Singapore Qualifying Round

A single engine could be heard at wailing through Singapore Marina Bay street circuit as the qualification laps in Singapore came to a close.  Geoff’s new driver – Chumbawamba – was finally revealed.  Arguably one of the best in the world – the other drivers were eager to see him in action for the first time.

The mood was somber just before the first qualifying laps, as all drivers pondered the importance of gaining a positional advantage in the first race.  Who would be first?  How good were the other drivers?  All would be revealed soon.

Team Yellow was up first with The Stig behind the wheel.  He roared off the line, and dashed through the first several corners with ease.  Into the first straight it was apparent that The Stig was determined to have the shortest lap time, as the car geared higher and higher.  Moving dangerously fast just before the two quick turns at the end of the straight, The Stig managed to skid through them both, costing precious time.  Thereafter, it was apparent the car's tires had lost much of their rubber, and the The Stig had to slow down or risk not making it back to the finish line.

Next up was the new driver Chumbawamba from Team White.  Would he live up to his reputation?  He’d been knocked down out of the league 2 years ago, but he’s back up again now!  Soon after Chumba’s qualifying start, you could see a different style than The Stig’s.  A more relaxed driving approach was seen, and Chumba was hitting the lines in all of the corners, albeit at a much slower speed.  Incredibly, after all was said and done, Chuba’s time was the one to beat!

Rhodes Rashburne had an excellent lap, marred by a bit of what looked like indecisiveness entering some of the turns.  In the end though, the normally excellent lap was not even close to Chumba’s.  For now, Rhodes would have to settle for 2^nd position.

Fahim’s driver “Quickie” was indeed quick off the mark.  Seeing the laps of the other qualifying drivers paid dividends as Quickie navigated the circuit well.  A few turns were precarious, but Fahim’s driver saw it through.  Another great lap, putting him just behind Rhodes and ahead of The Stig.

Nicole Tickle, the rookie driver was last up.  She managed to maneuver the course quickly and without incident (except for the banana peel on turn 7).  Her time wasn’t good enough to beat Chumbawamba’s, but it was close enough to Rhodes Rashburne’s that the timing official had to be called over.  After the lap was reviewed, Nicole would claim the 2^nd grid position.

 

Though Chumba was the winner in qualifying, all cameras were on the Stig.  When asked why he had blazed through the first straight without slowing down, he responded with silence.  Later in the day, a news release from Team Yellow's manager stated that the lead mechanic had been fired.  As we approached the mechanic for an interview to find out what happened, he stormed away, mumbling what sounded like "shifter upside down".

 

Here are the official grid positions and times.

Position	Driver	Rolls and Penalties	Time	Qualifying Total
1	Chumbawamba	27	05:12.8	32
2	Nicole Tickle	30	06:40.9	36
3	Rhodes Rashburne	28	08:04.0	36
4	Quickie	33	05:37.0	38
5	The Stig	42	06:30.0	48