April 3, 2013

What a lovely first quarter of 2013 for TORA action, wouldn't you agree? Well, since the Mayans were wrong about the whole "Earth Blowing Up in December" thing, we have been able to see some wonderful action from The Online Racing Association this year. Starting with the 2013 TORA World GT Championship, and currently entered in the TORA North American Touring Car Championship, Hailfire Racing is continuing to compete at some of the highest levels of TORA.

One of the biggest announcements from Hailfire Racing this year has been the departure of several drivers to the upstart organization "Xtreme Performance Racing," or XPR for short. The initial separation was a peaceful one, but at times tension has occurred regarding recruitment practices and the relationship between the two parties going into the future.

Regarding the split, former Hailfire Racing driver Stephen Hudec recalled his time in the HR organization. He mentioned the various successes he had in the TEC as well as ISCC championships in 2012, and looks towards a possible partnership further down the line.

Another former driver, Brandon Scott, also was known to comment on his time in Hailfire Racing. When asked about his history in the organization, he replied:

"I liked it."



The HR Aces Wild Peugeot 908 Hybrid4, shown leading the LMP1 class -- Photo by F4H Carrera, 2013

March played host to the TORA Sebring 12 Hours, with relative success for Hailfire Racing. After a good qualifying effort, the HR Aces Wild LMP1 team, consisting of driver Drake Hellspawn and guest drivers II ALEX P II and The Bulin Wall5, jumped out to an early and large overall lead. Unfortunately, hour 9 resulted in the team losing an amount of time due to mechanical failure, dropping the Peugeot 908 Hybrid4 to an overall finish of 2nd. Upon a request for comment, driver Dionysis Fiallo likened the result to if Audi were to lose, saying that "winning was our only goal."

The Sebring 12 also marked LMP1 debuts for Hailfire97x, Flying Mikey J, and JK Grizzle, also debuting the first TORA race for a Ford Riley chassis. The Ford Powerstroke Turbodiesel engine, while outrageously powerful, was still in testing, and the team looks to expand on their 11th-place finish going into round 2 of the TORA Endurance Championship (TEC), the 24 Heures du Mans.

Meanwhile, in the GTE class, efforts were brought upon by Nick James123, Red Dirt Bandit, and new-to-HR driver AidtheAce. The Ford GT of Hailfire Racing also got off to an amazing start, claiming the lead in the 7th hour. Unfortunately, a catastrophic and unforseen failure at the start of the 8th hour caused the car to retire early, only amounting to a class-finish of 27th in GTE. It is currently unclear whether or not Red Dirt Bandit will be returning to the car for Le Mans, meaning that the team might have to reach out to drivers for the June-dated race.



Duke of Bruno cruising around Road America during an event of the GT World Championship -- Photo by CQR Deuce, 2013

With the inclusion of driver XPR Soundwave (formerly WCM Outlaw), big things were promised for the 2013 World GT Championship. Sadly, they were not meant to be. Only finishing 12th overall in the Teams Standings, the highest driver was the man from XPR, who only scored 19th overall. None of this was helped by Red Dirt Bandit's ailing machinery or Hailfire97x and Duke of Bruno's outside commitments. The Mercedes definitely showed potential, but none of it would prove to fruition at the end. 2013 will definitely be a year to forget in terms of the GT championship.



Hailfire97x tests out the Portland Timbers themed Alaska Airlines Vauxhall at Sonoma Raceway

Hailfire Racing has made its first foray into the TORA Touring Car Championships, starting out small in the NATCC as a single-entry Privateer team. Driver Travis Johannes has been at the helm of the lone Vauxhall Insignia in the series, racking up 2 Lobby B wins in 9 races. Johannes feels that with a little more practice and composure, he can finally crack into A Lobby and take the fight to the "Little French Cars" that are dominating the championship.


-T. Johannes, Hailfire Racing Captain -- April 3, 2013

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