sugarvalves [1963573] —
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17th ranked driver pulls off major shock to win Torn's biggest racing competition. Semi-finals marred by Federal Jailings. Tournament rankings and Soybean award winner annouced.
Salvia won the 2021 Summer Ultimate Racing tournament last weekend after a nail-biting finalé at Stone Park. The URT's 17th-ranked driver was a last-minute addition to the final after one racer was disqualified in dramatic style, but Salvia proved she deserved to be there on merit with a determined performance that saw her crowned the Ultimate Racing Tournament Champion.
"Thank you and thanks to everyone for their kind words. There are many racers that, honestly, should have placed before me. To them, I give humble acknowledgement." - URT 2021 Summer Champion, Salvia
The Knockouts Begin!
Salvia qualified from Group A in third behind fellow finalists Bee-jesus and Storm1968. She then followed this up with a third-place finish in Quarter-final 3 at Two Islands, with 7th-ranked Chiubiz and 2018 Champion Lindy_Lyson finishing ahead of her. The biggest shocks of this round came in QF1 and QF4, though, as the tournament's 1st and 4th-ranked drivers, Data and the_gunners2004, were eliminated.
Pictured: URT Summer 2021 quarter-final results.
Both semi-finals then took place at Parkland on the 23rd of July. Semi-final one saw 2nd-ranked Nath go through alongside Chiubiz in second and Bee-jesus in third. At this stage, Salvia had been knocked out, with PISolo and Violence joining her on the sidelines.
Semi-final 2 also saw a surprise as the 2017 PRC Champion Stormcast was eliminated, alongside Brainslug, ranked 40th, and Cosmic, ranked 33rd. Mathematics took the win here and was followed by 2020 Winter Rally Champion Storm1968, with Lindy_Lyson securing her place in the final in third.
Pictured: URT Summer 2021 semi-final results, complete with ominous use of asterisks.
The six drivers who qualified for the final were set to race together on Sunday to determine our champion. Those who failed to qualify for Sunday's Grand Final were scheduled to race in the runner-up final on Saturday the 24th, with the result used to determine places 7th to 12th in the tournament.
However, just a few hours before the race began, I received notice that two of the tournament's drivers were being investigated for the use of multis. The shock of the tournament was yet to come.
Salvia's Salvation
At around 2pm on Saturday, Torn's Community Manager bogie confirmed to me that Chiubiz and Violence we in fact one person. These two drivers - or one, as it happens - had been fortuitously drawn in the same group, Group E, and both made it through the quarter-finals as winners of their respective knockouts. Chiubiz then qualified for the final in second place, with Violence knocked out after finishing last at Parkland.
When Chiubiz and Violence were placed in federal jail for having multiple accounts - the former permanently, the latter for 30 days - the decision was made to remove both drivers from the tournament. Salvia was the fourth-placed driver in the semi-final won by Chiubiz, so she was promoted to the final, with the runner-up final allowed to run with just four drivers. This decision does not mean that Salvia did not earn her place in the final, it means that her rightful position as a finalist was merely delayed by a cheat.
The Finals
Stormcast was the winner of our runner-up final, a result that added tens of millions of dollars to his final prize money. In second place was the increasingly impressive Brainslug, who came second in their group and won quarter-final 4 outright despite being ranked 40 out of 48 in the entire tournament. Third was taken by PISolo, our 22nd ranked driver, with 33rd ranked Cosmic rounding off an impressive tournament for them in fourth.
Violence took part in the runner-up final as we were unable to remove them before it began, but every member of the crowd was allowed to spit on them during the formation lap.
Come Sunday and it was the turn of our finalists to take to the Stone Park racetrack. After over 100 qualifiers involving thousands of racers gave us our 48 drivers, we were now down to just six as we sought to crown our 2021 Summer URT Champion.
Salvia took an early lead partway through lap one, and she led the race for the vast majority of the first five laps, with Lindy_Lyson occasionally pushing her down into second. With a quarter of the 20 lap race gone, Salvia had built up a healthy lead over the rest of the pack, with Bee-jesus and Nath fighting with Lindy_Lyson for a shot at top spot.
