We’re Going to Have Trouble Balancing this on a Panda
Following on from that speech, and thanks to the generosity of both Jordan and Dan, the above trophy found its way to our doorstep this morning.
The question now is, what should we do with it?
Posts Tagged ‘Fantasy Racers’
A Word from the Winner
After nine exhausting months of relentless planning and scheming, after many incredibly late nights spent incessantly berating the competition, a winner was declared in Brazil. A champion worthy of the name, a person who can stand up and say “I fought with the best, and came out the victor”.
Yes, shortly after the dramatic conclusion to the season last weekend, Jordan Allen was declared the 2008 winner of the Sidepodcast Fantasy Racers League. Not only did the man beat 163 other competitors fair and square (without the need for a stewards inquiry or any FIA intervention), he also helped secure the trophy for the most successful private league against some fierce competition from members of the Autosport forums.
Earlier last week we asked Jordan to pen a few words to let us know how he was feeling, but the man went one better and recorded a speech for us. Therefore, without further ado, allow us to present an Oscar winning performance from the fastest racer in town, take it away Mr. Jordan Allen:
That Speech in Full
I was about to start my speech with “Friends, Countrymen, Earthlings - lend me your ears”, but then I realised that I would have freshly harvested corn thrown at me.
This is the Last Time I Will Say These Words
Please don’t forget to update your Fantasy Racers team.
Here we go then, the last chance to change your Fantasy Racers lineup and get maximum points in this season finale race. I honestly considered giving this race some proper thought, and picking my drivers based on what I’ve seen out on track. Then I thought: naaah. I promise, wholeheartedly, that next year I will actually try.
This week, I’ve taken the Brazilian theme and run with it, picking all three drivers for whom it is a home race. I’ve also picked Bourdais, just because, and Sutil because he’s all I could afford with the money I had left.
| Name | Price (£m) |
|---|---|
| Adrian Sutil | 3.90 |
| Felipe Massa | 12.50 |
| Nelsinho Piquet | 6.90 |
| Rubens Barrichello | 6.50 |
| Sébastien Bourdais | 5.10 |
| Total | 34.90 |
That may actually be the closest I’ve ever managed to come to the 35m limit, so I’m secretly quite impressed. I’ve no idea how Sidepodcast Racers will fare this week, but let’s be honest, it’s not going to make much difference.
The cutoff point is 5pm GMT, which will be two thirds of the way through FP2, so don’t wait until the end thinking you can be all clever and change it then. As ever, visit Fantasy Racers and select your team, but more importantly, come back and let us know who you’re running and why.
Episode 82 - I’ll Talk to the Queen About One of those OBE Things
- Length: 28:15
- Size: 25.5 MB
- File: episode82.mp3
- Enhanced: episode82.m4a
- Transcript: Coming soon
- Torrent: episode82.torrent
A whistle-stop tour through all the news and feedback that’s occurred following on from China and ahead of the season finale Brazilian Grand Prix.
Intro
There’s no such thing as an off-season in the Sidepodcast World.
Good Week / Bad Week
Good week for circuits, as Portugal will be hosting a test in December, and the Montreal officials believe they may be back on track to getting on the 2009 calendar. Bad week for Nigel Stepney as he’s in the news again, and for Ferrari because who likes bikes anyway?
News and Views
The FIA and FOTA got together to make lots of decisions and came up with two. We discuss the promise and pitfalls of all that engine business. We also take a look at what seats are left for the many drivers that want to get into Formula 1 next season, and whether Bourdais might have his seat for certain.
Episode 81 - I Guess the FIA did the Right Thing
- Length: 41:50
- Size: 38.0 MB
- File: episode81.mp3
- Enhanced: episode81.m4a
- Transcript: Coming soon
- Torrent: episode81.torrent
The post-China race podcast in which we discuss all the track happenings, including Hamilton’s flawless performance, and the Ferrari switch. We also delve into the mysteries of the FIA, once again.
Intro
It was just a shout out or two on Radio 5live, I’m not moonlighting really.
Good Week / Bad Week
A good week for drivers with Force India’s confirmations, and Ferrari’s young programme. A bad week for us as we have to contemplate yet another feeder series.
News and Views
France have pulled out of the calendar as well, but it doesn’t look like Canada will be returning, and what timely news alongside the Abu Dhabi complex. There just aren’t enough pages. Also, we debate the standard engine tender.
We’ll Have to Win it Now
As mentioned during yesterday’s live show, we had an email from Nigel, who’s been in touch with the team behind the Fantasy Racers site, notably Danny.
It’s no secret that we’re big fans of the Fantasy Racers, the competition has provided hours and hours of entertainment this season. It has a low barrier to entry and you’re free to take it seriously, or not so seriously, as you see fit. As a result of everyone’s involvement, Nigel was wondering if we had any feedback about the game this year, in order to gather together a list of improvements or things that you’d like to see implemented next time round.
