It’s been a difficult season to be sure, but it’s not been without its rewards. Take, for example, the season-opening event at Parkland College. Larz tore through Vipers, Corvette Z06s, and Elises to clinch his maiden overall win in the 1993 Mazda RX-7. Proof that all you need to put everyone else to bed is 275bhp-powered thirteen-year-old car and the skills to turn in faster times than those with more experience than your age. At that same event, I unveiled the BMW after a hard winter’s work with an entirely new suspension and brake system. The result was the recognizable emergence of an evolving and competitive track monster. That first event also saw the rising of a new trend: competitiveness within the group drives higher performance on a large scale, as Ryan and I fought back and forth all day with consistently better times until we had started to reach the top of the pack. Larz and Dean did the same, which led to Larz’s eventual event-winning lap that gave him Fastest Time of the Day.

The goal of expansion began to take form in June when a new soul ventured out to start the long, hard gauntlet of earning his way into the ranks of the club. Long-time Deviant Tuning member, Brandon E., brought out his immaculate 1998 SVT Ford Contour to begin the arduous task of building up enough events and laps to be considered eligible for the dedicated race team.

Unfortunately, 2007 also had its brutal punishments, with not one but two of the team’s cars finally succumbing to the intense stresses that racing puts on a vehicle. June’s Charleston venue saw Ben’s previously bullet-proof 1993 Mitsubishi Eclipse GSX take the fall after a spectacular engine failure which left his motor’s entire supply of oil sprayed down the longest stretch of track. Three months later en route to September’s Rantoul venue, disaster struck again. This time, however, it struck Dean’s 1994 Mazda Miata, a car which was believed to be the least likely to give up the ghost any time soon. It was the worst season in the club’s history in terms of reliability, claiming the lives of two of our quickest cars.

Larz, Ryan and I kept the faith in the run-up events to October’s penultimate race, Ryan pulling down his first maiden class victories at the September event in his 2004 Dodge SRT-4. We finished off the season on a high note as Ben announced a week before October that the Eclipse was back up and running. It was also announced that Dean’s Miata had gone through its teardown and was on its way back to a complete rebuild, but that he would be out for the rest of the season regardless. Larz pulled a podium finish out on the last day of the event, which when coupled with my two second place finishes and Ben’s podium finish brought the official season to a close.

All in all… a good, albeit event filled, year. Only 164 days until the start of the 2008 season. Time to get crackin’.

Even though the Bimmer delivered me to two consecutive hard-fought second place finishes this last weekend, the real triumph happened on Sunday. Larz brought his game, I brought mine. But in the end, only one could be declared the winner. When the dust settled it was determined that I had brought the ruckus. That’s right: last year’s sad defeat at the hands of Larz and his phenomenal swagger was rectified this weekend as I not only piloted my own craft brilliantly, but I forced his to do my bidding as well. I have to say, however, that it was not easy nor do I take it lightly. Additionally, I feel almost certain that he will not take it lightly either, and I will be challenged to a rematch next year. For the moment, however, I shall bask in my moment of glory and revel in all that I have accomplished since he last handed me my ass.

Oh, and just in case he reads this: you got knocked the fuck out! Haha, just kiddin’, bro. It’s all in good fun and I still consider him to be the better driver. Cheers.

Of those drivers who, mathematically, had a shot at the 2007 Formula 1 World Drivers Championship crown, he was the least likely to attain it. Indeed, it looked as though Kimi Raikkonen (Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro) needed the heavens to align just right. Before Sunday, Kimi had never won at Interlagos. Going into Saturday’s qualifying, Kimi needed three miracles in order to turn post-Schumacher Ferrari into saints. Here’s a rundown and how he got them.

Miracle 1: Race Win
Kimi has only been on podium twice in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Neither of them were for a first place finish. So how did he get it now? Answer: Felipe Massa. Kimi’s team mate dominates Interlagos in such a ridiculous way as to make the other drivers look like school children. In 2006, the gap between Massa and the second place finisher was over 40 seconds. In order to win such a crucial race, Kimi would need Massa to voluntarily give up winning his home grand prix. In the race down to the first corner at the start of the race, it was pole runner Felipe Massa who charged out front then cut over to block Lewis Hamilton’s line as Kimi flew up from behind Felipe to secure second position. From this point forward, Felipe and Kimi dominated the race with gaps of more than thirty seconds between second place and third place. With twelve laps to go, Felipe pitted to give Kimi the lead.

