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Monty vs Ray: Part 1

02.01.2015 - The race for third place in F2 North America's Season 11 championship is going right down to the wire but one would not be able to tell that two of the four pilots still in the hunt are actually scrapping it out for the final piece of hardware. Canada's Monty Semprini and Britain's Ray Striver may be rivals on the track but are best of mates in the paddock. The two shared their thoughts on racing and life over a drink in the Texas sunshine before the final round at Circuit of the Americas.

When asked what aspect of each other impresses them the most the answers were light hearted.

"His bladder," Monty responded immediately. "How many pints last night without going to the can? Fourteen? Fifteen?"

"Nothing actually special stands out about Monty himself but for some reason the women that hang around him are top!" offered Ray.

However the two do have serious admiration for one another.

"(Ray)'s seriously quick and he's excellent under braking," said Monty. "He has strong mechanical knowledge too."

"Monty's very laid back most of the time but he's very smart and can be quite intense," said Ray. "No one walks a track and analyzes corners like he does."

Both men have similar skills behind the wheel as they critique themselves.

"I'm smooth, tactical, precise. I'm pretty consistent and technically sound. I know my car. I finish a lot of races," said Monty.

"I'm probably more conservative than I should be, but to finish first, first you must finish," offered Ray.

They also recount their weaknesses.

"I need to be more of a tiger at times," admitted Monty.

"My biggest weakness as a driver, probably chicken, chicken and donuts, but never in tandem!" joked Ray.

Ray told the story of how he got started in racing.

"Well, as a kid I would help at a local track fixing up the cars. My nickname was Ray Smechanic." Striver recalled. "Until one night I got so angry at one guy who smashed up my own Ginetta I jumped in a car and chased him down. He had a good ten second lead in his car which I eradicated in just under a minute through the twisty streets. Figuring I'm not too bad behind the wheel, and the fact my name would suggest a certain career path, the following season I entered the series as a privateer. Then moved on to F3 Rookie at eighteen."

Monty has much simpler motives.

"I do it for the ladies," he grinned.

"How about British Racing Green?" Ray named a favorite color. "Windsor Alliance!" he said with a pump of the fist and raised his drink.

"Redheads," Monty took the discussion back to the not so serious. "What? Oh. Checquered. Does that count? Ha!"

Monty and Ray then compiled a top five list of the best things F2NA has to offer.

"Number five: that blonde over there in the cowboy hat and boots," said Monty.

"Four would be the F2 chassis overall," said Ray. "The one thing I've learnt is that you can really push the car and crank up the aggro! They're much less temperamental than F3 chassis. A pure racer's machine."

"Three is taking the lead from Grosjean when he has an off track moment late in the race and number two is the fans in Toronto chanting my name," grinned Monty.

"And the number one thing about F2 North America ..." Ray started.

"Drum roll please," added Monty.

"So many iconic tracks! Jumping from Montréal to Austin via some hardcore street circuits makes every weekend a joy," Ray Announced.

"Yeah, great tracks like Mexico, Long Beach, Elkhart Lake and Montreal and others," concurred Monty.

Not forgotten in the friendship is the fact that they are still vying for that final trophy to add to one of their cases. Ray, having a big weekend in Watkins Glen last round finally caught and passed Monty for the upper hand after chasing him down all year. Monty on the other hand had a hot start with wins in Mexico City and Toronto but despite consistent points finishes has struggled to find the podium since. Going into this final round Striver has a ten point advantage on 184 to 174 while Russia's Damon Michael Novikov has managed to squeeze between them on 175. Kiwi driver Malcolm Reid is also not out of it sitting at 157. The stage is set for an epic showdown in Texas.

As if the on track competition was not enough, Ray posed another challenge.

"I have $100 says I can beat you in a foot race. One lap of Austin!" he threw down the gauntlet at Monty's feet. "You in? Loser buys the steak."

"I'm actually a not bad distance runner. I do five minute miles no problem. I run laps of every track I drive. If the wager was more than one lap I'd win easy. One lap, this could be close. Shake on it!" the Canadian accepted.

Monty vs Ray, friends and rivals in North America. Stay tuned for Part 2.

"Don't forget to hit the like button down there," advised Ray.