Rookie of the Season (Season 7)

Road America Rookie Post Race Report

Although a seemingly gentile track, Road America proved to be a larger challenge than some expected. For those rookies, it wasn't their cars that let them down, but several on track incidents proved fatal to our rookies hopes of scoring a good finish out at Elkhart Lake.

Up toward the front of the pack, RAFT KURTMAN and xxHENCHMAN24xx from the GT Class and s0ul harv3st, No1 Tommy Smurf, and White79bu from the GTC Class had good starts lined up with all drivers listed starting in the top ten. RAFT KURTMAN and No1 Tommy Smurf were able to capitalize on their good starting spots with RAFT KURTMAN taking a podium finish with a solid second place finish and No1 Tommy Smurf taking the GTC Hard Charger Award with a strong push from eighth to fifth place. s0ul harv3st and White79bu both had a little trouble and did were not able to receive any help from their starting positions with s0ul harv3st dropping two positions and White79bu not able to advance anywhere through the GTC field.

xxHENCHMAN24xx was just one of many rookies involved in on track incidents at Road Atlanta. On lap five, xxHENCHMAN24xx's Ferrari Challenge Stradale was hit from behind by PredatorUSMC's Ferrari 458 Italia. This caused some damage to xxHENCHMAN24xx's car and he was barely able to scrap out a top ten finish. Just a few laps before that, WCR RACER X and SVT MOTORSPORT trade some paint on lap two. This incident did not cause much damage to their cars but was enough to slow them down through the whole race. Another incident on lap ten saw rookie JoshdaSquash make contact with TheManNowDog777's Pontiac Firebird. Luckily for both drivers the damage did not take too much of a toll on both cars and they were able to continue on with the race.

As you can see, the on track collisions played a part in Sunday's race at Road America. Luckily for rookies like Thrush426 and No1 Tommy Smurf, these on track incidents helped push them in for solid race finishes. We will see if these rookies learn from their mishaps and take the field by storm at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca or if more drivers will crash and burn within the confines of the 2.238 miles course.

Kamikaze

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Road America Rookie Results:

GT Class

2. RAFT KURTMAN -- #20 RAFT Racing Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4
7. Thrush426 -- #61 Carbon Fusion Motorsports McLaren MP4-12C
8. xxHENCHMAN24xx -- #124 Privateer Ferrari Challenge Stradale
12. JoshdaSquash -- #37 Nein Shiza Autosports Ferrari 458 Italia
14. aka ROWDY -- #52 Insomniac Racing Lotus Evora Type 124 Endurance Racer
16. ox FASTLANE xo -- #49 Privateer Lotus Evora Type 124 Endurance Racer
19. SVT MOTORSPORT -- #8 AK Autosport Jaguar RSR XKR GT
22. WCR RACER X -- #28 EBG Racing BMW M3 GT2
25. retroward -- #80 Alpha Racing International Devon GTX

GTC Class

4. s0ul harv3st -- #44 RR Boosted Evolution Lotus Exige Cup
5. No1 Tommy Smurf -- #190 Privateer Aston Martin V12 Vantage
9. White79bu -- #710 Privateer Ford Mustang Shelby GT500
12. Wngless mkIV -- #626 Top Gun Motorsports Toyota Supra RZ
13. xToxicEiREx -- #263 Privateer Porsche 911 GT3 (997)
15. bLuEsMoKe305 -- #09 Privateer Porsche 911 GT3 (997)

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GT Rookie Standings (Top Five)

1. RAFT KURTMAN -- 763 Points
2. xxHENCMMAN24xx -- 716 Points (-47 Points)
3. Thrush426 -- 631 Points (-132 Points)
4. ox FASTLANE xo -- 580 Points (-156 Points)
5. aka ROWDY -- 565 Points (-198 Points)

GTC Rookie Standings (Top Five)

1. s0ul harv3st -- 814 Points
2. Wngless mkIV -- 669 Points (-145 Points)

-----(Drivers in Championship Hunt)-----

3. No1 Tommy Smurf -- 457 Points (-357 Points)
4. Boosted93 RX7 -- 406 Points (-408 Points)
T5. Kutts88 -- 279 Points (-535 Points)
T5. Kameraboy -- 279 Points (-535 Points)

Hey pred was I supposed to receive a prize for winning rookie of the year season 6?

This is a Kamikaze1414 Production for the series. This is his greatly appreciated contribution to the series. Please contact him for information in relation to Rookie of the Season.

Thanks.

I will be contacting all previous winners to ask them what cars they would want from the current season's car list. Just wait for a PM.

