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Last time out for the Can Ams and we finish at Zolder.

Zolder was built in 1963 but it didn't host the Belgian Grand Prix until 1973.  Zolder hosted the Formula One Belgian Grand Prix on 10 separate occasions in the 1970s and 1980s.  But when Spa Franchorchamps was significantly revised and the safety standards vastly improved the Grand Prix returned to it's original home and Zolder fell out of favour.

Remember that you will have to chose a different car for this race and by now your choice is becoming limited.


"Please ensure you are aware of the new in-series penalties for this season. Details are here (https://www.simracing.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=10879.0). Drivers incurring a penalty will receive a PM informing them of this."

Race list	iGOR
Server	UKGPL_8
IP address	TBA
Date	07-06-2013
Race time	Race starts at 09:30 UK time
Qualifying time	Between 30 and 60 minutes, starting no later than 21:00 UK time
Track	Zolder 67 (http://srmz.net/index.php?showtopic=7886)
Mod	Can Am
Damage model	INT (Each driver is allowed a single Shift-R)
Race length	29 laps
Replay	Available here (ftp://ukgpl3.dyndns.org/Replays/Archive/Season23/GTs/)

For this event the red zone will be from the START line to BUTTE

not gunna make this one, wheel/pedals now too knackered for canam.  :'(

For the CanAms tonight I made the grid wider, I hope this helps to get a clean start for all ;)

This means some at the back might not see the green flag, so not much chance of taking the lead on the first lap. :no:

Beached it twice.   :(

Grats to whoever hung on.

I can't believe I missed the damn start!  I was having a sip of water and somehow lost track of the time.  Should have been coffee instead.



- Hearty congratulations to Dean for the championship.

Grats to Dean on the championship, and commiserations to Mark on missing out on 2nd place in the standings........that was an expensive glass of water!
Thanks to everyone who took part in this championship, which was a first using 2 different mods (GT's and Can Ams) through the season, but I hope the challenge was fun.

I think the recent heat wave  ( 22C??) in the UK affected my brain, because I was convinced that we were racing F2 on Friday at Solitude. I knew that I had a half decent set up for that circuit.......so no need to do any preparation for the race. 30 mins pre race qually would be enough for any fine tweaking.
So when I fired up Igor at 21:00 I was startled to see Can Ams @ Zolder..... Oh yes!!!  F2's are Sunday...doh!!! :stupid:

So, no setup and not a single lap of Zolder in a Can Am ever...lol.  I spent the whole 25 minutes that I had on race fuel trying to stop the car trying to kill me on each corner. I even applied a few adjustments as quali ended and we formed up on the grid!!
Fortunately for me ( although a little disappointing for the race) there was a small grid which meant I was not 12 cars back,plus one or two missed the start, so I was in 4th place on lap 1 and soon inherited 3rd.
I was still learning how to control the car and extract some pace as I followed Axel's Mclaren, which seemed a bit of a beast to control from where I was. Slowly I was able to pick up the pace and apply a little pressure on Axel until he made a mistake and I was able to sneak through into 2nd ...wow!!.
Sergio was way ahead by this time, but I had bigger problems. My lack of preparation meant that I had not checked the fuel consumption and at half distance it looked unlikely that I would make it to the flag unless I started some serious short shifting and fuel conservation. But then I found a large orange Mclaren right in front of me with Sergio's name on it and the chance of 1st place beckoned.
What a dilemma!! If I pushed hard to try and take the lead I certainly did not have enough fuel, but the racer in me decided that I had to push at least for a few laps!! Sergio seemed to be trying very hard to get away, but I was able to close up easily in the heavy braking zones.

