UKGPL Season 24 (2013) Extra Trophy (69X) - Monza - Mar 8

[Philippe Girard]

Hi

I'm very happy, this is my first win on GPL !

Thx for your congrats, ...and "rendez-vous" to Kyalami !

Phil

[Artiglietti]

Ok guys, I had a look at the replay yesterday night and I think something needs to be said. My final crash with Piero Mercaldo was a carbon copy of similar moves he put on Hristo in the previous laps, sliding out of control on the outside when going two abreast into a corner. I almost never report incidents occurring during a race, as I know how easy it is to make a mistake in racing situations. But here theres a clear pattern and I really think it should be looked into by the Mods if we want to be (relatively) serious about this. I hope Hristo reports his incidents as well, if he doesnt I will, as I kind of had enough.

The Marco Mercaldo/Hristo incident (lap 19) is a stunt which is beyond belief and would deserve exclusion from the race. Didnt we have in-series penalties, where have they gone?!?

As for the L1 incident, as stated above, it is true I should have seen Bob disappearing in my mirrors, and I didnt, but it is also true he is braking so late and hard at Lesmo 2, in order to somehow make the corner, that he spins by himself...

I do accept mistakes and misjudgments are part of the game, I make many myself for a start. But it is really starting to piss me off that each time i decide to allocate a couple of hrs of my time to have a race, I have to do it in the hope that that evening I will be fortunate enough to actually have a race at all, by escaping the regular display of stupidity given by people who casually pick a car and go for a spin and a dive, just because they really couldnt think at anything better to do with their evening. I know this is harsh, but guys it is really just about every single race. This is simply unrespectful of other people's time.

[Hristo Itchov]

I sent 3 reports for Marco, but I didn't report Piero's driving because I avoided being hit by him, so feel free to report your situation, Art.

As for driving standards, sure, mistakes happen, but when someone drives aggressively all the time and takes unnecessary risks, putting 2 or more cars under risk of contact, it's unacceptable. When a driver is forced to keep his eyes on his mirrors to make sure he opens the door to avoid being rearended, it becomes ugly and unpleasant. The problem is, how am I supposed to report a situation where no contact was made because I was aware of it to the extent where I moved away and avoided getting hit? Can we report such situations at all, how are they going to be judged? It turns out that unless you let yourself be hit, you can't really demand a punishment for the one who's driving without respect or awareness. I'm not saying such people drive like that with bad intentions in mind, but even if it happens for lack of spatial awareness, it should be punished somehow so they can see their mistakes and try to improve.

And another thing is, people really need to learn when it's OK to attack and when not, because attacking in absolutely every corner, disregarding optimal lines and speed, disregarding competitors nearby, is very inefficient and even if you gain a position, it's pointless if you don't keep it afterwards. With tracks like Monza, that's what happens because of slipstream, very similar to an oval race, so what is really the point of driving like a maniac, weave, block and attack everywhere, instead of tactically bidding your time for an attack at the right moment? I seriously doubt those who we're blaming would take the time to read, understand and think on this topic, but it has to be said openly because it's just frustrating.

[Artiglietti]

I think the rules imply the 'avoiding action' element. I watched the replay of those final laps between you and Piero after the race, and theres at least two occasions (I think both at Lesmo), where you are actually forced to lift and go wide to avoid his car. That can be reported and sanctioned I think. In the other occasions, when you were going wide at Lesmo1 or Curva Grande, to make room for a possible attack, it is more difficult, but if someone looks at the entire replay of those laps, they are part of a general attitude that is easy to recognise.

People will not read these posts if nothing draws their attention to them, but if they have to miss qually next race, or do a S&G, they will end up taking notice...where are those in-series penalties? Also, these behaviours might not imply bad intentions, but certainly they do expose a very superficial attitude; as I said before, we all allocate time for this, and that should be respected.

As for the lack of racing strategy, fully agree, but thats another topic I suppose. Actually it came handy to me in this case, as I could easily keep in touch while you two were busy squabbling ahead...

