UKGTL Season 14 British Saloon Car Cup - Oulton Park - Nov 17

[Wiltshire Tony]

Somewhat impressed with my IT skills...or maybe it was Tony's instructions, but I found my way to the other  lobby.

Just a note of uncertainty...I could see the Oulton Park server but it was greyed out???

If in doubt click on it 

[EvilClive]

doh!  yup dat wurks!

But...........................
Race post says Oulton Park Fosters circuit and server has Oulton Park Island loaded??? is this a cunning ploy to confuse me, coz it's working 

[Wiltshire Tony]

doh!  yup dat wurks!

But...........................
Race post says Oulton Park Fosters circuit and server has Oulton Park Island loaded??? is this a cunning ploy to confuse me, coz it's working 

Ah, I wondered who would spot that first. Well done Evil. Race announcement now (cough) amended.

[BillThomas]

Good I noticed this also but preferred the Island version so I kept quiet in hope.  Thanks 

[EvilClive]

I tried both versions quickly once I realised the discrepancy and quite enjoyed both.

 The tight section after Cascades on the Fosters option is fun with those high kerbs and the tight chicane on the Island version.

 Still have not done any serious preparation on setups/car choice etc and that probably won't happen until Monday night just prior to race. I was kind of thinking that the Mini might be good for the tighter Fosters and the comfy arm chair would be good on the longer Island circuit, although previous outings in the Daimler have highlighted a fragile engine and heavy tyre use when it is pushed   ....................

So I am undecided on which car to concentrate on,  which I guess shows that Tony set up a good track/car series and I certainly have enjoyed banging door handles in these tin tops. 

[Erling G-P]

doh!  yup dat wurks!

But...........................
Race post says Oulton Park Fosters circuit and server has Oulton Park Island loaded??? is this a cunning ploy to confuse me, coz it's working 

Ah, I wondered who would spot that first. Well done Evil. Race announcement now (cough) amended.

Hmmm, was sorting car selections for the final 3 rounds based on which car worked best where (for me).  Can you confirm that the final round is indeed Brands Indy, and not one of the longer variants ? 

Cheers,
Erling

[Wiltshire Tony]

Definitely Indy.

Erling, I do apologise if my admin error has caused you any unnecessary wasted praccy mate. I do try my best to get things right all the time but occasionally Mr Upcock   pays a visit and things go a bit astray.  

[Erling G-P]

Definitely Indy.

Erling, I do apologise if my admin error has caused you any unnecessary wasted praccy mate. I do try my best to get things right all the time but occasionally Mr Upcock   pays a visit and things go a bit astray.  

No worries Tony; your hard work keeping all this running is very much appreciated, so a (very) rare slip up is most certainly forgiven 

Besides, as most of the track is the same, earlier praccy isn't wasted - just need to forget a couple of corners and learn a few others instead.. 

Cheers,
Erling

[BillThomas]

Sorry folks, too knackered to drive tonight. 

[Wiltshire Tony]

Sorry folks, too knackered to drive tonight. 

Sorry to hear that Bill but all things considered, probably a wise move. Hope to see you soon tho.

[roguk]

Short race for me blew the engine, hope you guys had a good race.

[Wiltshire Tony]

Results and replay now posted.

That's bad luck Roger.

[Erling G-P]

Shame you couldn't be with us Bill, but probably wisest not to push it.

I just made it home from the cinema myself, after seeing 'Fury'.  Did a new pb in qual; my first - and only - sub 1:43 lap, but obviously couldn't touch the Anglias.  

Maintained 3rd at the start, and then inherited 2nd, as Matt spun off at T1.  Tony hung on for the first few laps, but then slipped back. Sooner than I had hoped, he was replaced by a rapidly gaining Matt.  However, after some laps, the gap seemed to stabilize, and even grow a little one lap.  That gave me hope of being able to challenge for 2nd after all, but not to be. Suddenly it seemed the devil had possessed Matt, when he got a second wind and gained massively on me again.  Wasn't because I was going slowly, as those were some of my fastest laps in the race.   Eventually he got close, and I inadvertently helped him past, by hitting the outside curb at T1 and loosing speed. Tried my best to hang on, but more encounters with the same curb and other mistakes meant I had to settle for 3rd - not that I'm unhappy about that  

Grats to Clive & Matt on convincing drives, and commiserations to Roger with his blown engine.

Cheers,
Erling

[EvilClive]

I think that the Anglia last night was the most comfortable setup I have ever had since I started GTL almost a year ago.  Grats to Matt for his recovery and Erling for sticking in there to claim 3rd. The final round is still going to be fun as all but 1st place is still up for grabs 

I tried the "comfy arm chair" in pre race practice and it was deceptively quick, it seemed to be slow into the corners with all that weight trying to drag it on into the boondocks, but once I got used to putting the power down smoothly on the exits it really did chew lumps off the lap times. I had almost decided to use the Daimler but my driving style ( downshifting a little too early I think) was taking its toll on the engine, so I thought I would try the Anglia and if that was no good maybe even the Mini.

Two laps in the Anglia and I was already faster than the Daimler and I knew that I had not even got close to a "clean" lap. So I spent the rest of practice and qually exploring different braking points and lines in the Anglebox.
Matt was also proving that the Anglia was a quick weapon and I was expecting a late surge from him to take pole. I was anticipating a serious challenge from Matt once the race started, so I tried my best to get a clean start and get to T1 first.
I did risk a glance at Matt in the mirror as we launched off the grid just to check that he was not alongside, but then switched 100% to the apex at T1 and getting a clean exit. Pole gave me the inside line at T1 but offered Matt the true racing line and I was ready for an attack down into cascades if he carried more pace through T1. It never came and a glance in the mirror after Cascades and I was all alone!! Matt had vanished and Erling was already 100mtrs back.
I pushed like hell for the first few laps as I tried to build a nice comfortable gap. The one thing that was just slightly wrong with the setup was the brakes I had to be ultra sensitive on the brake pedal and avoid locking the fronts and ploughing straight on. However, once I got used to feathering the brakes and allowing the car to turn in naturally it was a joy to drive and encouraged me to push for faster and faster laps.

By the end of the race all 4 tyres were still cold and maybe 5% max worn. The wear indicator had hardly moved??  I have to ask if the tyre wear thing was working!!??  Hope I have not inadvertently cheated, because I just cannot see how I could drive that fast and that long and not use more rubber??

Onwards to Brands Hatch and the season finale.............. I might have to bring Arnold and Mabel to that one, but they have been busy helping me draft their full length novel lately

[BillThomas]

Had a busy day trying to slowly get back to a normal life but by evening my energy battery was fully discharged.