Miracle 2: No Mechanical Issues
Ferrari’s F2007 chassis has not been without its issues, and in fact was plagued with reliability problems in the first half of the 2007 season. Thankfully, the red team got those issues worked out, which left only the tires as question marks for Sunday’s race. During Saturday’s practice and qualifying the Bridgestone super-soft compound tires were being torn apart by the hot Brazilian spring’s heat. The track literally blistered every square inch of the tires on all cars. Had it not been for the slightly lower track temperatures and the initial effort on the part of Raikkonen and Massa in preserving their tires for the first few laps, this might have been a very different race. Instead, they did preserve them and the F2007’s ability to stay inherently light on its feet proved to be the crucial point throughout the race.

Miracle 3: Fernando and Lewis
It wouldn’t have taken very much at all for Lewis to have clinched this thing from the start. Instead, he repeated a mistake from China and unnecessarily challenged the passing McLaren of team mate Fernando Alonso at corner one. As is customary for Fernando, Lewis was edged off track and sent off-roading. Then, ten laps later, Lewis became plagued by hydraulic and gearbox issues in which his transmission electronically engaged neutral gearing. For thirty-four seconds, Lewis drifted down the track, his engine running but his gearbox doing nothing to help him. After selecting a different fuel strategy from his steering wheel, the gearbox came to life, but not before it left poor Lewis in 18th position. Although he valiantly fought to regain his composure, seventh was as close as he could get to the screamingly fast BMW Saubers of Nick Heidfeld and Robert Kubica, who eventually placed 5th and 4th, respectively. Fernando was stuck thirty-two seconds behind the Ferraris in third place.

And that’s how the 2007 season ended. One of the most exciting and dramatic finishes to a season in almost thirty years. Kimi Raikkonen takes his place as the 2007 Formula 1 World Drivers Champion. The Iceman has cometh.

This weekend’s racing event is a very special one for me. For starters, it’s going to be my last race of the season. The BMW is going under the knife this winter, and the logistics and planning phases are starting immediately after this weekend. Hence, as it will only be the penultimate race for most, it will be the last for me. Secondary to this is that I’m going head-to-head with best friend and fellow team driver, Larz, this weekend. As “el capitan” of the racing team I’m a member of, he’s arguably one of the best drivers I know. Last year’s penultimate event included a grudge match as well, except Larz had me by a whole two combined seconds.

The way it works is simple. Larz takes three laps in my car, then three laps in his. I do the same. The person with the best combined singular hot laps from each car is declared the winner. As far as points go amongst the team members, it’s a done deal for this year. I’m not mathematically eligible for Driver of the Year honors this year. But no biggie. We’re out there to have a lot of fun, hang out with our friends (whom we wouldn’t normally get to because of work, family, etc.), and improve ourselves as drivers. Nonetheless, Larz and I have been talking an unusual amount of shit to each other. Normally, we’re pretty humble guys, but I’m thinking maybe he feels a little threatened, that he might actually lose to me. Lol. Who knows. Either way, it’s going to be fun.

“Aaaaah, Ricky Bobby! Now we shall dance. And yes, it will be a slow jam.”

A Formula 1 World Champion will be crowned this weekend at Sao Paulo, Brazil. What a fitting end to a story that has been absolutely insane from start to finish. The fight for the championship has not been this close, this exciting, or this dramatic in almost thirty years. The returning champion, Fernando Alonso (pictured; far right), is looking for his third straight championship and flipping the metaphorical middle finger to Vodafone McLaren Mercedes before returning to Renault next year. Lewis Hamilton (pictured; center), the first black driver in Formula 1 history, is looking to finish off a fantastic maiden season in Formula 1. It has, in fact, been one for the record books, and no matter what the Interlagos circuit brings Lewis’s way, he can go to sleep knowing that he’ll be remembered long after he’s gone for this one season alone. But he’s not looking to stop there, and wants to raise the bar for Formula 1 and its drivers by becoming the first rookie champion in Formula 1 history. In order to do that, however, he has to stop the Iceman himself, Kimi Raikkonen (pictured; far left). The Susan Lucci of Formula 1, Raikkonen has always been the bride’s maid, but never the bride. This year, with a Ferrari steed beneath him, Kimi is looking at taking the championship from the team that kept it from him for almost half a decade (Raikkonen raced for McLaren Mercedes from 2002 - 2006). So, who’s it gonna be: the reigning and back-to-back world champion, the rookie messiah, or has the Iceman Cometh?

