FSCS Weekly Interviews

Post Race Conference (Camino Viejo de Montserrat)

Moderator: "Alright guys. It has been a while since we have done this. Remember our thirty minute time limit so that these racers can get the rest they deserve. Here with us tonight from the GT class is METAL C6R and OldFenderBender from Team American Muscle as well as Aim High Racing's Boostbeef. From the GTC class is EZT Gambit and Alpha Racing International's Raceboy77. Matthnt cannot make this post-race conference as he has already left for Road Atlanta. Anyway, without further ado, let us start the question session."

Reporter 1: "This is for METAL C6R. To open, we haven't been to Camino Viejo since Season 5, where your race went very wrong very quickly. Obviously with the win this time, it went better. What was your opinion on this race?"

METAL C6R: "Well, at any rate, a finish at Camino Viejo Extreme is a top result. Last time I was here it was rough. I believe I ran the car into a wall chasing BIMMERR. If the car still runs I will drive it. This race I was just focus about keeping the car on track, and ahead of the Ferrari, which I didn't manage on the first lap sadly."

Reporter 2: "This question is for your teammate, OldFenderBender. Once again, you and METAL C6R show the dominance of the Corvette. Is it just the car, the tracks we have been at, or just the raw talent in the cars?"

OldFenderBender: "It's a mix of everything, but mainly the skill of the driver to utilize the car's potential and the tracks are a huge factor. Anything requiring high down force will hopefully be in our favor."

Reporter 3: "I'll continue with the final GT driver, Boostbeef. You have shown that your rookie stripe is pretty much non-existent. What do you think contributed to your close third place finish over your teammate and PredatorUSMC at Camino Viejo?"

Boostbeef: "Honestly I just ran a clean problem free race. I let those guys take off at the start and just maintained pace. I couldn’t believe I wound up in third after the pit stops."

Reporter 4: "I'll give the GTC drivers a chance to answer now. EZT Gambit, so far this season you seem pretty much unstoppable. How are you making that Corvette rip through the field like this?"

EZT Gambit: "I don't know, I think that I was really lucky last race because Matthnt and Raceboy77 had everything to win last race but they always seem to have a bad luck. It may be rookie's luck.

Reporter 4: "How about you Raceboy77? How hard is it to race with guys like EZT Gambit that just seem impossible to beat at times?"

Raceboy77: "It's extremely challenging to race against these guys. Everyone has certain strengths but EZT Gambit seems to fly everywhere. Nevertheless, it's exciting and fun at the same time and I'm certainly enjoying it."

Reporter 5: "This is a general question for everyone. Camino Viejo is undoubtedly a difficult track. What do you think contributed to the difficulty of this track?"

Raceboy77: "I can start the responses on this question. The track itself is crazy, jumps, bumps, tight corners, and the scenery can be distracting at times. I think the two biggest problem spots for almost everyone were the chicane after the long straight and the downhill section after the start line."

EZT Gambit: "Definitely the jump and the big variety of curves."

Boostbeef: "The problem with the track is you have to concentrate one-hundred percent of the time at this track. You can’t have any distractions. The track’s pretty narrow and hard to pass on too."

METAL C6R: "This track is difficult because it has hidden areas where you car has grip and doesn't. The key to any driver is to find those spots and use them to your advantage. However, the problem is that this tracks sweet spots and danger zones are so close together that, that line is often blurred for the driver."

OldFenderBender: "GTC traffic. It's quite dangerous to have a GTC car keep up with you in a straight while heading into the chicane, that, and the lack of width of the track in some areas."

Reporter 5: "And what about your favorite sections of the track?"

METAL C6R: "I am a fan of Camino and the switchbacks, not so much the other two circuits. At any extent a race track is a race track and it is always fun."

OldFenderBender: "The track from the start/finish line all the way to the end of the switchbacks were by far the most fun to 'Canyon' carve."

Boostbeef: "Personally, I’m not a fan of the extreme layout, if I was to choose I’d say the Camino section is the best. I wish the Ladera section didn’t exist."

EZT Gambit: "I really love the three pins going up hill that leads to the Iberian section."