[Hristo Itchov]

I think the rules imply the 'avoiding action' element. I watched the replay of those final laps between you and Piero after the race, and theres at least two occasions (I think both at Lesmo), where you are actually forced to lift and go wide to avoid his car. That can be reported and sanctioned I think. In the other occasions, when you were going wide at Lesmo1 or Curva Grande, to make room for a possible attack, it is more difficult, but if someone looks at the entire replay of those laps, they are part of a general attitude that is easy to recognise.

People will not read these posts if nothing draws their attention to them, but if they have to miss qually next race, or do a S&G, they will end up taking notice...where are those in-series penalties? Also, these behaviours might not imply bad intentions, but certainly they do expose a very superficial attitude; as I said before, we all allocate time for this, and that should be respected.

As for the lack of racing strategy, fully agree, but thats another topic I suppose. Actually it came handy to me in this case, as I could easily keep in touch while you two were busy squabbling ahead...

Yes, it was mostly in the Lesmos where I could see he was braking too late and I just felt there was going to be contact if I choose to take a normal line, even though I was actually in front of him and he just braked too late, but also in the situations where he was on the inside and I felt he won't be able to keep the inside line very well (and I suppose it becomes clear on the replay). In the other situations you mentioned, it's because he went into my blind spot or I did not have the opportunity to clearly follow his position in my mirrors while trying to drive on the limit, so it was more a case of being safe than sorry. What I know though, is drivers like Evil or myself would never risk it like that and rely on the driver in front to make way, it's not sportive in my opinion, and neither it is efficient.

As for keeping up with us, of course, after losing my 10 seconds lead and with Piero's over-aggressive driving, I just had to play along with his approach, especially since he was too slow when in front and I couldn't just follow behind, it would have cost me even more time. I was a bit surprised you were lacking so much speed overall though, otherwise it would have been even more intense, if that's possible lol.

[Cookie]

IMO we should do the LIGHT's races in PRO mode...

When I saw the cars flying high in Lesmo2 I tried to be carefull and to avoid the carnage, but the cars behind seemed not as defensive.
Blocked by a wrecked car I had to wait very long until I could move on with a slightly damaged car.

Had the low BW settings made them not see what happened?
(On UKGPL_8 I consequently use 84/384, what should be the standard)

No chance to get in contact with the front I had a race that was not very enjoyable and when my engine blew in lap 27 I had lost my concentration

It's a shame to have such a race on a track with lots of potential for maximum fun!

[Ronniepeterson]

This Lights race was a joke.

From the idiots up front wanting to win the race on the first lap to the idiots at the back rejoining during the race with no thought for those following behind it demonstrated everything which has been bad this season across a few of the championships. Even I cannot say I was blameless.

It was also bizarre; Hendy how on earth did you transform your car from a flaming fireball minus at least one wheel to a perfectly functioning car the next second without a shift-r?

[Geoff65]

Had a great car setup, bar the gearbox which was just one click too long in top. Apart from that, I could put it anywhere on the track that I wanted...any time, and at any speed. Pity the driving left a bit to be desired...
Sorry Dave for clipping you in that clumsy spin out of Lesmo 2. I thought it best to wait til you got going then follow off. Caught up the pack again, then a few laps later had a brain fade and put it in the beach at Para then firmly wedged in the fence. Reset, s 'n g yada yada yada and a lonely race til the last couple when I caught Bernie and Francesco. Thanks Bernie for doing the gentlemanly thing. And Fran, into Curva Grande on the last lap...you had to know I was right beside you, surely? Turning into me was not a good deal. Lucky for me warp kicked you into the fence
as my car wasn't upset in any way...I didn't even know you weren't there til I saw the replay. Congrats Phil on your maiden UKGPL victory..and well done Dave for bringing home P2.
Geoff.

Edit: Johnny P....why did you select the slowest bucket in the mod to drive?....Honestly, a unicyle with one wheel missing would be just slightly slower!!...

