Moderator's Report

Summary

The season opener at Zandvoort saw Hristo recover from a broken engine at the start to take the win. Sadly, this was marred by contact with another driver, which has cost him his first place. Congratulations are therefore in order to Dave Bryant for a superb performance in a Cooper.

Lap 1 Hristo Itchov and Syd Drake

Hristo catches Syd at Scheivlak, and attempts to pass him into the right-hander after Tunnel Oost. Before they enter the corner Hristo gets alongside, and as they enter it he mounts the kerb in an attempt to make sure there's plenty of room between them. Unfortunately, Syd doesn't stay wide, they bang wheels and he spins off. From his mirrors Syd knew there was a very high probability that Hristo was alongside.

• Syd Drake — penalty — Side-by-side contact — 2 places lost (plus 1 for penalty points)

Lap 7 Hristo Itchov and Allan Davis

Hristo tries to pass Allan braking into Tarzanbrocht after Alan goes wide, but he also slides wide and contact is made.

Racing incident

Lap 10 Hristo Itchov and David Bryant

Hristo attempts to pass David going into Tunnel Oost. David leaves him room, but Hristo mounts the kerb which pushes him into David.

• Hristo Itchov — penalty — Side-by-side contact — 2 places lost

Lap 10 David Randall and Clive Loynes

David rejoins the track at right-angles after falling off at Pulleveld straight into the path of Clive who cannot avoid a collision.

• Dave Randall — penalty — Bad rejoin — 3 places lost

Lap 26 Hristo Itchov and David Randall

Hristo is about to lap David and catches him at Schevilak, but David doesn't allow him through until Pulleveld. In the absence of David's client replay, I have to assume that he was shown several blue flags (they passed 6 marshals before David reacted).

• Dave Randall — penalty — Ignoring blue flags — 2 places lost

Moderator's Report

Summary

Congratulations to Hristo on a great win. There was an exiting three-way battle between him, John Bradbury and Ken Murray until Hristo pitted around mid-race distance. John subsequently took a longer than necessary pitstop, which pretty much put paid to any more entertainment for this moderator.

There was a very high standard of driving, with no incidents to report.

Moderator's Report

Summary

A great start and drive from Hristo allowed him to keep ahead of the Lap 1 incidents, for an almost start-to-finish win. Unfortunately, in an echo of the Masters race, there is some overly aggressive driving on the first lap, putting paid to some having the chance of a good finish.

Lap 1 Allan Davis and John Bradbury

John has a rocket start and gets alongside Neil Stratton, but decides to back off and ends up on the grass on the right at the start of L'Eau Rouge. John comes off the grass just as Allan catches up with him. On Allan's replay there is warp contact between his front right and John's left rear. There is no contact on the server replay, and neither driver is badly affected.

Racing Incident

Lap 1 Clive Loynes and Ralph Maiph

Clive touches the grass on the exit from Malmedy, gets it sideways and then bounces off the fence on the right into the path of Ralph Maiph who cannot avoid him. Ralph loses a wheel, and is entitled to a no-fault Shift-R.

Racing Incident

Lap 1 John Bradbury, Allan Davis and Kevin Williams

John is faster out of Masta than Allan and passes him, closely followed by Kevin. John starts to return to the left, but as Kevin moves right John moves to block him. Kevin then moves left as does John blocking him a second time. The UKGPL rule on blocking (in the Etiquette section) states:

Blocking is not allowed, but defensive driving is allowed. If a driver moves off the racing line before the car behind attempts to overtake, this is defensive driving. If they move off the racing line after the car behind has started to move across to overtake, this is blocking. If a driver is driving defensively they may move off the line and back onto it only once per straight/section.

I'm afraid this is a clear case of blocking by John, and as such must be penalised.

• john bradbury — penalty — Blocking — 3 places lost

Lap 1 Nigel Bradbury, Syd Drake and Paul McCluskey

Nigel Bradbury goes wide at Stavelot, gets it on the grass, and ends up sideways on the track in front of Syd Drake who cannot avoid him. Syd is subsequently hit by Paul McCluskey who is close behind.

