The William Sheridan Championship is tonight 7pm EST, and, with the standings as close as they are, it is set to be a momentous evening. With four Grand Prix, each worth five points, two Combined Circuits, both worth eight, plus the three point championship bonus that puts 39 points at play––one of the biggest Championships of the season.
The Championship takes place on the grittiest terrain of the season. The surface wreaks havoc on the tires and batteries, so the two battery changes that each team is permitted will need to be timed critically. We spoke to track design, Janus Von Keppler, about what we could expect to see tonight. Here's an excerpt of what he had to say:
"Speed, precision, endurance: it will be a marriage of the three. A sort of melange of nimbleness and fortitude. I design for skill, for the elite. If the races are boring, then I failed. I failed the drivers, I failed the fans, and, above all, I failed myself".
With Kelly and Humenry so close in the standings, we can expect a hotly contested battle between the two. Humenry was gaining on Kelly in the final two laps of the Combined Circuit at Beaumont and it appeared he may take the Championship title when an accident with Ambatzidis forced him off his pace and allowed Kelly to breeze past the finish line for an uncontested victory. Humenry will certainly be seeking retribution. "Kelly will have to take the title from me if he wants it", the veteran driver told us.
Kelly, for his part, will be looking to widen his lead in the standings, and set himself up for the Grand Championship victory. We spoke to current leader earlier in the week, and he had this to say: "it's not enough just to win. I win all the time. I can win in my sleep. I want to absolutely bury the other drivers. I want them to cry. (cackles) I feel alive!"
Kelly took to Instagram last night, commenting on a Rooftop Racing post about the championship, that there was "high chance of a Kelly win". He then used profane language to refer to the other drivers in a response to Rooftop Racing's reply. Whether Rooftop Racing will reprimand the driver for his insolence and violation of the driver code of conduct remains to be seen.
Ambatzidis and Kaplan, the pack trailers, will be looking to make gains in the standings. Both showed promise at Beaumont. Ambatzidis had a beautiful 1st place finish in the second race of the first Grand Prix, that served as a reminder of how adept the driver is at maneuvering a closely packed field. His consistent 2nd place finishes in the second Grand Prix gave rise to the possibility of a potential point-focused strategy that team Huracán Performante might be pursuing. Ambatzidis may be attempting to win the Lamborghini Classic by racking up the most points, even if it means the fewest wins. We will keep an eye on Ambatzidis tonight to see if this strategy continues to play out.
Kaplan, despite a dreadful start at Beaumont, reminded us what he's capable of in the second Grand Prix, where he won three of the five races to win the Grand Prix. After leading the field for nine laps in the Combined Circuit, it appeared the Championship would be his, but, when car problems sacked the driver with three laps to go lap, Kaplan fell to last place. Car troubles was a theme for Kaplan and LP670 throughout Beaumont. It makes us wonder how the car will handle the gritty terrain at William Sheridan.
Come tonight, strategy will be everything. Keep an eye out for when the drivers make their battery swaps. Will Humenry pin his changes to Kelly's to make sure the two are always in competition? If Ambatzidis is pursuing a points based strategy, expect him to make changes for the Combined circuits, the two events worth the most points.
Also to look for is how precise a line the drivers make. With the track surface wearing down the batteries so quickly, don't discredit a driver in the backfield. A driver racing a cleaner line can gain on the pack by up to four seconds a lap. In six laps they could be challenging a leader that was a full lap ahead of them. On the longer races this is especially crucial. So, while William Sheridan doesn't have the notorious turns around obstacles that took out pack leaders time and time again at Beaumont, we may continue to see leaders fall from grace at William Sheridan.
The event will be live streamed on IG Live tonight at 7pm EST.
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