Dodge's blog

Season 60 of the nations cup has finished, and with that comes the punditry based on what we’ve seen over these past 60 seasons and what’s to come, and on both sides there is a lot, so strp yourselves in as we go through the facts!

Season 60

Of course we can’t start our article without discussing the most recent season. Vic Torious won the title in dominant fashion, winning 8 out of the 15 races, giving the UK an unprecedented 4 drivers’ titles in a row (and having gained the most points out of any country for the second season running), but while other big gainers included France and Portugal (both keen to extend their stays in the top 3 and top 20 respectively), the big winners were Turkey, who took their first fastest lap, podiums and pole positon in this very season, and scored 42 points to sit at an all-time high of 61st in the cup – quite a long way away from where they sat after their first season, when they failed to even get a top 20 finish and from the start of season 32 until the start of season 39, they were permanently stuck in 111th out of the 111 (soon to be 113) countries competing. It therefore goes to show that although we’re already 60+ seasons in, there’s still lots to play for and every point does indeed matter.

It was almost poetic for the Turks, as Ibrahim Okyay took a shock pole position at his home track, Istanbul (formerly Constintanople) Park, and all eyes were on him to see if he could convert this into Turkey’s first win. However, this failed to materialise as Sweden’s Rickard Rydell took his maiden win in the cup, and Sweden’s 25th, as the Nordic nation further builds momentum to get back into the top 10 (more on that later). Okyay would finish the race in 5th, but in every way they could, both him and Aytaç Biter (who took both of the country’s podium finishes) wouldn’t let this spoil what had been a fantastic season for the transcontinental country.

Preview of season 61

Season 61 is now right upon us, and for this one we go to the 2014 ADAC GT Masters season, where 19 drivers from 8 different countries (Austria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Germany, Netherlands, South Africa, Switzerland and the UK) will compete in 10 races across Europe, all with their nearest competition on their minds. While the UK will be chasing an unprecedented 5th consecutive drivers’ title, they (and the others for that matter) don’t have the manpower of Germany, as while Germany has 12 drivers, the remaining 7 are divided between the 7 other countries. Germany themselves will be chasing drivers’ title #3, as will the Netherlands, the latter of whom has had their main success thus far from the motocross seasons, while Austria will be looking for title #2, their only one so far having come in season 19. For the other 4 countries however, it’s a different story, as they are all yet to win a title.

Switzerland had come oh-so-close in season 49, and although Valentin Guillod would lose the title to Dutch rider Jeffrey Herlings, his and Jeremy Seewer’s efforts that season were enough to place their country back into the top 10 for the first time since the first race of season 1, and it was a welcome return. However, since then, they have found themselves in a battle for that coveted 10th-place spot with both Denmark and Finland, and Sweden also looks to be joining in the battle. Fortunately for Switzerland, they start the season above all of this Nordic trio, and as none of them are competing, this will give them an opportunity to extend their gap, which could very well come in handy later down the line.

Estonia and Czechia start the season in 36th and 41st respectively, the lowest-placed nations competing this season, and both countries could very realistically rise back through the ranks, as 14 points separate 39th-placed Malaysia and 41st-placed Czechia, and 33 points separate 33rd-placed Philippines and 36th-placed Estonia, and both will be looking for their first drivers’ titles. Estonia has scored more than handfuls of points in both seasons they’ve competed in so far, while Czechia has been less fortunate, although season 23 had given them the revival that they needed, and that sees them 41st rather than 30+ places lower down the field.

Meanwhile, South Africa is represented by the returning Kelvin van der Linde, who previously competed in season 23. van der Linde was only able to score 8 points in that season, which was the beginning of South Africa’s downfall in the cup, as their appearances and points from that point were very limited, and they start the season in 30th, their lowest-ever placing. Arguably, the only reason they’re not 31st is thanks to a last-lap divebomb from Vic Torious on Chinese driver Jing Leong at Shanghai during season 51, which cost Leong 3rd place and 3 points – had Leong finished 3rd, China would be ahead of South Africa by 2 points, so South Africa must at least pull away this season if the African leaders and former top 5 nation is to resurrect itself.

Looks like an exciting season, and updates will be kept on!