SimRacing.org.uk

Grid/server capacity: 28

Practice: ~19:20 (60 mins)
Qualifying: 20:20 (10 mins)
Race: 20:30 (40 laps)

Track: Snetterton 1964 Download this (https://www.simracing.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=3358.msg109873#post_snett64)

Cars allowed: Aston Martin DBR1 Download this (https://www.simracing.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=3358.msg54518#post_aston_dbr1), Jaguar D-Type (excluding the 1957 versions) Download this (https://www.simracing.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=3358.msg54518#post_jag_dtype), Mercedes 300SL Download this (https://www.simracing.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=3358.msg54518#post_merc_300sl_lm55)

Time of Day Setting: 19:00
Start: STANDING
Tyre wear: Normal
Fuel consumption: 2x

Server: simracing.org.uk Mondays
Password: see above (#post_event_password)

Notes:
(1) It's best if all drivers can make sure they are connected before the Qualifying session as drivers on track during qualifying will not see cars that join after they are on track until they go back to the garage.
(2) Please make sure you are fully aware of the SimRacing.org.uk Rules.
(3) The AI control should be turned off so that you have control of the car at all times, including pitting. Your player file should therefore read
Autopit="0"
Force Autopit Off="1" // Forces autopit always off
No AI Control="1" // AI never has control over car
If you still finding pitting problematic, experience tells us that its less to do with positioning and more to do with approach speed. A slow approach to pit crew chief has proved most reliable.
(4) Driver lists can be found on the championship standings page (https://www.simracing.org.uk/smf/index.php?action=LM2R&group=422&theme=5)

Special Notes: There are no start lights, instead there is a starting marshal who will wave a green flag to mark the start of the race. The pole sitter can't see the marshall without using the "look left" feature. Suggest the grid countdown feature be turned on.
Note earlier start time.

 :thumbup2: :thumbup1:

Thanks Tony, my local track when I was stationed at RAF Watton in 1959 - 61!

Get your brighter headlamp fix here http://www.nogripracing.com/details.php?filenr=7396

Pit stop guide https://www.simracing.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=11812.msg212761#msg212761

This is going to be fun  8)

Better start practising those Pit stops guys :devil:

Sorry folks but looks like I will probably miss this race as we have a late afternoon appointment in Taunton. :'(

Pity one of my favourite tracks.  ;D

For those of you who don't read the small print............this is a chance to drive some iconic 1950's machinery around a superb circuit. Apart from this'n there will only be one other Fifties event this year so don't miss out.

Tony, again just to be sure; it's this track and this SL ?

Snetterton Heath 64ish

300SL LM55

Cheers,
Erling

Correct on both counts.

Thanks - actually selecting the track in game removed any doubt, as it shows up as 'Snetterton 1964' - hadn't done that before asking redundant question..  :D

Just practiced a little.  Holy Mother, that Aston takes the cake with the best onboard sound I've ever heard in GTL!  :wub: :drool:

Pit lane entry/exit seems somewhat different from most tracks. Is the speed limit enforced on this track ?

Cheers,
Erling

Set to Race mode then drive through the pits with the limiter on. You should notice if your car is slowed down. Or bomb down the pit lane with no limiter and see if you get a stop/go penalty. I'll have to check it out too.

@ MJ

Put AC down and get practising this.

Result of soup sized flywheel and straight six with short stub exhausts.  8)

Have you tried the BMW 320i Grp 5 yet - if you like the 2002tii S, this is the car for you, another high revving engine with virtually open exhausts. Flat as a f**t at low revs, like can of nails being rattled and suddenly it gets on the cam and really goes with beautifully exhaust note.  :jumpjoy: :rockon:

No, haven't tried the 320i yet, but sounds like that's something to look forward to also  :)

Cheers,
Erling

I can now confirm that pit lane speed limit IS enforced...  8)

Cheers,
Erling

Hi Tony when i click the Merc link it gives me this (Alfa Romeo Tipo 33-3 (v1.0.0.0)) on Amazon?

