A big move, a fast move and a no move.

Turn 26 summary:
Mossman maintains his lead at 80 around the line in corner 6. Ales and Incorpora slide around the inside of corner 4 at 80 and remain locked nose-to-tail. Orlandi comes out of the first corner at 100 and makes up a length on Incorpora.

Bauska slows to 100 and grabs the green line, the gap behind him disappears. Blizzard gets the green line behind Bauska at 160, depending on his big brakes to slow him next turn. Collins maxes his engine at 140 and picks up the line behind the purple machine. Miller slows unexpectedly to 100 and suddenly shoots to the outside (the "no move").

Kellison gets a slip from Blizzard at 160 and drops to the red line picking up three positions in the process (the "big move"). Brown attacks the straightaway at 180. Kennington pushes his engine beyond the engine builders comfort level (naked 5) but it gives him 200mph (the "fast move"). He chooses to stay wide on the track as he closes hard on Miller. Brandt is locked at 160 and loses two car lengths to Kennington as he reaches the start/finish line.

Next deadline: turn 27 due Wednesday, November 21 at 6pm EST/11pm UTC

Orlandi fastest in the third sector and the lap.

Drivers, remember, if your move is incomplete there are rules to determine what happens. One driver lost an opportunity this turn with an incomplete turn plot.
Also, Orlandi used 2 skill to deceleration on turn 25 which I had not deducted. His totals are now correct.

Turn 27 summary:
Mossman is the first to bald tires with an 80 move through the 40 space for two wear. Ales and Incorpora continue running in line, each taking the corner 6 racing line at 80 for free. Orlandi rounds corner 4 at 80 for free but does not specify a finish position. By rule he finishes inside.

Bauska scrubs off one wear on the green line at 100 trying desperately to hang on to P5. Blizzard wants that spot and attacks the corner to get it shedding one wear and putting two skill to a chance roll (modified 3) on the green line at 120. Kellison on the inside leaves two wear on the red line at 100 to keep himself in the hunt with the two in front of him. Collins also spends all his remaining wear on the green line at 100.

Miller is back in the race as he surrenders two wear on the green line at 120. Brown plots 140 but sees an opportunity to grab the green line after a two skill late brake (modified 6). Kennington uses all his brakes to get down to 140 hanging to the outside to give himself room to negotiate the upcoming corner. Brandt holds a steady 160 and sets up on the line behind Brown depending on his brakes to get him safely through the corner next turn.

Next deadline: Turn 28 due Friday, November 23 at 6pm EST/11pm UTC (Soft deadline)
Hard deadline: Monday, November 26 at the same time.
If I don't have all moves by Friday evening then trigger mode will be in effect. If I get all moves by Saturday and have time to put out a move then the next move will be due Monday. Otherwise I will put out the turn either Sunday or Monday and the next turn will be due Wednesday.

Mossman is hearing every little sound his car is making. One pass made this turn.

Turn 28 summary:
Mossman gets to 120 and stares down the next two tight corners. Ales is able to clear corner 7 in the 60s at 80 for one wear. Incorpora drops to 60 and hangs outside for free. Orlandi also slows to 60 through the inside of corner 6.

Blizzard trades one wear in the inner 80 for a clean grasp on P5. Bauska saves his remaining wear at 80 around the inside. Kellison also runs the inside of corner 4 at 80 and sits on the wing of the yellow machine. Collins' bald tires prevent him from running hard into the corner.

Miller finishes the green line and catches Collins with a 120 move. Kennington scrubs off one wear in th 60s at 80 and drops to the inside. Brown runs the green racing line at a safe 80 and pulls even with Kennington. Brandt plots 100 and looks for the green line but there's no room to land so he runs the outside 60s scrubbing off two wear.

Next deadline: turn 29 due Monday, November 26 at 6pm EST/11pm UTC

Some gaps closed as the leaders enter the last half of the final lap

Turn 29 summary:
Mossman uses his big 3-skill chip to get down to 60 (automatic pass) and runs the corner 8 racing line. Ales closes on the leader as he comes off corner 7 at 120. Incorpora holds at 60 around the 60s and finishes inside. Orlandi sheds one wear in the 60s at 80 and sets up behind the black machine.

Blizzard and Bauska run the corner 6 line together at 80 for free. Kellison jumps up with them at 120 scraping off two wear in the 80s. Collins and Miller both opt for the inner 80 space at 80 and continue side-by-side.

