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The second season of the Spec Challenge reaches its conclusion at Monza. A track which requires no introduction & very little learning, especially for those who drove in the Graduates race last Sunday. It’s the original 1967 cars & what better choice for a power circuit than the Eagle & the Lotus. OK, so maybe a few complaints about “Monza” again but no whining about a having slow car. (The Moderator, however, reserves the right to drive slowly). I was half tempted to sneak in a late track change to Monza 10K but this post is a bit later than normal and may be a little unfair.

As far as the championship is concerned I believe that has been pretty much decided over the past 18 races with Hristo leading from FMG and Evil. Full details here Spec Race Challenge (https://www.simracing.org.uk/smf/index.php?action=LM2R&group=280&theme=6)

The racing calendar for next season has yet to be decided but I'd like to run the Specs again in S. 21. I hope you've found the selection of tracks fun to drive & some of the events have produced some great racing, such as the slipstreaming in the 65's at Reims.

We will continue with the shortened qualifying times - 12 minutes for race 1 & 10 minutes for race 2.

Spec races consist of two back to back Intermediate Short races on the same track. Each driver has to drive one car in each race - start whichever you like. Anyone daft enough to drive the same car will be disqualified from race two.
Spec Races is the only championship with no handicapping – it’s down to individual driver skill & the ability to cope with different cars. Races will be run on one grid with one championship table for Season 20.
 
The Spec Series will be run according to normal UKGPL rules, although only reported incidents will be moderated. (Please file reports by the Friday after race night). Unlimited resets (Shift R) are allowed and you must take a Stop & Go penalty unless another driver or warp was clearly responsible for your misfortune. Stop & Go means coming to a complete halt in (or around) your pit box - please be careful on the rejoin not to impede other cars.
 
Race List = IGOR
Server = UKGPL_T7_2
IP address = 62.149.202.168
Race date = 13-03-2011
Time = 21:00 UK time (21:00 GMT)
Track = Papyrus original
Race length = Intermediate Short
Variant = 1967
Chassis = Eagle & Lotus
Damage Model = Intermediate
Qualifying time = 12 minutes Race 1 / 10 minutes Race 2

Password: see above

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

Another Monza!  :o

I like Monza ;)

As the championship has been decided could I drive in this as a guest?

No but you can still Register and join ;D

OK - I was trying to be helpful and save some work....  :angel:

Only one click of a button mate...

And the button has now been clicked so you should see the password...

You're a great boss "creep creep"

I've missed out on all the Monza fun lately so I'll be there, will give me a chance to get used to the 67s again.

As the championship has been decided could I too drive in this as a guest ?

Cheers

Axel

You need to vote in the registration forum Cookie. I had to!

Have done ;)

Thx BB

Practising hard and really pleased to get both the Lotus and the Eagle into the 1:31's. Might not be super competitive but at least I stand a chance of finishing on the same lap! -5 secs per lap or so, I should have 18 laps on my own - if I keep clean. I will aim for 10 laps and take it from there. Looking forward to it.

Good job, Paul. And no, it won't be 5 seconds, more like 4.

That was bloody good fun...
I last drove a 1967 car "in anger" back in 2005 so was surprised to get on the pace so easily in qualifying. I guessed a setup and it worked beautifully.  Got the lotus down below 1:30 in the race 2, in fact only 0.2s off my historic PB on gplrank! Sorry to BB Paul for the nudge at Lesmo 1.
Had great fun and will be back for more!

Race one I had a first. Might have been me over-revving but I saw a puff of smoke and my engine died on the start grid. Only a few seconds to decide what to do; A hand up (a la F1) would probably be meaningless and unseen, to just sit there might cause a pile-up, a reset I guess would say 'track not clear' and leave me sitting there sans pile-up anyway. I opted for an 'esc' thinking it would let me start from the pits but it didn't.
Race 2 was more fun till I threw it away at Para (don't worry Bill I did a SnG ;))- yes I had a Lotus setup and know the track but, for my future reference, a bit of practice would have helped.

Wierd - pretty sure I did 11 laps in the first race - just pipped H to the line... sort of, and it shows me +1L :(

Difficult - qually is hectic and I couldn't show my best but disapponted not to drive as fast as I have been in practice. Strangely the Lotus was understeering quite badly once I was on the race server - not so in off line practice. odd. I have found that before as well, that the car is subtly different on the race server. Is that true or just me?