I'll look into this and report back

EDIT: Scroll up the screen a tad and the next car is the Merc.

Thanks Tony

Finally back home  :P  - did a first testing tonight.
Always loved theses 50's beasts, especially the DBR1.
Looking forward to this one.

Hoping for more 50's races next season - best thing GTL has ever seen!

You won't be disappointed   ;)

As I had 30 mins and needed something to relax me I d/loaded this track and the 3 cars to make sure everything works prior to Monday.

Totally agree about the Aston sound  :drool: I don't care how fast or slow it is when it sounds that good!

D type is iconic and did a couple of exploratory crashes in that   ::)

Thought I ought to give the Merc a lap too, but each time I try and use it, GTL crashes!!!  anyone else getting any probs?

I have run out of time now, but maybe I will do a new download of the Merc tomorrow.

Do you have it installed in the right place? It differs from all the other 50's cars in this respect.

GameData/Teams/GTC-65/Mercedes300SL/SL_LM55

Yup!  I used the self installer and have just checked that it is where it should be.

Don't have time right now but I will try and find time to re-install later.

When exactly does GTL crash?

I was using "Open Practice"  and selected Snetty, then selected the Merc 300SL.


Click "Go Practice" and the track loads as the bar moves across base of screen. Just as it reaches the right hand side screen goes black and I get the Windows message  in centre of screen

  "GTL  has encountered a problem and has had to close".

Back to Desktop each time.

Hi Tony all cars work fine for me offline, but when join server The Jag 1957 and the Merc 300sl say car not present on server?
    Have i got to alter anything in my GTL install for (Fuel consumption: 2x)?

The Jag 1957 is not allowed in this event (read the race announcement).

You cannot change your GTL for 2X fuel. This is managed by the server. Test online for fuel consumption figures.

I will test the Merc now and report back.

EDIT: Merc is present on the server, I just went online and it worked fine. Sure your picking the right merc? There are three available, No's 53, 54 & 55. They are listed under teams panel as Mercedes 300SL LM55.

Please re-install the track.

When installing the Merceded 300SL LM55 you are given the option to take the sound files from the Mercedes 300SEL. But you must have this mod downloaded too.

https://www.simracing.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=3358.msg54518#post_merc_300sel This car is not used but you need the sound files that are provided with it.

Aha,  it looks as if the "sound files" are the issue.

LOL I thought I was playing safe by not adding anything to the car download.  ::)

Post if you still have probs. I'm in all afternoon and will check the forum often.

Actually you can, but you have to edit your player (.PLR) file, using Wordpad or similar program.

If you scroll down, you'll find these parameters:

CURNT Fuel Consumption Multiplier="2"
PRACT Fuel Consumption Multiplier="2"
QUICK Fuel Consumption Multiplier="1"
FRACE Fuel Consumption Multiplier="1"
CHAMP Fuel Consumption Multiplier="1"
MULTI Fuel Consumption Multiplier="1"
RPLAY Fuel Consumption Multiplier="1"
CURNT Tire Wear Multiplier="4"
PRACT Tire Wear Multiplier="4"
QUICK Tire Wear Multiplier="1"
FRACE Tire Wear Multiplier="1"
CHAMP Tire Wear Multiplier="1"
MULTI Tire Wear Multiplier="1"
RPLAY Tire Wear Multiplier="1"

As you can see, both tyre wear and fuel consumption can be adjusted, for various events.  Mine above are modified for some of my offline testing.

Btw, I followed the sound recommendations when installing the Merc, and haven't had any problems (although it sounds just like the 300SL that comes standard with GTL)

Cheers,
Erling

Well I didn't know that! Good spot Erling. But do you have to set back to defaults on race night or can you leave the modifications in place?

EDIT: No I don't suppose you do, as Multiplayer has it's own line  ::)

I don't think so either.  When I began racing with you guys again, I had forgotten that my fuel multiplier was set to 2x. Couldn't get the indicated number of laps to match the 'no pitstop required' of the races, as in some of them, it looked to me like the race couldn't be completed without refuelling.  When I joined the online server however, I could suddenly do many more laps per liter, so it obviously ignored my modifications.