Lindy pushed ahead of the rest to overtake Salvia towards the end of lap 5, only to lose the lead once more as Salvia refused to let up. Salvia took command of the race and pulled out ahead of the rest as we approached the halfway stage, but Bee-jesus somehow managed to rein her in and overtake Salvia just as they crossed the line for lap 11.
Pictured: Bee-jesus takes Jairyll at the start of lap 11.
Once again, Salvia refused to relent and took back the lead within seconds. At this stage we had Lindy_Lyson in third, with Storm1968, Mathematics, and Nath fighting between each other at the back of the pack. Salvia looked in control as we went into the final five laps, but you got the feeling that with Bee-jesus and Lindy_Lyson in close pursuit, Salvia would have to work hard to keep them at bay.
And so it proved, as Bee-jesus' wore down Salvia to take first towards the end of lap 19. Having been initially denied a place in the final due to the dishonesty of others, this would be a cruel way to lose the final indeed. But as Salvia had already proven time and time again, her loss of first place was only ever temporary, and after taking Bee-jesus at the hairpin on lap 20, Salvia held on to claim victory over her opponent by just over a second.
Pictured: The final results.
The Prizes
For winning the URT, Salvia takes home over $1 billion in prize money, a Gold Racing Trophy, the usual competition ribbons and prizes, plus a rare Bugatti Veyron. These prizes are well deserved, as winning the URT is a goal that has evaded some of Torn's greatest ever drivers. But sadly, Salvia doesn't seem to feel able to fully celebrate her achievement.
"Bittersweet. I got very, very lucky. I only made it because a multi was found out and I placed in such a manner that allowed me to make finals. Overall I enjoyed the tournament. Some great racers and great stewards. I appreciate the time and effort put in by everyone."
Salvia could not be more wrong. Every driver has their share of luck along the way, but Salvia's qualification for the final was 100% earned, unlike those who were disqualified for cheating. Her name will go down on the Champions' Roll of Honor with no asterisks and no caveats. Chiubiz and Violence, meanwhile, will go down in infamy, and will never be allowed to compete in the URT again.
"The best thing about it [Salvia's win] from my point of view is that it shows the URT can be won by players with midrange driving skill in the thirties and isn't the sole preserve of the heavyweight icons of the track with humongous DS. So huge props to Salvia for her inspiring win and sincere commiserations to the many high DS skills who didn't make it into the qualifiers this year." - Phool
"There were many who were eliminated because of cheating and feel a bit hard done by but s**t happens and she won fair and square and shouldn't worry on whether she deserves the win just enjoy winning and driving my Bugatti lol." - 2nd place Bee-jesus
Bee-jesus proved their early group stage form was not down to luck either, with their second-place finish capping off what was a phenomenal tournament for them. Bee may have been pipped to the post right on the last lap, but they can still be hugely proud of what they achieved this tournament. And if the glory of success wasn't enough, they'll surely be comforted by over $800 million in prize money, a Silver Racing Trophy, and the rare Audi S3 now in their possession.
"I am absolutely chuffed with 2nd. I like everyone else didn't really expect a person of my driver skill to get this far so it's been an epic adventure and finishing runner up in the whole URT is amazing. My previous achievements in URT I think was 22nd or 23rd in the winter URT, so to finish where I did after the last tournament is a massive step for me."
"I honestly wish all the best for Salvia and congratulations on her brilliant win it was a great final that went down to the wire and I hope for a great run next URT and maybe the luck gods will smile on me."
Third-place went to former champion Lindy_Lyson, who will take $655 million in prize money home with them, along with a Racing Coin and the Bronze Racing Trophy. Lindy's 100% win record back in the 2018 tournament will likely never be equalled, but she's proved she has the desire to continue with this marking her second third-place finish in as many years.
"I'd say it's not even easy just to get qualify for the group stage. I thought that I'm not able get to qualify for this URT until the very last day of qualifying race. So whether if you're the 48th or the 2nd placing, it's already a huge achievement in torn racing "career"."
