R01: Sakhir, Bahrain
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Forum - - PFRL Cup 2018
   
Author Thread
CarlisleFrost

Registered: 19.03.2009
Location: USA
Posts: 132

03.09.2018 01:34:41
  PFRL Cup 2018
Crazy to think we're to the knockout rounds of the cup after 14 grueling races. Congrats to the 48 to have survived the group stages, as only 1 in every 3 entrants is through the groups!

Plenty of big names/accomplished people are gone already and I'm sure they'll be back for more next year. Shout outs to keke (out from an intense group 2), king_1905 (who seems to be a threat almost every year and was in a brutal group this time), Chris (went down to the last race but just missed out), Tipster (our 2017 Eliminator champ), jobber2022497 (who's been collecting race wins for fun of late, it seems!) and Wagen1 (last year's Cup finalist) to name a few. I'd have been in that list were it not for a life-saving last round win and I imaging plenty of other people were also sweating it out through the race too!

As for the knockouts, what a draw we have. In the wildcard round there'll be a lot of interesting ones. Maxwell v KatzevonSwish seems like it could be a semi final or final match-up, with two heavyweights colliding. Mgrm, with the biggest budget in the Cup comes up against Alan_T_Riley, who's having one hell of a season. Daijhi v Mizzou81; two experienced racers with big KERS tanks to wage war with. First time (I think) that I get to clash with Heinz Prueller, another well-established veteran of the game and a clean, fair racer, which I massively respect.

Looking at the wider draw sections (without going too far forward - no intentions to disrespect anyone!), who could have some monster matches fairly early. We could see Maverick v Schumacher (can't get too much bigger), GaKra v Maxwell or KatzevonSwish (evil WC round and an equally evil next round for whoever gets through!), Vitospeed v Mulacjean, Katalyst v FUTCHIVAI, myself v Superviper, invisibleracer v Myrm or Alan_T_Riley, Rainer-Zufall70 vs the top seed, am201020...

Again, congrats to the 48 survivors so far and let the knockouts begin!

   
CarlisleFrost

Registered: 19.03.2009
Location: USA
Posts: 132

25.11.2018 16:23:33
 
Sliiiiightly late post to round out the cup thanks to life being crazy.

Coming into the Final, I think most people would have seen Rainer-Zufall70 as the favourite (I picked them as the favourite in the quarter finals, so maybe I gave them some luck!), coming into it both with 12 points of ERS and a budget advantage over #2 seed, invisibleracer.

A superb qualifying from invisibleracer gave him a 4 point gain coming into the race, so after accounting for ERS, he had another 8 points to find. With no huge surprises in the race though, it was Rainer taking top spot, eventually winning by 23 points. 4th best score on the site for the race and one that, in the end, would have been impossible to beat for someone without ERS.

Valiant fight from invisibleracer and congrats to our 2018 champion, Rainer-Zufall70.

   
GaKra Motors

Registered: 02.03.2006
Location: Switzerland
Posts: 925

04.11.2018 20:40:53
 
@CarlisleFrost Yes, in fact I wondered if you could make it a perfect season in that little competition. Since I could bury all hopes for winning it when Leclerc went out in Austin I hoped you would make it without any minus points, but then your result has been close to perfection no less. It sure would have been fun to play it out against each other in the finals.
As for Ricciardo, it was a bummer, but let's face it, it was very difficult not to choose him for this race. Cheapest driver in the top 6, will raise in value if he sees the finish line, and most importantly Red Bull was dominant in trainings. Sure he had a lot of bad luck already this season, but then this is like roulette... if black number appears five times in a row, this doesn't mean it's more risky than usual to bet on a red number the sixth time.

Edit: By the way, wasn't Schumacher the number 1 in World Ranking at the beginning of the season? And now you are... so your season can't be dead yet. Congrats, man!
   
CarlisleFrost

Registered: 19.03.2009
Location: USA
Posts: 132

30.10.2018 20:26:13
 
@GaKra, that Ricciardo retirement pretty much killed my season. I went from going through in the Cup and Eliminator, and looking good to claw back a bunch in the Constructors to out of the first two and with no real shot of top 3 in the Constructors. So, I feel your pain. We could have been battling it out in the Eliminator, which would have been fun!

