Formula One Rejects Microprose Grand Prix Women's European Cup

The Formula One Rejects Microprose Grand Prix Women's European Cup is a spin-off of the main F1RMGP series for female drivers. It is an offline gaming competition created and run on the F1 Rejects Forum by the user dinizintheoven, and is generated using Microprose Grand Prix 2 running under DOSBox. This series allows other forum users to participate as Team Managers, who select their drivers, driver numbers and chassis. The first season is in 2014.

Series format
The championship is held over the European rounds of the regular F1RMGP season. Up to fourteen teams can compete in the series, running as independents and providing their own mechanics with only loose support from the teams whose cars they have agreed to race. They are organised by a Team Manager from the F1 Rejects Forum, who selects the Team Principals (singular or plural, and not necessarily affiliated with the main F1RMGP team), two drivers (who may or may not last the entire season), the drivers' numbers, and a chassis from the previous F1RMGP season (hence, the 2014 WEC uses 2013 F1RMGP cars, and so on into the future). Qualifying is held on the Friday morning at 10:00, with the race at 3:00 - these sessions are either side of qualifying for the main F1RMGP series.

In the event of 26 cars or less competing in any race (as was the case throughout the 2014 season), drivers who fail to set a time within 107% of the pole position time will be asked to leave the premises early. With 27 or 28 cars competing, the 107% rule does not apply and the top 26 cars will qualify for the race. If the entry list is ever expanded beyond fourteen teams, a pre-qualifying session will be introduced to reduce the list of those who can compete in qualifying to 28, upon which two more will be knocked out in the main qualifying session.

The points system is identical to that of the main F1RMGP series:

Pole positions are recorded, but no points are awarded for it. F1RMGP does not keep a record of fastest laps.

Trophies
The trophies for the Drivers' and Constructors' Championships were officially named before the last race of the 2013 F1RMGP season, in readiness for the inaugural season of the Women's European Cup.

Drivers' Championship: the Maria Teresa de Filippis Cup
In a definite parallel (name-wise, at least, two forenames and a "de") to the Drivers' Championship trophy in the Main F1RMGP Series, this one is named after Maria Teresa de Filippis. Call her a pioneer if you like - admittedly there have only been five women to compete in F1, but she was the first, and - most importantly for this series - the first to be a reject! That said, four of the five races in her brief career were competed in the almost illegally gorgeous Maserati 250F, which Juan Manuel Fangio had won six races and the 1957 World Championship in, whereas Maria... didn't.

Teams' Championship: the Bertha Benz Cup
The original plan was to name the Drivers' Championship trophy after Bertha Benz, but the details of her historic achievement were more suited to the Teams' Championship trophy bearing her name. [http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?saddr=mannheim&daddr=49.48561,8.53765+to:49.47353,8.56154+to:49.47527,8.61533+to:49.46628,8.66244+to:49.4032,8.67809+to:49.325235,8.6951816+to:49.29118,8.70199+to:49.19877,8.64551+to:49.11734,8.58671+to:49.000708,8.5299939+to:48.96111,8.62567+to:48.94852,8.66676+to:48.9053777,8.6977212+to:pforzheim+to:49.0358,8.70208+to:49.15512,8.57236+to:49.18424,8.54577+to:49.23928,8.5375+to:49.29302,8.56737+to:49.31658,8.54914+to:49.3805,8.56901+to:49.44127,8.56944+to:49.4738025,8.5477374+to:mannheim&hl=en&sll=49.455851,8.60487&sspn=0.100985,0.264187&geocode=Fe228gIdsY2BAClFP45RJMyXRzGH5gakev7ksQ%3BFSoX8wIdMkaCACnXR9WnG8-XRzGBUbqWPP0fEw%3BFfrn8gIdhKOCAClPZMr-Qs-XRzEB6qiWPP0fEw%3BFcbu8gIdonWDACmLy4kyuMWXRzFoG6YF6kYelQ%3BFajL8gIdqC2EACmNq8_-EsSXRzFh0f6bPP0fEw%3BFUDV8QIdymqEACljnWYs2cCXRzEZBnqv_ldNZQ%3BFbOk8AIdja2EACk_PONYrL-XRzExZfqbPP0fEw%3BFawf8AIdJsiEACkXlz5TDb6XRzFB4qSWPP0fEw%3BFbK27gIdhuuDACkTmw6LKaOXRzFRm9GWPP0fEw%3BFZx47QId1gWDACkzT10oW6GXRzFFKzxEeEHkAw%3BFQSx6wIdSSiCACk5NI6bfAmXRzHRrciWPP0fEw%3BFVYW6wIdBp6DACmF96S-qgyXRzHy8q2pPJNyrQ%3BFSjl6gIdiD6EACm5DEsBenOXRzFxPbKWPP0fEw%3BFaE86gIdebeEACmRevQBMHKXRzEBxqyWPP0fEw%3BFd4K6gIdLaaEACl3pg-P4nGXRzFAUwmNPP0fBA%3BFRg67AIdgMiEACnrYS_4gHWXRzFgadObPP0fEw%3BFTAM7gIdyM2CACkDYf9xcaSXRzFAGMmbPP0fEw%3BFfB97gId6mWCACm_bdiD5KSXRzEwL8uWPP0fEw%3BFfBU7wIdnEWCACkBENwf7LqXRzHAwMyWPP0fEw%3BFdwm8AIdSrqCACmdp2asgLmXRzGB1eCWPP0fEw%3BFeSC8AIdFHOCAClhAwN1wbmXRzGQ3tObPP0fEw%3BFZR88QIdssCCACmBpn3c88eXRzGBJcaWPP0fEw%3BFfZp8gIdYMKCACmdQ0LMHcaXRzFTgk833Esk0w%3BFQrp8gIdmW2CAClRKNohP8-XRzFBZvGbPP0fEw%3BFe228gIdsY2BAClFP45RJMyXRzGH5gakev7ksQ&vpsrc=0&mra=dvme&mrsp=23&sz=13&via=1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,15,16,17,18,19,20,21,22,23&t=m&z=13 A 121 mile drive from Mannheim to Pforzheim and back] may not look much to us these days, but in 1888 it was revolutionary - even more so, given that Bertha Benz did it and in doing so became the first woman ever to drive a car, one of the first amateur mechanics - the techniques she used to keep Benz Patent Motorwagen #3 going would make Scrapheap Challenge contestants proud - and also, she was the first joyrider, given that the car was not hers to drive in the first place! And, in effect, this is what the Women's European Cup is all about - independent subsidiaries of the main series, and privateer teams, racing year-old F1RMGP cars that (technically) don't belong to them, and having to do the upgrades and servicing using hand-me-downs and ingenuity. The spirit of Bertha Benz certainly echoes down the ages into this series.