Fernando Alonso: Why He Could Win
He’s been here before, clinching the world championships for the last two years at the Brazilian Grand Prix. This is not unfamiliar territory to him. Additionally, he’s used to competing under pressure. Hell, he’s waxed Michael Schumacher’s ass two years in a row for the championship. Did I mentioned he’s layed the smack down on Michael Schumacher? Also, he’s only three points behind Lewis, not seven like some other people.

Fernando Alonso: Why He Could Lose
His driving gets a little dicey and dangerous when he suspects he’s in trouble of losing the race, and he’s not particularly susceptible to come-from-behind wins. Additionally, his two championships have been from him leading in points, not trailing by three such as he is now. In that respect, he’s at a great disadvantage. Furthermore, when it comes to driver battles, Alonso can be made to falter. It may take ten laps, but Alonso has a way of making a driver feel threatened and then they fight back. It’s been repeatedly done since the beginning of the year, although most of the battles have been with BMW Sauber’s Nick Heidfeld.

Lewis Hamilton: Why He Could Win
He’s in the lead. With 107 points all he needs is a podium finish (no matter how well anyone else does) to secure the championship, and he’s been doing that largely throughout the year.

Lewis Hamilton: Why He Could Lose
He’s a rookie who’s never been faced with this kind of intense pressure and under this much overwhelming scrutiny. The press, fans, team, and his country are all looking for him to wrap this up. That’s a lot of pressure. He’s been fairly good at facing pressure head-on thus far, but has shown signs of stress and cracking before, and this is just the kind of thing that Fernando likes to prey on with his mind games. Rest assured, Fernando is playing them right now. And what with the internal animosity between the two Mercedes McLaren drivers, if Fernando begins to think that Lewis is going to win, look for Fernando to take him out immediately. Finally, a little statistic: in the eight times that the World Drivers Championship has been decided at Brazil, the leading points scorer has won only three times.

Kimi Raikkonen, Why He Could Win
He’s the master of come-from-behind victories. Whatever pressure Lewis and Fernando are facing, Kimi has the ability to double it on any given race day. Additionally, Kimi has already won one psychological battle: both McLaren Mercedes drivers are only gunning for each other. And to make this even better: he knows he has nothing to lose by going for broke.

Kimi Raikkonen, Why He Could Lose
He has the most points to make up to win this thing. It’s no question that he needs to win this race, but he also needs his team mate to come in second for a Ferrari 1-2 victory in order to shut both Mercedes McLaren drivers down… and that’s assuming Lewis finishes sixth or worse.

So, to summaraize, here are the final mathematical permutations for all drivers in which to become world champion:
For Fernando Alonso to become champion:
- Alonso first place; Hamilton third or lower or
- Alonso second place; Hamilton sixth or lower or
- Alonso third place; Hamilton eigth or lower; Raikkonen second or lower or
- Alonso fourth place; Hamilton out of the points; Raikkonen third or lower

For Lewis Hamilton to become champion:
- Hamilton first or second place or
- Hamilton third or fourth place; Alonso second place or lower or
- Hamilton fifth place; Alonso third place or lower or
- Hamilton sixth or seventh place; Alonso third place or lower; Raikkonen second place or lower or
- Hamilton eighth place; Alonso fifth place or lower; Raikkonen third place or lower or
- Hamilton out of the points; Alonso fifth place or lower; Raikkonen third place or lower

For Kimi Raikkonen to be champion:
- Raikkonen first place; Alonso third place or lower; Hamilton sixth place or lower or
- Raikkonen second place; Alonso fourth place or lower; Hamilton eigth place or lower

Speed Channel is beginning its coverage tomorrow with the Friday practices at 7 AM and 11 AM for Practice 1 and 2 sessions, respectively. Saturday’s practice begins at 8 AM, followed by Qualifying at 11 AM. Finally, Sunday’s big race will begin at 11 AM. All times I’ve shown are Central Standard Time (GMT - 6).

If you watch no other Formula 1 race or exciting television this year, make sure you watch this. You’re not going to want to miss it.