F1Virtual & Friends Time Trial League 2021 End of Season Awards

As we look forward to a new season of the Time Trial League, I wanted to reflect on the 2021 season. 

In case you missed it, here's a reminder of all the rounds of the 2021 season. fongugp4.blogspot.com

I polled the participants, 

Best track of the year

32bobo32: Sochi... pure delight for eyes!

Gildoorf: Zandvoort. I used to hate this circuit until @Paulo Blanco releases his fabulous version.

Kerley: The best circuit to enjoy racing was Interlagos (my home circuit). But I have two mentions: First Sochi. Great work of the F1 Virtual team! Best non-original GP4 circuit to drive, without a doubt. Second was Portimão. I know it's in the distant beginning of 2021, but I believe it was on this circuit that I learned the most from the tips and encouragement of other drivers and I felt like part of a real race grid.

Prblanco: Silverstone, even without graphics it was the most enjoyable track for me to drive on, the layout is just pure goodness

Fongu: Portimao, a fantastically reproduced track and great fun to drive, lots of different line available on keyboard an wheels, I really enjoyed that round. 

The winner is, based on most mentions is: 

Sochi (by F1virtual)

There are many splendid tracks available for GP4, but the latest from F1Virtual raises the standard once again for track building, a deserved winner. 

Most improved driver in the year

32bobo32: @KerleyF1 without discussion... Great learning curve so far!

Gildoorf: @KerleyF1, by far. A humble guy with the noble gift of learning by listening with the heart and open minded.

KerleyF1: @Carl_gpgames with his manual gear shift. I can't handle with that!

Prblanco: @KerleyF1, also no doubt here, well rewarded improvement with podiums late in the season.

Fongu: @KerleyF1 obviously, from back-marker to podium finisher by the end of the year. 

The winner is: 

KerleyF1

Best round of the year

32bobo32: Imola: the first round with 7 drivers on track! Really amazing!

Gildoorf: I think Sakhir for all the hype and thrills involved at our very first and surprisingly successful event.

KerleyF1: For me, Sochi was special. A podium! I did not believe! I believe it was the circuit I trained the most and that the brazilian podium.

Prblanco: Sochi, with all the hype for driving in our best-made track yet, plus the all Brazilian podium

Fongu: Paul Ricard, I was at my most extreme trying to find new lines, cutting kerbs, I was a second up at the end of the first sector, only to be pipped by Prblanco in the final sector, with Gildoorf and 32bobo32 not far behind. 

The winner is: 

Sochi

This perhaps not the best time to be talking about Russia, but nevertheless, the track makers did a fantastic job and created another great round of racing. 

Favourite battle of the year

32bobo32: @32bobo32 vs @Carl_gpgames 😀 He pushed me so many times to find an additional 5 laps window before going to sleep/dinner/lunch and I'm pretty sure I did the same for him. A really nice battle.

Gildoorf: Interlagos, no doubt. Shorter circuits delivered tighter battles, and Interlagos in particular was notably packed until last turn where 3 contenders were on the spot to win

KerleyF1: @32bobo32 vs @Carl_gpgames and also the battle between @Fongu vs @Gildoorf. Epic front row and middle battles all season long!

Prblanco: the on- and off-track battles/banter between @Carl_gpgames and @32bobo32 😂. No really, this award goes to @Fongu and @Gildoorf's battle for supremacy at Interlagos

Fongu: Interlagos, not just because I won, but the week long battle for supremacy, the Brit trying to get revenge on the Brazilians for his home race loss. 

The winner is: 

Fongu vs Gildoorf (Interlagos)

Interlagos Report

A special mention of the banter between Carl_gpgames and 32bobo32 was certainly a highlight, but most of that was not reported. The season long battles between Gildoorf and myself began with an overtake on the last straight on the first straight in Sakhir and raged throughout the year, but certainly ll that tension peaked at Interlagos. 

Most controversial moment of the year

32bobo32: When I discovered that my keyboard driving technique used since the GP4 ancient times didn't pay against humans drivers.

Gildoorf: Baku CC line. A nightmare.

KerleyF1: For me, of course Red Bull Ring. First I was very happy to have a good lap (for the first time in the championship), then the disappointment of using the wrong .dat. Unfortunately it was the low point in my championship. Other than that, every race and every driver, in my opinion, was spectacular. 

Prblanco: @Fongu's Russian lap (which was not even much controversial. I guess we're all too friendly)

Fongu: The Spanish GP stewards decisions that led to rule changes. Track limits and fuel-burning caused the steward multiple headaches throughout the week. 

The winner is: 

Kerley's lap disqualification at the Red Bull Ring

... or perhaps more accurately, the loser here is Kerley. He was looking truly competitive until he submitted his lap only to find he was using the wrong version of the track. Sadly he did not have time to reproduce the lap with success. 

The ‘How did he do that?’ moment of the year

32bobo32:  If I have to chose a single episode it is @Prblanco's S3 at Paul Ricard for sure.... In general I say @Gildoorf's keyboard driving

Gildoorf: @Fongu last chicane racing lines at Barcelona was the apex of the counter intuitive bias I would never expect. And it worked! And I doubt I will be able to emulate that anytime 😀

KerleyF1: The almost always 3 seconds advantage of the front squad in relation to the last placed (in this case, me). In the first races I just imagined "impossible to do this". I didn't know how you guys ran so fast.

Prblanco: @Gildoorf never finishing outside the podium driving with keyboard all year round. But specifically his dominant Silverstone win

Fongu: @Gildoorf's consistently brilliant keyboard performances all year. At tracks where I thought the wheel would be an advantage, he proved me wrong. Also there were times when he was untouchable. 

The winner is: 

Gildoorf on the keyboard

If there was a separate keyboard championship, he'd have won it for sure. 

 

The feel-good moment of the year

32bobo32:  All the times I discovered I could go faster simply watching the time done by other drivers.

Gildoorf: @Carl_gpgames and @32bobo32's mind games. With all due respect from each other, it was fun to watch.

KerleyF1: All the times I discovered I could go faster simply watching the time done by other drivers.

Prblanco: Myself getting my first podium and first win in a circuit with my name 🤣

Fongu: Winning the first round and discovering I could be competitive, a close first over the winning the championship

The winner is: 

Participation

I think to summarise, the whole league was good for each of us, we had fun playing the game we spent more time modding than playing, chatting and improving our driving skills. For that I think we're all winners for just playing. 

Drivers' Driver of the Year

32bobo32: @Fongu for sure: He dominated the championship and I've been impressed by the low lap's number required by him to reach the time. Special mention to @Gildoorf (He did miracles all the year fighting and winning a lot of races with a keyboard!) and @Carl_gpgames (He drove all the season without any driving help and with manual gears.... Impressive work!) 

Gildoorf: @Fongu, absolutely. The one yet to be beaten. Always raising the bar. After one year one can judge where his weakness lays off, but for the moment all we got were his strengths.

Kerley: Without a doubt, the driver of the year was @Fongu. It's amazing how you manage to configure the car's setup and improve your times more and more. An honorable mention also to @Gildoorf for his bravery with his keyboard times. 

Prblanco: @Fongu, hard to pick anyone but the champ, has been in impressive form all year long

Fongu: @Gildoorf, for being consistently brilliant on the keyboard all year, great setups, and never finished off the podium.

The winner is: 

Fongu