Raceboy77: "The easiest is probably the hairpins going up hill as long as you don't miss your brake points. The best part, I believe, starts from the first hairpin (especially with tail-happy cars) all the way to the start of the long straight. That whole section of the track is fun."

Reporter 6: "I want to ask EZT Gambit this next question. From what we have all seen, you are the most dominant rookie in series history. What track is going to be the track that stops your dominant run?"

EZT Gambit: "On Le Mans I think my car wont have enough top speed and I also hate Sedona. Infeneon requires much more grip than the Corvette has. These will be the tracks that could hurt my season the most."

Reporter 7: "Let us go from one points leader to the other. METAL C6R, You have once again regained the points lead in GT. How mentally taxing is it to continue battling for the lead?"

METAL C6R: "It feels like it costs me an arm and a leg. The lead will change after each race, but the key is to be ahead when it finishes. Just finish as best you can in each race and try not to think about it too much."

Reporter 7: "And what about you OldFenderBender? Both you and your team reside reside in third. Which one is going to be your primary focus for winning?"

OldFenderBender: "The team would be first in my eyes. In reality we just take it week by week and figure out where we stand for the upcoming race. Ultimately though, I'll still race my teammates as hard as any other racer in this series."

Reporter 8: "With all of these top dogs every week and you finishing third on a nearly weekly basis, are you getting tired of it yet, Raceboy77?"

Raceboy77: "I'm never tired of a podium position, I thought at this track that I had a very good chance of winning but certain circumstances stopped me from enjoying the victory. I honestly can't complain with my solid finishes this season, I just hope I can keep up with them."

Reporter 9: "Let us jump over to the rookie side real quick. With you, Boostbeef, being the only rookie inside the top three for either class and you have a pretty solid lead in the GT rookie standings. You must be feeling really good right now. My question is, how much are you looking toward doubling up in the same manner EZT Gambit is?"

Boostbeef: "I’m just taking it one race at a time. We have some tracks coming up that the Viper should well, so we’ll see how it goes."

Reporter 10: "I would like to ask everyone what track they are looking forward to the most of the tracks remaining in this season."

Raceboy77: "To tell you the truth, I'm not a big fan of any of the tracks coming up except for Road Atlanta, but only just a little bit. Suzuka and Sedona should be interesting though."

Boostbeef: "Road Atlanta is my home track, so I always look forward to racing there. Another track is Suzuka. I don’t know why, but I always seem to run well there."

OldFenderBender: "I'm looking forward to a few tracks that are on the list. Suzuka & Infineon would be where to find the Vettes looking strong. But the "Green Hell" will be where I'll make some big magic happen."

EZT Gambit: "Nurburgring Nordshleife is my favorite track."

METAL C6R: "All of them. The Corvette will have to manage at Le Mans, but all the other tracks are relatively even. If anyone wants to bring Corvette off the season podium, good luck, because we are just getting started."

Moderator: "Alright everyone. Final question."

Reporter 11: "Well, let me make this a broad question open to everyone as well. With this two week break, are you guys going to do anything special?"

METAL C6R: "I might bring the Vette down to Catalunya for a bit of..."

Moderator: "Um, sorry to interrupt, but I just got a message from the Forza Sports Car Series officials. We will need to cut this shorter than usual as it seems we need to head to Road Atlanta. Qualifying will start much sooner than usual and I am sure that the drivers want as much time as possible. Thank you for coming everyone. Drivers, rides have been provided by the Forza Sports Car Series to get you guys to Braselton for this week's race. Good luck. To the reporters here, thank you for coming here tonight. We will be at Road Atlanta for race six of the Forza Sports Car Series. Good night everyone."

Post Race Conference (Road Atlanta)

Moderator: "We have had a long week and after the finish at Road Atlanta, I'm sure our racers here today are quite tired. Joining us today from GT is our class winner RAFT No Brakes, PredatorUSMC, and The LSA. From GTC is our class winner Matthnt, EZT Gambit, and RAFT Hiredgun. Let us begin our thirty minute session."

