I had to race alone as neither NMansell or I could join each others race room. My race was going good, until I slammed on the gas a little too early before the long back stretch. I did a 180 degree spin, while sliding down the track and I hit the armco barrier with my cars left side. I lost a good 15 seconds for sure, but...with the front left suspension bent and rear wing damaged all my turns to the right were effortless. Due to the damage, I even put in my fastest lap time that was for the second time the third slowest and not thee slowest - yes! The three turns to the left were loose but I made up for it on the straights.
This Panda now looks forward to Fuji, Japan where I refer to the track as the Monza of the Orient!"

Your reporter: CasH

Shades of real life F1 for this Panda. I used a previous set-up and altered it for the near 1.6Km long front stretch with a top speed of 360Km/hr. My start was lousy, for some reson I thought there was one more light to come up - but no! I fell back from second on the start to third. I was lucky to hold off the fourth place racer until - like real life F1 - I was spun going into the chicane. Wow, was I mad! This was the second time this Panda spun out with help from another in 2008. My screen then slowed down three or four times on my second lap and luckily always on a straightaway. I made up with my Panda Power and was able to keep behind me the leader. The distance i lost during the lap I made back on the front and I had to constantly change my position on the track as he tried to draft off of me. By the third lap I went too hot into the first turn, drove through the kitty litter, let two cars by and lost plenty of time. I had a few other minor errors but saved my mechanics hours of work by keeping all my original car parts intact. This Panda has learned to put extra fuel onboard for the Chinese/Panda Loving Grand Prix!

JVesga starting his race to the podium
(click image to enlarge)

Your reporter: Veldt000

Due to the difficulty of the track and of course her persistance to get a great result, A_C_Muller got her best result ever, finishing 7th. Of course helped by the talisman given to her a few days before the race :).

Your reporter: CasH

Cheytac from Black Panda Racing did a great job in qualify for Spa: 2nd place.

It also lookes like A_C_Muller is getting closer and closer to the other drivers in qualify. Even beating viking_89.

This Panda was hopeful for Spa, but I'd of needed a crystal ball! I started 3rd on the grid of three cars in our heat race. I rocketed past the other two cars, while just missing the back end of one and hoping I didn't jam one hard off the track to the left. After the old over-and-under into the first turn again I rocketed away from the others. Then the troubles began...at the top of EuRouge my car spun around two times to my knowledge, with a hard Bang! Luckily it was a car and not a barrier with no damage to my car whatsoever, wow! It took me until the end of the first lap to regain the lead. Though this was due to a McLaren going wide into the bus stop chicane and a Red Bull slamming into his side-pod due to lag. After two spins at Pouhon with one-two full rotations I again lost the lead and had to work hard to make-up for the lost time. After a few laps I again was in the lead and pulled away by a whopping 25-26 seconds! Other then a heat race win in Turkey, my custom Panda Powered BMW is last. On the exit of my one pit stop (start of lap 12) I again spun in Pouhon and was expecting a safe return to the track when i barely came in contact with a padded wall when, BANG! Both my front wing and front right wheel were ripped off my car. I went around for a few more laps when I ran wide, through the kitty litter and had my front left wheel ripped off! Using gear modulation, luck and spins in reverse I got across the finishing line. Next time I will do what "I" thought I should of done...stop on the front stretch a meter from the finishing line, wait for the race to end then drive arcoss it and save myself a DNF. I had this heat race "in the bag" & would of gotten 4th overall and a massive 25 points. I just hope (fingers crossed) that consuming Pasta for my Panda Powered BMW won't cause me to crash!

Black Panda Racing hired a new driver (Frentzen127), they have a very good change to keep fifth place now.

"Australia was not kind to this Panda! I decided to debut my customized helmet in the land down under so it wasn't a total loss. With a mere 11 qualifiers and no other league race schedule conflicts, this was the second mass race I took part in since Spain. At the start the race was good for the first 6 laps, then game disconected and some time elapsed before a re-start. Good thing too as, I slapped the left side of my car on the first lap with it making wide right hand turns. Well, the second time around wasn't much better. Though I did manage to go half way through the race before repeating history again I had Rinker all in my mirrors. Thanks to him as he was hot all over my exhaust his chasing me, helped me to put in my fastest lap. After barely starting lap 23, my Panda Powered BPR's Brembo brake pads failed. I went off at the second high speed braking area and rocketed through the kitty litter and slammed head on into the cement barrier. According to my graphics, both my front wheels were on - but I don't think they could of survived such a hit.
Once I got out, onto the asphalt I had no steering what-so-ever.

A GIANT HUG & KISS to Josimario_Carvalho of UK Racing for showing me true Sportsmanship!

