The Global Racing Championship - Season 2 (2024)

Use a 10-6-4-2-1 point system :)
The GRC is now mostly done on a discord server! Whilst this site will continue to recieve updates, the discord server has races uploaded one by one throughout a season, news, other series, awards nights, trivia and so much more! Feel free to join if interested! https://discord.gg/uQqeAqXtgn
Project Overview
The Global Racing Championship (GRC), is a fictional project I have spent nearly 2 years on now, detailing my own racing series and universe in a world without the Formula One. The world has been built up and detailed with its own fictional drivers, teams, tracks, brands and car manufacturers, made up for the sole purpose of providing a story. The Championship has evolved to have its own stories and legacies, with every race and storyline in the world being shared here in detail with worldbuilding, and constantly updated to be improved to be made better. I hope you enjoy what I have done :)

Season Overview
Preseason
After a successful debut season for Michael Harrington's new motorsport championship the Global Racing Championship last year, the world of motorsport had seen the a rapid rise to fame in not just the home country of England, but on a global scale. Pllanning would quickly go into full swing to bring yet another successful season, and the first news in the offseason was another title sponsor for a team. Just like Imperial Autosport had done to help give them a little boost, Velocity Racing would sign a deal with 2 separate sponsors in RaceWell Industries and PistonWorks, now racing under the name RaceWell-PistonWorks Velocity Racing, with Aeropulse not to far behind jumping on the trend after signing a title sponsor with company AtlasMotion and racing under the new name Aeropulse AtlasMotion GRC.
Then came the news that had been the major story of last year, it time for the team number 6. Following their announcement mid season last year, the Vitalite project would finally be fully revealed, with the team officially racing under the name Cenere d'Oro Vitalite after their pairing with the famous Italian cigarette company. The team taking to the tracks with a slick crimson colour, pairing previously announced Ederson Ross, a controversial signing after his short and controversial stint at Prototype racing last year, with a shock move as they would pinch Logan Jackson from Imperial Autosport instead of opting for Dario Renzi, an Italian driver connected to the team. This would send Imperial Autosport into a frenzy trying to find a new driver before the start of the season, and with no better option to choose from they had to promote test driver Benjamin Harris in Logans place. The next change would actually come out of Velocity, as driver Tobias Wright announced his retirement from the sport after only its first season, with another junior in William Turner being promoted from regional racing up to the GRC to take his place. The next of the move in silly season wouldn't actually be from a driver change, as Prototype racing would instead announce that they had part ways team principle Joshua Morris, hoping a change away to someone else might help the struggling team achieve something. Now that the grid had been confirmed, all eyes pointed to Harrington and his board as fans would wait for an announcement on the first race of the series. Before we got that however, we had confirmation that a new track would be coming to the grid, as the sport reached out further internationally in its rapid rise to success and went to the home of EvoSync in Miami, signing a deal with the city Council to have a street circuit in the city come to the calendar. Following this announcement would be one that London would remain the first race, with the 2024 season kicking off on the 14th of July. Much to the disappointment of fans however, no major regulation changes would be announced, and it looked like we might be in for another year of EvoSync domination.

Entrant Changes
Aeropulse   ->   Aeropulse AtlasMotion GRC
Velocity Racing   ->   RaceWell-Pistonworks Velocity Racing
N/A   ->   Cenere d'Oro Vitalite

Driver Transfers
Tobias Wright:   Velocity   ->   Retired
William Turner:   Rookie  ->   Velocity

Logan Jackson:   Imperial   ->   Vitalite
Benjamin Harris:   Rookie  ->   Imperial

Ederson Ross:   No Seat  ->   Vitalite

Team and Driver Line-ups

Calendar

Pre-Season Testing
Once again, a now extended 2 hour long testing session was held in London a month prior to the opening race of the season. Teams had 2 hours to perform as many laps around the Silverpark circuit as they wished, with the position of each driver as per their fastest lap being as follow:

1 - Daniel Metcalfe (EVS)
2 - Evan Bradley (APL)
3 - Lukas Meyer (EVS)
4 - Logan Jackson (VIT)
5 - Ederson Ross (VIT)
6 - Ashton Colt (IMP)
7 - Hugh Pierson (APL)
8 - Josiah West (VEL)
9 - Benjamin Harris (IMP)
10 - Harry Ross (PRO)
11 - William Turner (VEL)
12 - Charlie Parker (PRO)

Results confirmed that EvoSync still had the top pace, but also showed that the new Vitalite team looked strong, whilst Evan Bradley looked like a driver who might be able to challenge Metcalfe this season.