Reporter 1: "I will start with a question for RAFT No Brakes. After three weeks of no shows and DNFs, how does it feel to pick up a race victory at Road Atlanta?"

RAFT No Brakes: "It feels great, Road Atlanta is probably my favorite track so to be able to come back after three weeks of little to no points and pick up a win was great."

Reporter 2: "I would like to direct this question toward Matthnt. How close was the race between you and EZT Gambit?"

Matthnt: "It was really close the first half dozen laps then I managed to sneak out a gap of about three to five seconds and tried to maintain that for the rest of the race."

Reporter 2: "And how about you EZT Gambit? This is the first time in a couple of weeks that you have been dethroned from the top spot. How different does this feel for you?"

EZT Gambit: "It still feels really good to finish second, and with the four points from the pole it gives me ninety-eight points for the championship, which is pretty good run overall.

Reporter 3: "To RAFT Hiredgun. This if your first podium finish in a couple of weeks. It must feel good to be back on the podium, doesn't it?"

RAFT Hiredgun: "Yes, it feels great to be back on the podium. The team worked really hard this week to get me there. I struggled through most of practice to find the line the car needed be to run quick times but found the line right at the end of practice."

Reporter 4: "This question is for PredatorUSMC. This is probably one of your more consistent seasons to date. How does the Ferrari feel this season compared to seasons past?"

PredatorUSMC: "The Ferrari feels good, it always has. I really went back to driving smoother and eliminating mistakes instead of trying to force speed which led to mistakes. If I may add. I went back and watched many of the races from previous seasons and I studied last seasons GT Champion BIMM3RR and the thing I noticed is that he was not always the fastest but he was ALWAYS the most consistent lap after lap and that put him in position to win or be on the podium for almost every race. It was like an "ah ha" moment for me. Props to him. Wish he was here racing but since he is not I will gladly thank him for making it easier on the rest of us to go after a championship!"

Reporter 5: "I'm going to go ahead and switch to The LSA. You burst on to the scene very quickly after missing the season opener at Sebring. How are you getting that Australian V8 going as quickly as some of these super cars?

The LSA: "If I'm going to be completely honest, I don't think that I'm as good of a driver as a lot of the field. Zalonka and I do a lot of tuning work to get the car to handle decently. For the drivers that have driven the Commodore, you guys know what I mean. The contributions of my friends helped immensely."

Reporter 6: "Continuing with you The LSA, do you think you will have enough time to catch up to Boostbeef for the GT Rookie of the Season lead?"

The LSA: "As for catching Boostbeef, I don't know. Those Vipers are scary and he's probably better than I am as well. However, I think the Commodore will transition well from Road Atlanta to Le Mans to be able to make up some ground."

Reporter 7: "Speaking of the transition from Road Atlanta to Le Mans, we are being told that this is an impound race. This means that no changes will be made to the cars. How will this effect you guys?"

The LSA: "Like I said, the Commodore will probably transition well from Road Atlanta.

RAFT Hiredgun: "It should have no effect at all. We have the car well balanced."

PredatorUSMC: "It's not going to affect me at all either. I think once things level out a bit the drivers should expect less and less adjustment as the season goes along."

EZT Gambit: "There is no big difference, the only thing I could've done is adding a little bit of power in exchange with some more weight."

RAFT No Brakes: "No difference at all."

Matthnt: "Same for me, none at all."

Reporter 8: "Seems like confidence is high for Le Mans. Anyway, I'll continue with the GT points leader PredatorUSMC. Just like last week when METAL C6R was asked about the mental toll of trading back and forth the championship points lead, what kind of toll does it take on you?"

PredatorUSMC: "To be honest I think it makes me focus on being consistent. It's so hard to get a win in this series, so my goal is to win each race, but in that goal I set a secondary goal which is to get the best finish available to me and my cars performance with no mistakes made. So with METAL C6R and I going back and forth with the championship and a few others lurking only five or ten points back it makes me focus on consistency each corner of each lap of each race."

Reporter 8: "And a question for the GTC leader. With a lead this big, are you going to start relaxing and slow down at all to let the rest of the back keep up?"