Then he slithered wide and I was through and immediately had a decent lead as he recovered.
But now it was obvious that I would have to take a SnG to re-fuel and lose the lead...until  Sergio suddenly dropped way back.
Immediately I stayed in a gear higher for each corner and short shifted everywhere trying to squeeze out the fuel whilst watching the gap to Sergio reduce lap by lap. But if I could continue to save fuel I should just make it to the end of the race...but only just!!!
Then I screwed up T1 with 3 laps to go, probably because I tried to stay in a gear too high,, and I got caught in the fencing.....Shift-R! which also meant an  SnG with Sergio much closer now :scared:
I now had fuel to thrash the engine but cold tyres as I emerged from the pits with Sergio pounding down the S/F straight......I had to get to T1 first   from my standing start and I did but only just!!
The last lap was 105% attack on cold tyres and an engine with far more power than they could handle, but I was just quick enough to stay ahead of Sergio and take my most unexpected win of this season.

1st of all my best compliments to the 3 guys on the championship podium.
It has been a pity we were so few drivers.

Strangely on this track I suffered from poor FPS in 2 particular places, 1st at T5R and 2nd at the ultimate Turn so I tried to manage these situations but...when my FPS dropped down just at the infamous Gilles Villeneuve corner (where him landed after his tremendous flyght of death) suddenly I found myself in the nets surrounding the 2nd right hander. I had the time to come down from the nets but my drive wheel ratio of 1:16 didn't help me to make a short radius turn to remain on the track in just one move. In this event I've lost a thing like 20 secs (at least so it have seemed to me) and I've been overtook from 2 lapped guys and I don't know who of them gave me a push while I was restarting, and making me do another 360 spin. When I had my car in racing conditions I've seen Clive just behind me thinking that we could have a good final rush for the win but...in the last contact I had something of my car damaged at a point that I had to learn again how to drive it because no one of my reference key places was good enough to keep the car on track and due to this, I almost have lost the entry point of the last esses. Martin that follows close to me, has steered his car to the apex but he struck me and perhaps has completed my damage. I had to fight with my car trying to drive it to the finish line but at 3 laps to go just in the same place my engine has exploded while I had Clive at less than a second in front of me. I have had to reset an make the compulsory stop and go just few yards from that place, so after the Pit Out I had to adapt my driving for the second time having fulvio just behind me in his Porsche. I was surprised to see a car leaving the pits just in front of me while I was crossing the S/F line with 1 lap to go and...pribluda indicating that...he was CLIVE !!!! ...damn I've seen him wallowing exiting from the pits at few yards from the turn in point of T1L so I preferred not to end my brake action over him while my tires were not well in temp and I left him to be the 1st at the turn entry point (and consequently I planted a cross over my possible win).
This is the second time that clive finishes the race in less than half a second in front of me and I think he is starting to have fun with this stuff  :P ::) ;)

Nice championship !
Have a nice summer and
see you the next season.

[edit] after the last post by Martin "Maddog" Hunt

An interesting number of corners and a good selection of cars, suggested I give Zolder a go.  Pre-race practice was promising, but online, the Lola failed to perform to expectation.  And I discovered rather late, race fuel was hazardous to ones health, but suspected the drinking of it was a requirement.  Last minute adjustment, made the 1st couple of laps a tad exploratory.

After some forward progression, it became obvious I was up against a tyre barrier, due to heat, which put me against a fence barrier, after a dozen laps.  Despite my S & G, Mark's slow start meant by mid-race, he was still chasing my tail.  It was then, a slower car appeared in my sights.  The replay reveals it was Sergio.  His Mclaren then locked up entering the final esses, and I kindly knocked him off the track!  :-[ A major apology was due, and very sportingly taken, after the race.  It would be helpful in future, to have a blue flag when catching the leader, and a lap down.  Grumble!

Mark soon past me, and Clive eventually past Sergio, who had dominated much of the race.  Their last lap was a tremendous scrap, between two worthy contenders.  I'd like to deny rumors, Lola drivers were under team orders to fend off the opposition.  And it would be good to see one or 2 of their original tracks, featured in future Can-Am gathering.    

I'll sweep the pieces into a jar and label it "3rd place"...    8)

Don't complain Mark you've only missed a start, at Spa I've missed the entire race.  :P ::)

Moderation published.

Grats to Dean on the Championship.

Thanks to all who took part for some great racing.