UKGTL - Season 0-C (GTC-TC-76) - Round 4, Hockenheim Short - Feb 24

[Simon Gymer]

UKGTL - Season 0-C (GTC-TC-76) - Round 4 at Hockenheim Short

Please make sure you have read at least the Driving Standards section of the SimRacing rules before racing.

Date: Friday 24th February

Practice 1: 8:30pm (15 mins)
Qual 2: 8:45pm (25 mins)
Race: 9:10pm (30 mins - 24 laps)

Cars allowed: Any GTC-TC-76 Class car + GTC65 GT40.
Track: Hockenheim Short
Time of Day Setting: 11:00
Start Procedure: Pace lap led by pole sitter. See this section of the rules on rolling starts. Average speed may need to be reduced from GTR to GTL, but we'll play that by ear.

Server: SimRacing.co.uk (UKGTL)
Password: usual practice password

See UKGTL Season 0 Announcement post for extra information on Season 0.

Race incidents should be reported by PM to Locutos as indicated in this thread...
https://www.simracing.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=1101.0

[Simon Gymer]

As a test for the last two Season 0-C races, we are going to allow the GT40 entrance into the 76 class racing. It will initially get a 3.0 multiplier on the points scoring so a nice encouragement to take it. The idea is that we want to see if it's up to racing with the 76 cars as it's clearly a pain in the GTC65 classes and from the lap times it looks like it could be a suitable car for the cars in the 3.0 multiplier section of the 76 cars. The multiplier can be changed afterwards if it's too much.

[Jamera]

Hmmmm, could well be worth a punt then tonight, though I think I've just gotta take the Pantera for Spa 

[Jeffrey]

BMW Schnitzer   1:13.426
Pantera             1:11.643
Capri                 1:11.732
Escort               1:13.171
906                  1:11.675
914                  1:13.065
GT40                1:14.753

Guess I was wrong about the GT40, atleast for this track. I can't get it to go around fast. The 906 is very very easy to drive here, and the 914 is a good option if there are not many 1:11 or 1:12 times.

[Clarey]

Not raced on GTL for a while, so i'm having a practice now..........Simracing_PRACTICE in the lobby, usual password.

If the main server gets full, i'll leave it going (not sure being a friday night how busy it will get?)

[will16v]

whats the password to get in??

[will16v]

just seen it..doh!

[fozzmeister]

tried to show for this, ended up in ghost track yet again, I don't think ive got into a SimBin game on first attempt for at least a year now. Givin up, had enuf, pile of sh*te lobby / game combination.

Fozz

[EdamSpeed]

What ISP are you on, Fozz?

Really sorry to everyone on that server tonight. I was driving like a complete ****. I got a bit of a tap on the 2nd corner, spun in front of just about everyone, then the car wouldn't handle right after that. Kept wanting to turn left in the latter stages.

Apologies particularly to whoever I hit after I spun towards the end of the race. I did glance to the left before rejoining, but just didn't see you.

I guess I was surprised about how competitive I was in qually. Too bad I couldn't hold it together during the race 

[PaulW]

Shame Fozz- if you install it on another PC does it do the same?

Really enjoyed that. Qualified 10th in the tank (aka heavy BMW) and then proceeded to spin on the formation lap! A pile up on lap one though saw me with an obvious gap to go through and, by some fluke I was back in 10th again

Sorry to Jam for a poor attempt at outbreaking you. I knew I had just a smidge more pace on that track but should have realised heavy BM vs light BM wasn't going to work. Fairly uneventful rest of the race with a few overtakes and LOTS of sideways action 

I really like the BMW's but I'm not sure why! They've got terrible understeer and need to be driven more like the heavy American cars in order to get around corners, and yet I just love the sure footedness of them and the superb engine note.

[Simon Gymer]

Another exciting race, really really hard work that Pantera and went quicker in race than qualifying with some last minute setup changes. Didn't realise just how long that car takes to warm up the tyres. It takes a different style to get that car to do what you want and it's difficult just hopping in and going for it, certainyl took me a while to get used to it again.

There was a melee on lap 1 when someone spun or had incident at the front of the grid cause chaos for the rest of the pack, cars going all sorts of directions no idea what was going on. I got unlucky and got spun round and had to rejoin near the tail-end of the field (again, after Donington where I lost it early on and had to work my way back up I at least had the practice). It's quite interesting re-learning my old passing techniques and certainly in 76 because of the wierd differences in the cars, the best ploy seems to be to hang back and then get a run before a corner, take more corner speed and power past rather than try it on the brakes.

The track was ok, not really a big problem, but the 76s cars were definately wanting more lenghthy bits to stretch their legs, still not as bad as I thought it might have been and there wasn't really a problem overtaking. Spa will be a stark contrast to that. Corvette maybe, tempted by the GT40 with the nice multiplier though or even the Snitzer.

