Difference between revisions of "2009 Superleague season"
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* The [[Turkish Grand Prix]], [[Malaysian Grand Prix]], [[Hungarian Grand Prix]], [[German Grand Prix]], [[European Grand Prix]] and [[Austrian Grand Prix]] were all absent from the 2009 calendar. | * The [[Turkish Grand Prix]], [[Malaysian Grand Prix]], [[Hungarian Grand Prix]], [[German Grand Prix]], [[European Grand Prix]] and [[Austrian Grand Prix]] were all absent from the 2009 calendar. | ||
* The [[Spanish Grand Prix]] venue was changed from the [[Circuit de Catalunya]] to the [[Valencia Street Circuit]]. The classic [[Circuit de Charade]] was chosen to host the 2009 [[French Grand Prix]] instead of the usual [[Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours|Magny-Cours]]. | * The [[Spanish Grand Prix]] venue was changed from the [[Circuit de Catalunya]] to the [[Valencia Street Circuit]]. The classic [[Circuit de Charade]] was chosen to host the 2009 [[French Grand Prix]] instead of the usual [[Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours|Magny-Cours]]. | ||
| − | * The [[Chinese Grand Prix]] made a return to the GPVWC in 2009. Mondello Park was chosen to host the [[Irish Grand Prix]]. The Autodrom Most circuit was the setting for the new [[Czech Grand Prix]]. The [[Dutch Grand Prix]] was held at the historic Zandvoort track. The [[Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez]] was host to the [[Mexican Grand Prix]]. The refurbished [[Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit|Kyalami]] track was the venue of the [[South African Grand Prix]]. | + | * The [[Chinese Grand Prix]] made a return to the GPVWC in 2009. Mondello Park was chosen to host the [[Irish Grand Prix]]. The Autodrom Most circuit was the setting for the new [[Czech Grand Prix]]. The [[Dutch Grand Prix]] was held at the historic [[Circuit Park Zandvoort|Zandvoort]] track. The [[Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez]] was host to the [[Mexican Grand Prix]]. The refurbished [[Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit|Kyalami]] track was the venue of the [[South African Grand Prix]]. |
* The [[Singapore Grand Prix]]'s [[Marina Bay Street Circuit]] was also new for 2009 and was scene to the first ever Superleague night race. | * The [[Singapore Grand Prix]]'s [[Marina Bay Street Circuit]] was also new for 2009 and was scene to the first ever Superleague night race. | ||
Revision as of 05:28, 4 October 2011
| |
| Competition | Superleague |
|---|---|
| Title Sponsor | N/A |
| Platform Used |  rFactor v1.255
|
| Rounds | 18 |
| Mod base | CTDP F1 06 |
| Carshape base | GP2 |
| Engine Supplier(s) | Mercedes, Ferrari, Renault, Toyota, Honda, Cosworth |
| Tyre Supplier(s) | Bridgestone |
| Drivers | 46 |
| Teams | 16 |
| Drivers' Champion |  Joe Consiglio
|
| Teams' Champion |  Nordsjoen Racing
|
| Superleague Seasons | |
| 2000 · 2001 · 2002 · 2003 · 2004 · 2005 · 2006 · 2007 · 2008 · 2009 · 2010 · 2011 · 2012 · 2013 · 2014 · 2015 · 2016 · 2017 · 2018 · 2019 · 2020 · 2021 · 2022 · 2023 · 2024 | |
The 2009 Superleague season was the 10th GPVWC Superleague competition. 2009 was an important year in the league's history, it marked the beginning of online competiton in the GPVWC. The highly acclaimed rFactor simulator was chosen as the platform for the all new "connected era".
In a successful and exciting year, Joe Consiglio and Nordsjoen Racing secured the drivers and constructors championships respectively. The season saw six different winners, Joe Consiglio, Adam Rouse, Janne Tanskanen, Luis Fernando Laaff, Dave Carr-Smith and Lee Morris all stood on the top step of the podium over the course of the 18 round competition.
Consiglio took six wins on his way to championship glory in 2009. His closest rival Janne Tanskanen picked up three victories but retirements and non starts put pay to any chance of the Finn taking the crown. With Consiglio securing the drivers championship at the pen-ultimate round in Zandvoort, it was the ever consistent Mark Wicks who finished the season 2nd in the drivers standings, despite not taking any wins in 2009. FSR sensation Lee Morris entered the fray late in the season and duly won all five races he attended.
