1999 Waiuku Formula 1

Australia   5 Apr   5 laps    Course: standard track Our first race of the year was almost postponed because of poor lighting.  Luckily,  Ian was able to steal a light bulb from another room and by shifting the table a few feet we were off.  Pole position didn't help Matthew who finished last.  I had first place up until the last move when Gail used a "move 4 spaces"card and relegated me to second.	Brazil   17 Apr   5 laps    Course: reverse track In a complete reversal from Australia, Matthew easily finished in first and Gail ended up in last.   I cruised in behind Matthew and my 2 second places have put me into first for the year.  And for the very first time in 8 years we had three cars finish in a dead heat.
San Marino 8 May  3 laps  Course: standard track We had a couple firsts.  Our first substitute driver - Jackie in for Matthew who claimed he had to do some homework but then went out to party.  And we had our first guest driver, Renee.  But I don't think we'll invite her back; she won by a large margin.   I was all set to get my third 2nd in a row when I took a chance to go after first place only to spin-off, get blocked and finish in 5th.  I am kicking myself all the way to our next race.	Monaco   20 Jun   6 laps   Course: standard track It was my idea to have guest drivers, so I wasn't too thrilled ending up in 7th place and be out of the points for the first time in ten years.  I probably should have put a substitute driver in since I had been very ill for a few days.  And I am certain that more than one of the opposition wears perfume into the pits to put me off.  Matthew certainly isn't Mr. Consistent with 2 first places and 2 last places, but doing well enough to be first overall.
Canada  25 July  3 laps  Course: Gilles Villeneuve Trevor supplied us with the proper penalty chart, but we aren't going to use it until 2000.  Thanks Trev.  David, fresh from his trip to the States, had tremendous luck with the dice.  He was in the pits and I made my move to pass him for 1st.  He only pulled the best pit card to coming roaring out at 100mph with fresh brakes and tires, and I couldn't take the corners since I was running out of both.  So for the 3rd time I was the bridesmaid.	Spain  15 Aug  4 laps   Course: Barcelona I completed making the track minutes before the race began.  I designed it, but it didn't help me much with a crucial spin off preventing me from getting into the pits.   David found the groove and being the pole car cruised around effortlessly into 1st.  Jackie sat in for Matthew and did him proud getting 2nd.
Britain  19 Sept  5 laps  Course: Silverstone David designed the track and it was a killer, with no clear corner to use a Superb Driver card.  David had pole position and understood the correct tactics taking the lead and kept it that way until going into the pits and being blocked a few times.  He began tossing carrots at the offending drivers in true Waiuku GP tradition.  That left the guest driver, Jackie, a clear road to the win.   Matthew, who could hardly stay awake managed to spin off at every other corner and was an emphatic last.	France  26 Sept  3 laps   Course: standard track One of those all too common races for me.  I was in the lead going into the final lap.  But I spun off and was blocked so I finished out of the money.  That left the door open for a rare women's 1-2 finish with Su just beating Gail.  Even more important to the rest of us was the fact that David came in last, which narrowed his lead for the year.  Ian's ploy of using all of his tactic cards at the start to build a big lead didn't work out.
Austria  23 Oct  5 laps  Course: standard track A very exciting race which found everyone having a shot at winning.   A lot of pit stops except for Su who maybe should have, because she had to drive the last lap at safety speeds and that put her into 3rd place.   And there were an unusual number of spin-offs too, which kept things close for Ian, David and myself up to the final move.   Gail saved her tactic cards for the final lap and she roared past everyone to get her third straight second placing.  Matthew won the race (his third) and moved a half point ahead of David for the year.	Germany  5 Dec 3 laps   Course: Hockenheim It was my birthday and maybe they let me win, but I prefer to think that it was my brilliant strategy of using four of my cards on the first lap to build a large lead.   Then with a little bad luck for everyone else I managed to keep the lead right from the first move.   My first win for the year, but steady-as-she-goes-Gail had her 4th second in a row and moved into first overall.   Jackie, who had won two of the three races she had done, sat in for Su but did everything wrong at long last and ended up last.
Hungary  27 Dec  4 laps  Course: Hungaroring A real potboiler of a game for most of us.  David took the lead and held it and poor Steve (subbing for Matthew) had real bad luck and was never in it.   Meanwhile, back in second place there was a big battle that went right to the line.  I made three great moves and each time I spun off and got blocked, but each time I beat my way back into second only to lose my tirewear and could only manage a tie for third with Su.  Meanwhile steady-as-she-goes Gail got her 5th second placing in a row.	Belgium  28 Dec  5 laps   Course: Spa Fantastic luck with the dice and good fortune with my tactic cards saw me win this race by a large margin.  Su led the race from start to last lap where I overtook her and cruised to my second win of the year.  Su couldn't hold off David either who pipped her for second.  Matthew and Steve had their own contest for last place with many spinoffs from start to finish.
Italy  3 Jan  4 laps  Course: Monza Pretty boring race for the most part.   Su used her favorite tactic from pole position and used all of her tactic cards to build a lead which proved be insurmountable.  The rest of us were bunched for most of the race.  David went after Su and almost pulled her in, only to have Ian pip him at the end to get his highest finish of the year.  I was dead last from the beginning and stayed there until the finish when I just caught up with Gail.	Europe  30 Jan  4 laps   Course: Catalunya An exciting race for a change.  Ian used cards to get a big lead from his pole position, but Matthew kept on his tail.  It was a bang up race with plenty of spin-offs and positions changing regularly.  I was last and kept my cool, so that at the end of gthe first lap I moved into 5th.  At the end of the second I had moved into 3rd and managed to stay there but was unable to pull in Su who was 2nd behind Matthew who had an easy win once again.
Malaysia  27 Feb  5 laps  Course: Standard Talk about good luck - I get the pole position and kept the front for the whole race.  I did everything right, the luck came in when Matthew who was second the whole race kept spinning off. Lucky for him because everyone else was to busy falling apart or spinning off to challenge.  So the final race is set to be a thrilling one since everyone except Ian is in the running for a spot on the podium.	Japan   19 Mar  4 laps  Course: Suzuka Race of the decade.  The podium positions up for grabs to everyone except Ian who was firmly set way back in last place.  So who won? - an estatic Ian (his only win in '99). Matthew had the early lead and if he could have held it, he could have been 1999 Champion, but he blew it big time and came in last.  Gail did her best and came in second. I, too, could have been the Waiuku Champion of 1999, but it was a case of no brakes for far too long requiring caution at the corners. But I was in it right up to the last bend where Susi passed me (costing me a point) and then David managed to catch Matthew giving him an extra half point for the year.