Cheers,
Erling

Hi Thanks for reply my bad Merc 53/54/55 work fine.

Lens flair can be turned off if it bothers you

Edit this line in your .plr file

Lens Flare in Cockpit View="1"

1 is on, 0 is off.

Tony, we use Vintage tyres for this event as in previous Seasons?  ???  ;D

Either tyre Bill. Opinions vary about one being better than the other, so I'll leave it up to each individual to decide.

Hello everyone ... I was told about this event by Ross Hawkey at RaceConnect and I couldn't resist the temptation to take part (long live GTL)  :D

I look forward to seeing y'all on track  8)

Hi All.

Yes, I'll be at this one as well.

All 3 cars seem pretty evenly matched, so hopefully there'll be a mix of cars on the grid.

I've sent a couple of pm's around, so hopefully we might get a couple of new names join us for this one (Welcome Bill  ;D ).

Hi Ross and welcome Bill.

We race GTL EVERY Monday night................just saying  ;)

Welcome Ross and Bill.

Totally baffled here Tony.
 ???
I have deleted the track file then re-downloaded the circuit and the Merc 300 and the 380 as indicated, but the game crashes every time I try and run the Merc? It happens at the moment you would expect to be plonked into the initial screen after the track has finished loading.

The Aston and the Jag are no problem at all and I have done several laps in both, so I know that the track file and at least those 2 cars are fine.

You need to setup a trace file which will possibly give us a clue. If you have a desktop icon from which you fire up GTL please right click on it the choose properties.

After Target you will see a path to where your GTL is kept. Add this to the end of your target (just the stuff in BOLD text).

"E:\GT Legends\GTL.exe" -trace=1000  (note the space before the - )

Then start GTL as normal and after the crash go to Libraries/Documents/GTR/Userdata/Log_Dedicated. Here should be a file called trace.txt. Open in Notepad and cut and paste the content here so we can have a looksee.

It's a time thing.

I'd hoped to race in the WSC70 series here, but am busy elsewhere all too often.

No worries Ross

Hi Guys,

I too was recruited by Ross and looking forward to this one.

See y'all at Snett.

Hi Dave and welcome.

Thanks for the nice promo over at Race Connect. Very much appreciated.

To guys joining us who haven't downloaded our car files.

Please make sure you have the latest versions of each car otherwise we may get online miss-match errors on race night and I will not be a happy bunny.

Maybe download our cars and keep the downloads to one side, just in case you need them and time is pressing.

Thanks for the welcome Tony and EvilClive  :)

Now I have to work out how to fit more days in each week  ;)

OK Tony, I think this is the trace file that you wanted, hope it throws up some clues.