[Jeffrey]

This race started good, qualified in 6th in the 914 with a time of 1:12.7xx
But this is the last time I'm gonna take the 914, it's no fun for me, doesn't suit my drivingstyle.
I set my setup completely for oversteer, maximizing everything, but that was useless after the second corner.
I don't know what happened, but there was a huge pile up in the second corner. Smoke everywhere...dodging the first car, and the second one, and then...out of nowhere, there was a Capri which I couldn't avoid anymore. I think it was Edamspeed because I saw him driving without a splitter. So already in T2 I lost my front splitter, rearbumper and all my lights. And that rendered my setup useless and I only drove 1:14's high 13's maybe, which is very very bad.
The other problem was for me that this car has no weapon. I lost very much on the straight, and in the corners it's not good enough to try something (and risk a crash).
I really had to work hard this race, my car was completely out of balance and taking the kerb in T1 was a hell.
For the first half of  the race I was driving 6th behind a 906 and Pero, keeping up with them quite good. But then the guys that were in the T2 crash started coming up again. Shark, Gymer, Edamspeed etc al overtaking me with no problems at all. I couldn't counter attack them so I was just falling down the ladder.
After Edamspeed overtook me he flew of pretty hard (might wanne check with the doctor mate, can't use more crazy penguins here  ). And now I had a pretty good lead with the guy behind me.
In my head I was thinking it was 27 laps, because I did 29 laps of fuel in it. So when Gymer came very close again in the 24th laps I just though: "There goes another place".
I tried the same with the slowing down at the apex and hoping that I could hold him of in T1, but that wasn't necessary anymore, becasue the race was over .
Afterwards it's good that Gymer also had no idea he was in the last lap, or else he probably would have overtaken me, kicking me back a spot.
The race didn't have many crashes from my point of view, Anderstorp North was a lot worst.

Now off to Spa, a track that I haven't driven alot, so I'm in for a shock.

[Pero_Grozni]

I guess I was the only one with the balls to take out the GT40   and it turned out to be a interesting(as in difficult) choice. If the first race lap incident wouldnt have happened I woulnt have had any chance to get even close to the position I finnished the race in. I acctually belive I would have lost a few places.
It was hard to keep on going over the limmit all of the time - especially as I had to get the oprimum drive out of corners everytime so that I was able to keep my position.
The one thing the Gt40 had to offer was good acceleration. I was able to just hold off 906's, but was powerless against a Pantera. I didnt encounter any Capri's so I have no idea if I could out accelerate them - most probably not. In the corners I was slow - I couldnt do anything with my tires which offer lots less grip due than the 76 tires. Most dreadfull were the brakes - I was always loosing massivly on the brakes. And soon the tires and the brakes started to get cooked and the car started to move around alot. Had a few scary sideways moments which were hard to catch. Deffinitly a highest multiplier car as I was slower than the 914 and also had much more problems with overheating during the race. As far as I know Jeff had lost his splitter on the first lap and was therefore off his race pace with the 914.
Maybe the GT40 should just remain out of the 76 class - it is so different in handling that it might be considered a bit unsafe as the braking and cornering differences are huge and due to its acceleration it is hard to pass than.

[Dave 'Gizmo' Gymer]

Well, that was a roller coaster of a ride! Qualified 4th with a pretty good lap considering I hadn't driven that combination of track and car until about 80 minutes before the race.

Start seemed okay from near the front, what was it like further back?

Managed to avoid the first spinner in the big lap 1 incident but then came across the second one and had absolutely no chance to avoid the Capri. Squish, back to 9th or so. Had a lot of fun carving back through the field until I got to Ruskus, I don't suppose I'll ever get to overtake you again, Jeff, that 914 looked like it was constantly teetering on the brink of falling off. Finally muscled my way past, needing some breathing space from Shark who was all over me like a bad suit in the hairy scarey Pantera.

Managed to catch up with Pero, the GT40 was quick in a straight line but not so much, especially on this short track, that it could stay ahead of the 906. Pero was jittering tremendously - my connection seemed okay tonight, not sure what happened. Anyway, I finally got properly alongside into the last turn only to spear off to the right and way down to 10th or so. Not sure if we touched or I just got loose - the 906 does seem quite prone to lift throttle oversteer so possibly I just lifted off. I guess the replay will explain. Like Pero I'm not convinced the GT40 belongs in this class, but for sure that track doesn't suit it.

Anyway, I thought that would ruin the race but I set about carving my way back up the field and just a few laps from the end I was once again closing in fast on Ruskus and the orange 914. Was concentrating too hard on the task in hand, thought I had one more lap than I did, and wasted a chance to take the place.

I'm really enjoying the short track races. Watkins Glen was my favourite track in GPL so I guess that's not really a surprise.

Well done Locutos, great win and there was no way I could get anywhere near your pace in the 906.

[fozzmeister]

Thanks for the queries/offers guys, just cant arsed no more, I've had more than enuf SimBin pain for one lifetime, at least thats what I feel like now, particularly as I've had a few solid-as-a-rock rF games in a row now.