Last year by all accounts, it was a little bit more complicated. There was no budget, and you picked five drivers from different pools of comparable names. You also selected an engine and a chassis, and gained points for all your elements. There were also points available for bonus items, like the fastest lap, and the first driver out of the race.
This year, it was simplified, with the introduction of a budget. Now each driver has a price, and you buy as many as you can afford and rake in the points depending on how well your chosen team fares.
As Nigel says:
This years system has been a lot simpler so is great for the casual observer, but I think last years had merit too and was more geared to the F1 aficionado / anorak / petrol head / geek! I suggested to Danny a combination of both would work well to bring the best of both, for example, you have a set budget limit, from which you must select x numbers of drivers, 2 engines, 1 chassis. And then these all earn points per lap as well as the bonus or minus points depending on how they finish relative to their qualifying position. Obviously the more of your budget you spend on drivers, the less you have to spend on a decent engine or chassis, and vice versa.
Maybe This Time I’ll Win
Please don’t forget to update your Fantasy Racers team.
Last week didn’t work out so well for me, and I partially blamed the fact that the Fantasy Racers site was down for a lot of the final day. However, this time it’s been up for ages, and I’ve still only just managed to select my team for the penultimate race.
If you’re interested in what crazy system I have picked this time round, then I’ll tell you. Any guy that has driven for the team that is currently third in the constructors, BMW. That leaves me with:
| Name | Price (£m) |
|---|---|
| Nick Heidfeld | 8.50 |
| Robert Kubica | 8.10 |
| Sebastian Vettel | 5.20 |
| Timo Glock | 5.80 |
| Total | 27.60 |
I do appear to have a bit of cash left over, which is annoying, because I tried the system with Renault but there were too many drivers and I couldn’t afford to complete the set. Nevertheless, I have a feeling this might be an okay week for Sidepodcast Racers.
As ever, don’t forget to update your team, and let us know who you’re going with and why.
Running Just as Fast as We Can
Please do not forget to update your Fantasy Racers team.
Sidepodcast Racers are running just as fast as we can, but let’s be honest, it isn’t very fast at all. We are performing pitifully, and it’s all because of my crazy systems. However, that doesn’t mean I’m going to stop now, oh no. I’ve got another random selection coming up shortly.
At the beginning of the season, I said “The Racers” were just sandbagging, but I think I might have got that confused with actually doing really badly. If we’re sandbagging, we’ve left it a little bit late to do anything about it. Even Raikkonen couldn’t make up the gap I’ve created to the top.
In which case, let’s have some more fun. This week I’ve chosen:
| Name | Price | |
| Fernando Alonso | 9.90 | |
| Jarno Trulli | 6.00 | |
| Nelson Piquet | 6.90 | |
| Sebastian Vettel | 5.20 | |
| Timo Glock | 5.80 | |
| Total | 33.80 |
My reasoning behind this comes from loving the battle for fourth place in the constructor’s championship. Toyota and Renault are fighting it out, and currently on equal points. Therefore, I’ve chosen both Toyota drivers, and both Renault boys, and I’ve thrown in Vettel, just because I had money left over, and I like him.
Feel free to share your team, if it’s not a secret, and let us know how you came to your decision. Changes must be made by 5pm BST.
Take Your Time, Think a Lot
Please do not forget to update your Fantasy Racers team.
Last week. I was ridiculed for my choice of just two drivers. The system dictated that I start at the top of the championship and work my way down until I run out of money. With Hamilton and Massa at the top, I was out of cash pretty quickly. However, to all those who laughed at me, it was one of my better points hauls, so there.
This week, with very little time to think about who I’d like in my team, as if I would anyway, I’ve gone for another arbitrary system. This time I’m flipping the same idea I had last week, so now I start from the bottom. You’ll all be pleased to know I could afford more than two drivers, although when you see who they are, perhaps not.
| Driver Price | ||
| Sutil | 3.90 | |
| Coulthard | 6.4 | |
| Fisichella | 5.50 | |
| Button | 6.50 | |
| Nakajima | 6.40 | |
| Bourdais | 5.10 | |
| Total | 33.80 |
I’m Doing It a Different Way
Please do not forget to update your Fantasy Racers team.
The format of picking a lot of drivers, even if they’re not expected to be getting results, has worked quite well for me in the past. Unfortunately, the last race was a particularly poor showing for Sidepodcast Racers, but that’s okay, this week we’re going to bounce back.
I’ve decided to pick the top two drivers in the championship. The plan was to start from the top and work my way down until I ran out of money, but that only meant I could afford two drivers. That’s Lewis Hamilton and Felipe Massa. The total is only £26.10 million, which is quite annoying, but Raikkonen is next and he’s just too damn expensive.
I’d love to know what strategy you’re using, whether the Free Practice results are useful to you at all. Visit Fantasy Racers to update, or to register a new team. It’s probably a bit late to be a serious threat in the Sidepodcast League, but we have plenty of very welcome latecomers and we’re almost seeing a secondary championship forming. Join in, and have fun.
