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February 23, 2015
Published on tags: General Supercup

 

James Kirk takes us through second preview of the Career Ladder; the one about Supercup.
Supercup 2014 was something akin to a fantastic film the ending of which left a lot to be desired. Ultimately, Philipp Puschke of PB Racing took the Drivers' title and deservedly so though one can only imagine how the race would have panned out had early leader Sven de Vries not pulled out.

Will the excitement return this year? Perhaps; though there are some individuals who would quite fancy running away with the title...

SimCraft Racing
2014 Position - 2nd
Drivers - Tom van der Voort and Tom Parker

Surely looking to challenge for the title once again, SimCraft Racing return with Tom Parker and add ex-Nijo driver Tom van der Voort to a line-up which looks to be one of the strongest early doors.

Any less than a top five will surely be a disappointment for the American outfit.

PB Racing
2014 Position - 3rd
Drivers - Maurice Brackhahn and Philip Cullen

Losing Puschke to the automatic promotion rule will no doubt be a big loss for PB and though established drivers Brackhahn and Cullen return, the German's absence is sure to be noticeable.

Balint Hammer is set to fill in for an absent Brackhahn in Melbourne and could send PB off to a flying start. That said though, aspirations for the team should be more towards the top ten area instead of the top five.

Positive SimRacing
2014 Position - 4th
Drivers - Kevin Siggy and Luis Mesa

Positive's Pre-Season Test could not have gone any better with a 1-2 leaving confidence high. The signing of Mesa seems to be well judged however it is the race craft of Positive's drivers which let the Spanish outfit down in 2014.

If a clean season is ahead, Positive could be looking to challenge for the Teams' championship this year.

Satellite Racing
2014 Position - 5th
Drivers - Sven de Vries and Menno Klont

Without doubt the strongest line-up Satellite have ever fielded, perhaps a title charge is not out of reason the experienced American outfit.

Klont is surely looking to act as rear gunner to obvious title challenger De Vries though questions may be asked over the latter's commitment to the series if he finds himself in a similar situation to last year.

Malta Force GP
2014 Position - 6th
Drivers - Jason Muscat and Terence Grech

The Malta is truly in Force this year as Grech arrives up from a stint in Formula Challenge to reunite the 2012 lineup of himself and Jason Muscat who remains in Supercup despite Edonis Engineering moving up to Superleague.

Muscat looks strong once more though a big dip in form come Europe last year may appear once again whilst Grech may struggle to score points in such a competitive field. Despite a win last season, Malta Force may have to be realistic this year and aim simply for a top ten finish.

Storm Racing Team
2014 Position - 7th
Drivers - Emmanuel Gaczella and Adrian McNaughton

The highest outfit of 2014 to retain their line-up, Storm's main focus in 2015 will be to establish a consistent run of results. Both Gaczella and McNaughton were capable of so much last year but a lack of luck for the Englishman and a clearly unhappy Gaczella at the wheel of a troublesome car meant 7th was the best Storm could muster.

Perhaps a challenge for the top five is possible, though luck will need to arrive at the team's doorstep first.

Streetfighter Racing Systems
2014 Position - 8th
Drivers - Douwe Tapper and ?

It's hard to judge a team with only one driver announced however with Tapper as one of those drivers confirmed Streetfighter are certain to be scoring points this campaign. Another top ten finish would seem a reasonable target for the Australian outfit but the lack of a second driver so close to the season start could mean that they may be in for a bumpy 2015.

Wauters Automotive
2014 Position - 9th
Drivers - David Francic and David Jundt

Wauters experienced a meteoric rise into the top ten in the second half of 2014 following the signings of Jarl Teien and David Francic and this season should see the Belgian team starting on the right foot this time.

Francic has been retained and will be joined by 2014 Formula Challenge runner-up David Jundt. Building on their 9th position from last season should be the target.

TSA Racing
2014 Position - 10th
Drivers - Matt Richards and Sven Schubert

A quiet debut season for TSA in 2014 saw an unsettled lineup squeeze the team just inside the top ten. For 2015 the return of Matt Richards will provide a new sense of stability and Sven Schubert will be looking to impress with his first full time ten.

Aiming for the top ten once again and more importantly to improve on their 2014 season will be key goals in 2015.

Measuric Racing
2014 Position - 12th
Drivers - Christof Schgor and Pedro Melim

A completely new line-up for Measuric sees Schgor join the team following a one off appearance in 2014 alongside the returning Pedro Melim, once one of the hottest prospects of 2013. Both drivers failed to impress in pre-season testing but it is more than likely that sandbagging was employed to throw teams of the scent.

The Dutch outfit are my pick to see the largest improvement from last year.

Fox Racing Team
2014 Position - 14th
Drivers - Roy Verzijl and Christoph Lichtenstein

Fox can consider themselves very lucky to be on the grid this year as Centurion were the ones to take a fall above them thanks to a poor attendance record.

The now familiar face of Verzijl will be a relief for the Belgian team as regular points scores should be on the cards. Lichtenstein may prove to be a liability once again however unless a massive turn around in pace can be discovered. It could be a struggle for the team to hit the top ten this year.

ST Racing
Superleague Demoted
Drivers - Mark Fuller and Calvin Hermse

It was a bold call from team boss Mark Fuller to maintain the line-up which saw ST drop out of Superleague following five consecutive years at the top echelon of GPVWC and unfortunately that decision may come back to bite them.

Nether Fuller or Hermse looked close to the pace in pre-season testing and points could be a struggle in 2015.

Walk Racing
Supercup Debut
Drivers - Ruud Heesterbeek and Risto Kappet

The 2014 Formula Challenge Teams' champions have elected to go for a brand new line-up in Supercup and what a team has been formed.

Though criticised by many for the move, Ruud Heesterbeek is in Supercup and really should be automatically considered for a top three finish. His team mate, Risto Kappet, has found great success in the past few months outside of the league. He makes his GPVWC bow in formula cars and though fast really is something of an unknown. A top five finish shouldn't be too far out of reach though.

Twitch Enterprise GP
Supercup Debut
Drivers - Jonathan Holmes and Morten Wernersen

Also electing to form a brand new line-up in the move up from Formula Challenge is Enterprise GP who have signed Tanskanen refugee Jonathan Holmes alongside Vod:Bul refugee Morten Wernersen.

Holmes certainly has the potential to be a title contender this season though his team mate has spent a year away from Supercup and the trip back down could be a little more difficult than anticipated. A top ten place should be a comfortable goal for these new boys.

Smile Power Racing
Supercup Debut
Drivers - Dennis Jordan and ?

Another team without a confirmed second driver, Smile is the final rookie to take to the grid and in Dennis Jordan they look to have a strong signing with good pace shown at Jerez.

In a big league situation however, Jordan is untested and with no second driver in sight for the outfit Smile Power will have to put a brave face on it to wade through what may be a difficult start to the season.


James Kirk's 2015 Supercup Team's Prediction

1: SimCraft Racing
2: Walk Racing
3: Positive SimRacing
4: Satellite Racing
5: Measuric Racing
6: Storm Racing Team
7: Twitch Enterprise GP
8: Wauters Automotive
9: Malta Force GP
10: PB Racing
11: TheSixthAxis Racing
12: Smile Power Racing
13: Streetfighter Racing Systems
14: Fox Racing
15: ST Racing