Brown gets the jump on Kennington with a 100 plot, knocking down one wear in the 80. Kennington hits the 80 at speed behind Brown. Brandt continues in line at 80.

Next deadline: turn 30 due Wednesday, November 28 at 6pm EST/11pm UTC

Pocket battles all along the track as previously good tires begin to wear out.

Turn 30 summary:
Mossman covers the corner 9/10 complex at 60 for free. Ales dips another length into the leader's gap, taking the racing line at 80 but he now is on bald tires as well. Incorpora pushes his engine to give him enough to cover the straightaway (automatic pass) and sets up on the line. Orlandi also gets to 120 and takes a slip from Incorpora to pull inside of him on the approach to the corners.

Blizzard sheds one wear in the inner 60s of corner 7 at 80. Kellison forces his machine into the outer 60s at 100 dropping two wear. Bauska slows to 60 to save rubber. Miller gets the initiative at 80 and takes the 80s for free moving to the inside after the corner.

Collins nurses his bare tires around the corner 6 line at 80. Brown runs into the corner on the line at 80 for free. Kennington follows the tire tracks of the green machine also grabbing the line. Brandt leaves one wear in the inner 80 at 100 and takes P11 on the inside for now.

Next deadline: turn 31 due Friday, November 30 at 6pm EST/11pm UTC

The battle in the back of the field heats up.

Turn 31 summary:
Mossman takes the inside route around corner 11 at a safe 100. Ales taps the brakes to 60 around the 60s. Orlandi makes a big move shedding two wear in the corner 8 40 and another wear in the corner 9 60 all at 80mph. Incorpora is able to take the corner 8 line at 80 for one wear but is forced into the outside lane of corner 9.

Blizzard and Kellison race down the back straightaway side-by-side at 140. Bauska drops one wear in the corner 7 60s at 80, keeping a slim margin on the pack of wolves chasing him. Collins slows to 60 and takes the innermost 60 path around the corner.

Miller stresses one wear out of his tires at 80 in the 60s and sits to Collins' outside. Brown trades two wear in the 40 at 80 for two positions, up to P8. Brandt continues to wear down his relatively fresh tires as he leaves one wear in the 60s and two more in the 40, sitting right behind that three-wide group. Kennington rounds the racing line at 80 for free and hangs on to the skirt of the brown machine.

Next deadline: turn 32 due Monday, December 3 at 6pm EST/11pm UTC

The lap 3 sector 1 numbers. Blizzard and Kellison making up time.

The front four stretch out a little while two car lengths separate P7 and P11.

Turn 32 summary:
Mossman rounds the corner 12 140s at speed and grabs the middle line of the last corner. Ales takes his bare tires around the 100 then 120 at 100. Orlandi finishes the corner 10 60s, wear already paid, and dives inside in corner 11. Incorpora sheds one wear in the 80s/60 and starts the corner 11 line.

Kellison drops one wear in the corner 8 60s and stays inside. Blizzard also discharges one wear on the racing line at 80 and moves outside to reclaim P5. Bauska approaches corner 8 on the line at 100, well aware of his damaged brakes and bald tires. Brown and Miller both fly out of corner 7 at 140 and both looking for the racing line that the yellow machine occupies. Brown is first to move and opts for the middle lane, leaving only the inside for Miller.

Collins grabs all the acceleration his car will give him as he takes the middle lane at 100. Brandt also comes out of corner 7 at 140 and passes Collins, taking his position on the racing line behind Bauska. Kennington saves what is left of his tires, taking the 60s at speed.

Next deadline: turn 33 due Wednesday, December 5 at 6pm EST/11pm UTC

Lot's of "game" action and a big move on the track as things piled up in corners 8 & 9.

Turn 33 summary:
Mossman seals the victory as he rounds the final corner on the middle line for free. Ales secures P2, starting the middle line. Orlandi has two lengths on the black car by taking the inside around corner 12. Incorpora runs the corner 11 line and dives inside through 12.

Blizzard saves his remaining wear as he finishes the 80s at 80. Kellison drops to 60 and takes the 60s, finishing outside of Blizzard. Brown is first through corner 8 with an 80 plot. He sheds one wear in the 60s and grabs the inside approach to the next corner. Bauska sheds his final wear at 80 on the racing line, entering the 80s to reclaim P8.

