March 04, 2020

 

16 teams and 32 drivers will go head to head with each other in 2020 in their quest to become the 2020 Formula Challenge drivers' and constructors' champion.
Let's preview all the teams.

Important note: all of the information below is based on opinions, not on facts.
I will discuss the teams in alphabetical order.

Asombik eSports
This new entry for this years' championship is coming from Spain. They've got an interesting Spanish line-up with their drivers Alejandro Enamorado & Ilias Fernández. Both drivers seemed motivated and made a good impression during the pre-season test session. It?s hard to predict what this team can do in the long run, but with the current driver line-up I expect that points finishes at all rounds should be possible. The only danger I can see with this team is that it will lose the much needed motivation, but in that case I wouldn't be surprised if we will see a Spanish backup driver getting in the car instead. Asombik eSports is here to stay!

Downforce Scalextric Racing
This entry is one of the older teams in the league. After the team raced in the 2019 Supercup championship, the team decided to do a step back and rejoin the Formula Challenge Series. Downforce Racing has now been partnered with Scalextric, which is good for the long-term ambitions of the team. The drivers for 2020 are Ben Caisley & Deagen Fairclough, who are both drivers in real life. The idea of bringing real life drivers to simracing is exciting and might turn out to be a great idea, but the downside of this is that it can also go in the opposite direction. Simracing and real racing are two different things, but I expect the team to do well during the season. Give Ben & Deagen some time to adapt to the league and to the driving in gpvwc, and in time we might see both of them shine. Time will tell!

DriveGameSeat Racing Team
This team is starting their second season in the Formula Challenge after a mediocre debut season in 2019, where the team finished in 14th position in the constructor standings. The team made a few personal changes to ensure that the 2020 season will be a lot better. The signed drivers for 2020 are Filippo Caneo & Matteo Bolco, making it a full Italian line-up. The team didn?t show full pace at the pre-season test at Abu Dhabi, but sources within gpvwc suggested that they really improved their package for the Australian GP. Keep an eye out for these drivers, because they might be the surprise of the season!

Eight-Six eRacing
Another new entry for this seasons' championship. Eight-six eRacing is not completely new to GPVWC simracing, having raced in the ITC division 2 in 2019, and are now making a step up in the careerladder. They will go into battle with a German/Maltese line-up with drivers Max Reichel & Luca Flask. Max is the more experienced guy in the team, and I expect that he will be the teamleader. Luca Flask just started his simracing career, and the first few rounds of 2020 will be about gaining experience in driving the car on the limit and trying to get some decent points. I expect that the team might have a bit of a slow start in 2020, but if the team can keep the morale high I can see them do well in the second half of the season.

Fryslan Racing Team
New entry Fryslan Racing team is aiming to make their debut at this years' championship. Gerrit de Vries, a series veteran, will be in one of the seats. Next to him will be the talented dutch rookie Daan Hut. The pre-season test at Abu Dhabi suggested that they have decent pace in the car. I predict that the team will score some decent points during the season. I wouldn?t be surprised if one of them could even score an odd podium. Like all teams, the results can only be achieved if the everyone stays motivated. If they can manage that, they will most likely be a good challenger in this series.

GPVWC Academy
Ernests Lapins & George Whitehouse signed short-term contracts for this team, so I can only predict the first round for this team. Ernest & George are two experienced simracers who know how to score valuable points for the team. I predict that both drivers will shine at Melbourne, which might help them to get some chances at higher placed teams within the careerladder. I know Ernest has some interest from Supercup teams and I wouldn?t be surprised to see him compete in that series soon. George Whitehouse showed skill by finishing in p2 at the Academy Series race a few weeks ago. Can he improve on that and take a race win? I wouldn?t be surprised if he could...

HGP Motorsport
Another new outfit in this years' championship, owned by Frank Hamming. HGP Motorsport will start the season with an experienced driver line-up with Tom Vos and Emanuele Dellera behind the wheel. I wouldn?t be surprised if this team gets a few wins this season, and the 2 race format will help them to achieve this goal due to the reverse grid in race 2. Tom Vos matured a lot over the winter and showed some good potential in the Academy race. Emanuele Dellera was a rising star in the last part of last years championship, taking a 4th place in the Brazilian FC race last year. If they can continue this trend the team will definitely be one of the heavyweights in the championship.

