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July 03, 2012
Published on tags: Superleague
It's half term, so to speak in the SimInk GPVWC Superleague and with half the season gone, it's time to size up exactly where everyone is in relation to everyone else. There have been the usual driver swaps, controversial incidents, penalties galore and the odd shock and surprise. But the universal verdict is that this season has so far been owned by one team and one driver.

Midnight Motorsport

Drivers: Lukas Euler (9 pole positions, 6 wins, 2 podiums); Nick Rowland (2 wins, 6 podiums)

The domination shown by both Midnight drivers has been nothing short of mind-boggling. Lukas Euler's GPVWCdébutturned into a baptism of fire as he subsequently stunned the entire paddock with 9 straight pole positions and 6 victories. Slightly reminiscent to Draig's first-half form last season but only more consistent in terms of team results. Midnight's plan to halt development midway through 2011 has paid off big time as their 2012 charger has done nothing but annihilate anything that came remotely close to it, sans Monaco - although Euler's pace before his retirement would have surely seen his win tally at 7. At times his speed has been somewhat frightening and maybe are left asking if anyone or anything can stop his championship charge. Rowland, meanwhile, has really stepped up his game and fed off Euler's raw pace and speed to become an all-round better driver. On the whole he still plays second fiddle to Euler when it comes to who is the fastest, but when Rowland has had an opportunity presented to him, he's grabbed at it with both hands and did so in Abu Dhabi and Hungary to take his first two wins in the league. The rest of the time, Rowland has been a regular feature on the podium and helped make up the team's numerous 1-2 finishes. Despite team personnel leaving to take on driving roles with other Superleague teams more recently, this hasn't slowed the Midnight train one bit, and it looks increasingly likely that this 2012 will be the season they steam towards both titles for the first time.

Draig Racing

Drivers: Lee Morris (1 win, 3 podiums); Ryan Walker/Keith Storrie

Coming off the back of a 2011 of two halves, Draig Racing have had to treat 2012 as a re-building year. The ever competitive Lee Morris has been able to show his speed in a car that is rather undeveloped compared to the other cars finishing around it. Morris' crowning achievement in this first half will surely be his hard-earned victory in Monaco, despite being one of a number of drivers receiving penalties for cutting the pit exit. Nonetheless it was a race he was determined to win, and with that objective achieved, his main target has been to fight to be best of the rest behind Midnight. On many occasions this season Morris has been rather vocal in his displeasure of being off the pace, but on the track he has been nothing but determined and a fighter. His teammate has changed from Ryan Walker, who started the first few races before leaving the team due to personal reasons, to Keith Storrie. Storrie has had an uphill climb in his first few races and experienced a difficult time trying to grab points for the recovering Welsh team. However, with Morris taking on a more managerial role within Draig and helping to direct development of this season's car and their finances now under control once more for the moment, the team should not be discouraged by the fact they hold 2nd place in the Teams' standings for now. Whether they will take the same approach Midnight did this time last season remains to be seen, but you can be sure that Morris will use his out and out raw pace to haul the Draig to more top 5 finishes.

Nordsjoen Racing

Drivers: Joe Consiglio (retired, 2 podiums)/Jarl Teien; Pavel Loknovski

It's fair to say the reigning champions haven't had the best of times defending their 2011 title. For one Joe Consiglio is no longer with them after making the decision to retire from Superleague with immediate effect after an average start to the season that saw the reigning and double World Champion only take 2 podiums. The disconnection in Barcelona appeared to be the killer blow which left the Norwegian team in search of a new No.1 driver. In stepped Jarl Teien, who left his driving duties with the Hene Racing Team in Formula Challenge to be thrown in at the deep end to replace Consiglio. He made an instant impact with an impressive front row effort in Monaco. His weakness appears to be carrying his qualifying form into the race as he has struggled to stay with the frontrunners for long. His fortunes didn't get any better in Korea when brake fade led to the loss of his front wing and then his car ending up in the wall. If Teien were to work more on his overall race pace then there is a chance he could become a regular podium finisher in the future. Loknovski by contrast has had a tough time following in Consiglio's shadow, but despite that he has only finished outside the points once so far this season (Korea). Once again, he is proving to be a driver than can consistently deliver points finishes, with the fact that he does so while using a game pad all the more impressive. One has to wonder just how quick he would be if he were to use a wheel.

Red Archer Virtual Racing Team

Drivers: Janne Tanskanen (2 podiums)/Ojay Clark; David Jundt

It was fair to say that the biggest shock of the pre-season was the unexpected return of 2010 champion Janne Tanskanen. What was even more of a shock was when Red Archer announced that Tanskanen had put pen to paper and signed a contract to drive for them. In all fairness, the comeback hasn't really lived up to the expectations of those expecting him to challenge for the title once again. A year's sabbatical from sim racing and a completely new mod meant that Tanskanen had to learn it all over again. Currently MIA for reasons only known to Red Archer, the Finn did still manage to secure 2 podium finishes which means there's still fight in the old dog yet. But there are still questions to be raised as to his whereabouts. For the moment Englishman Ojay Clark has filled the void and so far claimed two 6th place finishes in Korea and last time out in Turkey. Whether this will be more of a permanent appointment remains to be seen. Team-mate David Jundt hasn't shown the speed he possessed during 2011. Compared to his run of podiums in the second half of the season, the Swiss driver has struggled on more than one occasion to make the top 10. Whether or not this year's car does not sit well with his driving style, he will feel that he should have been able to match Janne and Ojay's pace so far. Here's hoping he will be able to step it up and challenge for points on a more regular basis.