Race by Race Results
Race 1 - London GP (Silverpark Circuit)
The highly anticipated first race of season 2 came around, with the biggest turnout in GRC history just proving how rapid the sport had taken growth. Season 1 defending champion Daniel Metcalfe would snatch pole just 2 tenths faster than Evan Bradley, whilst the new crimson Italian team at Vitalite would prove they where here to compete with a third and fifth place finish on the grid. Evan Bradley wouldn't quite get to start from second however, as after being found to modify his car between the qualifying and race sessions he would be handed a 5 place grid penalty which would see Ederson Ross get promoted to the front row in Vitalite's first ever race. As Sunday rolled by and the race begun, we'd be treated with instant drama, as a red flag would be deployed in the first corner when Josiah West would drive straight into the side of Hugh Pierson, also collecting debutant racer Benjamin Harris and leading to all 3 drivers retiring from the race. The other rookie in William Turner would also suffer fairly severe damage after being entangled in the collision, however opted to continue the race. Upon the restart, and we would be greeted with a pretty uneventful spectacle, with Daniel Metcalfe starting his title defensive campaign strong with a win, whilst Ederson Ross would silence his doubters with a 2nd place finish. The battle for third would be a little more intense, but a fastest lap on the penultimate lap lead Ashton Colt to a good position to get by Lukas Meyer, clinching the final spot and making Meyer settle for fourth.

Winner - Daniel Metcalfe
Pole - Daniel Metcalfe (1:25.224)
Fastest Lap - Ashton Colt (1:27.329)

Race 2 - US GP (Miami Street Circuit)
The GRC would arrive in North America after its first trip out of Europe and only its second outside of the UK, with teams, drivers and fans arriving in Miami. The turnout wasn't as strong as CEO Michael Harrington and his board may have liked, with many fans from the UK and rest of Europe complaining that the sport had found its way to America, but that wouldn't stop the weekend from going full steam ahead as Evan Bradley set a lap time of 1:07.364 in qualifying, which would give him pole position after an Engine fault and EvoSync would see Metcalfe unable to qualify and the legend starting from last. Whilst he would recover to 7th place come the chequered flag on Sunday, it would be his first ever time not finishing on the podium outside of his DNF in Bristol. Up the front of the grid would be where the excitement was, as Jackson and Bradley would be wheel to wheel for nearly the whole race, and despite Jackson staying in the lead for a large portion of the race as he pushed on for both his and Vitalite's first win, it just wasnt to be, with Evan Bradley crossing the line first and taking the fastest lap and pole in a statement weekend for him, proving he had what it took to bring the fight to Metcalfe. After the race weekend, it would be decided by Michael Harrington and his board that Miami would be returning to the calendar in 2025, much to the dismay of many European fans.

Winner - Evan Bradley
Pole - Evan Bradley (1:07.364)
Fastest Lap - Evan Bradley (1:08.001)

Race 3 - Manchester GP (Granford Raceway)
As the GRC found its way back to England as Logan Jackson would fight back after his close loss in the US last week, narrowly beating Lukas Meyer to pole in heavy wet conditions and scoring both his and Vitalite's first pole position. The wet conditions would remain on Sunday, and in just the 4th lap of the race the yellow flag as Ashton Colt would slide and find the barrier, starting the race again at the back. The restart would see us with an enthralling race, with the top 4 drivers constantly taking turns leading the race out front, the lead constantly switching between EvoSync and Vitalite as the new Italian brand aimed to prove themselves. Jackson would be the one exiting in the lead after the end of both rounds of pits, however he just didn't have the pace to compete at the top, with Lukas Meyer, Daniel Metcalfe and teammate Ederson Ross all pulling a gap on the rest of the field. Despite his teammates struggles, Ederson Ross would stay strong, overtaking Metcalfe for second and managing to defend, even pulling a gap as he closed in on Meyer. Would could of been an exciting race and a maiden win for Vitalite and Ederson Ross was cut short however, as heavy rain conditions saw DRS disabled and eventually a safety car, with the race ending under safety car conditions and helping Meyer to a win, whilst Ederson would have to settle for second.

