GT Sprint - S3 R1 - Barcelona - 18th April

[Zacari]

It was a very slow snake with no room to burn some energy into the tyres.  

Surely that's what it's supposed to be   I was quite impressed with the pace lap from 13th.  In fact I'd go as far as to say it was the steadiest pace lap I've ever had in GTR.

[Simon Gymer]

Pace lap is meant to be slow. Actually the best way to get heat into your tyres is 1st gear wheel spin, scrubbing the front tyres with weaving (yes it does work if you do it hard enough) and trail braking to get heat in the brakes.

Just part of racing Mark to have to drive on cold tyres.

[Zacari]

One thing someone did do last night was to use my UK065 Ferrari skin, which I'd rather didn't happen again even though I'm not currently using it.

[Aagramn]

Thought the pace lap was fine. It was very steady which reduced the concertina effect, which reduces the risk of silly bumps.

It took a lot of concentration and it was me that was gone (exhausted) at the end and not the tyres .

I'll remember that in future. Wear rate of SBG > wear rate of tyres. 

[Dave 'Gizmo' Gymer]

One thing someone did do last night was to use my UK065 Ferrari skin, which I'd rather didn't happen again even though I'm not currently using it.

Colin P I publicly tut my wiggliest finger at you! 

[LEUVEN]

That race was a bit of a double edged sword for me,

Out of the few laps practice I had done I was really struggling to get anywhere near my PB, then in Qually I got a new PB and started just behind my teammates
Race was going fine untill IIRC I outbraked myself slightly, costing a couple of places.
Then as I coght the cars infront of me I had to take avoiding action because of different corner entry speeds between me and another car, nobodys fault but a shame nonetheless.

Managed to pull back up the leaderboard........again
and caught up to Shark. Funnily enough Shark as you said you picked up your pace I could actually tell that you had done that because you were driving extra well in the most important places, (last section on to the S/F straight especially )
I remember at one point I just about overtook you on the S/F straight but I couldnt see my brake marker so decided to just brake and not risk it.  

After quite a few gruelling, but at the same time fun laps I got passed and tried to drop you. WHich wasnt easy , Once I did though I was set on hunting greg down who I think was leading at the time.

That started to work for all of about 2 laps, untill my rear chocolates melted and I spun and lost the wing and had a flat chocolate. .....End of race as I had to get toed out of the gravel :'(

Was a good race but could have been so much better especially as we (CBFR) could have occupied all podium places :'(.......................maybe next time, ...hopefully unlucky guys , the season can only get better eh!

[LEUVEN]

Pace lap is meant to be slow. Actually the best way to get heat into your tyres is 1st gear wheel spin, scrubbing the front tyres with weaving (yes it does work if you do it hard enough) and trail braking to get heat in the brakes.

Just part of racing Mark to have to drive on cold tyres.

I wonder if GTR actually simulates glazing? as draging the brakes can cause this in real life and most of us do this on the formation lap it would be interesting to know

[Dave 'Gizmo' Gymer]

I wonder if GTR actually simulates glazing? as draging the brakes can cause this in real life and most of us do this on the formation lap it would be interesting to know

Tis a good question - I'm pretty sure GTL doesn't so probably not GTR either. I tend to bounce rapidly between throttle and brakes, not enough to change speed much (don't want the guy behind running into me!) but enough to get heat in, but in real life I reckon that would probably glaze the pads too as their wouldn't be enough airflow to cool them between between prods.

[Rich_A]

Yes was a shame but never mind live and learn. We pulled a decent gap too but it usually always ends in tears pushing that hard.. really we should have just chilled out and enjoy the ride, finish 1,2,3 and say thankyou very much.. job well done lets pack up and go home.

Anyhow didn't happen. One thing I noticed from replay Leuv was that you making lot of sparks almost every turn in braking. I can hear it when it bottoms out, makes a horrible crunching sound. I put 2.5cm - 3.0cm of packers in for Barcelona using 6.5 ride height. It never bottoms out cause I checked many replays of my hotlaps.. if it does I keep putting packers in till it stops. The odd spark is fine if I miss time something or miss judge where weight is, but mostly if you watch me i'm as clean as a whistle.

Of course, bottoming out totally disturbs the handling. Remember, it's better to hit a packer than hit the track! Sure there's less suspension travel but it only takes few laps to become familiar with it.

Rant over.

[Adam Parle]

Right - finished with all the ante-natal classes so I'll be racing in the next one (assuming the wife doesn't do anything inconvenient like go into labour!!).

[fozzmeister]

Im of the belief that you should set your car up for one bottom out per lap, then stop it doing it with packers.

[Dave 'Gizmo' Gymer]

Im of the belief that you should set your car up for one bottom out per lap, then stop it doing it with packers.

You should only be on the packers in a straight line, though. If you touch them in the corners your careful choices of spring and damper rates go out the window. I doubt that anything but a top-flight single seater has enough downforce to make riding on the packers a sensible setup criterion.

[Simon Gymer]

I don't believe in bottoming out cars at all. The only track I bottom out is Monza and it's virtually impossible to stop it down the back straight there. I prefer increasing the ride height over many of my fellow competitors, makes the car more predictable when you know you aren't going to hit the undertray if you get too much curb or whatever.

Each to their own, a lot depends on how you like it. I've been gradually moving towards softer, easier, more forgiving setups over the past season which has helped me during the races especially. Having a twitchy car in endurance racing is not good for me.

[[ZiP]Tyf]

All down to personal preference I guess, but I've been using or at least been checking setups by Huttu and he hardly ever uses packers. Spa he does, doh, but most other setups he doesn't. On his replays u can see him scraping/sparking, so I'm pwetty sure that isn't too much of a problem speedwise.

T