"Grateful and appreciate the efforts made from the URT Organizing committees and Steward Team from all seasons, that made URT today. But at the same time, it's getting more difficult, even just to get qualify." - 3rd place Lindy_Lyson
Mathematics also had a tournament to remember, with their fourth-place coming off the back of a fantastic victory in the semis. They will receive $530 million for their final position, having been ranked 15th at the outset. In fifth was our 2021 Winter Rally champion, Storm 1968, who nabbed $430 million in their attempt to become the first driver to hold both the Summer and Winter URT titles. 2nd-ranked Nath was in sixth, earning a cool $355 million after enjoying a hugely consistent tournament right up until the last.
Due to the expulsion of Chiubiz and Violence, we only had 46 drivers to rank this year, with the prize money for 47th and 48th used to fund a $5 million prize increase to each and every driver. We then employed a complex formula to determine the final placings of every driver in the tournament to see who would earn what from the $11 billion prize pool.
Drivers who failed to progress beyond the groups were ranked together, with those who made it as far as the quarter-finals also ranked as one group. The formula we used took into account each drivers' point totals, average placements, racing skill, and the racing skill of their opponents in order to rank them appropriately. You can see the full tournament rankings on the Prizes page of the URT 2021 Summer Sheet.
The Soybean Award
The final payout from the Ultimate Racing Tournament is the Soybean Award, a $100 million prize which is given to a low RS driver who has confounded expectations to finish high in the rankings. There were several contenders for this award, and it was truly a difficult decision this time around. In the end, after close competition from Hanajun and Namron417, we felt we had no choice but to award the Soybean prize to Brainslug.
"I absolutely never expected to even qualify let alone get so far. Being able to take part in the tournament combined with us releasing the new skins feature of the racing enhancements script has made this an incredible and unforgettable experience for me. As for future plans, I don't really have any besides keeping on racing as much as I can." - 2021 Summer Soybean, Brainslug
Brainslug made it as far as 2nd place in the runner-up final, despite starting the tournament ranked 40th out of 48 with a Racing Skill of just 21.4 - the tournament average was 35.5. 2021's Summer URT truly was the underdog's tournament, with many of our quarter-finalists having sub-30 Racing Skill, and several high names being knocked out long before the final. But Brainslug was the best of the new crop of young drivers, proving once and for all that no matter your level, anything can happen in the URT.
AirQuotes, who started the tournament ranked in 45th but ended in 27th place, echoes this sentiment. He thinks his decision to start racing and enter the URT was undoubtedly a great one, and has no regrets over swapping the item market for the race track.
"It's amazing the way 1 decision leads to a butterfly effect. We decided to start our faction The Resolute 7 months ago on Jan 1st. Factions need money, so I became a trader and stopped flying. No flying meant I could race to my heart's content!!!"
"For months, I focused on official races until I got all the track specific cars, then barely RNG'd my way into URT. I never dreamed I would qualify and was mostly just going through the motions. Even though I didn't win, I still feel like the luckiest guy in Torn City!!! I look forward to receiving a tiny plastic "participant" trophy."
Thank You
I would like to end by thanking each and every steward for running what was probably our smoothest tournament ever. I say it every year, but the URT simply wouldn't be possible without the huge number of volunteers who step up to run this tournament. We put on more qualifiers than ever before this year so that players of all levels in every timezone get a chance to compete. Thank you to everyone who helped us achieve this.
And of course, thank you to everyone who entered, whether you qualified or not, your participation makes the Ultimate Racing Tournament feel like a major event through your presence alone. If you've been bitten by the racing bug and need to scratch that itch, make sure you keep an eye out on the Racing Forum for all the player-run events that take place. Here are the links to two that are open for registration right now!
Torn Racing League
NAS-T-CAR Racing Series
The Ultimate Racing Tournament will return with the qualification phase of the Winter Rally in January 2022.