After tallying up the points from Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, we have now crowned a new Rookie of the Season. Without further ado...

Congratulations to s0ul harv3st for clinching the GTC Class Rookie of the Season for Season 7.

Kamikaze1414 wrote:

After tallying up the points from Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, we have now crowned a new Rookie of the Season. Without further ado...

Congratulations to s0ul harv3st for clinching the GTC Class Rookie of the Season for Season 7.

Nice job s0ul harv3st!!!

sniper919 wrote:

Kamikaze1414 wrote:

After tallying up the points from Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, we have now crowned a new Rookie of the Season. Without further ado...

Congratulations to s0ul harv3st for clinching the GTC Class Rookie of the Season for Season 7.

Nice job s0ul harv3st!!!

Thanks man

Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca Post Race Report

Laguna Seca is known for many things. Its location in Monterrey, California puts this track as one of the hottest tracks we visit on the FSCS circuit. Its unforgiving nature takes any mistake that you make and spits you out facing the wrong way. And finally, the infamous Corkscrew. This unwieldy piece of racing torture is the sight for the most crashes, incidents, and soiled pants on this circuit and it gave the rookies one final challenge before heading to the famed Nurburgring.

Like most of the races, our rookies seemed to get off the grid fairly well. With the exception of a few major incidents, our rookies made their way through this demanding track just to prove that they do not need the title "rookie" hanging over their heads. Both rookie leaders in the GT and GTC category, RAFT KURTMAN and s0ul harv3st, kept their heads out of trouble and they both secured a nice third place podium finish. Further back in the GT field, xxHENCHMAN24xx and Thrush426 broke into the top ten with only a few minor dings and dents on their race cars. With only one rookie DNF in the GT field, these racers handled Laguna Seca pretty well.

GTC had a couple more noteworthy incidents, but the racing was just as intense. As mentioned before, s0ul harv3st took an impressive podium finish, missing second place by just a hair. Kutts88, who pulled out an amazing run and gaining the Hard Charger Award, and No1 Tommy Smurf, despite heavy damage to his Aston Martin, stayed in the top ten to secure a couple of good finishes. Despite this tough track, the rookies can handle their cars it seems.

With Laguna Seca out of the way, it seems that the season has only one more track left, Nurburgring. This twisty course is once again the site of the Forza Sports Car Series season finally and what a show it will bring. With s0ul harv3st's finish at Laguna Seca, we have already crowned our GTC Rookie of the Season, but over in GT it is still a whole another story. RAFT KURTMAN still needs a good showing to hold off the ever charging xxHENCHMAN24xx from taking the top spot. Even further, both RAFT KURTMAN and s0ul harv3st are still in the running to win the Season Championship. We all knew this track was exciting, but with the competition this close, anything could happen at Nurburgring.

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Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca Rookie Results:

GT Class

3. RAFT KURTMAN -- #20 RAFT Racing Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4
7. xxHENCHMAN24xx -- #124 O3 Racing Porsche 911 GT2 RS
9. Thrush426 -- #61 Carbon Fusion Motorsports McLaren MP4-12C
11. Peader24 -- #199 O3 Racing Porsche 911 GT2 RS
12. aka ROWDY -- #52 Insomniac Racing Lotus Evora Type 124 Endurance Racer
20. ox FASTLANE xo -- #49 Privateer Lotus Evora Type 124 Endurance Racer
21. WCR RACER X -- #28 EBG Racing BMW M3 GT2
22. SVT MOTORSPORT -- #8 AK Autosport Jaguar RSR XKR GT
24. Kayotic Cal -- #88 EBG Racing BMW M3 GT2
25. retroward -- #80 Alpha Racing International Devon GTX
28. ROSCOEpCOTRAIN -- #14 Nein Shiza Autosports Ferrari 458 Italia (DNF)

GTC Class

3. s0ul harv3st -- #44 RR Boosted Evolution Lotus Exige Cup
6. No1 Tommy Smurf -- #190 Privateer Aston Martin V12 Vantage
10. Kutts88 -- #88 South Side Imports BMW M3 (E36)
11. BlackHawk S61 -- #114 Falken Racing Porsche 911 GT2 (993)
12. bLuEsMoKe305 -- #09 Privateer Porsche 911 GT3 (997)
13. xToxicEiREx -- #263 Privateer Porsche 911 GT3 (997)
15. Duc748s -- #20 Privateer Lamborghini Murcielago

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GT Rookie Standings (Top Five)

