There are many who do not like the Valencia Street Circuit. Its turns are too narrow. Overtaking is too difficult. And the back straights are too similar. However, beneath the surface, Valencia is a track that tests driver skill and patience. The drivers can’t manhandle their cars through here. They must pick their battles as they weave through the tight turns. Otherwise they’ll find themselves off the track and into a wall.
The weather was again beautiful, and the teams prepared for a dry race. Cory Sylvester and Centurion-Koenig’s new driver Christopher Michelle both started on Options, as did both Clint Hurdle and Mariana Castro for Wright. Nergal’s Mic McJergens started on Options too, but his teammate Leonard McGee started on Primes. Likewise both Mikhail Volkov and Deryl Caughlin for L’equipe Duchamp started on Primes. Additionally, only Mic McJergens, Deryl Caughlin, and Mikhail Volkov ran their A spec non-KERS chassis. The rest of the grid opted to use KERS.
After a very close qualifying session, Mic McJergens took pole position, with Cory Sylvester not far behind in second. Sylvester’s new teammate Christopher Michelle took third next to Deryl Caughlin in fourth. Behind was Mikhail Volkov in fifth next to Nergal’s Leonard McGee. The back row was rounded by the two Wright cars, Clint Hurdle in seventh and Mariana Castro in eighth.
As the race began, this time it was the L’equipe Duchamp of Deryl Caughlin that stalled on the starting line. Up front, the Centurions had a blistering start, quickly encircling McJergens and passing him on the run-up to Malvarossa. Behind, McGee was able to pull away from the pack, and the two Wright cars slipped past the two L’equipe Duchamps, lining the grid up by teams. McJergens continued to struggle for position, taking damage as Sylvester retook his lead. The Nergal cars continued to fight with the Centurions as the L’equipe Duchamp drivers fought with the Wrights. During an overtake on the entrance to Grao, Hurdle and Volkov made contact, resulting in Volkov’s retirement. At the end of the lap, Michelle and Hurdle pitted, losing positions to the Nergals, and Caughlin and Castro pitted, continuing their fight into the pitlane.
Not long into lap two, Michelle regained second place and quickly pulled away. However, McGee was able to retake the position on the approach to Nazaret. Behind, the Wrights were closing the gap to McJergens and Michelle, with Caughlin bringing up the rear with Castro. The Wrights and Caughlin continued their fight going into sector three, with Caughlin pushing past Hurdle. During the battle for second, McGee caught Michelle, but Michelle braked very early going into Grao, and McGee, who had already taken a great deal of damage as Michelle attempted to defend the position, was not able to handle further contact. McGee retired, and McJergens resumed the fight for third place. McJergens had to pit at the end of the lap, however, allowing the Centurions to take a massive lead and the rest of the field to close the gap.
As the third lap commenced, Caughlin and Castro caught up to McJergens, and the battle for third commenced. And indeed Castro was able to slip past McJergens for third place as the cars entered Nazaret. McJergens was very close behind, but Castro opened up down the straight to Gaos and made the overtake stick. Sylvester crossed the finish line, with Michelle making it a one-two finish for Centurion. Behind, Castro achieved her first race finish on the podium in third, and McJergens finished in fourth, tying his highest race finish of the year thus far. Behind, Caughlin finished fifth and Hurdle sixth.
After two particularly difficult races, Valencia was a welcome break. Centurion, with their one-two finish, has not only secured the World Driver Championship lead with Cory Sylvester, but also the World Constructor Championship lead. With Clint Hurdle a distant second in the Driver’s Championship, will Centurion be able to maintain their lead going into Germany? Better yet, will there be a repeat of last season, with a tie for the lead as the teams progress to Monaco?
Statistics:
| Starting Grid | Changes | Chassis | Tires | Placed | Points |
| 1) McJergens | N/A | A | O > – > P | 4 | 12 |
| 2) Sylvester | N/A | B | O > – > P | 1 | 25 |
| 3) Michelle | N/A | B | O > P > – | 2 | 18 |
| 4) Caughlin | N/A | A | P > O > – | 5 | 10 |
| 5) Volkov | N/A | A | P | 8/DNF | 2 |
| 6) McGee | N/A | B | P > – | 7/DNF | 3 |
| 7) Hurdle | N/A | B | O > P > – | 6 | 8 |
| 8) Castro | N/A | B | O > P > – | 3 | 15 |
***
Standings:
| World Driver Championship (Points) | World Constructor Championship (Points) |
| 1) Cory Sylvester (58) | 1) Centurion-Koenig GP Racing (96) |
| 2) Clint Hurdle (36) | 2) Nergal GP Racing (70) |
| 3) Mic McJergens (34) | 3) Wright FD (66) |
| 4) Leonard McGee (33) | 4) L’equipe Duchamp (58) |
| 5) Mikhail Volkov (29) | |
| 6) Deryl Caughlin (29) | |
| 7) Mariana Castro (21) | |
| 8) Christopher Michelle (18) |
The Formula D World Championship 