Nordsjoen Racing wrapped up the constructors championship as early as the Spanish Grand Prix in Valencia. Consiglio and team-mate Rouse proved to be a formidable partnership and gave Nordsjoen their 2nd constructors title in as many years.
Contents
Pre-season
Testing
Pre season testing gave the league and it's drivers a chance to become better acquainted with rFactor and online competition in general. Many drivers, including eventual champion Joe Consiglio had barely turned a wheel on the game before attending the first scheduled test in Norway. At the league’s historical first online meeting, Adam Rouse and newcomer Janne Tanskanen emerged as the early pace setters.
As winter testing progressed Dave Carr-Smith wrote his name on the list of potential contenders by posting a very quick laptime at the second test in Zolder. At Sebring a week later Consiglio headed the timesheets and proved he was now fully up to speed with the new platform.
Indeed with the highly rated Maltese driver teamed up with the determined Adam Rouse, Nordsjoen Racing were pre-season favourites to take the constructors championship in 2009. The Woods Racing duo of Carr-Smith and Mark Wicks looked like they would be Nordsjoen’s closest rivals. However the Cosworth powered Evans Blue cars were also being marked as potential challengers.
Report
Tanskanen finally took his first win of the season at Suzuka. The Nordsjoen drivers Consiglio and Rouse finished 2nd and 3rd respectively. Both drivers received drive-thru penalties early on and had to fight their way through the field as a result. A round later Consiglio took a lights to flag victory at the French Grand Prix in Charade. Veteran Kieran Ryan was an excellent 2nd with Chris Allen scoring his maiden podium in 3rd. Rouse once again bore the brunt of Nordsjoen's unreliable Honda engine and with Tanskanen also retiring Consiglio found himself leading the championship after four rounds.
Tanskanen dominated the 2009 Irish Grand Prix and took his 2nd win of the year. Adam Rouse resisted late pressure from Phil Perkins to finish the race in 2nd. After being punted off by Michelangelo Manrique at mid distance, the recovering Consiglio fell foul of yet another Honda engine blowup. A round later the Maltese driver was back on form in Monaco. On the tight and twisty streets Consiglio took pole position and a dominant win to re-establish his lead in the championship. Rouse made it a Nordsjoen 1-2 with Wicks taking a well earned 3rd. Tanskanen wound up in an unusually distant 4th.
Dave Carr-Smith took his first ever victory at Silverstone after an epic race long battle with Joe Consiglio. The Woods Racing driver resisted huge pressure for lap after lap and crossed the line less than four tenths ahead of the charging championship leader. Tanskanen failed to finish after an unfortunate incident with Leontin Nemet. Mark Wicks capped a great day for Woods Racing by holding off Jyri Lylykorpi for 3rd. The Czech Grand Prix saw Consiglio take his 4th win of season, comfortably ahead of Tanskanen in 2nd. After starting at the back of the grid Rouse did a stellar job to bring his Nordsjoen to the finish in 3rd. Ryan McConkey put up the fastest lap of the race but had to settle for 4th after a stop-go penalty for speeding in the pits.
After a long summer break the paddock re-gathered in Montreal for the Canadian Grand Prix. In a tense race Consiglio resisted late pressure from Tanskanen and took his 5th victory of the season. Carr-Smith was 3rd ahead of his team-mate Wicks in 4th. Mexico was next on the calendar and once again Consiglio was in unstoppable form. In an event that saw Janne Tanskanen failing to show up, Consiglio took pole, fastest lap and a comfortable victory over team-mate Rouse. Perkins continued his strong run of form with another podium.
Adam Rouse returned to the top step of the podium in Brazil. The Englishman tracked team-mate Consiglio all race and fully capitalised when the Maltese driver got disconnected from the server. Mark Wicks crossed the finish line in 2nd with debutant James Linton bringing his Fusion home in a superb 3rd. By the Italian Grand Prix the form book was turned completely upside down. FSR driver Lee Morris announced he would be competing for CSG Racing in the remaining races. Morris quickly demonstrated his ability by scoring a dominant win in Monza. Meanwhile championship hopefuls Tanskanen and Consiglio fought tooth and nail for the runner-up spot, in the end the Finn just managed to hold the Nordsjoen at bay.
