SimRacing.org.uk

Here we go for our second helping of the fortnightly Grads trophy. Expect more thrilling action BUT this time don't forget your starting tokens are only 10 (5 if joining halfway or later through the season). Otherwise it's pretty much more of the same, ten thrilling races and drop your worst two results. We have enough entrants to again run Works and Privateers sub-divisions.

Race List = IGOR
Server = UKGPL_T7_2
IP address = 62.149.202.168
Race date = 21-03-2010
Time = 21:00 UK time (21:00 GMT)
Track = Mexico
Variant = 67F1
Damage Model = PRO
Qualifying time = 35 minutes. Don't start until 30 mins left on clock to allow everyone to join.
Race length = 50 minutes (20 laps tbc)

Password: see above (#post_event_password)

Driver lists can be found on the championship standings page (https://www.simracing.org.uk/smf/index.php?action=LM2R;group=248;theme=6)
The track can be downloaded from : original Papy track
Add-on’s available at : http://srmz.net/index.php?showtopic=5009 (http://srmz.net/index.php?showtopic=5009)

Please be in IGOR UKGPL chatroom by 8:50 pm UK Time = GMT).

Reserve drivers should not join the server until there are only 30 minutes of qualifying left. Please restrict chat to pit messages. Moderating will be by reported incidents only, however the moderators reserve the right to review any incident with a particular emphasis on lap one. The aim is to review the race the following weekend so incident reports should be submitted within five days of the race (ie the following Friday). We're hopeful most incidents can be resolved amicably and recommend a days deep breath with a replay review before posting. A sorry in the forum won't be taken as an automatic admission of guilt by the moderators.

With the token system chassis strategy will be a factor. A driver must have sufficient tokens for the chassis he drives in the race.  Any driver who does not have sufficient tokens will be disqualified from the result and his tokens will be set to zero.

Chassis costs;
Lotus 20 / Eagle 17 / Ferrari 15 / Brabham 10 / Cooper 5 / Honda 3 / BRM 0

To see your current tokens hover your mouse over your total points on the championship standings page (https://www.simracing.org.uk/smf/index.php?action=LM2R&group=248&theme=6). Ten tokens will be added when you cross the start line.

The Championship is split into two sub-divisions, namely Works and Privateers. The driver split will be;

WORKS drivers

Phil T	Evil	John R
Tim FMG	Steve Bird	Jethro
Al H	Bartosz (Pod)	King Hero
Rick	Baab	Hristo (R)
Sam B (R)	Fulvio P (R)	Ruud Savelkoul (R)

PRIVATEERS drivers

Bernie	Burtoner	Mike Turner
Vosblod	Bookie W	Billy
Fabio (Il Lupo)	Rafael Mestdag	Graham (R)
Pete Maestro (R)	Nigel Smith (R)	D Rock (R)

67 Patch: The 1.3 Release of the 67mod can be used.

NOTE: In the event of more then 19 entrants a second grid will be run for the Privateers on ukgpl.5. (ping myjamesonline.net) Instructions will be provided in the chatroom – please ensure you join the correct server, due to the way we import if you start the race on the wrong server your result will not count. If you can try to make sure you are in the chatroom by 8.50pm this will enable a decision without any delays to the start time.

Not a good start to the season due to an error on my part that took out both Billy and me. I got a run on Billy out of the first chicane but pulled back on to the racing line too quickly thinking that I had cleared him but unfortunately had not and took off his front wheel. Profuse apologies for wrecking your race. :oops:

Quiet race for me.  After a bit of dicing on the first lap settled down to put in steady laps.  Couldn't stay with FMG and he pulled away.  After a few laps Steve Bird caught me and I tried to hold him off but he was too quick and got past.  Then made the mistake of trying to stay with him and spun, loosing more ground.  My plan then was simply not to get lapped.  Thought the game was up when King H was on my tail but he dissapeared before he got past.  With 2 laps to go JR was approaching and I lost concentration worrying whether or not I could hold him off and I hit a barrier and lost the rear wheel >:( . 

Quite how I finished 2nd I don't know....

I'd qualified in a reasonable place mid-field, just ducking the Honda under 1:50. Dipped the clutch too early with too few revs, so quickly pulled it back in to get the engine revving right up. Keeping to the right-hand side of the track, FMG came alongside but as we all headed to T1 at around 170mph the fun and games started - braking for this first corner is as tricky as dodging whores on the LA freeways. I was dead pleased to not only come out clean as a whistle through T2/T3, but also find that nobody had hit each other!