EZT Gambit: "Not at all. I'm the kind of guy who goes the fastest as he can, always. And I need every points I can get if a bad luck happens."

Reporter 9: "How about a question for our race winner RAFT No Brakes. If you could answer this, why were you having such difficulty making races within the last three weeks?"

RAFT No Brakes: "At Hockenheim, I was having troubles with my girlfriend."

Reporter 9: "Can't afford to have her angry."

RAFT No Brakes: "No, not at all. Anyway, at Road America, the car was having trouble and I had to pull out of the race early."

Reporter 9: "And for Camino Viejo?"

RAFT No Brakes: "Eh, I'm not in the championship hung so why race on a track that I don't enjoy racing on anyway."

Reporter 10: "And let's continue with the GTC winner, Matthnt. Is there any chance that you can keep EZT Gambit behind you for the rest of the season?"

Matthnt: "It's possible but not probable. We'll see."

Reporter 11: "I'll continue with a question for RAFT Hiredgun. We've seen you have streaks of dominant runs before, which track can we expect you to pick up a win this season?"

RAFT Hiredgun: "Indianapolis Motor Speedway or Infineon Raceway will probably be my best chance but EZT Gambit and Matthnt are both going to be tough to beat everywhere we go."

Reporter 12: "For The LSA. Why did you choose the Commadore to start out your career?"

The LSA: "The Commodore seemed to offer a good balance of power and downforce at the expense of ease of control, which could be solved with practice, anyway."

Moderator: The thirty minute session is up. Final question please."

Reporter 13: "This is for everyone. The season is officially halfway over. How would you sum up the first half of the season?"

RAFT No Brakes: "When I've been on it, things have been going good. When I haven't, it's turned out pretty bad."

PredatorUSMC: "Intense. I am fighting with American powerhouses in the Corvettes and the Vipers so those big V8's and V10's let me know they are always close!"

The LSA: "Pretty good so far for me."

Matthnt: "Aside from my bad finish in Germany at Hockenheim, this has been a really good first half for me. I'm second in points, the team is first in the team championship. Pretty much a good season so far."

EZT Gambit: "Good for me, I mean everything went my way. No accidents, and more wins then I was hoping for."

RAFT Hiredgun: "The season so far has been good for me. I'm looking forward to the second half to see if i can get a win and maybe close the point gap up."

Moderator: "Well, that was a good question and answer session. I hope to see everyone at Le Mans Circuit de la Sarthe for the second half of..."

Dr. Dan Panoz: "Sorry to interupt, but if I may. I would like to meet the racers that have proven their stuff on my track."

Moderator: "By all means, go ahead."

Dr. Dan Panoz: "Hello guys. RAFT No Brakes, Matthnt, congratulations again at finishing first in each class. I already said this during the victory celebration, but you guys have once again torn up my racetrack. I may need to have another one built to test you further."

RAFT No Brakes: "Thank you."

Matthnt: "Thanks. It's nice to talk to you again."

Dr. Dan Panoz: "Likewise for me, as well."

PredatorUSMC: "Now I have a quick question for you Dr. Panoz. How do you feel about your merger with Grand Am?"

Dr. Dan Panoz: "It seems like the merger will help us both out. It should grow the sport as a whole and offer some great competition between the racers of the American Le Mans Series and Grand Am. We should be able to have some great races when this merger is complete in 2014.

EZT Gambit: "And about our talks Dr. Panoz?"

Dr. Dan Panoz: "We'll keep any news about you and Esperante between us two for now. Wait, whoops. Sorry about that."

EZT Gambit: "No problem."

Dr. Dan Panoz: "Anyway, sorry for taking up your time racers."

RAFT Hiredgun: "No problem at all. I've been meaning to catch up and talk with you for a bit. I've been a bit busy all weekend with practice. Maybe we could talk after the conference?"

Dr. Dan Panoz: "That doesn't sound like an issue for me. I'll toss this back to the Moderator now."

Moderator: "Thank you Dr. Panoz. And thank you everyone else for coming. We shall see you guys at Le Mans Circuit de la Sarthe to start the second half of the Forza Sports Car Series."

