UKGTL Season 15 Fifties Endurance - Sachsenring - Oct 5

[Bill Grewcock]

AAARRRGGGGHHHHH ... cruising comfortably with just a couple of laps to go and ... DISCONNECT 

[Wiltshire Tony]

Results and replay now posted, well done all finishers!

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

[chmichel]

Had a good qualification  5th on the grid  and a fairly good start and at the start of L3 on T1 dunno what happened with the car it started sliding left and right and I got on the grass and I found my self in a ditch that turned out to be a railway !!!!   

I tried to get out but in vain I got stuck and blew my V12 

Congrats to the winners and hope to see u in the next race 

[Wiltshire Tony]

I would never of known that there was a railway track there. Thanks for sharing 

[SpecialKS]

Had a good qualification  5th on the grid  and a fairly good start and at the start of L3 on T1 dunno what happened with the car it started sliding left and right and I got on the grass and I found my self in a ditch that turned out to be a railway !!!!   

I tried to get out but in vain I got stuck and blew my V12 

Congrats to the winners and hope to see u in the next race 

Failed at the same place as chmichel - there are two possibilities to end on a railway on this track.
This second one I did not know until tonight 

[chmichel]

Unfortunately the train never showed up to pick me up   

[Geoffers]

Don't seem to do very well at these enduros  . Crashed out on lap 1 this time. I have now managed the fantastic total of 3 laps in the last three I have done 

[Erling G-P]

Loved the track; it definitely gets my vote.  Only two cars left to choose between. Learned the track in the Jag, and after lots of practice got a 2:56.7 lap.  With not so much practice, I got a 2:54 out of the Aston, but decided to stay with the Jag.  Braking required a feather light touch on my vintage tyres, to avoid locking the wheels, except for the two places where you brake uphill. In the first, you start by light braking downhill, and then hit them hard when the track suddenly swings upwards. In the other you start by slamming them on, and then release most of the pressure as you crest the hill.  Great stuff if you got it right (which you pretty much HAD to, in order not to plough straigh into a wall..  )

Never got a clear lap in qual, and thus couldn't match my offline best. Shortly after the start, Roger squeezed in front of me from the left. Couldn't avoid contact, and he spun unfortunately.  In the moment, I didn't think it was my fault, so didn't wait. Sorry Roger, after seeing the replay, it's possible I could have avoided it if I had slammed on the brakes immediatedly. Please file a report if you feel it was my fault.

Was 6th after L1, chasing Michel. He overshot at the notorius left-hander, where there were invisible walls in the landscape to the right of the track. They deflected him back on track at 90 deg, straight into the side of my car. Luckily, it stayed both on course and on track.  Next had a dice with Clive. Would like to think it was the pressure I put on him, that eventually made him spin, but he probably did it all on his own 

Now 4th, which was upgraded to 3rd with Matt's untimely exit, I slowly reeled in Bob. Caught him as he did his pitstop, inheriting 2nd.  Seemed like a long stop, so I figured he changed tyres. I planned not to, so hoped I could stay ahead after my own stop after lap 14. Rejoined about 30 secs ahead of him, which is roughly what it takes to change tyres.  Gap held to the end, and my position was again upgraded when Bill disco'ed.

Given the grid, I never expected a (not very well deserved) win. Commiserations to all who met with misfortune; especially Matt & Bill G, for disconnects while leading.
Grats to all who finished and thanks to Tony for a great track choice.

Cheers,
Erling

[Wiltshire Tony]

Nice looking grid at the start, just a shame we lost a few quite early on. This track has so many ways it will punish you if you deviate from the track to much. But it has such great flowing and fast sections it's all to easy to push a little too hard and pay the price by ending up in someones front garden or on a railway line! I had some nice chases but mainly I was on my own, watching the times guys in front and behind me were putting in. Only had one bad moment..........at the bottom of that hill after the town where there is a left/right bend and all those car destroying hay bales. Went off there at speed, drove between bales but was flipped over by some contact with something, but survived to fight on with little to no damage. Finish position was flattering due to the misfortune of others, bad luck guys.

[EvilClive]

Once again very little preparation for this race.
Luckily I knew the layout of the track from GPL, although NOT knowing how the cars would handle made it an adventure. Decided to play ( what I thought was) safe and opted for the Fez 250 even though the bigger brother 375 was certainly faster.
The plan was to run carefully and just stop for fuel, hoping to make the tyres last the whole race in a car that was not exactly brimming over with "torques".

That all went out of the window when I found myself in 4th place a few hundred metres from the start !! I guess it was easier to get the few horses that I had under the bonnet working their collective hooves ??
I should have resisted the urge to push hard and concentrated on the whole race plan, but you know how it is, the smell of champagne and the kiss from a pretty girl??

I held off Oldgeezer (?) for a lap or two, but that Monster Mazzer was going to pass me somewhere for sure, so when I saw him coming I just eased over and let him pass.
Things were going quite well as a few cars ahead dropped out, but then I made a very hard contact with a kerb going through the town section and I think we bent something important  Actually I had the distinct impression that I had left part of the suspension lying in the road!!!
Getting the power down became a lottery, and I could compare directional control to steering a supertanker with a teaspoon!!
When Erling caught me I tried my hardest to keep him behind ( I thought he might appreciate the challenge?  )but at top speed threading that car between the green bits was a nightmare and I put a rear wheel on the grass and .....

I was trying to get to the pitstop window and would have opted for some repairs in order to continue, but the wonky suspension had other ideas and a series of spins, demolished several signs and garden fences until the poor battered hulk expired.
Grats to the finishers and to Erling on getting the Jag onto the top step of the podium.

[Bob M.]

Great race for me to finish on the podium again in this endurance series.  The smaller Maserati was a good car for this track after I worked out a set-up to tame it.  Took it easy in the corners, but on the straights it hauled butt.  The few times some one was around me, after going through the village,  it was way faster than  the rest of the cars and they got real small in the mirror on the straights.  The car got me the finish that's for sure.  Sorry that we lost so many cars due to disco and crashes. I had a few "pucker" moments but they were all glancing scuffs to walls and hay bales.  Will have to mark this track for next season.

Oldgeezer///Bob M.

BTW--If you can't get enough of GTL, Dom over on NoGrip is running a series useing the F-1 tracks and using the IMSA type cars we use, plus a couple..  Starting this Wednsday and every other week.  Don't ban me for this shameless advertisement please...........
http://www.nogripracing.com/forum/showthread.php?t=352663   

[BillThomas]

In many practice laps knock the little white posts over like nine pins whole rows of them. In race I clipped one and wrecked my suspension, also broke engine.

[Wiltshire Tony]

BTW--If you can't get enough of GTL, Dom over on NoGrip is running a series useing the F-1 tracks and using the IMSA type cars we use, plus a couple..  Starting this Wednsday and every other week.  Don't ban me for this shameless advertisement please...........
http://www.nogripracing.com/forum/showthread.php?t=352663   

Absolute disgrace  https://www.simracing.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=13341.msg240532#msg240532 

[SpecialKS]

Results


Lasted longer than expected, but I was not competitive although I like some parts of the track  

[roguk]

Vaguely new this track from long time ago in GPL in the old f2 cars and remembered how difficult it was, ruined my start by slow lift off then car took off like a rocket and tried to take Erling out ( not your fault Erling ) and ended up spinning off, slowly made my way back up mainly do to others misfortunes, pitted okay but forgot to tell mechanics no repair, so watched Bob M and Tony exit pits before me, passed Tony when he had a slight off but Bob M was a speck in the distance.  

Grats to Erling on win

Grats to Bob M on 2nd

  
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