From there, it was a case of plugging away learning the Honda, keeping out of trouble, and the odd overtake as required. John's *ahem* rejoin required a fresh pair of boxers as I reacted to avoid hitting him square on. You'd think he'd have heard the Honda coming a mile off, I think next time I should take the BRM to make it even louder.

After KH evidently forgot how many laps were in this race (29 by the way, and it's a good idea to check the race length when you join the server), I ended up in a nice 2nd desperately trying to stop John dashing off into the distance. I failed, but kept the car pointing in roughly the right direction to get the podium place.

Nice to finish my 2nd race in the Honda and have another 2nd place behind John. Shame I can't win I guess! ;D

Firstly a couple of housekeeping issues;
1) Apologies if you were unsure of the race length. Per the race post we are running (approx) 50 minute length. I had not worked this out and was away this weekend so the original post was provisional. I did mention 29 in IGOR chat and race chat. Anyway will endevour to post the lap no's prior to the race next time.
2) Please ignore tokens at the moment - we have a slight issue which we are correcting. King H, Nigel and Fabio are NOT excluded, doesn't seem to have picked up the extra ten for crossing the line...

Turning to my race; Mediocre and slightly boring would sum it up but I mangaged to win the Privateers. I sat at the back watching the red message of death on chat as drivers disco'd then realised, at about 10 to go, I was the only one still holding on to my Privates and realised I was going to be the first to come in them  ;D FNARR
I don't count it as a win (the elusive champagne) - but a glass of posh wine might be in order...

PS: last order on your incident reports by Friday 26 March please.

I wanted the pole and I got it.(pasted from last race :) ). after some 5 laps I saw to my horror there were 24 laps to go :helpsmilie:. Hang up in those 20 laps I read in post and being concentrated about my driving I never attended to chat or read on event, filled my car for 20 laps and off I went. after 22 laps I had 22 ses lead.Ofc that would have been different with a heavier car but I think I would have done quiet well.After coughing over the line 23 time I parked(beside the ambulanse) :taz:
I left the sceene as a crying clown :'( nobody want to see a crying clown

Absolutely and completely depressed after reading the results :-\

I was more than chuffed with my quali time in the Honda, although being anywhere near the front at Mexico seems to get you a target pasted on your back for everyone to aim for in T1!!.

I got a better start than John and held a tight inside line around T1 to emerge in 3rd spot behind Tom's Lotus and Bob's Brabham. Lap 1 I knew was extremely dicey with the heavy Honda on cold tyres and with John trying to get his place back I was on the edge of adhesion.
After 2 laps the tyres started to work and so did John's!! as we began to pull ourselves back up to the two in front who were quicker but making mistakes.

It got quite nerve wracking as we formed a 4 car train, because one mistake by the car in front would certainly end someone else's race as well.
Bob cracked first and spun.....a little later John had a moment and vanished from my mirrors, leaving Tom about 4 secs in front in his Lotus. If only I had known he did not have enough fuel..oh! how different things might have been?  :-\

I slowly began to increase my pace to close the gap and was reeling Tom in by a couple of tenths a lap, but I was worried about the strain on the Waza turbine.
So, in order to check the all important oil temp I switched to "chase" mode" ( F10) on the short straight up to the hairpin, the momentary change of focus allowed one wheel to stray onto the grass and drag the car that way. Too late I remembered that invisible armco on the entry, just about the time it ripped my front wheel off!!!!
The discovery that Tom was due to retire through lack of fuel and that I had a substantial lead over second spot might have gifted me a win....but.......... :-\

Grats to John for a good recovery and to all who finished. But, where was Hristo????

I share Clive's misery - there was an opportunity of a decent finish here :-[

Was a refeshing change not to see any lap 1 carnage & for the first few laps I was really pleased to hang on to the leading 4. After spins by John & Bob I found myself up to 3rd place but then made a silly error touching the grass into T1. Ended up undamaged on the outside of T1 & was waiting as people went past as I couldn't see when it was safe to rejoin. Unfortunately by a complete fluke Bartosz did virtually a carbon copy of my spin & ended up occupying exactly the same spot as me which our Coopers did not appreciate! Not your fault Bart as if I hadn't spun in the first place I wouldn't have been stuck there. My only consolation is that no matter how bad I feel I know KingHiro is feeling worse ;) Bad luck Tom...

Anyway congratulations to John on the win - always nice to see the Team Manager showing us the way it's done ;) Also WD to Jethro & FMG for the podium. 

Now fixed...

And server replay is in the usual place (http://www.jamesonline.net/ukgpl/)

Well, an interesting race!