ULTIMATE RACING TOURNAMENT WINNERS
2021 Summer - Salvia, Bee-jesus, Lindy_Lyson
2021 Winter - Storm1968, Data, ToxicMonkeyMZC
2020 Summer - Bronx, Christmasbazaar, Data
2020 Winter - Hammer, Data, (3rd DQ)
2019 Summer - Christmasbazaar, Data, Lindy_Lyson
2019 Winter - Jackpot, the_gunners2004, Data
2018 Summer - Lindy_Lyson, Tyrion, Stormcast
2017 Winter PRC - Broly, Solenoid, Nath
2017 Summer PRC - Stormcast, ToxicmonkeyMZC, ScHiZoPhReNiC
"Thank you and thanks to everyone for their kind words. There are many racers that, honestly, should have placed before me. To them, I give humble acknowledgement." - URT 2021 Summer Champion, Salvia
The Knockouts Begin!
Salvia qualified from Group A in third behind fellow finalists Bee-jesus and Storm1968. She then followed this up with a third-place finish in Quarter-final 3 at Two Islands, with 7th-ranked Chiubiz and 2018 Champion Lindy_Lyson finishing ahead of her. The biggest shocks of this round came in QF1 and QF4, though, as the tournament's 1st and 4th-ranked drivers, Data and the_gunners2004, were eliminated.
Pictured: URT Summer 2021 quarter-final results.
Both semi-finals then took place at Parkland on the 23rd of July. Semi-final one saw 2nd-ranked Nath go through alongside Chiubiz in second and Bee-jesus in third. At this stage, Salvia had been knocked out, with PISolo and Violence joining her on the sidelines.
Semi-final 2 also saw a surprise as the 2017 PRC Champion Stormcast was eliminated, alongside Brainslug, ranked 40th, and Cosmic, ranked 33rd. Mathematics took the win here and was followed by 2020 Winter Rally Champion Storm1968, with Lindy_Lyson securing her place in the final in third.
Pictured: URT Summer 2021 semi-final results, complete with ominous use of asterisks.
The six drivers who qualified for the final were set to race together on Sunday to determine our champion. Those who failed to qualify for Sunday's Grand Final were scheduled to race in the runner-up final on Saturday the 24th, with the result used to determine places 7th to 12th in the tournament.
However, just a few hours before the race began, I received notice that two of the tournament's drivers were being investigated for the use of multis. The shock of the tournament was yet to come.
Salvia's Salvation
At around 2pm on Saturday, Torn's Community Manager bogie confirmed to me that Chiubiz and Violence we in fact one person. These two drivers - or one, as it happens - had been fortuitously drawn in the same group, Group E, and both made it through the quarter-finals as winners of their respective knockouts. Chiubiz then qualified for the final in second place, with Violence knocked out after finishing last at Parkland.
When Chiubiz and Violence were placed in federal jail for having multiple accounts - the former permanently, the latter for 30 days - the decision was made to remove both drivers from the tournament. Salvia was the fourth-placed driver in the semi-final won by Chiubiz, so she was promoted to the final, with the runner-up final allowed to run with just four drivers. This decision does not mean that Salvia did not earn her place in the final, it means that her rightful position as a finalist was merely delayed by a cheat.
The Finals
Stormcast was the winner of our runner-up final, a result that added tens of millions of dollars to his final prize money. In second place was the increasingly impressive Brainslug, who came second in their group and won quarter-final 4 outright despite being ranked 40 out of 48 in the entire tournament. Third was taken by PISolo, our 22nd ranked driver, with 33rd ranked Cosmic rounding off an impressive tournament for them in fourth.
Violence took part in the runner-up final as we were unable to remove them before it began, but every member of the crowd was allowed to spit on them during the formation lap.
Come Sunday and it was the turn of our finalists to take to the Stone Park racetrack. After over 100 qualifiers involving thousands of racers gave us our 48 drivers, we were now down to just six as we sought to crown our 2021 Summer URT Champion.
Salvia took an early lead partway through lap one, and she led the race for the vast majority of the first five laps, with Lindy_Lyson occasionally pushing her down into second. With a quarter of the 20 lap race gone, Salvia had built up a healthy lead over the rest of the pack, with Bee-jesus and Nath fighting with Lindy_Lyson for a shot at top spot.
Lindy pushed ahead of the rest to overtake Salvia towards the end of lap 5, only to lose the lead once more as Salvia refused to let up. Salvia took command of the race and pulled out ahead of the rest as we approached the halfway stage, but Bee-jesus somehow managed to rein her in and overtake Salvia just as they crossed the line for lap 11.