He helped nudge, bump, bang, edge and point my demolished F1 car around the remaining corners so that I could drive down the front stretch while grinding off all the sponsors logos on the outside wall. I ground to a halt at the end of the front stretch 6 laps down...Hey, it's better then a DNF & 0 points! This Panda prefers the tracks in the Northern Hemisphere!"

Your reporter: CasH

What a wet race :) For this wet race I expected a lot more contesters, but only the die-hards showed up.
I want to point out the sportmanship showed by Viking_89. After accidently hitting A_C_Muller, he disputed himself.

On his behalf: sorry again. This means A_C_Muller, of Black Panda Racing, did a great job in finishing this race.
The old story. KLGreene and PabloTassano are still in for first position in the championship. For third place we have about 5 contesters: cAsTeL (246), viking_89 (242), danicristian (240), JVesga (228) and A_C_Muller (213).
It seems that LowlandRacingTeam got their pace back, or at least know better how to race in the wet than EU Racers. For the "ama" Teams KitenLentejosRacing and Dacia 1310 Racing must do everything they can to keep or get third place. Black Panda Racing took hold of fifth position! Romania and Canada are almost equal in the standings.

Your reporter: Veldt000

McLaren win the race in Magny-Cours
"First 6 - 7 laps I drive very hard. Letter when i reach 10 sec. supremacy from Pawel i drive more safety. Race was be little boring, but I'm very happy from 18 point for Mclaren." After this race Adrian again show he's domination in Mclaren and big control over vechicle. 3rd position reach new driver in league Mateusz Metrzak. "Below few laps to end I've seened that I have not much fuel and i decide to drive without max RPM and with this technice I won Podium." 4th place won Kamil from Ferrari - "I never like this circuit."On 5th place drive Amanda Muller with next valuable point for Renault. But this race of course have other site of medal - Crashes. Many drivers stop race when they start - They have many problems with tires and suspension. In two weeks time all drivers will go pursuit on hot Melbourne. And now Management board think about Second Championships in 3h race.

2 Mclaren start from first row in the race today
Mclaren drivers take the lead on A1 ring in Austria. In yesterday Qualifications Pole Position get Adrian Greda, and second start Pawel Rybak - he lost only 0.043 second. From second row start Ferrari driver Kamil Wroblewski but he lost more than 0.5 second to Mclaren. 4th and 5th place for 2 Renault drivers: Andrew Tusay and Amanda Muller and they are very good. But first BMW driver Filip break rules number 2.4. He overtake Pawel Rybak in pit when red light shine and cut white line. We wishes good race for all drivers on A1-Ring!!

 Hungary
Ethnically crowded with Panda's I heard :P.
"As this was the third try for me at the Hugaroring, this Panda was hoping that "third times the charm"!

I started out with a two pit stopstrategy that helped me out at another league. Too bad I was so busy watching the back end of Rinkers car, waiting for it to go off track that I hit a wall. Again I lost another front wing, but never have I done this on the opening lap. I was getting very good gas mileage as I had set it for 12 and did 15 but could of stretched it to 16. Luckily I didn't as my tires and there grip were letting go as each lap was completed. My steering felt good and the brakes did their job. From exiting the pits my Panda Powered car was acting like it were on rails by the end it was like a rally raid in the rain. Without any on screen info as to what lap I was on i came in on laps no.2 for a new front wing, lap no.17 as my first pit stop and then on lap no.32 to find out that I was done one lap later. To me it felt like a mere 26 laps had elapsed, but no. This Panda hopes that the southern hemisphere will provide more grip with respect to tires!".

Your reporter: CasH

As this was my second race at the Hungaroring in a week...this Panda expected as good a turn-out as on my first outing. Nope! The set-up I had felt loose and it seemed like I was all over the track. The start for me was a sign of things to come. I took off well with the Mercedes Benz infront of me hardly moving. I tried to steer to the right but as I was busy looking down to make sure I was shifting at the correct time. Bang! Right into the back-end, with a ninety degree turn counter-clockwise for my car. Oddly enough my custom Panda Powered BMW suffered no damage at all. For the duration of the race my hard compound tires didn't seem to want to grip while my brakes seemed to come on strong late in the braking process. I had a few sight-seeing trips through the kitty litter but this was due to the syncronization problem. Also two spins were experienced after exiting the high speed left hand ninety degree turn, running a little wide, clipping the grass and overcorrecting. Perhaps third times the charm in Hungary with rF, who knows? This Panda is now looking forward to visiting the Southern Hemisphere.

Your reporter: Veldt000

In the race all ama drivers finished! well done! It looks like A_C_Muller is getting used to setting up the car and driving.Every race she gets closer to the other drivers.

