UKPnG Season 9 Knock Out Sports Car Cup - Le Mans - Dec 4

[Clive Loynes]

Click HERE for Analyser Report

[Stefan aka Postal]

Glad i could just make the start with these great cars on a fitting track. It was very cool to drive these GT40's around here, together with the pitstops. It seems i was on the wrong tire make (Goodyear) as everybody else was fitting Firestones? Ahwel, i had my fun!

[EvilClive]

as usual for a Thursday I arrived late for this race and barely did a lap before qually started. Still not fully dialled in when the race started and was jumped by a couple of cars off the grid. probably just as well that I was towards the back of the pack and not being a moving hazard in the first few laps.
Slowly got the feel of the car and began to push Phspok to regain a place. I was definitely better on the brakes and needed to get myself into a position to make it count. A couple of abortive attempts on the Mulsanne and eventually I got alongside on the run towards Indianapolis. Once ahead I was able to ease away and started to close on Geoffers and Dan who I could see up ahead. Just as I got within about 1.5 secs they both wimped out and dived into the pits!!

When the pitstops started I was momentarily up to 3rd and my lap times were improving, so I pushed hard towards lap 7 which was when I had planned to do my stop. I thought that I had finally worked out this pitstop routine and was confident that I would get in and out again for the first time in  PnG race.

Well I got in OK, and stopped with my pitcrew. entered the fuel I needed on the pitboard and a change of tyres and the crew went to work.... and worked..... and worked.... cars came into the pits stopped for about 5 secs and went again??!!!  my crew worked on.... and on ... and on. Do I need to switch the engine off I wondered...so I did.. and they continued to work.
After a 3 course meal with Brandy and cigars afterwards the crew chief waved me away and I was now dead last and the only car within 40 seconds was Postal with 4 laps to go. I was enjoying these cars around an iconic circuit and reeled in the only victim in range that I could hope to catch, finally posting a lap time that I had hoped would have been my average for the entire race in the 4:30 range.

Once again pitstops were where I screwed up. But at least I managed to get fuel and tyres and rejoin the race this time.

Grats to John and the podium and to all finishers

[Clive Loynes]

So we got our wish for a GT40 race at Lemans.  A severe test for most of us but John and Federico made light work of it.

I made a good start and passed Federico off the line and had the option of going for the lead into T1 but since that would probably have put John in the gravel I decided, in the interest of the team not to go for it.  

I think that Federico fell over me in the early corners and so I was able to finish lap one in P2.

Having spent the best part of the last week chasing John's TT lap around here, these opening laps seemed very familiar.

It wasn't long before Federico was back on my tail, helped to some extent by my having messed up the entrance to the Porsche curves.  He slip streamed me down the first section of the Mulsanne and nipped in front at the chicane.  I though afterwards that I had been a bit too kind but a) at the speeds these things do you don't want to risk hitting anything and b) he had given me a nice setup for the GT40.  

A lap or so later, he spun at the same spot and I was back into 2nd.  

He was about nine seconds back to start with but then dropped to 48 seconds back and I was beginning to think that 2nd might be a possibility.

What I didn't realise was that the additional gap that I had pulled was down to his having done his pit stop.  This was evident as he swept past whilst I fumbled my pit stop.

I had estimated the fuel just right so that I could do a splash-n-dash at the end of lap nine, not bothering to change tyres.

All went well, apart from the fact that the pit crew were so darn quick that I pressed the starter button before I had remembered to switch the ignition back on.  

I sat there like a lemon before realising what had happened.

Federico went past as I sat there and I didn't get the chance to make it hard work for him.    You cannot imagine how wide my GT40 was going to be on that last lap! 

Anyway, Congrats to both John and Federico.  Thanks to Matt for a great series and am I safe to congratulate Federico and Team7 on their Series wins?  Or is Matt sneaking another one in?

[phspok]

Results and Replay Posted

Congratulations for the Championship placings to:

1st Place = Fede  
2nd Place = Clive Loynes  
3rd Place = Geoffers    

A good end to the season, thanks to all who took part, and hopefully many will return for next year's series
which are in the oven being baked along with the Turkey.  

p.s Championship scores have been slightly altered after incorrect results at Mexico.

[Geoffers]

Bit of a non-event for me. My GT40 setup was obviously total rubbish with lots of understeer & hopeless on the brakes. And I must remember to practice pitstops & not leave it until the last minute.

Got 4th on the grid just under 4.30 by risking everything at the end of qually, but I knew that my race pace was no where near that. So it proved. After a good start & nipping past Fed I promptly understeered wide through the Esses & let him back past again. Then spent the first half of the race in company with Seniordan swapping places a couple of times, but I think he was just having a bit of fun, because he was clearly quicker & was able to take yards out of me on the brakes.

Pitted at the end of lap 5 & that's when things went from bad to worse. Must have messed up when setting my stop on XD because I didn't get any fuel, just the message to say the stop was completed. So had to go around & pit again & do a manual pitboard. This dropped me right to the back of the field & I was too slow & too far behind to recover any places. 

Congrats to John, Fed & Clive 

And congrats to Fed & Clive for 1st & 2nd in the championship. 

And a big THANKS to Matt for the organisation. 

[phspok]

@Evil CLive

I, and maybe others just called in the pits for the regulation 1 litre of fuel minimum.
The tyres could have done with changing as I took the softs, but it was drivable without
and I had fueled up for the distance at the start

[Mark J]

Big congrats to Fede and Clive and Geoffers for the championships podium, well done chaps 

Am reasonably pleased with my 6th place (would have been 5th other than alien johns last round golden 30pts!!) despite my missed rounds. shame I couldn't be there for the finale.

Enjoyed this particular series, well done Matt. 

[johnw]

You always know it's Christmas time when you're racing at Le Mans A bit different from Tony's 2.4 hour GTL marathon a few years ago though.

Thanks Clive for backing off at T1 (I nearly put myself in the gravel anyway!) and for keeping Federico behind for the first couple of laps, meant I didn't have to push dangerously hard at the start. One off at Indianapolis and a couple of scary moments elsewhere still happened despite trying to be careful.

Congrats to Federico for the championship

[fzcfede]

Thanks for the great championship and the company of all.

I did not expect to win the championship after several physical problems and work .
Congratulations to the organizers of the league to change cars and tracks and races with differentimi pitstop 'was a nice IDEAA .

A Lemans I made too many mistakes in qualifying  >:(and in the race and was worse I started with the medium tires  ???I tried to resist but in the corners slid too much (too many errors) and saw the gaps I decided to pit the fourth lap to recover in 2 phase.

Take johnw was too (kudos for the good race pace I had a change too long.) But recovered on Clive for the second position was more feasible .

So in the end I brought home a nice second place .

Congratulations to all.

Hello to the next race I guess I have to skip to another computer error .

Ciaoo the next and congratulations to 2 and place in the league .