Racing Incident

Lap 1 John Bradbury, Allan Davis, Kevin Williams, Steve Smith, Lorenzo Galluzzi and David Randall

John exits Stavelot with Kevin right behind him. Kevin moves right, as does John, who puts his car in the left part of the centre of the track on the straight. Allan is faster out of Stavelot, catches them, and goes to pass John on the left. As he does so, John appears to drift slightly left and they touch wheels. This contact is a consequence of close racing, and as such I've classified it as a racing incident.

Allan then loses control and slides sideways into Kevin's path and they both go off, Allan being helped on his way by David Randall.

Kevin resets, but is clipped by Steve Smith and Lorenzo Galluzzi as they try to make their way through the traffic.

Kevin is entitled to a no-fault Shift-R, but Allan Davis is not because of his part in the initial contact.

• Allan Davis — Failing to take Stop & Go after Shift-R — 15.000 seconds added

Lap 1 Kevin Williams and Clive Loynes

Kevin goes wide at La Carriere and is recovering from the banking at the exit of the corner. He appears to be going right and trying to get off the racing line when Ralph and Clive arrive at racing speed. Kevin sees them in his mirrors and attempts to avoid them. Ralph negotiates Kevin, but Clive goes the wrong way and hits him.

Racing Incident

Lap 2 David Randall and Lorenzo Galluzzi

David loses it in the middle of L'Eau Rouge, and is clipped by Lorenzo.

Racing Incident

Lap 2 Neil Stratton, Paul McCluskey and Ralph Maiph

Paul is recovering on the straight into La Carriere, and has just got going again when Neil arrives at full speed. Neil has little time to react, tries to avoid Paul but fails. The inverted, spinning Paul bounces back onto the track into the path of Ralph Maiph who cannot avoid him. Paul does not carry out a subsequent SnG for his reset.

• Paul McCluskey — Failing to take Stop and Go after Shift-R — 15.000 seconds added

Lap 3 Allan Davis and Kruger Enge

Allan gets on the grass under braking into La Source, and hits Kruger who has also lost it under braking just in front of him.

Racing Incident

Lap 6 Paul McCluskey

Paul loses it at L'Eau Rouge and resets, but omits to take a subsequent SnG.

• Paul McCluskey — Failing to take Stop and Go after Shift-R — 15.000 seconds added

Lap 8 Syd Drake

Syd's car is not close enough to the stalls during his pit stop (it should be at the most one half of a car's width). This is especially important at Spa given the pit location, and I propose to deal with this as Clive did in Clubmans with a 5 second penalty.

• Syd Drake — Incorrect pit stop — 5.000 seconds added

Lap 10 Ken Murray

Ken Murray moves his Lotus during his pit stop, but does not stop the car rolling. What looked like an apparent lapse of concentration, turned out to be Ken resorting to some emergency pit stop timing via his watch. Unknown to him (and others), using iGOR to join the race resulted in his wheel button mappings not being configured.

This was a technical infringement (with little gained other than not moving off from a standing start), and therefore the penalty will be 5 seconds.

• Ken Murray — Incorrect pit stop — 5.000 seconds added

Lap 10 Paul McCluskey

Paul loses it at Malmedy, resets but again fails to take a SnG.

• Paul McCluskey — Failing to take Stop and Go after Shift-R — 15.000 seconds added

Lap 11 Ralph Maiph

Ralph Maiph is not close enough to the stalls during his pit stop.

• Ralph Maiph — Incorrect pit stop — 5.000 seconds added

Moderator's Report

Summary

Another fine win by Hristo, who romped home with a substantial margin after an early battle with David Randall. A pretty clean race (apart from the pile up just after T1), with only a few incidents to report.

Lap 1 T1 Syd Drake and Ken Murray

Syd taps Ken's rear wheel on the approach to T1. Syd is warping quite badly, and this caused Ken to go into orbit, and then chaos for the following drivers. Syd doesn't have a client replay, so I can only base my judgement on the server's version of events, which shows him drifting left towards Ken before the impact. Ken and the other drivers forced to reset are entitled to no fault Shift-Rs.