The pen-ultimate round of the championship was held at Zandvoort. The big pre-race news was that Tanskanen would be unable to compete due to exam committments. Consiglio had been handed a massive opportunity and he knew that a 3rd place finish was all that was required to take the championship. In the race Morris was once again in strong form and took another easy lights to flag victory for CSG Racing. However it was Joe Consiglio who followed him home to take the 2009 World Drivers Championship. A 7 year dream had finally come true.
At the final round in Singapore the fans were treated to a fantastic battle for the win between Morris and the newly crowned champion. With the pressure off Consiglio was free to express himself on the floodlit streets and after a race long battle pulled off a spectacular pass on the CSG driver to take the lead in the latter stages of the grand prix. A late spin denied Consiglio of a fairy tale ending but none-the-less he had proven he was capable of going toe to toe with the new FSR sensation. Adam Rouse finished 3rd and Mark Wicks was 4th. In finishing 4th Wicks ensured 2nd in the drivers standings, just heading out Tanskanen and Rouse by a single point.
Teams and drivers
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New entries
With the GPVWC in a rebuilding year many new teams took the opportunity to enter the 2009 Superleague season.
Evans Blue Racing were by far the most sucessful new outfit. The Finnish team took three wins and several podiums on their way to third place in the constructors championship.
New entries Phoenix Racing, Allen GP and Daniel Ortega Racing all scored podiums in 2009 and established themselves as regular point scorers. Gear F1 and Conde Racing Competicion also found themselves scoring points in their debut year.
Unfortunately R4 Engineering and Convex XRX only attended one race in 2009 and quickly fell by the way side.
Team changes
- R4 Engineering were replaced by Constant Racing just before the 2009 French Grand Prix. Driver, manager and co-owner Mark Stanton guided his new team to regular points and 8th position in the constructors championship.
- German team Maximum Racing were drafted in to fill the vacant spot left by Convex XRX. Maximum made their debut at Monaco and scored eight points in 2009.
- Just before the 2009 Bahrain Grand Prix Phoenix Racing changed ownership and hence became known as Fusion Motorsport. Despite keeping an almost identical infrastructure the two teams were treated as separate entries.
- Conde Racing Competicion failed to make an appearance after the mid-season break. With the league looking for a replacement team, Dave Carr-Smith's CSG Racing team was chosen to fill the slot. Lead driver Lee Morris stormed to five wins in five races and the team finished an impressive 4th in the standings.
Driver changes
2009 Calendar
Calendar changes
- The calendar was extended to 18 Grand Prix for 2009 - 1 more than the previous season. In general, the 2009 calendar was vastly different to that of 2008.
- The Turkish Grand Prix, Malaysian Grand Prix, Hungarian Grand Prix, German Grand Prix, European Grand Prix and Austrian Grand Prix were all absent from the 2009 calendar.
- The Spanish Grand Prix venue was changed from the Circuit de Catalunya to the Valencia Street Circuit. The classic Circuit de Charade was chosen to host the 2009 French Grand Prix instead of the usual Magny-Cours.
- The Chinese Grand Prix made a return to the GPVWC in 2009. Mondello Park was chosen to host the Irish Grand Prix. The Autodrom Most circuit was the setting for the new Czech Grand Prix. The Dutch Grand Prix was held at the historic Zandvoort track. The Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez was host to the Mexican Grand Prix. The refurbished Kyalami track was the venue of the South African Grand Prix.
- The Singapore Grand Prix's Marina Bay Street Circuit was also new for 2009 and was scene to the first ever Superleague night race.
Rule changes
Results and standings
Grands Prix
Scoring system
Points are awarded to the top 10 classified finishers.
| Position | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Points | 10 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
Drivers standings
|
Bold - Pole |
† Drivers did not finish the Grand Prix, but were classified as they completed over 90% of the race distance.
Constructors standings
|
Bold – Pole |
† Cars did not finish the Grand Prix, but were classified as they completed over 75% of the race distance.
| Preceded by: 2008 Superleague season |
2009 Superleague season 2009 |
Succeeded by: 2010 Superleague season |
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