Anyway, good fun.

I've noticed too, how an offline setup can be subtly affected, once connected.  My remedy has been to seek Igor's help, by arriving early, despite the inherent risk of a public display, of wayward tendencies. ::)

Shambolic effort from me much like the Glen two weeks back, although I enjoyed getting back in the 67s again.

In race 1 I misjudged my braking point for Para on lap 2 and ran into someone, after a reset I got hit again and took a second shift-R. Lapped consistently for the rest of the race and had a good battle with Billy towards the end.

I profited from the mix-up at the start of race 2 and was settling in nicely behind Bernie in 5th or 6th, when I realised I'd got the default set-up. Never mind I thought, keep going to the flag and you should get a decent result, at which point I blew the engine! Didn't seem much point in continuing. Anyway it has whetted my appetite for Privateers next season.

Thanks to Billy for organising a top series, good to see a high turnout last night, let's keeping supporting the Specs as it is great fun.

Race 1 was great fun, with 2 laps to go I'd just pipped Sam after his slide and was leading  ;D
Then Hristo, Sam and myself did half the start finish straight entering the final lap 3 abreast  :o before I finally had to conceed to the slipstreaming blighters and yield into CG. Got a bad exit from Lesmos 2 so couldn't mount a challenge for 2nd even  ::)

Race 2 was shocking!
While sat on the grid I managed to pull my wheel off the desk just before the flag was raised, frantic re-assembly ensued and I had it back on the desk just as the flag dropped and as a result made a less than perfect getaway.
Due to this Bernie flew up my inside forcing me to move left. I stayed in the middle thinking that there must be someone alongside on my right too, I both looked left several times up the run towards CG and checked prib - couldn't see anyone and prib showed the nearest car to the rear at 24yds back so pulled over to give Bernie more room....
And right into Ronnie, our subsequent ballet routine is what then caused the massive start pileup (although I note someone else span further back the grid prior to this aswell).

Massive sorry to Ronnie and to everyone else caught up in the carnage, my fault  :(

Told you before - Pribluda is evil and unreliable!

Race 1 was a very close one, as I was struggling to make the switch to the Lotus driving style in both Qualifying and the initial laps, and just lost it twice in the Lesmos, with the 2nd time leading to a half-spin which allowed Sam and Tim through. The car was understeering somewhat after the impact with the fence, and snap-oversteering under throttle in right-hand corners, so it took me a lap to adapt to that.

Caught up with the two cars in front with 2 laps to go and then made a move on the inside of Sam, following Tim through who was making a pass as well. Sam had a proper slipstream down the s/f straight and as Tim said, we went 3 wide just as we reached the narrowing gap where the oval begins. Sam got so close to my car while I was going next to the grass edge, that it required a complete lack of any steering inputs and any warp whatsoever if we were to avoid contact. Fortunately neither happened and Sam went through into the lead, with me going on the outside of CG and Tim close behind.

I knew my only remaining chance is a good exit from Lesmo 2 so that's what my focus was on, but nearly lost it while following Sam's somewhat unstable car, mirroring his path. Got the slipstream though and had to cross into the grass on the exit of Ascari to avoid lifting up behind his wide Lotus.  ;D

Braked a bit too late for Parabolica on the inside, but luckily Sam went a bit wide as well, so there was enough room for both of us. It compromised our exit speed a little as we were both frantic in our effort to put the power down as early as possible, but I just managed to do it a moment or two before Sam, and cross the line in 1st.

The 2nd race was much less eventful and although I had an off into the bushes on the exit of Lesmo 2 in one of the laps, the reminder of the race was OK and the Eagle handled beautifully. I had a couple of moments with backmarkers cruising slow on the ideal line, but had more of enough gap over 2nd place to play it safe.

Thanks to Billy for a great season, I hope the series stay as they are. They're the only series who can help you learn the different cars and test yourself in a no-handicap environment, so it's a very positive thing IMO.

Race 1 Eagle was a disaster, I was road testing my new racing boots (marks and spencers beddies to you ) and hadn't got fully accustomed  to the new found and softer "feel" of the fur lined inners  ::)

That plus almost nil experience of driving (well I tried ) the Eagle chassis , led to a master class in outbraking oneself , missing apexes , rail riding, blowing engines and T boning other Eagles , sorry whoever it was ? I was trying to read the pit board , looked up and you were parked right in my line of fire .
 
