1994 F1RGP2C Monaco Grand Prix
The 1994 F1RGP2C Monaco Grand Prix was the fourth round of the 1994 F1RGP2C season. The race was won by John Zimmer driving for Benetton, his first win in the series and the fourth different winner in four races.
Race Report
Qualifying
Jack Christopherson blasted into pole position by nearly seven tenths over John Zimmer's Benetton, setting the time early in the first qualifying session. Daniel Moreno qualified third in the second Williams and Tom Douglas qualified fourth in the McLaren. Pablo da Silva and James Davies qualified seventh and eighth for Sauber, ahead of Kazuhiko Takagi in the second Benetton.
Race
Christopherson blasted off the line into the lead as the field streamed into Sainte Devote. Zimmer and Moreno held station in second and third but Douglas Mann swapped places with his teammate and took fourth. Padraig O'Connell made up two positions in the Ferrari until he was trapped behind his teammate Rory McAllister. Christopherson pulled out a three second lead after four laps over Zimmer and Moreno. A train of cars formed behind Douglas Mann as Tom Douglas, McAllister, O'Connell, James Davies and Takagi all ran nose-to-tail. This being Monaco, however, no cars were able to pass. George Tramontani retired on Lap 7 with a water leak. Christopherson continued to dominate the race from the lead; by Lap 13, he had a six second lead over John Zimmer and by Lap 15, it had increased to nearly eight seconds. Unfortunately, fate cruelly intervened on the behalf of Zimmer and Benetton. Christopherson picked up a puncture on Lap 16, knocking him out of the race as the deflating tyre heavily damaged his suspension. Zimmer assumed the lead followed closely by Moreno with the Mann train a further 15 seconds back. A few laps later, Masta Valsattis' Ford engine let go, sending the Latvian out of the race.
On Lap 21, Tom Douglas became the fourth driver to go out of the race, pulling off with a terminal suspension failure. Kazuyoshi Hoshino followed him into retirement one lap later. Douglas Mann's wheel failed on Lap 29. Suddenly, both McLarens had fallen out of the points within the span of ten laps which elevated Davies and Takagi into the top six. Further back, Poppy Whitechapel held up Moreno, Davies and the Ferraris as her one-stop strategy played itself out. Between Laps 36 and 37, both Ferraris, Dennis Mignolet and Gio van Dycke all pulled off with mechanical problems. It was a tremendous disappointment for Ferrari as both of their cars were running in the points at the time. James Davies was the next major reitrement as his front suspension failed upon exiting the tunnel. Éadbhard Ó'Caoimhín's quest for points was halted after his transmission failed on Lap 46.
Meanwhile, the battle for the lead continued to rage. Moreno was stuck behind Zimmer until the first round of fuel stops, after which he got by the Benetton. After holding the lead for a while, Zimmer retook the lead after the second round of stops. However, this was all for naught as Moreno's suspension failed on Lap 55. Whitechapel's Tyrrell bit the dust with a suspension failure two laps after that while she was in the points. Then Pieter Kickert suffered the same fate three laps after Whitechapel. The rampant attrition left Zimmer to win the race. His teammate Kazuhiko Takagi finished in second place, his first podium and finish in the series, as Benetton completed the first 1-2 in the F1RGP2C's history. Leonhard von Gottorp and Pablo da Silva also survived the madness to take third ad fourth respectively. Max von Hegel finished in a surprising fifth place for Footwork. However, the even bigger surprise came from Pippa Mann who captured a point for the Simtek team by finishing in sixth place after starting twenty-fifth on the grid. Mann's sixth place would turn out to be Simtek's only points over their two years of competition.
Standings after the race
- Bold text indicates who still has a theoretical chance of becoming World Champion.
- Drivers' Championship standings
| Pos | Driver | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Jack Christopherson
|
16 |
| 2 |  John Zimmer
|
14 |
| 3 | Tom Douglas
|
12 |
| =4 |  Padraig O'Connell
|
10 |
| =4 |  Leonhard von Gottorp
|
10 |
- Constructors' Championship standings
| Pos | Constructor | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Williams-Renault
|
25 |
| 2 | Benetton-Ford
|
20 |
| 3 | McLaren-Peugeot
|
17 |
| 4 | Jordan-Hart
|
14 |
| 5 |  Ferrari
|
13 |
- Note: Only the top five positions are included for both sets of standings.
| Previous race: 1994 San Marino Grand Prix |
Formula 1 Rejects Grand Prix 2 Championship 1994 Season |
Next race: 1994 Spanish Grand Prix |
| Previous race: None |
Monaco Grand Prix | Next race: 1995 Monaco Grand Prix |