Pictured: Bee-jesus takes Jairyll at the start of lap 11.
Once again, Salvia refused to relent and took back the lead within seconds. At this stage we had Lindy_Lyson in third, with Storm1968, Mathematics, and Nath fighting between each other at the back of the pack. Salvia looked in control as we went into the final five laps, but you got the feeling that with Bee-jesus and Lindy_Lyson in close pursuit, Salvia would have to work hard to keep them at bay.
And so it proved, as Bee-jesus' wore down Salvia to take first towards the end of lap 19. Having been initially denied a place in the final due to the dishonesty of others, this would be a cruel way to lose the final indeed. But as Salvia had already proven time and time again, her loss of first place was only ever temporary, and after taking Bee-jesus at the hairpin on lap 20, Salvia held on to claim victory over her opponent by just over a second.
Pictured: The final results.
The Prizes
For winning the URT, Salvia takes home over $1 billion in prize money, a Gold Racing Trophy, the usual competition ribbons and prizes, plus a rare Bugatti Veyron. These prizes are well deserved, as winning the URT is a goal that has evaded some of Torn's greatest ever drivers. But sadly, Salvia doesn't seem to feel able to fully celebrate her achievement.
"Bittersweet. I got very, very lucky. I only made it because a multi was found out and I placed in such a manner that allowed me to make finals. Overall I enjoyed the tournament. Some great racers and great stewards. I appreciate the time and effort put in by everyone."
Salvia could not be more wrong. Every driver has their share of luck along the way, but Salvia's qualification for the final was 100% earned, unlike those who were disqualified for cheating. Her name will go down on the Champions' Roll of Honor with no asterisks and no caveats. Chiubiz and Violence, meanwhile, will go down in infamy, and will never be allowed to compete in the URT again.
"The best thing about it [Salvia's win] from my point of view is that it shows the URT can be won by players with midrange driving skill in the thirties and isn't the sole preserve of the heavyweight icons of the track with humongous DS. So huge props to Salvia for her inspiring win and sincere commiserations to the many high DS skills who didn't make it into the qualifiers this year." - Phool
"There were many who were eliminated because of cheating and feel a bit hard done by but s**t happens and she won fair and square and shouldn't worry on whether she deserves the win just enjoy winning and driving my Bugatti lol." - 2nd place Bee-jesus
Bee-jesus proved their early group stage form was not down to luck either, with their second-place finish capping off what was a phenomenal tournament for them. Bee may have been pipped to the post right on the last lap, but they can still be hugely proud of what they achieved this tournament. And if the glory of success wasn't enough, they'll surely be comforted by over $800 million in prize money, a Silver Racing Trophy, and the rare Audi S3 now in their possession.
"I am absolutely chuffed with 2nd. I like everyone else didn't really expect a person of my driver skill to get this far so it's been an epic adventure and finishing runner up in the whole URT is amazing. My previous achievements in URT I think was 22nd or 23rd in the winter URT, so to finish where I did after the last tournament is a massive step for me."
"I honestly wish all the best for Salvia and congratulations on her brilliant win it was a great final that went down to the wire and I hope for a great run next URT and maybe the luck gods will smile on me."
Third-place went to former champion Lindy_Lyson, who will take $655 million in prize money home with them, along with a Racing Coin and the Bronze Racing Trophy. Lindy's 100% win record back in the 2018 tournament will likely never be equalled, but she's proved she has the desire to continue with this marking her second third-place finish in as many years.
"I'd say it's not even easy just to get qualify for the group stage. I thought that I'm not able get to qualify for this URT until the very last day of qualifying race. So whether if you're the 48th or the 2nd placing, it's already a huge achievement in torn racing "career"."
"Grateful and appreciate the efforts made from the URT Organizing committees and Steward Team from all seasons, that made URT today. But at the same time, it's getting more difficult, even just to get qualify." - 3rd place Lindy_Lyson
Mathematics also had a tournament to remember, with their fourth-place coming off the back of a fantastic victory in the semis. They will receive $530 million for their final position, having been ranked 15th at the outset. In fifth was our 2021 Winter Rally champion, Storm 1968, who nabbed $430 million in their attempt to become the first driver to hold both the Summer and Winter URT titles. 2nd-ranked Nath was in sixth, earning a cool $355 million after enjoying a hugely consistent tournament right up until the last.