TRACE LEVEL = 1000
NetComm.cpp  7639: NetComm checking command line: "-trace=1000"
game.cpp      622: Entered Game::Enter()
osman.cpp     480: Entered OSMan::Enter()
setup.cpp    1088: Could not find HEADPHYSICS_GTL.HED
setup.cpp    1088: Could not find HEADPHYSICS_GTL.HED
setup.cpp    1088: Could not find HEADPHYSICS_GTL.HED
setup.cpp    1088: Could not find HEADPHYSICS_GTL.HED
setup.cpp    1088: Could not find HEADPHYSICS_GTL.HED
setup.cpp    1088: Could not find HEADPHYSICS_GTL.HED
setup.cpp    1088: Could not find HEADPHYSICS_GTL.HED
setup.cpp    1088: Could not find HEADPHYSICS_GTL.HED
setup.cpp    1088: Could not find HEADPHYSICS_GTL.HED
setup.cpp    1088: Could not find HEADPHYSICS_GTL.HED
setup.cpp    1088: Could not find HEADPHYSICS_GTL.HED
setup.cpp    1088: Could not find HEADPHYSICS_GTL.HED
setup.cpp    1088: Could not find HEADPHYSICS_GTL.HED
setup.cpp    1088: Could not find HEADPHYSICS_GTL.HED
setup.cpp    1088: Could not find HEADPHYSICS_GTL.HED
setup.cpp    1088: Could not find HEADPHYSICS_GTL.HED
setup.cpp    1088: Could not find HEADPHYSICS_GTL.HED
setup.cpp    1088: Could not find HEADPHYSICS_GTL.HED
setup.cpp    1088: Could not find HEADPHYSICS_GTL.HED
setup.cpp    1088: Could not find HEADPHYSICS_GTL.HED
setup.cpp    1088: Could not find HEADPHYSICS_GTL.HED
setup.cpp    1088: Could not find HEADPHYSICS_GTL.HED
setup.cpp    1088: Could not find HEADPHYSICS_GTL.HED
setup.cpp    1088: Could not find HEADPHYSICS_GTL.HED
setup.cpp    1088: Could not find HEADPHYSICS_GTL.HED
setup.cpp    1088: Could not find HEADPHYSICS_GTL.HED
setup.cpp    1088: Could not find HEADPHYSICS_GTL.HED
setup.cpp    1088: Could not find HEADPHYSICS_GTL.HED
setup.cpp    1088: Could not find HEADPHYSICS_GTL.HED
setup.cpp    1088: Could not find HEADPHYSICS_GTL.HED
setup.cpp    1088: Could not find HEADPHYSICS_GTL.HED
setup.cpp    1088: Could not find HEADPHYSICS_GTL.HED
setup.cpp    1088: Could not find HEADPHYSICS_GTL.HED
setup.cpp    1088: Could not find HEADPHYSICS_GTL.HED
setup.cpp    1088: Could not find HEADPHYSICS_GTL.HED
setup.cpp    1088: Could not find HEADPHYSICS_GTL.HED
setup.cpp    1088: Could not find HEADPHYSICS_GTL.HED
setup.cpp    1088: Could not find HEADPHYSICS_GTL.HED
setup.cpp    1088: Could not find HEADPHYSICS_GTL.HED
setup.cpp    1088: Could not find HEADPHYSICS_GTL.HED
setup.cpp    1088: Could not find HEADPHYSICS_GTL.HED
setup.cpp    1088: Could not find HEADPHYSICS_GTL.HED
setup.cpp    1088: Could not find MERCSOUNDS.AUD
setup.cpp    1088: Could not find MERCSOUNDS.AUD
setup.cpp    1088: Could not find MERCSOUNDS.AUD
vidman.cpp   1044: Entered VidMan::Enter()
specialfx.cp 3138: Entered SpecialFX::Enter()
dynman.cpp    632: Entered DynMan::Enter()
plrfile.cpp  3334: Entered PlayerFile::Enter()
sound.cpp     725: Entered Sound::Enter()
hwinput.cpp  6369: Entered HWInput::Enter()
onscreen.cpp 2941: Entered OnScreen::Enter()
game.cpp      717: Entered Game::Setup()
hwinput.cpp  6383: Entered HWInput::Setup()
options.cpp  1561: Entered Options::Setup()
plrfile.cpp  2510: Attempting to save to USERDATA\clive\clive.TMP
plrfile.cpp  2533: Retcode: 0 for renaming to USERDATA\clive\clive.PLR
O_BaseGz.cpp 8513: CUBE error loading scene file USERDATA\tmpvehicle.scn: Error opening MAS file MERCEDES_300SL_OBJ.GTL
O_BaseGz.cpp 8513: CUBE error loading scene file USERDATA\tmpvehicle.scn: Error opening MAS file MERCEDES_300SL_OBJ.GTL
O_BaseGz.cpp 8513: CUBE error loading scene file USERDATA\tmpvehicle.scn: Error opening MAS file MERCEDES_300SL_OBJ.GTL
O_BaseGz.cpp 8513: CUBE error loading scene file USERDATA\tmpvehicle.scn: Error opening MAS file MERCEDES_300SL_OBJ.GTL
specialfx.cp 3144: Entered SpecialFX::Setup()
steward.cpp  4585: Entered Steward::Setup()
dynman.cpp    644: Entered DynMan::Setup()
sound.cpp     748: Entered Sound::Setup()
onscreen.cpp 2947: Entered OnScreen::Setup()
vidman.cpp   1184: Entered VidMan::Setup()
plrfile.cpp  3344: Entered PlayerFile::Setup()
plrfile.cpp  2510: Attempting to save to USERDATA\clive\clive.TMP
plrfile.cpp  2533: Retcode: 0 for renaming to USERDATA\clive\clive.PLR
game.cpp      764: Entered Game::Init()
vidman.cpp   1237: Entered VidMan::Init()
ai_db.cpp    2143: Entered AIDatabase::Init()
steward.cpp  4680: Entered Steward::Init()
hwinput.cpp  6426: Entered HWInput::Init()
specialfx.cp 3255: Entered SpecialFX::Init()
dynman.cpp    674: Entered DynMan::Init()
slot.cpp      291: Entered Slot::Init()
vehgfx.cpp   2520: Entered VehGraphics::Init(GAMEDATA\TEAMS\TRACKVEHICLES\SAFETYCAR\SAFETYCAR.CAS)
slot.cpp      291: Entered Slot::Init()
pitmod.cpp    194: Entered PitAction::Init
AnimationLoa   24: AnimationLoader::Load(PitCrew.ani)
vehgfx.cpp   2520: Entered VehGraphics::Init(GAMEDATA\TEAMS\GTC-65\MERCEDES 300SL\SL_LM 55\MERCEDES_300SL.CAS)
vehgfx.cpp   2552: Unable to read USERDATA\LOG\vehgen.scn: Error opening MAS file MERCEDES_300SL_OBJ.GTL
vehgfx.cpp   2607: Could not find instance "SLOT000"