1. RAFT KURTMAN -- 850 Points
2. xxHENCHMAN24xx -- 792 Points
3. Thrush426 -- 705 Points

----(Drivers in Championship Hunt)----

4. ox FASTLANE xo -- 643 Points
5. aka ROWDY -- 636 Points

GTC Rookie Standings (Top Five)

1. s0ul harv3st -- 901 Points

----(Drivers in the Championship Hunt)----

2. Wngless mkIV -- 699 Points
3. No1 Tommy Smurf -- 534 Points
4. Boosted93 RX7 -- 406 Points
5. Kutts 88 -- 354 Points

Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca Post Race Interview with RAFT KURTMAN and s0ul harv3st

Kamikaze: "Welcome both of you. First off, before we begin, congratulations s0ul harv3st for capturing the GTC Rookie of the Season title. How does it feel?"

s0ul harv3st: "It feels great. I only had hopes of finishing in the top half of the field this season so needless to say, finishing with the Rookie of the Season title and hunting for the podium is far beyond anything I had anticipated."

K: "You've made a great run this season and have shown that rookies are always contenders. Not to be outdone, KURTMAN, you've also shown that rookies shouldn't be overlooked either. With s0ul harv3st being crowned the GTC Rookie of the Season, can you do the same over on the GT side?"

RAFT KURTMAN: "I think that with my lead on xxHENCHMAN24xx I will be Rookie of the Season as long as I keep it shiny side up."

K: "Well, good luck out there. Hopefully you can pull it off. Also, I'm happy that you brought up keeping it clean and on all fours at Nurburgring. This track is tough and is by far the hardest endurance race on the Forza Sports Car Series list. What are you two doing to prepare for this?"

RK: "Practice, practice, practice. Tune, tune, tune."

sh: "Yeah, same for me. Practice, Practice, Practice. This is my first race at this monster track so I am starting by running the segments until I get them down. After that I will start tying them together into full laps."

K: "Well, I'm sure with all that practice, both of you know the course very well now. What parts of Nurburgring do you think will trip up some of the less experienced rookies?"

sh: "For me there are two areas so far, the Karussell and the Adenauer Forst chicane. The high speeds going into Adenauer closes in on that turn deceptively quick making for dramatic wall impacts not to mention the potential of flipping on that super high berm and getting the proper line out of the Karussell, so as not to go air born or wipe out have been my two nemesis' to date."

RK: "The high speed passing will probably catch them off guard. The closing speed is crazy. In slower corners, the cars are close, but the faster ones is where people will have trouble passing clean and racing hard close."

K: "We'll all be on the look out. Thanks for those tips guys. Is there anything else that you guys would like to add before you guys head out?"

sh: "I would just like to say that it helps to have veteran drivers like Desert Duck and Sniper919 teaching you the tracks and pointing out certain issue with your driving. With out those two guys I could not have done what I did. Also, a good tune is more important than the car itself. Get with somebody who knows how to tune your car even if it cost you a ton of credits. I was fortunate to have an excellent tuner on my team and a second tuner who was equally if not more adept at tuning my car. This is what got me far and I would advise all rookies to do the same. Good luck to everyone at Nurburgring."

K: "And you KURTMAN?"

RK: "Good luck and don't crash me. Haha."

K: "Always wise words indeed. Thanks guys and good luck."

Final recap?

Admin/PredatorUSMC wrote:

Final recap?

+1 Please.

Coming tonight.

Nurburgring Nordschleife Rookie Post Race Recap

It seems like only yesterday, I was writing up the first Rookie Post Race Recap from Sebring. Well, twelve races later, these rookies are no longer rookies, but are full fledged racers of the Forza Sports Car Series. For twelve races, these guys have been battling hard for the top spot and the title of Rookie of the Season. Last week at Laguna Seca, we had crowned our GTC Rookie of the Season, s0ul harv3st. Sunday at Nurburgring, the title of GT Rookie of the Season was up for grabs and made for some great racing action.

Just like with previous seasons, Nurburgring Nordschleife had drivers start in reverse grid order. This put our top GT and GTC rookies at the back of the field and gave some of our lower ranked rookies a chance at glory. Racing started off well for both groups as drivers and rookies alike swapped from the back to the front through the twisty Nurburgring course. The two main contenders for the GT Rookie of the Season title, xxHENCHMAN24xx and RAFT KURTMAN made great racing happen as they battled for every last point. xxHENCHMANxx made every effort to gain as many points as possible and he ended up securing a fifth place finish at the Green Hell. The question was, did he have enough to edge out RAFT KURTMAN? No, he did not. RAFT KURTMAN shut the door on xxHENCHMAN24xx's chance at winning the GT Rookie of the Season title by finishing only three places behind him in eighth. Despite all his efforts, xxHENCHMAN24xx could not stop RAFT KURTMAN from securing the title. Thrush426, made a pretty impressive run out of Nurburgring despite having a remote chance at the title. He took his McLaren and held on to a solid ninth place finish.

