2013 Joe Shaw Memorial Trophy

[maddog]

Rindt was an F2 master - he could fling their tails with the best of them.  Took him longer to learn how to finesse an F1.  I remember a young Derek Bell at the Palace, and James Hunt being run off the road exiting the last corner of the last lap, in an F3 race.  There was no run off area, and only small parts of his car crossed the line.

I visited the track a couple of years back, and it's mostly gone.  The front straight has been buried and grassed over, so not even the bare bones show. An International Athletics stadium had expanded alongside the back straight - now a parking area.

Times change, but our computers reassemble the remains.  Coming soon to a monitor near you - Crystal Palace . . . as visited by Royalty! 

[Phil Thornton]

Clocks have moved forward an hour here in the UK.  We are now on British Summer Time (i.e. GMT + 1 Hour).

[kinghiro]

can t make it

[BadBlood]

Decent turn out. Thanks Guys. Engine blew half way round but I managed to trundle round far enough to steal Cookie's place but couldn't quite coast past Art.

Enjoyed it even though I was the tortoise to your hares.

[DLogan]

Good chase with Art in the early goings, got past him twice but messed up last chicane both times, damaged engine the second time so bah all she wrote. Fun til then, thx all.

[Artiglietti]

Well, that was some racing. Er, for the first half of the race...Had a great battle with Dean for the lead, he was clearly faster but I guess the power of the Honda prevented him from passing me on the straights. Some good battling and some very close calls.. Well, actually he did manage to pass,  twice, and twice he went off at the last fast chicane immediately after, the last one I suppose was fatal. Bad luck Dean, we'll resume at Crystal Palace..

Then of course I was left alone, as everyone else seemed to be quite a bit slower. And thats when the dreaded 'micro-napping syndrome of the lonely gpler' stroke...Made a mistake wich left Axel by, no worries though, he duly obliged in exchange a few laps later  . At that point I was cruising toward an easy win in the last few laps, and again fell asleep at the wheel at the same corner which claimed Dean earlier on. Business as usual, the Artiglietti Pantomime all over again   Parked my wreckage on the fence and left it there missing some wheels...

Grats to the winner (Dave I suppose, as he was the one immediately following me), podium and finishers.

Very happy to have taken part to this once again, and glad to see Joe's memory keeps being honored within the means of UKGPL. We do miss you JS.

Thank you for the racing, and a late Happy Easter to all the racers and Joe's family. See you at the next one guys.  

[Phil Thornton]

Managed to bring the car home in once piece despite 4 or 5 excursions onto the grass.  My fastest lap was a decent pace but I wasn't consistent enough to keep the pack in sight.  I too suffered the "lonely GPLer loss of concentration" but that was because I was off the back, not way out in front LOL.

Some good clean racing to honor Joe's memory.  RIP Joe.

[AndyL]

It was a last minute decision to join in this race. I qualified 9th and started the 2nd lap 11th, keeping out of trouble. With about 9 laps to go I passed Andreas when he had a little wobble for 3rd which then became 2nd when Art went off. Dave Rainier was just a few seconds ahead.
On the penultimate lap I had a good run onto the straight and passed Dave, but he held on around the outside of the hairpin and got back ahead. On the last lap I wasn't close enough before the hairpin, but out of the hairpin I had the tow to get alongside into the esses and the inside line to be ahead for the last 2 corners and the finish.
A lot of people had problems and some big names weren't here, but I really didn't expect to be anywhere near the front. It was a race of attrition rather than a fast charge to the finish.
So I had a very enjoyable watch of my replay until 3 corners to go on the last lap when I go up the inside to pass Dave. Well I thought it was clean, I didn't feel a touch and my car doesn't wobble on my replay, but Dave gets thrown to the outside grassy bank as our cars are close. I didn't know until I saw the replay that the pass was contested. Sorry Dave, I really didn't want to win like that.

[liveclive]

It hardly seems a year since we made our small contribution to the memory of Joe Shaw in our first running of this mini series, but here we are again and the competition is sure to be close in these 67 beasts.
Grats to Andy, Dave and Andreas for getting to the podium, it looks like there were a few retirements...myself included.

It was a good grid in memory of Joe. Maybe some of the 100% alien DNA was not represented but there were some very respectable lap times being posted in quali with Art showing some serious commitment in the Waza.

I had selected the Brab as it was a car I have not used much over the years and expected it to be slower on the straight but maybe better in the corners? a few racing laps would give me the answer.
I was therefore a little surprised to post a pole position on race fuel, but maybe not so surprised that Art just pipped me in the last few minutes. Nice one Art

My experience of the Waza suggested that unless Art nailed it just right  he might be vulnerable off the line and GPL had seen fit to give me 2nd spot and the inside line for T1...in a Brabham 
It was better than I expected and I easily got alongside Art to claim the inside line and led towards T2. By the time I got onto the straight and took a good long look in my mirrors, and at prib, I already had a gap back to the Honda.

Hairpin next, and so easy to overshoot on cold tyres, or brake too early and find yourself swamped by the pack with inevitable results. That was to be the scariest part of my race because even though I just about got the hairpin spot on on cold tyres and heavy fuel to emerge with a slightly increased lead...( the disco gremlins had apparently taken a holiday over Easter and their cousins the broken camshaft brothers were house sitting in their place and full of enthusiasm) my race was to end on the run towards the Esses when a bang and sudden silence heralded the demise of the Repco whizzy bits............................Rats!!!!
I had not overreved the Brab, and I cannot remember ever breaking a Repco engine before, so I guess GPL and the gremlins decided it was time??

Still performing open heart surgery on my PC, with the help of a blowlamp and a percussion drill, in the hope that I can evict the disco gremlins permanently. So I am hoping to be at Crystal Palace, which I suspect will be VERY interesting in the 67's and a suitable challenge for round 2 of the Joe Shaw Memorial Trophy.
Let's make it a good one guys.

[Ronniepeterson]

The race was short and sweet for me but I'm glad I made the effort. Big improvement in my PB for the BRM in qualifying so I was well chuffed. Just wish I had tweaked the gears a bit for the race to avoid the inevitable engine failure with my qualy setup. Grats to the podium of Andy, Dave and Andreas and everyone who turned up.

We miss you Joe.

[BadBlood]

Well, I have tried out the Palace and I can get round in under a minute - which is a BIG improvement from last time I was there. I'll see how it goes but I could be a danger to shipping out there and in practice I seem to spend most of the time facing backwards. T1 is a nightmare... how the hell anyone goes round in less than 55 secs I do not know...

[maddog]

Under 55 seconds requires you get out of 2nd gear.  This is a place where a slow driver can't really get out of the way.  There could be tears if it's destined to be an open race, with no resets.   And no practice server as of now, to help iron out the kinks with.

[liveclive]

WR is under 50 secs??  I cannot find the shortcut no matter how hard I try 

[maddog]

Did you try - start/finish straight - pit lane - start/finish straight - that's almost a full lap?

[Ronniepeterson]

Do we race tonight?