All thoughts and comments made by "Dr. Dan Panoz" in this post-race conference are fictional and do fully reflect the thoughts of the true Dr. Panoz. All comments above are fictionalized for usage in an entertainment purpose. Thanks.

Good read, Kamikaze!

I'm not one for reading big write-ups, especially in forums, but i always find myself reading all your interviews, they're great!

Thanks guys. I'll also have both the GTC and GT Driver Spotlights up. It has just been a slightly busy week.

well done

Post-Race Conference from Le Mans Circuit de la Sarthe

Moderator: "We are running a little short on time so we are going to get right to this post-race conference. Reporters, you may now begin."

Reporter 1: "I'm going to start with GT winner SSRT DWilkerson. After a rough first half of the season, you came back really well at Le Mans. Can you continue this for the next upcoming races?"

SSRT DWilkerson: "Thank you. I've had some bad luck with mechanical failures in a few races, but I'm doing what I can to keep momentum going. We have a few tricks up our sleeve still that'll keep our SRT Viper up at the top."

Reporter 2: "I'll continue with GTC winner, F4H FACEPALMER. This is not only your first podium finish but your first win in the Forza Sports Car Series. How good are you feeling after this win?"

F4H FACEPALMER: "Fairly good, I didn't expect it to play out the way it did and there was a bit of controversy but it makes up for not being able to race my favorite track when I had pace to win there. I guess it feels pretty good after that."

Reporter 3: "It was a close finish between you and THF dvsSublime. How were you able to hold him off?"

Boostbeef: "The question should be “how did you manage to get by him"? After an unfortunate incident between us, he managed to pass me and took off. After several laps I began to catch back up to him. He later got held up by some traffic and that was all I needed to get back to him. He got loose coming to the white flag and it was enough for me to squeak by."

Reporter 4: "I'll pass this question to THF dvsSublime. This race marks your first podium finish of the season. How did you finally make it on the podium?"

THF dvsSublime: "Well I knew going into Le Mans that I had the best car out on the track hands down. It was just a matter me of finding my groove out there and staying consistent which I did. I led for the first thirteen or fourteen laps until taking heavy damage which put me out of the run for the top spot."

Reporter 5: "For RAFT Hiredgun. You are still seeking that elusive win this season, but you have been slowly creeping into the top spot? Will it happen next week at Suzuka?"

RAFT Hiredgun: "No I don't think so. There are some guys that have good grip and speed in there cars that are going to really strong."

Reporter 5: "Well, hopefully you will be able to get a chance to pick up that first win this season. Now I want to continue with jpnvr4. You have finally pulled that Acura in for a podium finish after a couple of difficult weeks. How hard is that Acura to drive?"

jpnvr4: "Truthfully, it's about time. The NSX is pretty much a balanced car, it just has a tendency to understeer a little bit, especially around long sweepers, but other than that it's a breeze to drive."

Reporter 6: "I want to jump back to RAFT Hiredgun for a moment. You guys hold a commanding lead in the team points. Do you have anything you wish to say toward Aim High Racing or American Muscle Racing, your two main competitors for the title?"

RAFT Hiredgun: "The season isn't over anything can happen those teams are really strong we just need to keep doing what we have been doing all season."

Reporter 7: "I'm directing this question to SSRT DWilkerson. After winning the series championship in Season 6 in the Competition Coupe, what will it take to get back into championship form again in the Viper GTS?"

SSRT DWilkerson: "Only time. None of us at Aim High Racing had a lot of time to get the car race ready for this season and I think we're only now starting to see the real potential this car has. Again, we still have a few tricks up our sleeve for this season. We should be in good contention for the team championship."

Reporter 8: "Now for your teammate, Boostbeef. How has working with your teammate SSRT DWilkerson helped you race your rookie season?"

Boostbeef: "It has helped a lot to say the least. Dan [SSRT DWilkerson] is a veteran Viper tuner and I’m always running tuning ideas by him and Prone. Dan tunes his cars one way, SSRT Pronebird tunes his different way, and between the two I can usually find what works best for me."

