As some of you may know, Pat W. has been running a multi-series motor-racing prediction game on his Too Much Racing blog for the last two years. Following his decision to drop the Too Much Racing Game this season, I have volunteered to provide the direct replacement to be known as The Motor Racing Game, because it would be such a shame to lose such a great game.

The format is straightforward; every week pick up to ten drivers, up to seven in any one event. A score will be received for each choice depending how well they do in their own race-results to give weekly totals, and for those to add up to establish the season winner. There might be only one event to pick from, or up to six to consider. Points are loosely based on the Indycar system, 50-40-35-32-30 for the top five with decreasing points all the way down to forty-third place.

The events include Formula One, World Rally Championship, MotoGP, Indycar, NASCAR, DTM, World Endurance Championship, American Le Mans Series, plus the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona, kicking off with the Monte Carlo Rally in a few days. This means the types of racing series include two open-wheel, two sports-car, rallying, motorbikes, stock cars, and touring cars. This gives fresh interest every week and a fresh choice every week, unlike some games where a bad start can be a season write-off.

A wider audience

The fascination of this game is not just picking which drivers will do well within one series, but how to divide the picks between often widely contrasting events. There tend to be obvious choices, such as Sebastian Loeb for WRC, Sebastian Vettel for F1 or Casey Stoner for MotoGP, that it would be surprising if anyone did not pick when available, followed by solid choices that most people will choose. The real challenge is often the last two or three selections. Should it be Kyle Busch who wins more than his share of races in NASCAR but you would not be that surprised if he finished thirty-second, or Nico Rosberg who has barely troubled the top-five all season but is almost always in the top-eight, or Jamie Green in DTM with a lousy year so far but had won at that circuit the previous three seasons? In a multi-event week, is it best to try to get wins and podiums in all the races, or load choices towards the more predictable events missing out one or two series altogether? When's the time to be conservative, the time to take a flyer?

Since playing this game, I have learnt to enjoy NASCAR

Since playing this game, I have learnt to enjoy NASCAR (the trick is to dip in and out for most of the race and then pay attention for the last quarter), developed an interest in MotoGP despite being initially against its inclusion (four wheels good, two wheels bad), developed a deeper interest in sports-car racing, found more reason to keep up with WRC, and learnt DTM races really are rubbish. Not only have I loved the game but it has increased my appreciation of motor-racing, when all I meant to do was check a few previous results and keep an eye on news.

Do not worry if you do not know about all these different series. Links to look up previous results and some other useful information will be provided. Even if you struggle a bit, friendly rivalries build up further down the standings, plus individual weeks can still be won. Besides, I have been victorious both years so far and it is about time someone stopped me! Why not give it a spin for a few events and see how it goes?

I have set up a dedicated blog for the game, so please have a look for more details if you think you might be interested.