Winner - Lukas Meyer
Pole - Logan Jackson (1:17.111)
Fastest Lap - Hugh Pierson (1:19.983)

Race 4 - Edinburgh GP (Kirkcaldy Racetrack)
Ederson Ross would continue his good run of form by following up on his teammates pole position last week and taking one of his own, with Daniel Metcalfe right behind him on the grid. The 2 would exchange position all day in a race where the DRS was strong, but as Ederson started to lose speed come the end of the race, he would become more and more aggressive. After many near-misses with the wall and the rear of Daniel Metcalfe's car, his engineer would come on the radio and request that he bought the car home for second as he would be putting the whole race on the line, however Ederson had plans of his own. A sketchy divebomb on the final lap would see him hit the rear tyre of Daniel Metcalfe and spin into the gravel, and whilst Metcalfe would limp home for first with damage, Ross wasn't so lucky, re-joining the track in last, with the team and fans annoyed at him once again as signs of his previous stubbornness and over aggression resurfaced.

Winner - Daniel Metcalfe
Pole - Ederson Ross (1:03.831)
Fastest Lap - Daniel Metcalfe (1:04.312)

Race 5 - Birmingham GP (Ironclad Park)
Daniel Metcalfe picked up only his second pole of the season around the IronClad in a stunning lap where he beat next best Ederson Ross's time by over a second. That second wouldn't mean much on the starting grid come Sunday however, and a slow start off the line would help Ederson take the top spot, where he remained for the entire race and defended Metcalfe's aggressive undercut strategy and an unlucky safety car after his teammate Logan Jackson would suffer a gearbox failure and exit the race early, beating Metcalfe to the line by over 4 seconds to take both his and his teams maiden Grand Prix victory. 

Winner - Ederson Ross
Pole - Daniel Metcalfe (1:30.411)
Fastest Lap - Ashton Colt (1:33.580)

Temporary Swap
Harry Ross: Prototype   ->   Illness
Jack Allingham: Reserve   ->   Prototype

Race 6 - Glasgow GP (Clydeside Raceway)
Leading up to the race weekend in Glasgow, Prototype racing would confirm the Harry Ross would not be partaking in the race weekend have contracting a severe illness, and instead 18 year old Scot Jack Allingham would sit behind the wheel of the Prototype car for at least the upcoming weekend. In a home race, Allingham would only manage 10th place in quali, but that wouldnt stop the roar from the Scottish crowd as he crossed the line as their nations first driver in the GRC, a roar even louder then the one Hugh Pierson got when he crossed the line first in the shootout to get a surprise maiden pole position, whilst his teammate Evan Bradley would lock out the front row for Aeropulse. Pierson would manage to keep the lead of the line in a shaky start as he tried his hand competing at the front for the first time, but following contact at the last corner  where Ashton Colt would come by and hit Pierson's front wing his dreams would all come crashing down on him, with theAeropulse driver to pit for a new one on the first lap. Meyer would charge into first place after the collision, and with a demanding lead it looked like hed be the one to take the win, however Evan Bradley had other plans, with an overtake on the final lap after a long hard push to close the gap giving him the win and placing him within a few points of Daniel Metcalfe in the championship standings.

Winner - Evan Bradley
Pole - Hugh Pierson (1:30.2311)
Fastest Lap - Lukas Meyer (1:33.007)

Race 7 - Bristol GP (Avonwood)
Allingham would get another go as Harry Ross still wasn't quite right in Bristol, and he'd slightly improve on last week with an 8th place qualifying spot and more importantly outshining his teammate Charlie Parker, whilst Daniel Metcalfe would sit back upon his throne with a pole position. A slow get-away allowed the Vitalite duo behind to pass however, but it wasn't to last. Ederson Ross would suffer damage after a kiss with the wall, enough to slow him down to the point where Logan Jackson was right behind, with Daniel catching fast. Ross was slowing his teammate down, and would be asked to swap positions to help Jackson stay ahead of Metcalfe, however Ross's ego would get in the way as it has time and time again, and only a few laps after refusing would Daniel Metcalfe find his way past both and win the race.

Winner - Daniel Metcalfe
Pole - Daniel Metcalfe (1:29.319)
Fastest Lap - Logan Jackson (1:29.302)

Swap Back
Harry Ross: Illness   ->   Prototype
Jack Allingham: Prototype   ->   Reserve

Race 8 - Cardiff GP (St Fagans Raceway)
The GRC arrived in Wales again, the track of the infamous chaos in the 7th race of season 1. Fortunately the weather was much better this time around, with no rain forecasted for the whole week ahead. Evan Bradley would kick things off with a shootout lap time 1:42:995 in a stellar lap, but in a thrilling end of qualifying Daniel Metcalfe would cross the line with a time of 42.955 and clinch the pole by 4 hundredths of a second. Metcalfe wouldn't even go on to start however, as an engine fault would see his car unable to start coming out the pits before the race and a DNS for him, allowing Bradley to hold a commanding lead to the end of the race and boosting himself into the championship lead, marking the first time an EvoSync driver wasn't in the lead of the standings, whilst his teammate Hugh Pierson would once again find himself on  the Cardiff podium behind him, making it 2/2 for podiums in Cardiff despite never having one anywhere else. 