Reporter 9: "For THF dvsSublime. Do you think not switching to the Porsche and continuing with the RUF has affected your contention for the championship?"

THF dvsSublime: "It was a really hard decision on which car to run for Season 8. Having run the RUF for all of Season 6 and the first half of Season 7, I got really familiar with its limits and exactly how hard I can push the car. The Porsche was right there with it performance wise but I didn’t have as much time in between seasons to properly get the car set up. But to answer your question, I think both the Porsche and the RUF would get me to the same spot. Having more setups for the RUF was the ultimate decision maker, with such little amount of tuning time between the FSCS, RRALMS , and RR ISMA Porsche Cup, having set ups already was a big factor."

Reporter 10: "If I could go back to jpnvr4 and your Acura, was it the Acura that was giving you the trouble this season to finish well overall or is it just bad luck?"

jpnvr4: "The car has been great. It was just plain out right bad luck that has hit me this season."

Reporter 11: "For the rookie F4H FACEPALMER. How much has this season taught you and prepared you for the rest of this season and the next season?"

F4H FACEPALMER: "The PI upgrade is the only new thing to me, having to adjust the PI almost every race so far now has added a bit more time to practicing. Normally for me it's just a slight adjustment and minimal practice, but there have been a few races where the build has needed some serious work and the PI adjustment really helped with that. From what I've gathered this dies down as the season progresses so hopefully it will be more a case of making slight adjustments rather than tearing the car apart."

Reporter 12: "This is a general question for everyone. How much momentum does this race carry for the second half of the season?"

SSRT DWilkerson: "I'm going to try very hard to get myself into the top five by season's end, but right now my personal priority is team points. This race still had a pretty big impact on the rest of the season though."

F4H FACEPALMER: "For me, not much, considering Suzuka will be much more challenging. The Boss Racing M3 will not be as fast there."

Boostbeef: "I think it carries a lot for our team. Hopefully it will be enough momentum to put a Viper on top of the points by the end of the season, whichever one it may be."

RAFT Hiredgun: "I agree. I think this race matters a lot. It shows we have good cars and good tunes and we just have to keep really pushing to keep up with some of the other guys."

THF dvsSublime: "I wouldn’t say it matters too much. It is not so much the momentum but more of a drive to get that top spot and push the car that much harder as well as pushing myself harder and being more aggressive with the rest of the field. This is a tough series with a lot of talented drivers so if you want to succeed you’re going to have to push harder than the next guy."

jpnvr4: "For our team it carries quite a bit as right now we are out of podium standings and just got a penalty for breaking Rule 2.0. We need to step up for the latter half, especially myself, to make podium happen again."

Moderator: "Since we started late, we are out of time. This question will be the final question."

Reporter 13: "Everyone's favorite section at Le Mans are the numerous yellow "twinkies" around the track. How many did you "eat?""

jpnvr4: "I had three servings..."

RAFT Hiredgun: "About four for me."

THF dvsSublime: "The car felt great the first half of the race, I really got in a grove and didn’t hit any. After taking damage I must have hit like 2 or 3 tops. Huge thanks to Michelin, the tires were running great and held up really well."

F4H FACEPALMER: "I see you squeezed a quick plug for Michelin in that response."

THF dvsSublime: "Hey, they put good tires on my RUF."

F4H FACEPALMER: "I see. Anyway, to answer the question, I hit nearly five or six. Nearly rolled the car about halfway through the race."

SSRT DWilkerson: "Not one. I got close a couple of times, but I know Le Mans well. I don't make mistakes there."

Boostbeef: "In practice I trashed my Viper several times. After the team fixed the car for qualifying they told me to get my act together or I’d be driving a rental car around the track. I think I might have touched one or two in the race."

Reporter 13: "Is this true SSRT DWilkerson?"

SSRT DWilkerson: "Yeah. We can't afford to continually replace all of these Vipers. They aren't exactly cheap cars."

Moderator: "Thank you all for joining us and thank you for bearing with us due to the late start. We will hopefully be more on time in Suzuka, Japan. See you all there."