I'd been keeping track of the duel trophy, so that is a little positive for an otherwise disappointing year. It was tight for a lot of the year with yourself and AstonMartin for a lot of it, but I had that bit more luck (the last duel was the only one I lost all year). I'm sure we'll have another tight battle for that little trophy in 2019!

   
GaKra Motors

Registered: 02.03.2006
Location: Switzerland
Posts: 925

30.10.2018 18:47:24
 
Sorry you're out of the Cup, CarlisleFrost. When you won so many duels by a tight margin, I thought you have a good chance to get through all the way, and I still think you had it, but man do I know how Ricciardo's out can hurt... it's what made me an eliminatee in the Eliminator.

Speaking of the Eliminator, congrats on winning the banana trophy. I really wanted to win that one this year but you were way too strong. I don't even know if Mav ever officially mentioned it, so in case you don't know what I mean, go to Eliminator - Duels at the end of the season.

   
CarlisleFrost

Registered: 19.03.2009
Location: USA
Posts: 132

28.10.2018 23:45:42
 
And the semi finals are done. One round to go for the Cup.

- I thought the first semi final was mine after qualifying, and it was until Ricciardo's retirement with 10 laps to go (that retirement really, really hurt). Proof no result is guaranteed until the checkered flag waves. Rainer-Zufall70 will be breathing a huge sigh of relief after that one, and he carries 12 points of ERS into the final as well. No three Cups in a row, so I'll have to wait until next year to try and match Dominik's Cup tally.

- In the second semi final, #2 seed, invisibleracer took a 22 point win over #6 seeded MCM. Unlike the first semi final, no retirements impacted this one and it was simply a dominant win. He'll be going into the final with a budget and ERS deficit, so it'll be interesting how he'll try to overcome that huge handicap.

Congrats to Rainer and invisibleracer for advancing. I'll be hoping to see a clean, fairly contested final in Brazil!

   
CarlisleFrost

Registered: 19.03.2009
Location: USA
Posts: 132

22.10.2018 02:04:20
 
You're welcome Bouch. I enjoyed the match-up against you and was fearing the worst after qualifying! Your score would have been more than good enough to have advanced in almost any of the other quarter finals.

As for summing things up for the Quarters...
- #8 seed, roger alford's run in the Cup came to an end, with a narrow defeat to Rainer-Zufall70. Qualifying was close thanks to Verstappen's Q2 elimination and coming into the race,this one was looking like it would be very, very tight. In the end, just 3 points separated the teams due to a gutsy decision by Rainer to recharge a bit more ERS. A sliiiiightly slower fastest lap from Hamilton plus Magnussen/Perez doing a bit better and the result could have been oh so different. Rainer comes into the semis with 17 points of ERS. The max that can be used in a round is 16 points, I believe, so it'll be interesting what his tactic is in the semis (burn as much as possible or look to save a good chunk for the final IF they make it).

- The second Quarter Final in the top half also saw a seed falling, #13 seeded Bouch knocked out by myself in another match-up that looked super-close after qualifying (Bouch was ahead, but knowing I'd be using a few points of ERS in the race - I didn't want to risk a recharge this time!). Leclerc's retirement proved pivotal in the end, with a 9 point winning margin. 120 points for Bouch's team would have seen him win had he been in either the first or third Quarter Final, so it was just a slightly unfortunate draw, with two teams both scoring very competitively. It means two non-seeds will face off in the first of the Semi Finals in a battle of high budgets and high ERS charges!

- In the bottom half of the draw, #2 seed, invisibleracer avoided meeting the same fate as the top half's seeded, securing a narrow, slightly underhanded win over Allrace to end the #10 seed's run. Coming in to the round with matching line-ups, neither made changes. Allrace made their predictions first (a mistake, in hindsight, but a learning experience, perhaps) and invisibleracer copied them exactly (even the fastest lap), winning by a point due to Allrace's engine having -1 point for more usage. Back luck to Allrace, though they're leading the World Championship and Constructors, so at least it means they won't take home all the trophies!

- Finally, #6 seed MCM defeated #14 seed, eddie by 13 points to advance, with Grosjean's retirement early on making it a reasonably comfortable result. Importantly, MCM managed to recharge 4 points of ERS, meaning they'll have 9 points at their disposal for the Semi Finals, which should help to compensate for invisibleracer's budget advantage. Had they come into the Semis with no ERS, invisibleracer would have definitely been the favourite, though now, I'd say it's going to be close, just like the top half of the draw!