• Syd Drake — penalty — Side-by-side contact — 3 places lost (plus 3 for penalty points)

Lap 1 T2 Syd Drake and Allan Davis

Syd goes off on to the grass at T2, keeps it going but doesn't get back on the track under control. He goes across the track and clips Allan, who is also launched skyward by Syd's warp field. Allan is entitled to a no fault Shift-R.

• Syd Drake — penalty — Bad rejoin — 4 places lost (plus 3 for penalty points)

Lap 5 Allan Davis and Steve Smith

Allan gets stuck on the polos at Nouveau Monde. Steve arrives, goes wide, and gets stuck behind Allan. Allan resets to free himself, but doesn't take a SnG.

• Allan Davis — Failing to take Stop & Go after Shift-R — 15.000 seconds added

Lap 7 Kruger Enge and Mick Chapman

Kruger loses the back-end out of Nouveau Monde and starts to head sideways towards the grass on the right. Mick is just coming out of the hairpin when Kruger's car suddenly warps adjacent to Mick's, bouncing him into the air. The contact ignites Kruger's engine, he is forced to reset, and is therefore entitled to a no fault Shift-R.

Warp incident

Moderator's Report

Summary

Another dominant drive by Hristo extends his considerable lead. A pretty clean race, with only a few incidents.

Lap 1 Jason Daborn

Jason has a crisis with his wheel button mappings on the start line and accidentally dumps the clutch, moving the car a couple of feet. GPL black flags him, but he doesn't pit and is subsequently disqualified by the server. Given that this was a genuine mistake, and that there was almost no advantage I have reinstated Jason on the understanding he takes more care in future.

• RMJ — caution — Lack of care at start

Lap 1 Stephen Strudwick, Ralph Maiph, Kruger Enge and Syd Drake

Struds bogs down on the line, and Ralph jinks right to go around him. Unfortunately, Ralph loses the back of the car as he starts to pass Struds, and spears into him. Subsequently, bad things happen involving Kruger and Syd.

• Ralph Maiph — Side-by-side contact — 3 places lost

Lap 1 Ralph Maiph

Ralph is the worst affected by the previous incident, as he ends up on fire, and needs to reset. Unfortunately, Ralph doesn't take a SnG which he was required to do as he was responsible for the incident.

• Ralph Maiph — Failing to take Stop & Go after Shift-R — 15.000 seconds added

Lap 1 David Randall and Ken Murray

Ken loses it braking into the Parabolica and David can't avoid hitting him.

Racing Incident

Lap 2 Kruger Enge

Kruger passes Steve Smith under a yellow flag at the Parabolica when Steve is forced to slow by a rejoining David Randall. Kruger does not give the place back to Steve, and has therefore passed a car he was racing with under a yellow flag. I have reduced the penalty to a warning as Steve was forced to slow by David's rejoining Eagle, and Kruger's view of the yellow flag was blocked by Steve's car.

• Kruger Enge — warning — Passing under a yellow flag

Lap 2 Allan Davis and Hristo Itchov

Allan and Hristo are side-by-side as they go into the Curva Grande. Neither of them back off early, and as they go into the turn together they get very close and there is warp contact between them which sends Hristo into the armco, Allan following soon after.

Warp Incident

Lap 30 Allan Davis and Ken Murray

Allan drafts and gets alongside Ken just as they arrive at the Curva Grande. Ken backs off slightly earlier, but as he turns in he clips the back of Allan's car, and they both end up in the armco. Allan's car is traveling faster than normal thanks to the draft he just had from Ken, and he looked to be going wider before the contact. Given the speed of this corner (and the associated lack of reaction time), this one is a consequence of close racing.

Racing Incident

Moderator's Report

Summary

Hristo starts from the back (due to technical problems), blows an engine and STILL manages to be in the lead on the final lap, only to voluntarily relinquish it to Clive down the Farm straight. A very clean race, with only one incident worthy of moderation.

