February 23, 2016

 

With the second tier of the Career Ladder starting in the next 24 hours, James Kirk looks at the 14 teams on the grid and shares his insight on the favourites for success and those who will struggle.

Out of all series at the GPVWC, not many would argue against the case that Supercup saw out the rFactor 1 era most gracefully. In it's final two seasons, the advanced section of the Career Ladder saw 19 different winners across the 48 races contested and countless wonderful battles on the way to those victories. No event in recent memory has been boring though of course as we move onto a new platform for the first time in six seasons and a new mod for the first time in three, everything is up in the air.

That won't stop me from giving (most likely) horrendously inaccurate predictions for the year to come. My name's James Kirk and it's time to introduce you to the starting class of Supercup 2016.

Satellite Racing
2015 Position - 2nd
Drivers - Sven de Vries and Craig Baxter

Last year's runner-ups had their most successful season to date and of course Sven de Vries was key to that success racking up one pole position and six race wins. That said, his personal 2015 campaign was not as successful as his 2014 charge (thanks in part to the frightening form of Walk Racing) and his 2015 exploits in rFactor 2 series World GT and the Atlantic Series last year are not pretty reading. He's a reliable source of points but will it be another downward trend this year? Interestingly the team have chosen to drop Menno Klont after a real hot and cold 2015 and brought in GPVWC rookie Craig Baxter. The Scot's most recent major campaign came in Formula SimRacing's PRO Championship where he finished 5th. His experience in rFactor 2 may help the team greatly and least by the looks of the first pre-season test, he could be an improvement on Klont.


Malta Force GP
2015 Position - 6th
Drivers - Jason Muscat and Menno Klont

Ever since winning the Teams' championship in 2011, Malta Force had been on a downward spiral in terms of position as the field became stronger every year. 2015 presented a stop in the rot however as a consecutive 6th position was achieved largely by team owner Jason Muscat. The Maltese driver returns for his second year back with the team after a brief Superleague stint. Like De Vries however, the usual Supercup front runner may find things more challenging on rFactor 2. His test pace was hardly encouraging and though his Masters campaign this year was blighted by bad luck, again he didn't look to be as sharp on the older sim. He'll be hoping new team mate and ex-team manager Menno Klont can help with the points tally this year though after such a mixed campaign in 2015, Malta Force may have to wait another year to see progress back up the Supercup field.

Simtech Enterprise GP
2015 Position - 7th
Drivers - Rait Tuulikas and Scott Berrisford

Considering their first half to 2015, it was a small miracle that Enterprise found their way into the top half of the table again by the end of the campaign. One of the pair who ensured this returns - Rait Tuulikas, the man who secured Enterprise's first podium in the series. An older face joins the Estonian this time around however as Scott Berrisford returns to the team he entered GPVWC with. Both are known for their points scoring abilities and given that the drivers stick around with the team this year, a solid result could be on the cards.

Measuric Racing
2015 Position - 8th
Drivers - Dino Paolini and Wopke Hoekstra

Losing Pedro Melim to SimCraft and Christof Schgor to leagues elsewhere was a big blow for the Dutch outfit to deal with but they recovered strong through tempting Wopke Hoekstra up to Supercup. Him along with other guests ensured things did not end up too badly. The Dutchman returns for 2016 but looks to be behind in the pecking order to new team mate Dino Paolini. This will be the German's first major simracing championship but he has already made a strong impression by finishing the first preseason test P4. Hoekstra looked a bit too far off the pace to be genuine but surely the team goal will be to finish top half this time around regardless.

Streetfighter Racing Systems
2015 Position - 9th
Drivers - Risto Kappet and David Francic

SRS have always been lower mid-table. Two P8s and a P9 last year appear to have been enough for team boss William Tringas and their associates Vod:Bul however as for 2016 the team they have assembled looks frightening. Douwe Tapper has been dropped (though recognised for his efforts including the team's first win last year) and in comes David Francic alongside runner-up in the 2015 Driver's title race, Risto Kappet; at least for the first half of the season anyway. The form these two have shown in rFactor 2 thus far suggests that they could well be first heading into the mid-season break. But. And it's a big but at that. What happens when Kappet leaves? SRS struggled massively finding drivers to fill their cars last year with Tringas himself having to plug the gap for a time. They may be in a good position then, but can they go all the way for the title?

Evolution Motorsports
2015 Position - 10th
Drivers - Dennis Jordan and Marcel Rautter

Having inherited the slot once filled by Smile Power Racing, German friends Dennis and Marcel now bring Evolution Motorsports to the field. The two were very consistent in 2015 but rarely hit the heights that could see their once English outfit move higher. The two gave off the impression of a independent family cat in the first pre-season test; they were within reach of the field but worrying astray from the pace as well. Consistency can only take you so far, the lack of sharp pace may come to bite them this year.

Fox Racing
2015 Position - 13th
Drivers - Maurice Brackhahn and Matt Richards

Three poor years in Supercup led to many being surprised that the Belgian outfit had survived for another year and it appears that the wake up call has finally gotten through to the team. Even so, the chosen lineup is risky. Maurice Brackhahn had a wonderful year of improvement in 2014 before skipping the 2015 season though the German did appear in the Atlantic Series and provided enough evidence to show he could be a front runner this year. Technical difficulties have never escaped the multiple podium drivers though. Matt Richards on the other hand worries in the commitment department as, though he showed great speed, hardly turned up for Smile Power Racing in last season's World GT season and had an active, or rather inactive, hand in causing TSA Racing to pull out of Supercup half way through 2015. Furthermore, his poor tyre wear in well documented and his driving style is bold - both bad omens heading into rFactor 2. The potential is there to finally move up alongside fellow stalwarts of the series SRS, there is also the potential of crashing and burning though.