Madness Racing
One of the late additions of the series was Madness Racing from Germany. Some people will recognize the team from endurance leagues on Rfactor 2. Team principal Lukas Lichten decided that it was time to enter the team in an openwheeler championship. Lukas signed up as a race driver in one of the seats while Belgian rookie Senne Stofmeel will take the other seat. I predict a difficult start of the season because both drivers lack the experience in GPVWC openwheelers. They will need some time to adapt to the racing in this league, but I expect a huge performance gain after the first few rounds. This is a team where consistant practice will make them improve. I wouldn?t be surprised if they will end the season on a high note.

Neptune Simracing
History has already been made by this team. Neptune Simracing is the first Brazilian team in the history of the GPVWC Career Ladder, something that team principal Rodrigo Carvalho is extremely proud of. Their ambition reaches a lot further than that. They will enter the series with a star line-up: last years' multiple race winner Martin Hemmingsen will be joined by Paul August Laane. Newcomer Laane impressed me with a few good results last season and a quick adaptation to our 2019 mod. This team will most likely be one of the favorites to win the title and I wouldn?t be surprised if they can score the double (the drivers' and constructors' championship). Time will tell if I?m right, but the early signs looks very promising. If I would be placing bets, I would probably bet on Neptune Simracing!

Nova Simracing
A new team owned by an experienced team manager. Josh Downard, former co-team principal of MDR Simracing Group, decided it was time to create something new. Nova Simracing was created and was granted a space in the 2020 Formula Challenge season. The team went for an interesting line-up with Sam Holt & Isaac Morris. Pre-season testing suggested that both drivers have some good base speed, and if they can convert this into regular point scoring finishes they could be the dark horse in the championship.

RBA Racing
Another interesting new entry for the Formula Challenge is RBA Racing. The team already impressed us a lot with drivers Patryk Roszak & Guyon Branten. Both drivers had a very good winter testing session and were looking really strong during last months' pre-season test. In the end it was Branten who topped the pre season test as the fastest driver overall, Roszak looked nearly on par with his team mate. The pre-season performance does suggest that this team could be strong everywhere, but like all teams: showing speed is one thing, getting results is another. All ingredients for being a successful team are there.

Santen Motorsports
Santen Motorsports' is a well known team in the paddock, it?s about to enter their second season in the Formula Challenge. While I feel 2019 was a very much learning year, the 2020 season will be the year without excuses. The team signed a strong driver couple with Daniel Hurlock & Omari Watson. I predict both drivers will at least win one race this season and their consistency will give them a great advantage in the championship. Top 8 in the driver championship is a realistic goal for the guys. If they can achieve this I?m sure a top three constructors position is on the cards.

Team Gridline
English outfit Team Gridline is another new entry for this season. Managed by team manager Rory Rothon and the experienced driver line-up consisting of Thomas Harvey & Liam Rance, the team will be on the hunt for good results. Thomas Harvey will be looking to improve on his strong form of 2019 and his teammate Liam Rance will make for a very good combo. Pre-season testing looked good, let's see how they will manage in Melbourne!

Rookie Monsters
One of the more experienced teams on this years? grid is Team Rookie Monsters. After having an average first season in the Supercup Championship in 2019, the team opted for a step back to race in this years? Formula Challenge series. It could be a wise move by the team who signed drivers Peter Jones & Andrew Quartley for the 2020 campaign. Both drivers looked to be on pace if we judge it by the pre-season laptimes. I predict that we?ll see a lot of double point-scoring finishes for this team. Podiums and wins might be a step too high, although nothing is impossible. The best way I would summarize it at the moment: a stable midfield team.

THUnderdog
Not many teams can fall back on previous success in the league, but THUnderdog can. 2017 was a great year for the team were they collected six wins and a third place in the constructors? championship. After the team withdrew their entry in the league for the 2019 season, they decided on a full comeback in 2020. Aiming to score even better than before, they signed GPVWC veteran Sven de Vries and dutch driver Rob Roosa. An Interesting line-up with a lot of experience. Rob Roosa already showed encouraging laptimes at the Melbourne test server, while De Vries didn?t show his full potential yet. I expect that he will be one of the frontrunners in this championship, much like he was in the opening round of 2019 (winning race 1 and finishing 2nd in race 2).

Valle eSports
A last minute entry in the 2020 Formula Challenge series is Valle eSports, taking over the spot of 360 Motorsports. Valle eSports is a new team with little simracing experience, but I expect that team owner and driver Massimiliano Ribolli knows how to manage a team the right way, and has already shown this by the signing of Dionysis Faraos. Give them some time to grow within the league, and they might become an established team in GPVWC in the future.