Lap 1 Jason Daborn, Kruger Enge, Oliver Day and Ralph Maiph

Jason, Kruger and Oliver are 3 abreast as they go into Copse. Jason turns in on Oliver, bounces off and takes out Kruger and Ralf. In mitigation, Jason has no indication that Oliver is alongside (apart from one wheel which appears briefly in his mirror at the start), and he also makes room from Kruger who is squeezing him on his left. I've therefore waived the additional one place L1 incident penalty.

• RMJ — penalty — Side-by-side contact — 2 places lost

Lap 15 Mick Chapman

Mick's first pit-stop is 2 seconds short.

• Mick Chapman — Short mandatory pit stop — 6.000 seconds added

Moderator's Report

Summary

A 1-2-3 for the Soggy Bottom Brabhams boys with Hristo taking first once again. A few incidents this time, with several related to the high-speeds and associated long braking distances required here.

Lap 1 Syd Drake

Syd goes off at Indianapolis, and emerges from behind a dune driving straight out in front of Jason who does very well to avoid him. Jason didn't have much time to react due to the Dune blocking his view, but Syd really ought to have been more parallel to the track and able to use his mirrors before venturing out.

• Syd Drake — warning — Bad rejoin — also, 6 places lost for penalty points

Lap 4 Jason Daborn, Simon Loynes and Allan Davis

Jason starts to slow for the pits, but moves towards the middle of the track as he does so. This catches Simon out who is bearing down on him at full pelt. Simon manages to miss him at the expense of totaling his Lotus against the pit wall, which catches Allan as he goes past. We don't have any rules related to behavior in and around the pit lane, so I'm calling this one a racing incident, and allowing no-fault shift-Rs for Simon and Allan.

Racing Incident

Lap 6 Syd Drake, Allan Davis and Dave Randall

Syd rear-ends Allan's stationary car as he slowing down in the pits. Allan resets, but Dave Randall is caught out by Allan's stationary car (which is now to the left of the line defining the pits) and clips him as he too tries to enter the pits. Allan is entitled to a no-fault shift-R.

• Syd Drake — penalty — Rear-end shunt — 2 places lost (plus 6 for penalty points)

Lap 7 Syd Drake and Allan Davis

Syd is a fair distance ahead of Allan as they both approach Mulsanne. However, Allan hits Syd from behind under braking as Syd turns into the corner, which is most likely a consequence of cool tyres, as he had reset his car in the pits at the beginning of the lap.

• Allan Davis — penalty — Rear-end shunt — 2 places lost

Moderator's Report

Summary

The Soggy Bottom Brabham's run of wins has came to an end in this one, with great drives from the 2 BRM drivers in the race (Lorenzo and Jason). Ken in his Lotus completes the top 3. There are only 2 races remaining, and it's still anyone's guess as to who will take silver and bronze in Division 1 this season.

Practice Allan Davis

Allan joins the server in a Cooper, but switches to a Brabham after 5 laps of practice. The rule on this (in the "General" section of "Sporting") is very clear:

Once the driver has entered the server their car choice is made. They may not exit and change car after they have joined the server. The only exception to this is if WinVROC or the driver accidentally selects the wrong car. In this case they must exit immediately (without driving any laps) and change to the correct car. Otherwise, anyone changing car after they have joined the server will be excluded from the results.

There are no mitigating circumstances here, and I'm afraid I have no choice but to exclude Allan from the race.

• Allan Davis — Change of car during practice — excluded

Lap 1 Kruger Enge and Ken Murray

This starts with Kruger getting a bit of a wobble on into T5A. He gets it back, but this allows Ken to almost get alongside him into Moss. As Kruger turns in there is warp contact between them and he's pushed off the track.

Warp incident

Lap 2 Hristo Itchov and Jason Daborn

Hristo goes for a pass at the bump just before T8 to the left of Jason. As Hristo starts to get alongside on the approach, Jason moves over to the left leaving neither of them very much room. They make contact just after they land, which is a consequence of Jason's squeeze on Hristo, and he is therefore responsible. However, Jason did leave (just) enough room, so I've reduced the penalty by 1 place.