ST Racing
2015 Position - 15th
Drivers - Mark Fuller and Borja Millan

Many expected the ex-Superleague outfit to drop another division in two years after a woeful year which saw the them finish last behind a team which only lasted half a season. The number of teams going out the door of Supercup between 2015 and 2016 very likely saved them. Though he only scored 2 points in the entirety of last season, team boss Mark Fuller persists in putting himself in the car - to be fair to the Englishman however his rFactor 2 showings in World GT showed promise. It's the man in the other car which attracts interest from the field as Borja Millan makes his Career Ladder debut in Melbourne. The Spaniard so far has been prone to mistakes in race but has never finished outside of the top ten in either World GT and the Atlantic Series. Also featuring in the top ten of the first pre-season test, consistent points could be a realistic prospect for ST.

Ice Cold Racing
Supercup Debut
Drivers - Eric Stranne and Tobias Olsson

The 2015 Formula Challenge champions arrive in Supercup plus one Swede. Though he didn't compete in any 2015 Supercup event, Eric Stranne DID compete in Superleague, not finishing outside the top ten, and won in an Atlantic Series oval race though was demoted to 3rd following the discovery of a technical infringement. Surely he will be one of the most confident people on the grid though after utterly dominating the 2016 Masters Series winning all but one race. It will be a big shock if Eric Stranne is not at the front again here. Alongside Eric is compatriot Tobias Olsson who matured greatly through 2015 in all series. Wins in Formula Challenge, midfield finishes in Supercup - things would look good for Tobias has it not been for a dire Masters campaign. The team's success will depend on which Tobias turns up.

Team Proline
Supercup Debut
Drivers - Lars Brugman and Niels Brugman

With neither Sandeep Chodha or Bence Zsupanek available, Team Proline have elected to sign both Brugman brothers for their Supercup bow. Niels was a very promising talent for the second half of Formula Challenge 2015 rounding off the year in perfect fashion with his first win and a podium but the brother to look for this season will be Lars. He has not only already won a race in Supercup during his time as Storm Racing Team's reserve driver but he is also the first and (as it turned out) last Atlantic Series champion. On top of all this, he led Proline to the AS Teams' title! It's no surprise that the partnership has continued into Supercup 2016 and I'd expect to see Proline make a great impact.

TG Racing
Supercup 'Return'
Drivers - Andrew Waring and Edgar Ruiz

What was originally going to be a "Welcome Back!" to Centurion Racing has turned into a simple "Welcome!" to TG Racing has team owner Terence Grech has chosen to put his full stamp on the ex-South African outfit. Canadian Andrew Waring moves up with his team boss but though his single lap pace is looking as electric as ever, it's his race craft which continues to raise questions about his possible title credentials since his curtailed Masters campaign was highly underwhelming. Edgar Ruiz represents another driver of the incoming 'rF2 Wave' and early impressions suggest a very capable team mate to Waring. There appear to be no ghosts of Centurion's troubled Supercup past here.

Karjala Racing
Supercup Debut
Drivers - Ari Nieminen and Lewis McGlade

Ari Nieminen makes his return to Supercup after a year out and brings his team and team mate with him this time. The overall impression seems to be that not changing anything may have been the wrong move for the Finn however given that the team finished 5th overall in last year's Formula Challenge season. Both drivers evidently sandbagged during the first pre-season test and McGlade has been proven to show podium pace in every rFactor 2 series he has taken part in. Questions will be raised over Nieminen however who didn't exactly set the world on fire in the past two years.

Racing Team Schroten
Supercup Return
Drivers - Teemu Toikka and Argenis Riera

RTS' involvement in Supercup this year, the first time since 2011, proved highly controversial as it was revealed that the team had never lodged entry to the series in the first place. Nevertheless, they are here now and appear thankful having tested the Formula Challenge mod and disliked what they tried. Though Pedro Gomes was originally slated to drive, a late pullout led to the signing of Teemu Toikka; someone who has not driven in the league since early last year after being unceremoniously dropped from YTF1's Formula Challenge outfit. Toikka does have some rFactor 2 credit after attaining 3rd in the 2013 Masters Drivers' championship. That said, rFactor 2 and the league's competitiveness have come a long way since then and Toikka's attitude is questionable. Partnering the Finn will be Argenis Riera who holds a number of points scores across Formula Challenge, Supercup and Atlantic Series last year. Though the team could perform adequately, it feels like a strong Formula Challenge team rather than a solid Supercup outfit.



James Kirk's 2015 Supercup Team's Prediction

1: Team Proline
2: Streetfighter Racing Systems
3: Ice Cold Racing
4: TG Racing
5: Satellite Racing
6: Simtech Enterprise GP
7: Malta Force GP
8: Measuric Racing
9: Fox Racing
10: ST Racing
11: Karjala Racing
12: Evolution Motorsports
13: Racing Team Schroten
NA: GoSport