[liveclive]

Not that it mattered much, lesmo 2 became a scrap metal dealers heaven on lap 1 and my race was over. /

Errr - you do have one Shift/R

I guess I am just so used to PRO races that I never think about a Shift-R and hit the ESc button to clear the track quickly as a matter of habit. I take the view that if I am out of the race, then I am out of the race whether it is my fault or not just as in real life racing.

TBH in races with fast drivers, such as we had here, one is unlikely to recover from a reset and SnG  to get back into the serious action.
 I do not mean that I am giving up just because I cannot win, but driving 30 odd laps around Monza on your own without any close combat is kinda boring?

[Johnny.P]

Hindsight is a wonderful thing- it was my first time out in the 69's and none too pleasant at that. I did a few laps but headed for the pits so not to ruin anyone's race. It is still surprising that there is such a chasm in performance between some of the cars.

[AnGex]

The first lap will be fully moderated within the red zone. The red zone will extend to the whole of the first lap.

Even that won´t stop people doing such things...

My shift-R brings me nothing, because GPL thought it is a good idea to put Tristan´s Matra directly in front of my own car. So I had no choice but to hit him with about 25km/h. That was then good enough to brake my motor and set my car in flames. Frustrating.
So I think I am with Axel in doing the LIGHTS in PRO mode.

[Artiglietti]

Lol, I see everyone seems to be pissed off at someone, maybe PRO rules are a good idea after all? I would also rehiterate that we seemed to have introduced in-series penalties after long discussions, and I think they are a very good idea, as penalty points dont do the trick. But for some reason they never seem to have kicked in..

As for keeping up with us, of course, after losing my 10 seconds lead and with Piero's over-aggressive driving, I just had to play along with his approach, especially since he was too slow when in front and I couldn't just follow behind, it would have cost me even more time. I was a bit surprised you were lacking so much speed overall though, otherwise it would have been even more intense, if that's possible lol.

I was slowly reeling in Piero's Matra, once he finally lost your tow some 10 laps into the race. When I came across (almost literally.. ) your car, I was actually happy to let you past, tuck in behind and take the fast train to a second chance at the front . Not sure why I was so slow during the race though, as I had tested the different wings in practice and the difference wasnt more than a couple of tenths really. I suppose the low wings/extended 5th gear combo killed my exit of Curva Grande, and I was certainly not very confident going into Parabolica for a good part of the race. Still surprising though, as I was really pushing to catch Piero, and I couldnt even break into the 26s with half the fuel gone...I probably didnt know the car enough with this different setup, which made it more tricky to drive, all those wings can spoil you for grip  .

[Piero Mercaldo]

The problem is that I work one hour a week and when I come to run in the league happens that I often find myself in front in qualifying, but I do not have to setup adequate competition.
Yesterday I just wanted to get to the end but the crowds in the grandstands of Monza I lit the passion ..

If disturbance tell that I have no problem to stop.

Hello

[MagicArsouille]

hi
...well unlucky in lap one.....I nearly avoid the car who spinn in front of me .....and just a little contact send me on the roof !...then I can't do anything but do S&R till GPL axepted me on track , till this time , hav'been hurt 4 or 5 times !.....then after a long time I restart and do my S&G in the next lap ....but all chances to see the lead are gones .....
 ....next time maybe !....

....BRAVO PHILIPPE ....FIRST VICTORY IN 69X 

[Rainier]

Hindsight is a wonderful thing- it was my first time out in the 69's and none too pleasant at that. I did a few laps but headed for the pits so not to ruin anyone's race. It is still surprising that there is such a chasm in performance between some of the cars.

Strange idea to choose the Eagle in mod69X. This is from far the slowest car in this mod !
Remember it was a private car which has nothing to do with the brillant Gurney's Eagle from 67.
All the 69X cars with no wings are completely out raced.
Except maybe the Cooper which is not so bad in Monza.