SimRacing.org.uk

Grid/server capacity: 22

Car/Track download available by pm to WT

Track: Spa-Francorchamps GP (1988)

Car restrictions: Check your car allowance here (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1BNv-VBlXUW5rSIgLpJtawzFGtlxfH4_THd8Dv_qGeCg/edit?usp=sharing)

Practice: ~19:20 (60 mins)
Qualifying: 20:20 (20 mins) Drivers must not leave qualifying to change car make.
Race: 20:40 (21 laps)

Time of Day Setting: 14:00
Start: STANDING
Tyre wear: 2x
Fuel consumption: 2x
Pit stops required: YES

Server: simracing.org.uk Monday
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.

Special Notes: Drivers must complete over 75% of the published race distance in order to score points.

There's no UKGTL server in the lobby ?

Nope, not yet....

ooooer!!!  this could be the end of civilisation as we know it  :scared:

There was this pm, I set it up. Let me investigate............

EDIT: reset server, please try now and let me know.

Straight in, but gdb mismatch for some reason.

Works - thxs, Tony  :thumbup1:

Results and replay now posted.

As I'm desperately short of points in this series, I had intentions about making a tactical car choice - if a series offered a chance of winning, I would go with that.  Alas, wasn't to be, as our dear aliens had distributed themselves across all classes. After much deliberation, I settled on the Corolla. Kind'a bittersweet to then see Geoffers disconnect after a few laps, but tbh I would have had to shape up considerably, just to match Clive's times - Geoffers' boggled the mind - he was over 5 secs quicker than me, and I just can't concieve where or how he found that time  :o    

Good start, jumping Ziu, but surprised to find Tony slipstreaming past down the straight. He ran wide at Pouhon though, allowing me to nip past.
Now had Ziu in close attendance, but stupid mistake in chicane at the end of L1 saw me spin, dropping behind Ziu, Matt & Tony.  Fierce battle with the latter over a couple of laps, before I got past, and he spun a few corners later.

Next up the best part of the race; hunting down Matt.  Took some laps to get closer, but he then went off same place as Tony.  Lonely race from then on, until very late when encountering Ziu after his pit stop - he must have changed tyres I think, considering he was far ahead.  I hadn't changed mine in a bit of a gamble, and on my shredded ones, there was no way I could live with his speed.

Grats to Daz, Clive & Fulvio

Was always going to be the M3 for me here, no way I could resist throwing it around Spa.

Quite tricky to get the setup right on this though, always felt the car was trying to plough on when I hit the brakes, which I saw at Nurbs when I managed to take out Erling, twice. Dialled it in as best as I could, and was getting somewhere close to Geoff, which I was quietly chuffed with......then quali arrived.

Much as Erling says, when Geoff dropped that quali lap in that very much caused consternation in the Daz pit. I was doing low 39s in second, he had dropped a 36 on the table, and then sat smug in the pits with a cup of tea saying 'go on then' no doubt. Took lots of fuel out, but the car was a touch less stable so although it was quicker I never really nailed the lap. In all this I managed to nip at Matts tail and sent him off, which whilst being totally unintentional was my fault as I was behind him. I did however manage to eventually find a lap in the 37s...hmm, maybe strategy might come to me....

Start felt crucial, I was really concerned about being duffed up on the straight by Clive as well as Geoffers, but I had a great launch away, and then maybe there were some shenanigans in the Cosworth camp, as I was still a good bit in front as I closed on Les Coombes, 'this is alright' I thought, and got my head right down through the twisty bits to try to pull away, noting that Geoff was behind Clive.

Lap 2 and the gap is around 3 seconds or so, and I was pulling away slowly. No idea how.....By the end of the lap Geoff was through I think, with the gap now at around 5 seconds. He pegged me back, and I was not now pulling away across the lap, he was quicker in sector 1 and 3, I was quicker in the middle. But now fuel was beginning to look more of a problem, there was no way for me to get to lap 11 to then stop at the end of it, leaving me with a bit of a problem.

That was essentially solved when Geoff disco'd. I now had time to cruise with the fuel left to get to the right window, changed tires also as they were wearing, and then left the pits in 2nd with a 20 second gap to Clive. That became much more when he pitted again next lap, and I could swan off to the end.

Saved fuel initially, then ramped the hell out of the car to see if I could beat my quali lap, which I did slightly, and brought it home for an unexpected 1st. M3 was very good around here, indeed the car feels ridiculously easy to drive in fact. Great fun.

Grats to all that made the line, unlucky on the disco Geoff, I fancy the result may have looked different but for that.

Very pleased with my qually session, in fact if I could have got the car to handle the kerbs without wanting to swap ends there was a much faster lap possible, I had to avoid most of them at all costs. The race however was a different matter. My start was rubbish then I messed up Radillion getting a cut track & losing 2nd to Clive followed by getting another cut track later on lap 1. Clive kindly let me past on lap 3, many thanks sir, & I set out after Daz. Closed the gap a bit but then got another cut track & an S/G. Served that only to get on the kerb at Pouhon a lap later & spun off into the barrier, lost interest then & went for a beer.

Congrats to Daz on the win & to the class winners.  :clap: :clap: :clap:

Result (https://www.avonrise.co.uk/srou/kurts/_2022//22062022_Spa1988)


8)

Grats to Daz and Fulvio.
I fully expected to see a few more Sierras on the grid, but instead there was a clutch of Toyotas. Alas the only other Cossie was in the hands of Geoffers, so I would be struggling to finish ahead of him. Daz had clearly hooked up the BMW and was flying. Third looked like the best I could expect even if I got everything right.
Geoffers seemed to be struggling off the grid and effectively blocked any chance that I had for a "demon" start. Actually that delay played into my hands through Eau Rouge and Radillon and I was able to have a clear run up onto the straight that carried me from around 6th up to 2nd place..........I make no excuses, that felt really good lol!.
Daz was obviously on a mission in 1st place and I tried hard to get close to him over the first few laps, without success. It was the old adage of pushing too hard and losing time to Daz . Meanwhile Geoffers had got his a** in gear and was on my bootlid. I let Geoffers go as it would probably have ended my race if I tried to compete with his pace, plus there was a chance that he would catch and hinder Daz  ::)
Then Geoffers pitted around lap 5/6 ?????!!! Was this a cunning strategy move on his part?? Then a lap later he quit, so that elevated me back to 2nd.
Like others I planned to pit at half distance and things were looking quite comfortable up until then. I had pulled an almost 30 second lead over Fulvio back in 3rd as I pulled into pit lane. Carefully negotiate  into pit box and male selections on clipboard  ...New front tyres...new rear tyres.......no repairs hit Enter......aaaaaaarrrrggghhh! forgot fuel!!!!!!
Fortunately  I still had enough gas for another 1.5 laps before entering the pits again after amusing Tony on the way  :shifty:. Adter my second stop any hope of regaining 2nd spot looked remote unless Fulvio made a significant stop. As if that wasn't enough with 4 laps left to go I realised that I had miscalculated on the refuel and needed a splash and dash to get to the end.....3 pitstops!!!
I was doubly happy to have got the Sierra to the finish and to have held onto 3rd spot after the fiasco in the pits.
I was surprised that that with the sierra the initial tyre wear was scary, but even as the wear gauges went into the red it did not severely affect the handling, other than in the braking zones..............or maybe I was learning to drive the beast  ::)
cya next time.