We have reached the penultimate round of the 2016 Sand Marble Rally championship
and it's all to play for with two to go.
Our championship leader, Ghost Plasma, starts in the 14th position.
His nearest championship rival, Big Pearl, starts in 19th.
The two are separated by just 23 points, and with 30 on offer for a win,
she knows that if Ghost Plasma wins the race, Big Pearl has to finish in second.
And just like that she's doing all that she can to make that an impossibility.
Look at this! Up into second place already, gaining 17 spots!
She's tracking down, H2 Blue now jumps up in front of her.
As we look to see where Ghost Plasma is, and I believe he was mired at the back.
Big Pearl cannot lose more than seven points to Ghost Plasma in this race or else he will be the champion.
Right now she's desperately trying to track down, that's H2 Blue right up ahead.
She jumps into first place at the hairpin trying to hold him off and I believe she does.
Down through the right hander and out back to the left/right chicane as we continue down this course.
Farther back behind several marbles jostling for position.
We may have even lost one, I believe, a little bit farther up ahead.
Look at the lead that Big Pearl has,
trying to guarantee that no matter what happens she will gain points on the championship leader.
This is also important in the battle for the other two podium spots should that happen
because Dragon's Egg is just one point behind Big Pearl.
Seven marbles right now are currently alive in the championship within sixty points of Ghost Plasma,
but some of those marbles will need a heck of a lot of help.
Whoo! And look at this! H2 Blue goes right over that ledge and closes right back up on the back of Big Pearl.
She comes out of the corkscrew tunnel still with a lead.
Trying to keep now Fantasy, it looks like, back in third,
really hasn't done a heck of a lot in these later stages of the championship
but is now desperately closing in on Big Pearl for third place.
Now she's back up hounding the leader, H2 Blue, as they move through the back-and-forths,
over and over and over and over and over again, keeping lockstep.
Those two marbles, no separation between them.
Big Pearl trailing H2 Blue, they're beginning to get covered in sand right now.
And Fantasy joins the mix up at the front for the top three. Farther back behind, is that El Capitan? I think it is,
just going off the left side of the picture there,
now right behind Big Pearl. Big Pearl still has a good lead.
But it is El Capitan, look at this, taking that upper line, which I think might be a little bit slower.
Nah, but he's gonna keep second place.
Seeing if he can track down Big Pearl, the championship runner-up at this point.
Bouncing off those walls trying to stay as clean as possible. H2 Blue opts for the high line
whereas El Capitan goes low, Fantasy follows.
Those are second and third.
And now as I say, that El Capitan lunges around Big Pearl to take the lead.
Hard into the right-hander. Now back and forth, twisty this course is.
I'm surprised this many marbles have stayed clean so far.
There's Summer Sky coming into your picture on the left,
looking for a top five position, and at this point Big Pearl is looking for a win,
seeing if she can track down El Capitan up front.
Through the hairpin to the right, I'm not sure any marbles are gonna take that lower line.
No, they don't, that would have been a slower bit anyway. But it's El Capitan way up ahead now stretching that lead
but can Big Pearl hold on to second?
Maximizing her points and H2 Blue takes second place as I say that. Will Fantasy get around her as well?
Yes, he does. She briefly touched the wall and that was enough to hang her up.
Now Summer Sky is thinking "Hey, I can maybe get fourth place as well".
But it's El Capitan back up front, a bigger lead as he's had all race.
Streaming down on the final straightaway toward what we think is the finish line, waiting for it to come into view.
There it is! And El Capitan is gonna win the race.
Seeing which marbles get around the pole first.
Oh, and look at this, Big Pearl falls to fifth!
Fantasy loses out at the end to H2 Blue for the runner-up spot.
But where is Ghost plasma? That's the main thing. Looking here.
14th position! That is not good for that gap up front.
There you see it, just a 15-point differential between Ghost Plasma and Big Pearl
as we head to the final round.