So, down to our final four, and by this time next week, we'll know who our 2018 finalists will be. Bring on Mexico!

   
Bouch

Registered: 02.03.2005
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 4

21.10.2018 22:03:09
PFRL CUP 2018 
CarlisleFrost, what a great write up, just read this for first time. Alas my luck has run out in the quarters......the reliable LeClerc let me down. Good luck for the semis.

   
CarlisleFrost

Registered: 19.03.2009
Location: USA
Posts: 132

07.10.2018 13:06:15
 
Thanks again GaKra. I imagine qualification in Japan had a few contestants feeling nervous, as it put quite a few people in danger early.

Japan was an exciting, action-filled race and it translated to some close, nail biting contests in the Cup here, particularly in the top half of the draw...

- Rainer-Zufall70 managed a tight victory over Hubcap00. Both scored highly in the race, with Rainer managing a slight recharge (risky, but it paid off!) and Hubcap perhaps regretting not burning all of their ERS. That plus a point for getting close to the fastest lap and they would have eked their way to a victory. With the largest remaining budget and 15 points of ERS in the tank, Rainer will definitely come into the quarters as the favourite for the title. Long way to go though!

- Facing Rainer in the quarters will be roger alford, the #8 seed beating #9 seed, Maverick by 6 points. Another tight one, ultimately decided when Leclerc retired from the race. roger scored well in both knockouts, so their quarter final match-up should be a close affair.

- #13 seed Bouch used some smart secrecy to avoid getting copied and some equally clever choices earned him a super-close (2 point) victory over #4 seed, FUTCHIVAI. Surely a nailbiter, as if Grosjean had been overtaken by Ocon at the end (Ocon was right with him for the last several laps, trying to get by!), there would have been a different winner. Superb win against a team with a bigger budget and ERS and a well-deserved place in the quarters awaits!

- Myself vs #12 seed, Mark Felts was the final match in the top half of the draw and like the others, it was a close one! Ahead by 1 after qualifying, but knowing I'd be losing a point in the race for recharging a tiny bit of ERS (had to gamble, in case FUTCHIVAI made it though) made for another uncomfortable race. In the end, my choices of Arrivabene and Bottas (and a point for being close enough to the fastest lap) just pippled Mark's Wolf and Raikkonen by 2 points. So, progressing to the quarters via a tie, 2 point win and another 2 point win. Really looking forward to another tough one against Bouch for a place in the semis.

- In the bottom half, #2 seed, invisibleracer ensured they didn't meet the same fate as some of the other high seeds (#1, #4 and #5 were gone, and the #3 seed was in peril - more below on that). A huge 151 point score saw them comfortable defeat Mizzou81. Looks like Mizzou didn't update their team or use ERS, but even if they had, it would have been very, very hard to have won. Congrats invisibleracer!

- #10 seed, Allrace ensured it'd be 2 seeds through out of 2 in their part of the draw, beating spystocks by 150 points to 129. Solid margin of victory and one of the biggest scores of the round. They're still competing hard on 3 fronts and with the same budget as invisibleracer, and with both having no ERS, that's another blockbuster match-up.

- #3 seed, Margaret104 scored a huge 39 points in qualifying thanks to two correct predictions, carrying a 10 point advantage into the race over #14 seed, eddie. eddie's lineup proved stronger in the race though, with their Mercedes Factory engine cutting the deficit. 5 points of ERS, Force India outperforming Haas, and a strong race from Grosjean meant they ran out winners by 11 points. I definitely didn't see that coming after qualifying, but their choices worked. Great job!

- Last but not least, #6 seed, BOne took victory over #11 seed, GaKra Motors. Hartley's unexpectedly strong performance in qualifying gave the #6 seed a sizeable advantage after that session and with all 10 ERS points being used for the race, GaKra had a mountain to climb. Leclerc's retirement proved terminal, though even with them finishing, BOne probably would have edged it. Their prize is a quarter final against eddie. Both have similar budgets, but with BOne able to purchase their final ERS unit (which they just did) and the 5 points that comes with it, eddie may be wishing they'd not used all their points in the last round. Still likely to be close!

