2011 F1RWRS Belgian Grand Prix
The 2011 F1RWRS Belgian Grand Prix was the fifth race of the 2011 F1RWRS Season The race was won by Daniel Melrose after a series of collisions caused chaos throughout the race.
Contents
Race Report
Pre-Race
Prior the Belgian Grand Prix, Rosenforth Engineering went bankrupt, but as the team had already arrived in Belgium, it would be their final race. Phoenix McAllister would set up Team Phoenix, and Frank Zimmer with his brother John would use the remains of Rosenforth to set up the NAB-Holden Racing Team after signing a sponsorship deal with National Australia Bank and forming a stronger bond with Holden than John already had. Both these teams would debut at the next round, the 2011 F1RWRS British Grand Prix.
Qualifying
Douglas Mann, who had finished second in the previous race at the Nurburgring, Hagane Shizuka, Luca Pacchiarini and Aurelien Moll all failed to make it out of pre-qualifying. However, Nathanael Spencer took his first pole of the season, beating Daniel Melrose and the two Rosenforth drivers of McAllister and Frank Zimmer.
Race
At the start, Gary Cameron jumped up to third and Melrose took the lead from Spencer. Cameron, Frank Zimmer and Hemo Goblin pitted. By lap five, Melrose, Spencer, David Koczo and Darren Older Jr were battling for the lead until Older Jr made a mistake a Blanchimont. Melrose lost the lead to the Prospecs with Koczo leading at the end of lap 7. Melrose then pitted for a suspension repair after brushing the wall earlier.
Meanwhile, the stoppers, led by Frank Zimmer and Simon Redman, began to close in on the lead. Zimmer took the lead on lap 11 and Redman took second two laps later. However, on lap 14, disaster struck as Kay Lon slammed into the wall after contact with Gary Cameron. Both drivers took heavy damage but continued though they both received a black and orange flag, a process that would make a recurring appearance in the race, forcing them to pit. Giovanni Roda and Sammy Jones both crashed and received black and orange flags. John Zimmer then collided with the slowing Lon, followed by a host of other drivers in the next four laps. The entire field of cars was flagged at some point. Chaos ensued with drivers going in and out of the pits on every lap.
Somehow, Melrose ended up in the lead with T. Hemo Goblin in second and Thomas De Bock third. Roda turned up in fourth followed by Ashley Watkinson and polesitter Nathanael Spencer. Sammy Jones, Simon Redman, and Chris Dagnall did not finish and Gary Cameron was not classified. Kay Lon was later disqualified for careless driving. Melrose took fastest lap.
Classification
Qualifying
| Pos | No | Driver | Constructor | Pre-Q | Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 |  Nathanael Spencer
|
Prospec | 1:39.13 | 1:36.10 | -- |
| 2 | 10 |  Daniel Melrose
|
JLD-BMW | 1:39.23 | 1:36.30 | +0.20 |
| 3 | 6 | Frank Zimmer
|
Rosenforth-Jaguar | 1:39.42 | 1:36.54 | +0.44 |
| 4 | 7 |  Phoenix McAllister
|
Rosenforth-Jaguar | 1:40.74 | 1:36.62 | +0.52 |
| 5 | 4 |  David Koczo
|
Prospec | 1:41.08 | 1:36.85 | +0.75 |
| 6 | 15 |  T. Hemo Goblin
|
Hemogoblin-Ford | 1:40.28 | 1:36.93 | +0.83 |
| 7 | 1 | Gary Cameron
|
Calinetic-Ford | 1:39.73 | 1:37.19 | +1.09 |
| 8 | 2 |  Thomas De Bock
|
Calinetic-Ford | 1:39.38 | 1:37.32 | +1.22 |
| 9 | 11 | Darren Older Jr
|
CR-Ford | 1:40.95 | 1:37.43 | +1.33 |
| 10 | 18 | Chris Dagnall
|
Jones-Renault | 1:40.22 | 1:37.62 | +1.52 |
| 11 | 14 |  Kay Lon
|
Kahama-Ford | 1:41.17 | 1:37.86 | +1.76 |
| 12 | 23 | John Zimmer
|
ZimSport-Holden | 1:41.57 | 1:37.94 | +1.84 |
| 13 | 17 | Sammy Jones
|
Jones-Renault | 1:41.50 | 1:38.12 | +2.02 |
| 14 | 9 | Ashley Watkinson
|
Pacchia-Coswojuddhartlambo | 1:41.28 | 1:38.30 | +2.20 |
| 15 | 16 | Dave Simpson
|
Minardi-Cosworth | 1:39.69 | 1:38.49 | +2.39 |
| 16 | 21 | Pippa Mann
|
AMR-Peel-DMC | 1:40.11 | 1:38.64 | +2.54 |
| 17 | 19 |  Giovanni Roda
|
Trueba-Judd | 1:40.63 | 1:38.89 | +2.79 |
| 18 | 13 | Simon Redman
|
Kahama-Ford | 1:40.54 | 1:39.08 | +2.98 |
| 19 | 5 | James Davies
|
Bangelia-Alfa Romeo | 1:40.06 | 1:39.17 | +3.07 |
| DNPQ | 20 |  Douglas Mann
|
AMR-Peel-DMC | 1:41.84 | ||
| DNPQ | 12 |  Hagane Shizuka
|
West Cliff-Chevrolet | 1:41.85 | ||
| DNPQ | 8 | Luca Pacchiarini
|
Pacchia-Coswojuddhartlambo | 1:42.06 | ||
| DNPQ | 22 | Aurelien Moll
|
ECB-Gillet | 1:42.20 |
Race
- Pole Position: Nathanael Spencer: 1:36.10
- Fastest Lap: Daniel Melrose: 1:36.40
Note: For the 2011 and 2012 seasons, one point was awarded to the driver with pole position and the driver with the fastest lap.
Standings After the Race
- Bold font indicates who still has a chance of winning the championship.
- Drivers' Championship standings
| Pos | Driver | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nathanael Spencer
|
34 |
| 2 | Daniel Melrose
|
23 |
| 3= | Simon Redman
|
20 |
| 3= | Chris Dagnall
|
20 |
| 5 | Thomas De Bock
|
14 |
- Constructors' Championship standings
| Pos | Constructor | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Prospec
|
45 |
| 2 |  Calinetic-Ford
|
32 |
| 3= | AMR-Peel-DMC
|
24 |
| 3= | Rosenforth-Jaguar
|
24 |
| 5 | JLD-BMW
|
23 |
- Note: Only the top five positions are included for both sets of standings.
| Previous race: 2011 Luxembourg Grand Prix |
Formula 1 Rejects World Race Series Championship 2011 Season |
Next race: 2011 British Grand Prix |
| Previous race: 2010 Belgian Grand Prix |
Belgian Grand Prix | Next race: 2012 Belgian Grand Prix |