From what I heard from the GTC race, there was a lot more calamity occurring. Many rookies felt the wrath of the Green Hell and couldn't finish due to rolling their car on one of its many treacherous corners. No1 Tommy Smurf, who was leading the GTC field for most of the race could not finish due to a last lap mistake that put him on his roof. Kutts88 and White79bu also made similar mistakes, ending their day early as well. Even the GTC Rookie of the Season, s0ul harv3st, had trouble early and was reduced to running toward the back of the field the whole day. Many mistakes were made, but despite them, rookies like BlackHawk S61 and Wngless mkIV were both able to bring home top tens from the dwindling rookie field. BlackHawk S61 drove hard and placed eighth while Wngless mkIV finished behind him in ninth. Both rookies did an amazing job even as their fellow rookies were dropping out left and right.

Nurburgring was the final test for these rookies. For most, they past this test and go into Season 8 with their heads held high. Others, well, they know what they did wrong and with hard work and determination are ready and raring for Season 8 to prove that they truly are the best and that they do not deserve wearing the title "rookie" any longer. When Season 8 rolls around, we shall see who has made the right adjustments and who needs to come back to driving school. For the final time this Season, so long and I'll see the next batch of rookies at Sebring.

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Nurburgring Nordschleife Rookie Results

GT Class

5. xxHENCHMAN24xx -- #124 O3 Racing Porsche 911 GT2 RS
8. RAFT KURTMAN -- #20 RAFT Racing Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4
9. Thrush426 -- #61 Carbon Fusion Motorsports McLaren MP4-12C
15. SVT MOTORSPORT -- #8 AK Autosport Jaguar RSR XKR GT
18. MacaronninNCHeEZ -- #813 Privateer RUF Rt 12 S
19. retroward -- #80 Alpha Racing International Devon GTX

GTC Class

8. BlackHawk S61 -- #114 Falken Racing Porsche 911 GT3 (993)
9. Wngless mkIV -- #626 Top Gun Motorsports Toyota Supra
11. xToxicEiREx -- #263 Privateer Porsche 911 GT3 (997)
13. bLuEsMoKe305 -- #09 Privateer Porsche 911 GT3 (997)
16. No1 Tommy Smurf -- #190 Privateer Aston Martin V12 Vantage
17. s0ul harv3st -- #44 RR Boosted Evolution Lotus Exige Cup
19. White79bu -- #710 Privateer Ford Mustang Shelby GT500
20. Kutts88 -- #88 South Side Imports BMW M3 (E36)

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GT Rookie Final Standings

1. RAFT KURTMAN -- 1004 Points
2. xxHENCHMAN24xx -- 956 Points
3. Thrush426 -- 857 Points
4. SVT Motorsport -- 752 Points
5. ox FASTLANE xo -- 643 Points
6. aka ROWDY -- 636 Points
7. retroward -- 562 Points
8. JoshdaSquash -- 549 Points
9. ROSCOEpCOTRAIN -- 522 Points
10. WCR RACER X -- 506 Points
11. Peader24 -- 381 Points
12. Oddball7000 -- 366 Points
13. FERRARIFAITHFUL -- 358 Points
14. Kayotic Cal -- 324 Points
15. GLR Roca -- 313 Points
16. Dr PiiHB -- 266 Points
17. OnewickedDSM -- 226 Points
18. MBRACER1 -- 191 Points

GTC Rookie Final Standings

1. s0ul harv3st -- 973 Points
2. Wngless mkIV -- 851 Points
3. No1 Tommy Smurf -- 603 Points
4. Boosted93 RX7 -- 406 Points
5. Kutts 88 -- 370 Points
6. Kameraboy -- 279 Points
7. Duc748s -- 269 Points
8. White79bu -- 229 Points

After Nurburgring Nordschleife, the final count is in. With 1004 Points, let me introduce our...

Season 7 (GT) Rookie of the Season, RAFT KURTMAN

And for all those who missed it, with 973 Points, our...

Season 7 (GTC) Rookie of the Season, s0ul harv3st

Good job to both of you and to all the rookies this season. I can't wait for the new breed to join us in a couple of weeks.

WOOHOO! ROTS7!


Great season everyone, was fun racing with you guys.


Congrats Soul Harvest.