Set a new PB ( for S/R's ) Sorry,  no pit stops made as I couldnt gaurantee to find the brake pedal ! No doubt I will be getting my radio licence endorsed as a result of my actions  ::)

Race 2 was quite enjoyable, lapping with aplomb (look it up ) sorry for the squueze at the startTim but it did ensure me a P4 finish as I inadvertantly eliminated the opposition , must remember that move for next time  ;D

I love the smell of ravioli and chips in the morning

LOL, I looked it up in the race results, thinking it's a driver's name...  ::)

Grats on 4th!

Those two races were terrific fun. I was kind of hoping for a last race victory in this barren season but it was not to be. H was simply astounding in both races, and I had no answer. The first race went well, I thought my Christmas had come early when I saw H fall foul of the Lotus' evil characteristics. Tim was behind closing in slowly but I still had a second gap with 2 laps to go. Soon after I made a small error at the second Lesmo, and H and Tim pounced, demoting me to third with a lap to go.

I decided to just go for it after a great slipstream past the Parabolica and we were three abreast going into the Curva Grande  :o. I have to say, having watched the replay, a big thank you to H. I had no idea I left you so little space being so preoccupied with Tim on my right  ::). We were very lucky to avoid contact. Seems my spatial awareness is still lacking somewhat.

Tim dropped back with half a lap to go, and after approaching Ascari, I purposefully drove a wide line in hope of retaining the inside line for the Parabolica. H wasn't having any of it and made a masterful overtake to force me onto the outside. I thought I might be able to get a slipstream onto the final straight, but my lead foot got the better of me as I applied the power too soon and had to lift to avoid spinning. That gave H the breathing space he needed to cross the line giving him another fine victory.

The 2nd race was much less eventful. I wasn't fond of the Eagle's understeer and set the gear ratios far too conservatively for the race, compromising my acceleration throughout the race. H was long gone, but I still managed to net another 2nd, cementing my 4th in the championship.

A big thanks to everyone for the clean racing, and big thanks to Bill for organising the Spec series this season. Long may UKGPL continue  :thumbup1:

Speaking of 3 abreast into curva grand and parapolica reminded me of this :-

Monza 71

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0VB8Ry5kKjQ (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0VB8Ry5kKjQ)

Some real racing  8)

As a real novice, I enjoyed the races but it shows how far I still have to go... I have cut five seconds off my best at Monza (don't laugh) to get to 1:31.06 but I can't do that consistently but I can lap at 1:32.5 repeatably and yet...

Finished last in both races (apart from retirements) and despite driving better in Race 2 finished worse. At this rate I'll never beat Nigel but at least I've led him for a few laps now ;)

Major respect to all of you speed demons out there. I can neither match your raw pace or your consistency. Despite the fact that I got the Eagle up to 195 mph at Parabolica I was still being eaten up by Lotuses who had a better exit at Lesmo - I think that is where I am giving it up - the exit from Lesmo and Para. Frustrating because I can taste that negative...

Nonetheless, I do feel I am starting to get to grips with the 67's so I went out and set PBs at both Monaco and the 'ring. 1:44 and 10:07 :D Bit of learning still to do methinks.

When I first started GPL it took me an age to go neg at Monza (in the Lotus) , dont give up , it WILL come and you will soon be looking at getting that -ve Rank  :)

Cheers Bernie  :)

You'll get it, that was where I broke my cherry. Monaco and the Green Hell are what hold me back from chewing into my rank, two for the road in the season break I think.

Monza is the dogs danglies for the the 67`s....
I think most people get their first -ve time at Monza, or maybe it was Silverstone for me.. Its that long ago I really cant remember.

Lol, trouble was there were so many cars I couldn't hear anyone to my left, and as I couldn't see anyone either it made sense for prib to be my final check.
I suspect Ronnie had either drawn level with me or had just put his nose in front - although that then begs the question 'how did I not see him?'
Maybe he was using one of those damn Waza cloaking devices  ;D

Could be you fell foul of GPL's limited ability to track following cars . If a lot of cars are alongside and tight bunched GPL gets confused about who's doing what to who  :)

iyswim  ::)

 

No replay?

A little remiss of me. Will try & do it tomorrow.

Replays posted.