Well, the intention was to try and generate a "fun" series where everyone could compete on a single grid and the racing might be a little less intense. I think we are enjoying the fun element, but it seems that the desire to compete and win at the front is difficult to subdue
lol.
Grats to the podium places and to those who finished ( not really any excuse for not completing the race as you are allowed a shift-R without any SnG?).
I had only managed a brief run on Cookie's practice server with the CA Porker during the week and hardly any track time in the GT options.
I opted for the Mk2b as I thought that it might add some colour to a grid that was likely to be all blue and orange?? You can see how scientific my race preparations are. The choice of car, the lack of real practice and lack of a proper setup was further screwed by my wife insisting that I play taxi and collect her from a friends house on Friday evening, just before the 1st race
I rushed out onto the track with half a setup and eventually managed to complete a lap without incident that put me 3rd (?), but the setup was deffo giving cause for concern and that lumpy Mk2 was proving a handful when it got near the limit.
Everything bad came together on lap 3 following Tom across the S/F line. I had discovered that the MK2 had a better top speed than the Mirage, but the problem was where I could use it. The only place to make a clean challenge was into that 1st hairpin, and it meant being far enough behind out of the last corner so that I could nail the gas all the way past the pits and through the kink without backing off. Unfortunately, on lap 3 I got it all wrong and I caught Tom approx 75mtrs too soon and had to lift just as we took the right hander at the end of the pitwall. With a decent setup the car should simply have slowed and maintained its line........ahem!!
but my tank decided that power ON meant slight oversteer ( I like that!) but power OFF will ignore 90% of the steering input and plough straight on ( not so good!!). So when I lifted to avoid rear ending Tom those sturdy hay bales welcomed me and launched the car into a spectacular aerial display admired by many of those cars that went past!!
Some were laughing I am sure but this was a seriously ambitious attempt to gain style points.
From there on I fell foul of over driving and made too many mistakes with a car that was fast at 95% but determined to rip my head off if I tried to extract 100%, so to recover to 3rd was an unexpected bonus.
Can Ams, and the mix of cars was more interesting with growling V8 Fezzas and screaming Porkers and a couple of Lolas. Again lack of track time in these cars is my excuse, but I had a great fun race with far too many mistakes even managing to throw away about 3 positions on the final lap as I trimmed the grass instead of staying on the tarmac!!
The next circuit is a little more challenging, but worth learning and very satisfying once you get it right. In the faster cars watch the crest at the end of the straight, apparently there are no extra points for aerobatic moves!!
. The F2's will storm around it as will the 69'sand Can Ams, but I think the Gt's will be the toughest to hustle around.