Thanks Tony. 8)

Just want to ensure I have everything loaded up ok and I have one or two questions.

1. I'm going to download your cars, am I better deleting the LM55 download I have currently or simply overwriting?

2. Can you tell me where to change the pit settings you mention. is it the config settings?

3 Could you throw some light (no pun intended) on where I install the bright headlight fix?

Thanks guys.

Welcome Bill and Dave and welcome back Ross  :) I think we've raced together at RC and I'm sure you'll have a great time racing here with us.

Unfortunately I can't make this one as I'm out with friends so have fun and I hope to see you out on track soon.

Ok, so the problem is a file called Mercedes_300SL_OBJ.GTL

Here is a picture of my Mercedes 300SL folder contents
(http://i520.photobucket.com/albums/w324/wiltshire_tony/Merc1_zps23c70c7f.jpg)
Does yours have similar content?

I would delete the original folders

The pit settings can be found in your player file (yourname.plr). Go to your GTL install then UserData. Your .plr file is in your name folder.

Put the two headlight files into your GTL/Gamedata/Teams folder.

Hope this helps

Thanks mate, appreciate that.

If I go to this folder   

C:\GT Legends\GameData\Teams\GTC-65\Mercedes 300SL

all I have in this folder is:-

SL_LM55 ( and its contents)

I have none of the files that you are showing??

So all the default GTL standard Mercedes files are gone. No wonder your having troubles. I'll post a link to my folder and hopefully adding the missing content will fix this. Just going to watch the footy now so it will be after that.

@ EvilClive

Download this and extract into your GTC-65 folder. Let it overwrite any existing files.

http://www.mediafire.com/download/49qubec791k5fee/Mercedes+300SL.zip

Thanks Tony.

No idea why I do not have the default Merc files as I have never tried a Mercedes during my short experience with GTL.

I just could not comprehend why, after 3 or 4 fresh download attempts I still did not have a working Merc 300SL, but this explains it.

Would those missing files be present on the original GTL disc, which I have in my archives?

Yes I guess they would.

Won't be joining you guys tonight. Have to make some repairs to my motorcycle before i can set off for a long weekend of racing riding somewhere in Germany.
You lads have fun!