So, quarter finals time in two weeks. Three big names/seeds falling in the round of 16 (Maverick, GaKra and Margaret104), though unlike last year, it is mainly seeded teams remaining (myself and Rainer being the only 2 non-seeded teams left). 3 races to go until we'll have a winner, and they should be good! Congrats again and good luck to those still in it!

   
GaKra Motors

Registered: 02.03.2006
Location: Switzerland
Posts: 925

06.10.2018 01:22:05
 
@CarlisleFrost Thank you for yet another great summing-up of what happened in the latest round of the PFRL Cup. I enjoyed reading it a lot and only didn't reply earlier because I didn't want to push your text off the PFRL starting page. Congrats on advancing after yet another close duel. To be able to win the tight races can be key in a competition like this. However, there are still a lot of contenders counting on that, which should guarantee for thrilling matches that I hope will inspire you in writing an analysis of the next round, too.

   
CarlisleFrost

Registered: 19.03.2009
Location: USA
Posts: 132

30.09.2018 18:43:50
 
The round of 32 is done and dusted and we're down to the final 16 contestants! This year didn't quite see the carnage of last year's round of 32, when 11 of the 16 seeds fell at this stage, but the round still had a few shocks and some hard fought battles. Since we're this far in, I'll give each match a mention, as it is an accomplishment to get this far! Going from the top of the draw, downwards...

- We had a repeat of 2017 in one respect; the #1 seed falling in the round of 32, with am201020 defeated by Rainer-Zufall70. Despite both having ERS at their disposal, none was actually used, with Rainer even managing a cheeky recharge, which may well come in useful in future rounds. Just 4 points separated the two, with their match being one of the closest of the round. Rainer goes on to face Hubcap00 in the round of 16, after they knocked out the #16 seed, markus95. They too managed a slight ERS recharge, so sparks could fly when those two clash (both have similar budgets too!)!

- #8 seed roger alford was safely though in a high-scoring battle against Daijhi2, whose score of 144 would have been good enough to have won a fair few other matches. They progress to face #10 seed, Maverick, who saw off RockinFX (couldn't knock out two big names in a row!). Maverick brings 13 points of ERS into the next match-up, in what could be another tough contest.

- Commiserations to Nicolaas on Wheels, who lost to #4 seed, FUTCHIVAI, who saw him enough of a challenge to copy most of his team, qualifying predictions and fastest lap prediction. Next up for the #4 seed is #13 seed, Bouch, who was a comfortable winner over ZUPO. Advice to him is either to do his team very tight to the deadline, use secrecy or make enough changes that he can't be copied in 4 changes!

- #5 seed, Superviper and I served up a CLOSE one (just 2 points in it, which was the closest match of the round). I scraped it thanks to several things going my way (predicting Ocon's qualifying correctly, which would have gone wrong had Leclerc been .004 faster, Bottas beating Hamilton to pole, and Bottas snatching the fastest lap from Hamilton late on). Any one of those not happening and it would have been Superviper through! I go on to face #12 seed Mark Felts, whose strong performance saw off Bleirohr. Mark won a very, very tough group 1 to be seeded in the knockouts and this should be another tight one.

- In the bottom half of the draw, #2 seed, invisibleracer overcame MCM's high budget team comfortably, in one of the strongest wins of the round. Definitely justifying their seeding and they go on to face Mizzou81, who knocked out #15 seed, TheHalovex. Mizzou carries 10 points of ERS into the next round, which may help compensate for invisibleracer's budget advantage.

- spystocks knocked out the #7 seed, Midge, winning by a massive 34 points. No ERS was used either, meaning they preserve their 5 points of it to the next round. They'll meet #10 seed, Allrace, who defeated Mulacjean. Huge score from Allrace, who continues to challenge for several trophies this year.

- Margaret104, the #3 seed had a hard-fought win over Cargoking, winning by just 5 points, who had a 15m lower budget. Kudos to both competitors! #14 seed, -EdDiE_4 is next up, defeating Hugo in the round of 32 by 7 points (another close one!).

- Our final match is #6 seed, MCM against #11 seed, GaKra Motors. MCM wisely used ERS to progress past MikeMacPhee (if they hadn't used any, Mike would have advanced), while GaKra achieved the highest score of the round in their battle against KatzevonSwish. Dominant victory in the end and with both having ERS in their tanks, their match could be a fiery one!

Looking forward to Japan next weekend, when the sparks will fly again!

   
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