Due to the expulsion of Chiubiz and Violence, we only had 46 drivers to rank this year, with the prize money for 47th and 48th used to fund a $5 million prize increase to each and every driver. We then employed a complex formula to determine the final placings of every driver in the tournament to see who would earn what from the $11 billion prize pool.
Drivers who failed to progress beyond the groups were ranked together, with those who made it as far as the quarter-finals also ranked as one group. The formula we used took into account each drivers' point totals, average placements, racing skill, and the racing skill of their opponents in order to rank them appropriately. You can see the full tournament rankings on the Prizes page of the URT 2021 Summer Sheet.
The Soybean Award
The final payout from the Ultimate Racing Tournament is the Soybean Award, a $100 million prize which is given to a low RS driver who has confounded expectations to finish high in the rankings. There were several contenders for this award, and it was truly a difficult decision this time around. In the end, after close competition from Hanajun and Namron417, we felt we had no choice but to award the Soybean prize to Brainslug.
"I absolutely never expected to even qualify let alone get so far. Being able to take part in the tournament combined with us releasing the new skins feature of the racing enhancements script has made this an incredible and unforgettable experience for me. As for future plans, I don't really have any besides keeping on racing as much as I can." - 2021 Summer Soybean, Brainslug
Brainslug made it as far as 2nd place in the runner-up final, despite starting the tournament ranked 40th out of 48 with a Racing Skill of just 21.4 - the tournament average was 35.5. 2021's Summer URT truly was the underdog's tournament, with many of our quarter-finalists having sub-30 Racing Skill, and several high names being knocked out long before the final. But Brainslug was the best of the new crop of young drivers, proving once and for all that no matter your level, anything can happen in the URT.
AirQuotes, who started the tournament ranked in 45th but ended in 27th place, echoes this sentiment. He thinks his decision to start racing and enter the URT was undoubtedly a great one, and has no regrets over swapping the item market for the race track.
"It's amazing the way 1 decision leads to a butterfly effect. We decided to start our faction The Resolute 7 months ago on Jan 1st. Factions need money, so I became a trader and stopped flying. No flying meant I could race to my heart's content!!!"
"For months, I focused on official races until I got all the track specific cars, then barely RNG'd my way into URT. I never dreamed I would qualify and was mostly just going through the motions. Even though I didn't win, I still feel like the luckiest guy in Torn City!!! I look forward to receiving a tiny plastic "participant" trophy."
Thank You
I would like to end by thanking each and every steward for running what was probably our smoothest tournament ever. I say it every year, but the URT simply wouldn't be possible without the huge number of volunteers who step up to run this tournament. We put on more qualifiers than ever before this year so that players of all levels in every timezone get a chance to compete. Thank you to everyone who helped us achieve this.
And of course, thank you to everyone who entered, whether you qualified or not, your participation makes the Ultimate Racing Tournament feel like a major event through your presence alone. If you've been bitten by the racing bug and need to scratch that itch, make sure you keep an eye out on the Racing Forum for all the player-run events that take place. Here are the links to two that are open for registration right now!
Torn Racing League
NAS-T-CAR Racing Series
The Ultimate Racing Tournament will return with the qualification phase of the Winter Rally in January 2022.
ULTIMATE RACING TOURNAMENT WINNERS
2021 Summer - Salvia, Bee-jesus, Lindy_Lyson
2021 Winter - Storm1968, Data, ToxicMonkeyMZC
2020 Summer - Bronx, Christmasbazaar, Data
2020 Winter - Hammer, Data, (3rd DQ)
2019 Summer - Christmasbazaar, Data, Lindy_Lyson
2019 Winter - Jackpot, the_gunners2004, Data
2018 Summer - Lindy_Lyson, Tyrion, Stormcast
2017 Winter PRC - Broly, Solenoid, Nath
2017 Summer PRC - Stormcast, ToxicmonkeyMZC, ScHiZoPhReNiC
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