Have a nice riding racing trip  ;D

Cheers,
Erling

Many thanks Tony, all works now.  ;D I still cannot understand how those original files vanished, I can only think I did something dumb in the first few days of GTL and somehow wiped them??.  :-\

Just been winding up the Merc around Snetty, at first i did not think it stood a chance against the Dtype and the wonderful sounding Aston, but it is deceptively quick and never gets the tyres even warm!!!

Well that sucked. Drove like a moron and to make things worse I couldn't scroll up the pit board to add fuel.
Oh well better nights will come.
I hope.

See you all next time

Gr. Evert

Ditto the piboard Evert!!!  :-\ :cursing: All I managed to do was change the rear tyres!! and they were OK anyway!!!

  I had practised a single stop ( in the D Type) and it all appeared to work OK, so I thought I would have no problem with the Merc.  Ah! but I was too confident and paid the price.

The early laps were good chasing Geoffers, who had a few tenths in hand ( at least) on my pace, but at least I stopped him relaxing too much until I went for my slightly early stop.  

Mabel and Arnold might have some questions to answer................................................... ::)

What a fantastic evening's entertainment  :)   A banzai lap in qually saw me take (a surprising) pole which I then threw away at the race start ... I remembered that there was a flag man to start the race but spent so much time looking around for him that I missed the start  :-[ Ah well ... that set the scene for an intense hour of trying to make a comeback. Excellent driving by all meant that the race was close at times but very clean and I managed to get a very satisfying 2nd place   8) Congrats to Geoffers for a fast and consistent pace throughout the race ... not a chance for me to get anywhere near  :laugh:

Thanks to Ross for alerting me to this series and also to all involved in making it happen ... see y'all again  :)

Results and Replay now posted

Was really enjoying this race the Jag was great and track spot on UNTILL lap 20 when i worked out i needed to pit, pressed button to tell all i was going to pit in, switched on speed limiter entered pits but lol there was no pit guys waiting for me to stop at passed 2 other cars already in pits then made hash of getting out of pits limiter still on and fuel light flashing red then crashed, enter pits again seemed to put loads of fuel in exit pits and fuel gauge had hardly moved so had to do 3rd pit stop and nearly took another car out of race doing it, apart from that loved the idea of longer race with pit stop and would like to see this for most series next season if poss.

Grats to Geoffers on win
Grats to Podium

Having probs getting on simracing org uk to read posts any help appreciated?

Glad you enjoyed the event Roger. But judging by the number of reported pit in incidents I'm not convinced that a future series that featured pit stops would be greated with much enthusiasm? Be nice to get some feedback guys.

The problems with sporadic forum entry/speed etc are outside our control, so there is nothing I can advise you to do that will fix that.

Good result for me although the second half of the race was more a battle to keep concentration than a battle on the track.

Got a super start & rocketed into the lead ahead of Clive, unfortunately Bill on pole remained rooted to the spot. Clive kept me alert for several laps with the lead hovering about the 2s mark until he must have made a small mistake & it went up to around 6s. Stayed that way until I ran wide under the bridge & went up the bank  ::) which allowed Clive into the lead. Only for a couple of laps until he made his pitstop.

Made my stop a couple of laps later & had a mild panic as my pit attendant was facing the wrong way & nothing appeared to be happening  :o. Anyhow the pit time came up & I went on my way with a full tank of fuel so I must have had a very quiet pitcrew! Eventually with all the stops completed I had a 25s lead, did the rest of you change tyres or just have bigger fuel tanks to fill?

As I said the remainder of the race was a battle not to lose concentration & it nearly all went wrong on lap 39! Lapping Eifelblitz I pressed the wrong button on the wheel to flash my lights & said 'Thanks' instead. Then trying to press the correct button I missed my braking point at the end of the back straight & ploughed into the bales. Fortunately any damage didn't affect the handling but I did lose my lights so had a dark last lap & a half.

