UKGTL Season 15 Fifties Endurance - Reims - Jul 27

[BillThomas]

Trying to limp back to pits with a puncture - apologies for the accident just by pit entrance trying to slow car down and brakes bit on left front with puncture tried to get back to pit side but was too late.

[Wiltshire Tony]

So sorry Geoffers and Rog. I didn't realise that you received a DQ for that. I thought the penalty was a stop/go. 

[EvilClive]

Someone swapped cars on me between Qualifying and the Race!!

Either that or I suffered a total brainfart!!

Apologies to anyone who suffered convulsions and stomach cramps through excessive laughter at my madly veering Mazza!  If I had swiftly downed 6 double whiskies to celebrate pole position I could not have been any worse!!

[Wiltshire Tony]

Results and replay now posted.

Remember to vote if you want to see this track in next season's series.

[Bill Grewcock]

Clive put in a stunning quali performance to grab pole so I was quite chuffed to get P2 on the grid since I could not get anywhere near Clive's time. At the race start I got a flyer and grabbed the lead only to run wide at T2 and lose several places   It took several laps to get back in front and then I settled down to maintain the gap to Hayman. At the pitstop I had to do a bit of a shuffle in order to get the pit menu to appear and in the confusion I forgot to take on fuel. I only realised this when I was exiting the pits so another stop was required at the end of the lap   As I rejoined after the second stop I was very surprised to find myself still in P1 with Bob in P2 ... I was expecting Hayman to be in front ! The final few laps were spent trying to maintain the gap to Bob while avoiding abusing the tyres, fortunately this worked out OK and P1 was mine  
Congrats to Bob and Hayman for the podium places and thanks to Tony for the series.

[misnoimis]

I enjoyed the race. I thought the attrition rate would be high if a lot of people picked the Massa so decided to drive cautiously.  It was all going well for me until I ran out of eyesight on the right-hand bend where the setting sun was full in my eyes, turned too soon, got two wheels on the grass and drifted across the road into the dreaded straw bales. (Should have worn my tinted visor). I wasted time re-joining the track then pitted. Also wasted a little time in the pits because I was prompted to replace suspension and repair body. I decided to reject this action and just refuel and change the tyres. A good decision I think as the car was only slightly harder to drive. However the off may have cost me a chance of a better finish. One of these days I may get it right. Happy to finish fourth though.  First half of the race interesting for me. The second was boring, no one to race.Sorry some had misfortunes.

Congrats to winner, podiums and all.  

[chmichel]

It was kind of an interesting Race for me, Having started from fourth, Had a very good Start and lead the race for a few laps till I did a small mistake on T2 and lost my lead, then on the Start/Finish saw Bill's Car (if I'm not mistaken going sideways in the middle of the track couldn't avoid it so we both flew in the middle of nowhere !!!
Luckily I could rejoin the track and fight back, had a fairly interesting fight with misnoimis till lap 15 when I had to pit from P3, While avoiding a car on the entrance of the pits I missed the Pit Entry so I had to do another lap and unfortunately I ran out of fuel 2 meters from the pit entry !!

Congrats to the podium finishers and thx again Tony for an amazing Race !!

C u on the next track !!

[EvilClive]

Grats to Bill and the podium and to all finishers.

It has just dawned on me that GTL gives cars punctures??? 
 
How do I check if I had a puncture?  I ran wide at T1 on the 1st lap trying to avoid any possible tangle with Bill and chmichel who were also having slight navigational problems ahead, so maybe i picked up the puncture there which would account for the total lack of control in the subsequent laps.

The car I had in quali could just be launched out of the slower corners and nailed down the straights, braking in a straight line. The car I had in the race wanted to fire off the track as soon as I touched the gas and even got itself into a tank slapper over the crest on the main straight!! as for braking...forget it!! just not possible in a straight line. it would not turn in smoothly, and would suddenly snap to oversteer. All of which sounds like running on a flat tyre??!!

Another lesson from the GTL gods 

[Erling G-P]

Very nice track this 

Sorely tempting to take the Maserati, as it was clearly fastest, but I didn't want to use my last drive in it here.  Found the 375 to be working well too; the 2nd fastest option for me and the first time I've enjoyed driving this, ahem.. visually challenged car.. 

With nearly everyone else in Maseratis, a good result wouldn't come easy.  However, with the notoriety of the Maserati, I could perhaps upstage a couple, if I could avoid mistakes myself.

Knocked over a ½ sec off my pb in qualy, but still far down the field.  Predictably swapped a few places with faster drivers going off on the first couple of laps.  Later passed Flash rejoining after an off. That was the start of a duel extending over several laps.  What he gained on the straights, I would reclaim through corners and when he went off.  All ended however, when he hit my car while passing in the fastest part of the track. Not a hard hit, but sent me off course, straight into a building.   Car finished and game over! 

Grats to the podium and all who made it to the finish.

Clive, regarding punctures. I've never experienced them unless you hit something really hard.  Usually you will be drawing a black line behind you too - and not be in any doubt something is wrong!  Do believe XD shows it as a grey tyre too (or is that only if the wheel is completely missing ?)  I think tyre pressure is visible in XD too, so at least it should indicate if a tyre is deflated.

Cheers,
Erling

[hayman3131]

Hi Bill

I had to do a second pitstop too........................too fast in pitlane at pitout it showed. I think I was too fast after entry pitlane, some car crusing around there, had to do some manouvers, to get my pitboy. maybe there a little over 50km/h.................that´s why I could not grab  P1

greets hayman

Clive put in a stunning quali performance to grab pole so I was quite chuffed to get P2 on the grid since I could not get anywhere near Clive's time. At the race start I got a flyer and grabbed the lead only to run wide at T2 and lose several places   It took several laps to get back in front and then I settled down to maintain the gap to Hayman. At the pitstop I had to do a bit of a shuffle in order to get the pit menu to appear and in the confusion I forgot to take on fuel. I only realised this when I was exiting the pits so another stop was required at the end of the lap   As I rejoined after the second stop I was very surprised to find myself still in P1 with Bob in P2 ... I was expecting Hayman to be in front ! The final few laps were spent trying to maintain the gap to Bob while avoiding abusing the tyres, fortunately this worked out OK and P1 was mine  
Congrats to Bob and Hayman for the podium places and thanks to Tony for the series.

[Geoffers]

So sorry Geoffers and Rog. I didn't realise that you received a DQ for that. I thought the penalty was a stop/go. 

No worries Tony, I think it was the car in front of you that had taken root! Reason for the DQ was leaving the pits when the red pit exit light was on  . Guess that the light is on until the last car has passed the pit exit, or something, & exiting the pits is forbidden until then.  

[Wiltshire Tony]

I'm still puzzled by this 

The replay shows Michel clearly in the pit area but he received no penalty. The only difference is that You and Roger crossed the yellow line before the pit entry lights and Michel crossed it after.

[Wiltshire Tony]

Fairly un-interesting race for me interupted by my own unforced errors. One off had me skidding for miles across the french countryside on my roof for what seemed like an eternity. Last of the finishers but I'll take that. Spa next 

[EvilClive]

The results board shows that I retired with "Suspension" issues, so maybe it was not a puncture?...But the result was the same!!

[Erling G-P]

The results board shows that I retired with "Suspension" issues, so maybe it was not a puncture?...But the result was the same!!

That could most likely be from the blow that killed your car - did you hit anything before that (and before the car got wobbly) ?

Cheers,
Erling