Miller is NPR. The "friendliest" dice he can roll is to get down to 60 by testing deceleration. A naked 8 keeps his brakes intact and he spends his final wear in the 40 space at 60. Brandt has too much car left to hold back. He runs the corner 8 line at 100 scrubbing off two wear, uses two skill to pass Brown (modified 5) and kills two more wear in the corner 9 60. A gain of three positions. Collins gets down to 60 and runs the racing line. Kennington puts the back straight behind him at 120 and starts the line behind Collins.

Next deadline: turn 34 due Friday, December 7 at 6pm EST/11pm UTC

Two mis-plots this turn, one of them ending in disaster.

Turn 34 summary:
Mossman cruises to victory at 140. Ales finishes the final corner at 140 and seals P2. Likewise Orlandi clears the final corner, putting P3 in his pocket. Incorpora will wrap up the fourth spot after he finishes corner 12 at 160.

Blizzard holds back his final wear as he runs the corner 11 line and then dives inside at 120. Kellison plotted 140 but the best he can do is 120 this turn, and that takes a naked acceleration roll of 3 to accomplish. He also runs the line but has to jump out to the middle lane in corner 12. Brandt continues the corner 10 60s at 100 and takes the inside lane around 11. Bauska nurses his bald tires around the 80s at speed, choosing the middle lane to finish.

Brown apparently loses track of where he is on the course as he plots 140. Unfortunately his car can make the speed, but he has no choice but to enter the 60 space in front of him. At +80 he leaves the course post-haste and there are no accident rolls required. Miller follows Bauska around the 80s, also running on cords. Collins nurses his tires around the corner 8 racing line at 60 and start into 9. Kennington, with just a whisper of tread remaining, chooses to save it as he runs the racing line at 60.

Next deadline: turn 35 due Monday, December 10 at 6pm EST/11pm UTC

Two more cross the line. Only two positions still up for grabs, P6 and P10.

Turn 35 summary:
Ales and Orlandi cruise across the start/finish line to take 2nd and 3rd respectively. Incorpora comes off of corner 13 and will take 5th next turn.

The first of the unsettled positions finds Kellison on the inside racing line at 140 after finishing the corner 12 140s. Brandt also ran the 140s at 160 shedding one wear and still has rubber left on his tires.

Bauska takes the corner 11 100 and 12 120 at 100 and is clear of the corner. He can slam the accelerator down next turn. Unlike Miller who is primed to enter the corner after running the racing line.

The final battle has Collins finishing the 60s and starting the racing line with Kennington right in his tire tracks.

Next deadline: turn 36 due Wednesday, December 12 at 6pm EST/11pm UTC

Brandt unloaded quite a bit of wear through that sector

RM Note: I will be switching to trigger mode for the last couple of turns. That means as soon as I have all moves I will resolve the turn. Deadlines will still be at least 48 hours after resolution. We are anticipating race 3 (Montreal) builds to be due January 7, so the quicker we finish the longer our break. (That date is not firm, I will let everyone know when we actually set the date.)

Turn 36 summary:
Incorpora cruises to P4 unopposed. Likewise Blizzard has no challenge for P5. It looks like it will be a drag race between Kellison and Brandt for 6th and 7th. You don't have to be a psychic to know there will be dice involved.

Bauska prepares to enter the final corner on the outer line at 160 virtually wrapping up P8. Miller is unlikely to catch Bauska or get caught from behind, so his 9th place finish is secure.

Collins runs the corner 11 racing line then dives inside in corner 12. Kennington again follows right in his tire tracks. Will Collins be able to hold off the bigger car with it's slightly better tires? It's the final points position at stake.

One minor correction from last turn. Kennington actually got a slip and began this turn beside Collins, not behind him.

Turn 37 summary:
As expected both Kellison and Brandt reach for the dice, and both pass their top speed rolls; Kellison with a naked 8 and Brandt with a two skill 4.

Bauska finishes the outer line at 160 and starts for the inside. Miller clears the corner also on the outside. Collins has to keep to the middle line with his 140 top speed and no wear or skill left. This lets Kennington let his big engine loose running the outside line at 180, shedding his final wear and stealing the last point from Collins.

Since there are no other position changes possible, even with dice, I will close out the race with Bauska taking 8th, Miller 9th, Kennington 10th and Collins 11th.

Feel free to add your comments in the Post-Race Comments forum.

As I mentioned earlier, the projected date for Montreal bids is January 7. I will update as soon as it's set for sure. In the meantime you may send builds any time. And I hope you all have a good holiday season.