Congrats to Bill & Coyote & all finishers. Bad luck to those who didn't make the end & thanks to Tony for organising.  :thumbup2: :thumbup2: :thumbup2:

I'd meant to do some of the WSC 70 mod races this year, but 'free time' has been against me.  The LM55 mod for GTL...makes me find free time.  ;D

I'd tried a few laps in each car over the weekend, and found all 3 to be pretty well matched. Opted for the Jag.

In the race I could match the pace of those up ahead, and could only rely on knocking in consistent laps and see where it got me.  I'd started the race full with fuel and knew it'd get me 28 laps into the race.  Wasn't sure on tyre wear, but figured by half distance I'd know how wear was looking.

Exited the pits in P2, with Bill and Coyote/Erling close behind, and with better pace.  Pleased with P4 in the end, and gratz to Geoffers, Bil and Coyote on the podium.

I like longer races with pit/fuel/tyre strategy. I did practice a couple of off-line pit-stops.  I tested and re-mapped my pit buttons before the race and all worked fine for me (i have a wheel button set which I use for pit options in other sims, but GTL doesn't like it, so for GTL i just use the keyboard up/left/down/right arrows.  Though I agree that it's scary seeing the pit-crew looking pretty uninterested while the stop is in progress.  Pity there's not a timer or something to re-assure that something's happening.  At least at the end of the pit a notification happens, with the timer showing the pit length, so you know it's time to go. :-)

Ross i have a g27 wheel and found only 2 buttons worked in GTL, then found a free program called JoyToKey easy to use and now all buttons work in GTL.

I enjoy the longer races and having to make a pitstop throws in an extra element so I'm in favour of the stop  :)
The suggestion from Ross regarding pitstop testing offline is probably a wise thing to do  8)

Cracking event this one  :)

Fell in love instantly when I heard the engine noise of the Aston  :wub:  Didn't care if it had been the slowest car; still had to drive it  :tt1:

Prepared thoroughly, testing tyre wear, handling on worn tyres, and timing tyre changes in the pits, to decide whether I should change these or not during the race.  All done on modern tyres. Didn't seriously consider trying the vintage ones, until Tony tossed a spanner in the works, by stating that opinions differed on which ones were best.

Had to try the vintage ones too then.  Car felt more loose and skittish, but laptimes were surprisingly quick - I soon matched my then pb on the moderns of 1:37.0.  In this same test session, with 4x tyre wear, I couldn't for the life of me match that on the moderns.  Got the impression that front grip was best on vintage, while rears felt better on moderns. Could combining them perhaps be the holy grail ?  Not so; completely undriveable with vintage front / modern rear - rear end all over the place. Switched round, and now it understeered badly instead. Seems then that vintage has the best grip, surprisingly.

With a little more practice, I knocked 0.4 secs off my pb on the vintage ones, dipping into 1:36 laps for the first time.  Had to use vintages then  :)  An added advantage was, that tyre wear was only half that of the moderns.  

Knocked close to another sec off that time in qualy, but that was still only good enough for 4th.  After the first few hectic corners on L1, I found myself in 3rd.  Alternated between 4th, 3rd & 2nd through the race - heh, I even lead it for a few secs during my pitstop  ;D

Had some good scraps with Ross & Bill, being reeled in and passed by the latter twice, as I couldn't quite match his speed.  Managed to wrestle 3rd from Ross and hang on to it till the finish.  Very chuffed with that, considering the fast crowd this race attracted  :)  Grats to Bill & Geoffers, for a job very well done.

Glad too that my team mate Kurt is finally back again.

I like long races with pitstops, so wouldn't mind more of them.  Adds the tactical element of fuel consumption and tyre wear against outright speed - and provides another golden opportunity to screw things up completely  ;D

Cheers,
Erling

Good to be back.

A little bit disappointing because I began loosing concentration during second half of the race
and dropped to last position - however great fun to drive these beasts.

Could not avoid to hit Evert when he just tried to reenter track after a spin - sorry for that!

Great to see some new faces!

CU next time.