Winner - Evan Bradley
Pole - Daniel Metcalfe (1:42.955)
Fastest Lap - Josiah West (1:45.911)

Race 9 - Paris GP (Paris Street Circuit)
Home away from home, back to the Paris Grand Prix the GRC went as fans where greeted with some perhaps not so shocking news going into the weekend. After their short and pretty terrible stint in the sport, Prototype racing would announce they they had sold their GRC license and the remanent of a team they had left in the sport, with major Canadian car manufacturers Mertelen jumping at the opportunity to find their way in the sport and hopefully compete with rivals Vitalite. Once again the French turnout would be  huge, as fans got to watch Lukas Meyer take his first pole of the season, however in what was perhaps one of the most competitive motorsport events in a long while we would be treated with 7/12 individual drivers holding the lead of the race for at least a lap at some stage or another in the race, however Logan Jackson would be the one with the glory, crossing the line first and gaining his maiden win.

Winner - Logan Jackson
Pole - Lukas Meyer (1:19.275)
Fastest Lap - Ederson Ross (1:21.301)

Race 10 - Liverpool GP (Highlands Way)
A little under a year since Daniel Metcalfe was crowned the champion of the world in Liverpool, the GRC would arrive once again in a little bit different of a situation. Daniel Metcalfe and Evan Bradley where tied on 141 points, drawn in the lead of the championship and both desperate to get a win and try seal up the championship for themselves. Neither of them could manage pole position however, as not only would the Imperial Rookie of Benjamin Harris find himself in the shootout, he would find himself setting the fastest time and taking pole after Ederson Ross would have his lap time deleted for track limit violations. Metcalfe and Bradley would fight each other for position straight away off the line, with Bradley turning in and closing the door on Metcalfe whilst Benjamin Harris would fumble under the pressure and slip to third. This move would see Bradley take an early lead, but Metcalfe wouldn't go down without a fight, and would work his way into the lead again on multiple occasions, ultimately though it was Evan Bradley who got the better of the two drivers, winning the race and taking a lead in the championship that helped him close in on becoming the second champion to ever do it in the sport.

Winner - Evan Bradley
Pole - Benjamin Harris (1:27.866)
Fastest Lap - Hugh Pierson (1:31.411)

Race 11 - Northampton GP (Heatherton Park)
The season finale at Northampton came again as we fast drew near the closure of another season of the Global Racing Championship. This year Northampton would feel different, as the battle for the crown would still be very much alive. A win for Evan Bradley would guarantee the championship no matter where Metcalfe finished by at least 1 point, whilst a win for Metcalfe meant that it would at least be a draw in the points and a win by countback on more second place finishes. Evan Bradley would top the sheets in Q1 as both drivers progressed to the top 5 shootout, where Metcalfe would go 4 tenths better than Bradley, however it'd be Logan Jackson who took pole qualifying ahead of both of them. Lukas Meyer would have a disappointing Saturday as despite still having a mathematical chance for the championship he would make a mistake on both laps in Q1 and find himself starting in 10th. As the lights went out for the last race of the season it would be Bradley looking to go aggressive from the start, making a move on Metcalfe into turn 1 and failing, slowing the pack down and letting Logan Jackson take a strong lead out the front of the race. After failing the first move, Bradley would play defensive and bide his time, as in current positions he would come out the championship winner. Knowing this wasn't enough, Metcalfe would try an extremely aggressive and early undercut strategy, but it wouldn't be enough, and the championship battle would look well and done. A lock up for Bradley near the end spun some life into the race however, as Ederson Ross would find his way up into third, but it still wasn't enough, and Metcalfe had to catch Jackson for the lead. Metcalfe would eat his heart out trying to get it done, setting 3 consecutive fastest laps and closing the gap to within a second of Jackson as Bradley could do nothing but sit back and hope the Vitalite car held the win for him. Jackson would barley old after an overtake attempt into turn 15 at the end of the long straight, leaving Metcalfe with only one more overtaking spot. A Hail Mary into turn 18 was his last chance, however it was to little to late, and Logan Jackson would win, with Daniel only managing to cross the line second. Evan Bradley would win himself a championship by a singular point despite not having a car the same level as the EvoSync or the Vitalite, proving he had what it took to be the sports very best.

Winner - Logan Jackson
Pole - Logan Jackson (1:10.240)
Fastest Lap - Daniel Metcalfe (1:08.932)