A clean start but L1 at the esses I clipped a polo and was lucky not to damage the car or get in anyone's way.  I ended up rejoining several places down.  Tim (Vos) let me back through on the next lap, but I threw it all away again on L4 while closing in on Phil.  This time I got back on track behind Bookie and down in P12.  Tim (Vos) spun later in the lap and I followed Bookie through.  Bookie then span early in L5 and I was back to P10.

I once again set about closing Phil down.  By L9 I was showing as P8 due to a couple of fallers, still chasing Phil.  Eventually catching a tow on L11, but I liked the look of Phil's gear box (oo err) and decided to study it for 2 laps!  Eventually managed a draft pass on L13, but ran wide in T1, Phil left me plenty of room to correct and I got away into P7.

Baab and Tim(FMG) were some way ahead so I set about putting in steady laps.

L14 saw me in P6!  More fallers.  Luck was going my way.

A T1 spin on L15 didn't help my progress.  But on L18 I caught a glimpse of Tim (FMG) after he must have done a barrier test!  A bush of the T1 barrier myself on L20 woke me up.  By L21 I was within reach of Tim (FMG), and we passed Tim(Vos) who gave plenty of room.

Catching is one thing, passing is another!  I couldn't seem to find enough to do anymore about Tim (FMG) ahead.  L25 and P5 showed.  Tom (not Tim) was out of fuel!  Yet another brush of the T1 barrier dented my progress a little, but as we got to the hairpin there was a glimpse of Baab (not Tim or Tom)!

L26 and Baab went for a tumble up ahead.  P4!!  I seemed to be fixated on Tim's (FMG) gearbox this time, happily comparing at a distance the differences between the Honda and BRM engineering.  Baab was closing again, I decided to test the final turn barrier, but again luck was with me and got away with it.

Tim (FMG), me and Baab had concertinaed up for L28.  Things were getting tense.  But Baab ran wide in the hairpin to allow a little breathing room.  Tim (FMG) still resisted anything I could do.

The last lap, Baab ran wide at T1 and clipped a polo to spin.  At the final bend I though Tim (FMG) had run wide but he kept it together and he took P3.

I think I was lucky to get 4th but I guess you have to be there to get it.

Congrats to JR (Hero) for a super P1, Jethro (Julie on weekends) for a solid drive and Tim(FMG) for a well deserved 3rd.  Also a big WD to Tim (Vos) for a class win in Privs.

_{(edit: to clarify which Tim, Tom, Tiny, Trisha I was actually racing at the time!)}

"A driver must cross the start line at least once under race conditions to qualify as a starter (this is determined automatically by GPL not by the moderating staff).  This means if a driver makes the grid he must actually cross the start line to qualify as a starter, simply making the grid is not sufficient."

Yesterday I started from the grid and I crossed the start line once but I didn't complete the first lap (shame on me...).
Did I not understand the rule and it is necessary to complete the first lap to get the "starter tokens" or this is the slight issue you were talking of?
Thx in advance for your explanation

You're showing 5 tokens on the championship table which I believe to be correct.

You started with 10, get another 10 for starting the race = 20 - 15 for the Fez = 5

Hope that helps :)

Hi Fabio. We had a slight teething glitch in the tokens system but now fixed. Yes all you need to do is cross the start line, not complete the lap.

I had a shocker, kept hitting things and spinning. Was tempted to take the lotus, but thought I'd give the brab a try...bit of a mistake that.  Only got in at half 8 and didn't really have a set-up, decided to use a safe ish 'Dark' one.  It was alright for a lap or 2 but too much understeer meant red front tyre temps and I had to swing it into corners. My contacts on the barriers may have contributed to the understeer.  5th seems better than I deserve!  Well done JR, Jethro and Tim.

Great stories all.  Wish I could have been there.  Was out of town due to work.

Here are the Works results of the Statmeister challenge for Race 1:

(http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_AwMtMND4F-o/S6qm4LnOsNI/AAAAAAAAABQ/r_kiEVh5hts/s1600/Works01.png)

What's this about? See here: https://www.simracing.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=7653.msg135854#msg135854 (https://www.simracing.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=7653.msg135854#msg135854)

And here are the Privateers results:

(http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_AwMtMND4F-o/S8OJTUZVGMI/AAAAAAAAADA/hN0PtjqYbkQ/s1600/Privs01a.png)

Note: Although Works & Privateers ran as a combined grid here, this will hopefully not be the case at every race so we have decided to split the results. 

Statmeister - I think you need to get out more.
To be honest - this adds a bit of extra amusement. I'm trying to work out if I can win something by being not very good.

wooden spoon steering wheel   ;D