This Panda never liked Silverstone all that much...this was due to my first trying it when RH05 came out. I only ever did a 1/2 lap and ran for my teams cyber jet to get out of England. I got three different set-ups and each was better then the previous one. But, I had to further tweak them to suit my driving style with much less understeer. I knew viking_89 would be faster but didn't think so on the very first lap when all items were cold. At one time during the game, oddly enough only when he lapped me, my computer screen locked up temporarily for one second a total of five different times. The worst being when I would of been taking the first turn maxed out in 5th gear with full right hand lock. Luckily I took it in 3rd gear as ahead of me was a giant white cloud of smoke infront of me. Apparently viking_89 got two wheels onto the grass and spun, had I been in 5th gear I'd of speared him right in the side or spun off to the right. The rest of my race was uneventful until the late going with the odd wide turn, mowing some grass, a close call with a wall & clipping an anti-cut strip. This Panda is looking forward to Germany the home of BMW!

Your reporter: Veldt000

Fast Heat Race with a PANDA! For my home GP I was in a fast group of six racers. It's for that very reason (my being 5th on the grid), I allowed viking_89 to pass me into the first turn. I did not want to be caught out with cold tires & brakes, crash and be out of the race a few seconds after starting it. To my surprise no accidents took place and I made up no positions. I was on viking_89's tail for lap after lap until the last chicane where I went a little wide, got onto the rumble strip, slammed on the gas pedal and proceeded to spin out! Other then spinning out where Alonso spun (in the real world) but not hitting the wall was my other time waster. One time I got a blue flag with no car to be seen from behind. Something may of been incorrect with respect to my display, as I was shown to be on the lead lap by the end of the race yet I was two laps down. I had a good race, but by no means was it a great one. I never contacted Champions wall, but those chicanes were the undoing of this Pandas race.

Your reporter: Veldt000

"Two front wings lost in two races for a Panda! As Montreal is my home GP and is not an armco canyon like Monaco...I never imagined having two front wings ripped off my BPR powered car. With plenty of practice laps completed I never expected the problems I had during the race. My team mate was on the pole and went off wide at the first turn but managed to save it and stay ahead of me until he went wide in the first chicane. He politely let me pass as is correct but I could see that I was holding him up as he was all over me. I went a little hot into the 180 degree turn and I opted to let him pass me rather then be speared in my right side as he was no longer in my mirror. I guess this is where my concentration level dropped. On one lap that I was quickly approaching the pits at full speed, I was wondering where is the second bridge for me to go under and begin to brake after? I slammed on the brakes, could not make the last chicane and drove slowly to the left to make sure I didn't high side my car. A few laps later, I spun out on the front "S" when I accidently shifted down from first gear into neutral and slammed on the gas pedal, ahh! My two front wings came off in the early + late going of the race. The first was when I went deep into the first chicane, got a little onto the grass, spun out, hit the wall and limped around for a super slow 2min 56second lap. The second was after exiting the second "S", though to my recollection my tires were not on the grass. Wow, I had better make sure that two spare front wings are in the pits at France for this Panda!"

Your reporter: CasH

A three legged PANDA finishes 8th!
With only 2 of 4 racers on the grid, I was less worried about racing in the narrow armco canyon that is Monaco. My pit strategy was changed from what I was used to in the past and weighed heavily on my mind at the start. The first few laps I was extra cautious so I decided to give it a bit more gas. This is where the problems began to occur...On lap 6 I barely clipped a wall and it resulted in my spinning out. I was then losing precious seconds while reversing without damaging my rear wing. Thinking I'd need to make-up for lost time, I decided to give it some more gas. Bang! I clipped the wall where R. Schum. did 2 years ago in real life. It slid me into the padded barrier, but on a steep angle taking off my front wing and front right wheel. I limped my car into the pits thinking my race was over. The team did it's job with fitting me with a new nose & the lolipop man told me to go. I just sat there thinking what am I to do? Can I limp around to the end without further destroying my BPR Powered BMW? Yes, I can! (but I got lapped 12 times in the process). Needless to say, my cyber sponsors will not be happy about the repair costs before Canada.

Your reporter: Veldt000

Our FEMALE driver from Canada A_C_Muller chased the pack from the last row, managing to finish in 14th position, scoring points for her Team Black Panda Racing and Canada in our Countries Championship. Well done! Great to see women participating in our Leagues AND finish races! A_C_Muller is our second female competitor beside the by now well known EXP driver Neela! I wonder when we'll see our first full female Team!

A_C_Muller chases the AMA pack through T1
(Click image to enlarge!)
© StewartRACINGIMAGES

Your reporter: CasH