The first Interview done by Laonar in whats hopefully an ongoing series, his first victim is points leader Xi YanKs iX
Q1. How do you feel the league is going at the moment?
A. I think things are goin 1/2 decent. Could be better, Could be worse. Not alot of guys have taken advantage of the lower series in the league.
I guess they feel it doesn't serve them any good, but basically I just throw my COT setup in either the truck or the nationwide car and run it.
Gives ya a barometer of where your are compared to other guys. So thats 1 things thats dissapointing. Besides that theres not alot of action on the forum
like there has been in the past, guess thats kinda good and kinda bad, because 1/2 of the things that used to be on the board were basically fights..none the less it was
fun reading material. Overall I'd honestly give the league a B-..but not from lack of effort on anyones part. I just think theres alot of things we
haven't really goten into and alot of things left to be tapped to make it more entertaining.
Q2. The league has a lot of good drivers that are fast on a daily basis. Who do you think got what it takes to win the chase.
A. I think the chase is going to come down to a 3 or 4 driver shootout. Obviously, I expect to be in the mix..hopefully myself and the guys at JGR
can put together some good setups, avoid trouble, and get some good finishes and a few wins. I think Honda is someone you have to think of
as a serious contender, I've known Honda since he started racin in the nationwide series last season and I have alot of respect for the guy and his
driving ability...not to mention he's a cool ass guy. He's put together some good runs this season and I dont expect that to change. LoneWolf74 Is my
pick to bring home the title just because of sheer determination. He puts more time into workin on a setup than anyone I've ever seen..I left my xbox
on 1 night and when i woke up to go to work I turned it off, but I happened to check who was online and there was Lone in a practice room..it was
like 6:30AM. The amout of time he spends practicing gives him an advantage over everyone..It'll take a near perfect chase for someone to edge
him out. I think anyone in the top 6-7 could end up winning the cup with a good 10 races..but those would be my top 3.
Q3. Who do you think is an up and coming driver the league should watch out for?
A. I really think Jobes could be a great racer, he started off great but lost intrest and hasn't really shown up for awhile. I also think
Cry 4 Me has alot of potentional, he's run in the top 5 week in and week out but just couldn't find victory lane until joinin up with JGR. Seems
to me that only a lack of setup knowledge is holdin him back. Thats not a knock on him..alot of guys have been strugglin...including myself.
Last would have to be my partna in crime Pirate377..when he races he's golden..I know alot of guys have no idea who he is, but if the guy ever
runs a full season theres no doubt in my mind he'd be in contention for the title.
Q4. If someone took you out on the track, would you repay them the favor?
A. Depends on the situation, I've raced with alot of guys in here for a long time. If someone like Honda, or Birdman gets into me I know it's a racin
deal. I know those guys have control over their cars and know what they're doing. if something happens it's not from lack of experience or knowledge
of their cars. If it's someone that I never see practicing...or someone who just comes into a room and has no business bein on the track..and
I get taken out while in contention best believe there will be some retaliation. If guys rub me or bump me in the turns..or try to push me in a
straightaway going into a corner so I miss my line, then it's comin right back to em. I don't even care if it's Ultimo...I run guys how they run me.
Critterracer23 got mad at me earleir for somethin he says happened and somethin I say didn't happen. Then he purposley slowed down that last 10 laps
so that I would catch him to lap him...he then drove me from the wall into the grass trying to wreck me..I havent forgotten that, and I won't forget it. He'll get
his.
Q5. From question one, how do you think the league can improve?
A. I think it will get better with time, once guys get more familiar with eachother. Hopefully we can keep a core group of guys together for awhile. I expect some
of the not so great drivers to bow out after the season and hopefully we can recruit some new blood. Theres alot of great drivers who play this game, so
theres plenty of fish in the sea so to say. Just gota get em on board. Besides that I think some of the thingd Term mentioned in the commish corner
would help alot, obviously it takes alot to keep a league runnin, and the more guys you have helpin and puttin their little twists into it the better I
think it could be. I'd like to see alot more things to do on the site rather than just log in and check the forum once a day. I'd like guys to do
write-ups, or polls, or anything thats entertaining really..kinda like this interview thing i'm doing. Granted I'm typin a shitload for the answers..but
it's cause i've been locked up in a hotel room for 2 days waitin for them to race Richmond.
Q6. The truck series was cancelled, whats your thoughts on this?
A. I think it's a shame, truck are fun as hell to run. I understand guys have diffrent schedules and what not, just wish we could of had enough
commitment to keep it going. Hopefully next season the truck series will pick back up and we can get some new guys to participate.
Q7. Whats your thoughts on setups being shared?
A. Well, from teammate to teammate they're perfectly fine, from team to team I think they're alil suspect. There are some exceptions to the rule
tho, I've had a few guys come to me on a 1 to 1 basis and ask for help. I have no problem helpin other guys..hell I've even given a few guys baseline setups
that JGR has run with just a few minor tweaks. I'll help anyone who asks..until they start beating me:) What I don't agree with is guys looking outside
the league for setups. Last year I was in a room with a few friends and a guy from the league came in and straight up asked my buddy for his setup,
I think thats a crock of shit. If you have questions ask a teammate, or even ask a friend for a tip or somethin..but don't go into random rooms and
look at the board and pick out the fastest guy and flat out ask him for a setup...thats BS and if your caught doing it I think you should be penalized.
Q8. With setups being shared would you rather see everyone be fast and competive, or have 2-3 fast guys with slow traffic?
A. Fast and competitive, thats why I don't mind helping people. Obviously I want to win every race, but besides that I'm here to have fun. I don't
think it's fun to have 1 or 2 guys blow the field out every week. I have a core group of friends I race with when i'm not league racing and I have
a blast racin with them because every track we go to its anyones race to win. We all run close to the same times and we are all clean as hell drivers.
Thats why I bought the game..to have fun. I think DEI and JGR have seperated themselves with the other teams in the league, thats not to say
other guys can't sneak in a win a few races..but I think week to week we're always in contention to win. But of the 8 guys in DEI and JGR 6 of us
have been here since last season...so we have experience in league racing and we know what kinda of dedication it takes. I think in time guys will
figure out the recipe for success.
Q9. Why the number 46?
A. Cole Trickle. Days of Thunder is a kick ass movie, I love it..I love the car. I'm still pissed at Ultimo for pullin me out of my chevy to run in
this piece of shit Toyota. I also run the 46 because one of my best friends on the game runs the #64..and we always talked about runnin
together. He's since moved to another league, but it's still somethin we talk about regularly..it's fun to jump in open rooms and to hear people say
"the 46 and 64 are checkin out on us"