• RMJ — Side-by-side contact — 1 place lost

Lap 2 Hristo Itchov and Jason Daborn

The two then bizarrely clash again as they try to get back on the track. Although Hristo T-bones Jason, Jason's view of Hristo was blocked by his left wheel until the last second. Jason also reported that he was concentrating on his mirrors just before impact. Hristo also probably expected his car to turn more smartly than it did. In addition, I think there was an element of both drivers expecting the other to give way.

Racing incident

Lap 3 Kruger Enge and Clive Loynes

Clive slides to the outside of T3 which allows Kruger to get alongside. As they both accelerate down the straight, Kruger is unaware that Clive is there, and as he returns to the racing line they collide.

• Kruger Enge — Side-by-side contact — 2 places lost

Lap 3 Kruger Enge

Kruger is forced to reset his car after his contact with Clive, but doesn't take the requisite SnG.

• Kruger Enge — Failing to take Stop & Go after Shift-R — 15.000 seconds added

Lap 4 Hristo Itchov and Syd Drake

Syd gets a bit leery going into 5A, clouts the kerb, but manages to catch it. Unfortunately, Hristo is caught out by this and he gives Syd a thump from behind.

Racing incident

Lap 27 Hristo Itchov and Kruger Enge

This is very similar to Hristo's earlier clash with Jason, with Kruger squeezing Hristo as they approach the bump before T8. As before, I consider the subsequent contact a consequence of Kruger's move to the left. However, Kruger also left just enough room for Hristo, so I've reduced the penalty again.

• Kruger Enge — Side-by-side contact — 1 place lost

Moderator's Report

Summary

A nice win by Dave Randall, with Neil Stratton giving him something to think about early on. The "Dodgem" award goes to Jason Daborn who manages to weave through the carnage at the Esses without a scratch! The result means Ken has put 2nd place almost out of reach for Clive, with the battle for 3rd place in the championship hotting up in time for Albi.

Lap 1 Ken Murray and Kruger Enge

Kruger gets alongside Ken as they go through the left-hand part of the Esses. Kruger gets too close as they reach the apex of the curve, there is contact, and he goes off. Kruger appears to try and leave Ken room, so I'm reducing the penalty by one place.

• Kruger Enge — penalty — Side-by-side contact — 2 places lost (plus 1 for penalty points)

Lap 1 Ken Murray and Allan Davis

Allan is caught out by Ken's drop in speed caused by the previous incident, and he is unable to slow down enough before there is warp contact between them, knocking Ken into the air. This causes mayhem behind them, with the rest of the field being involved, and many resets required. All drivers forced to reset are entitled to no-fault SnGs.

Warp Incident

Moderator's Report

Summary

The last race of the season, and it was a pretty clean one, with much out-braking entertainment for me at the hairpin. Clive managed to secure 3rd place in the division, despite Jason finishing ahead of him in his trusty BRM.

It's been a good season, and a baptism of fire for me moderating UKGPL's best in D1 (thankfully with the help of the other more experienced mods and ex-mods). I hope you'll all be able to come back for S14.

Lap 13 Allan Davis and Ralph Maiph

Allan goes off on the outside of the hairpin. As he rejoins, he gets a wiggle out of the back propelling him towards the centre of the track, which he manages to catch. Ralph arrives on the scene and Allan tries to make room, but there is contact, causing Ralph to spin. I've reduced the penalty to 1 place, as Allan did try to make room for Ralph.

• Allan Davis — penalty — Bad rejoin — 1 place lost

Lap 27 Hristo Itchov and Ralph Maiph

Hristo goes off on the outside of the hairpin. Unfortunately, his rejoin doesn't leave enough room for Ralph, and both drivers have to take avoiding action at the last moment. Again, I've reduced the penalty as Hristo was trying to do the right thing, but impeded Ralph by being a bit too far over.

• Hristo Itchov — penalty — Bad rejoin — 1 place lost (plus 2 for penalty points)