UKGTL Season 16 1979 Procar - Zandvoort - Oct 17

[Ziu Bacubacu]

One thing from last night:
I seemed to be slower than I expected. I assumed it might have at least been partly due to me not having the
advanced setup mod installed. I had to set massive coast diff and reduce fromt grip a lot to  make the thing
drivable, I suspect that if I had given it more rear wing instead I could have had more front grip
so would not have worn my fronts down to the rims by the end either.

I never used advanced setup, Attila also never used it. Just i tested one time and for me not is good advantage setup, one because you  cant use the front split second because already rear wing in position 4 it s balanced and the others parameters can just complicate your life.

In future i dont know if i will use it, i will see with can an and Ford Capri Turbo in season 17, but i sure i will use it just if in future we have a championship with F1 70 years becuase i will forced with wings.

For nature BMW M1 Procar mod suffer of understeer but if you are able to set camber,  pressure tyres , gears (very important always) and coast your BMW can Fly

Second point when you make your setup before you have know what you want get, that mean you understood the car and track, but all depend from your style driving if you know like you drive you know also what setup can optimize your style driving. Foe example on practice with few fuel i was going 1.28 but i dont was satisfied, the rear was dancing too so i modified the camber but this not enough I made the fine adjustment by changing simultaneously the anti-roll bar result 1.27.3 !

[Wiltshire Tony]

This week it' my turn to miss the weekly race due to the flu
  

Have fun guys.

Speedy recovery Kurt

Thanks Tony !

Results

 

Thank you Kurt 

[Wiltshire Tony]

Fairly uneventful race for me but exciting nonetheless. Jeep passed me off the line and then spent quite a few laps trying to retake the place. But the power of his GTO gave him a good advantage and try as I might I could not reel him in. Behind me Matt was a distraction but he must of had an off because the gap grew to a fairly safe distance. So I spent most of the race equidistant from the leading group and the group behind me.  Had a few off's myself but it only cost me time, not places so no worries. Looking forward to Monza now and that battle for third place in the Championship.

[Erling G-P]

Congrats to Erling on winning the BMW Procar 1979 Championship  

2nd place - Ziu  

The fight for third place goes to the wire at Monza.

Thanks Tony & Ziu; this series has been a blast and I'm proud to have run away with the Championship

Commiserations to those who met with various ailments last night; Bill, Kurt & not least Ziu, with his bad arm.

Didn't like this track for the BMW; found it very difficult to get any sense of flow through the corners.  New pb in qual, so couldn't complain about that.  Dreadful start; not enough revs, so bogged down, but still retained my 3rd pos.  Ziu & Geoffers took off at a frightful pace, seemingly impervious to the reduced grip of cold tyres. Found myself wondering if they had sneaked tyre warmers onto the grid..  

Behind me, John loomed in my mirrors. Start of L3, I found Ziu recovering at T1 and managed to squeeze past him. Had to give back the position a couple turns later, when I ran wide.  Just as well, as I would just have held him up unnecessarily.  Lost time on this, giving John the opportunity to make himself larger in my mirrors. Out to psyche me of course, but I refused to play ball; with Ziu gone, I could focus on getting the corners if not right, then at least a little less wrong.

Stretched the gap a little over a few laps, and then it jumped to 5-6 secs, when John had an off.  Up ahead, Ziu & Geoffers were disappearing, so the race turned lonely and quite boring!  My concentration was slipping away at the same rate as my tyres, so made small mistakes in several corners.  Gap to John had grown to around 30 secs, when the pit board suddenly showed it to be 1.2 secs.  I wondered if he or someone else had retired, 'jumping ahead' to the pit area, but then next lap's pit board showed me to be in 2nd, now with around 30 secs gap behind me again.

That woke me up and I tried to focus and up the pace!  Maybe one of the leaders had taken a S/G, and I fully expected him to come charging back at full speed. With around 8 laps to go, I was nowhere near certain I could stay ahead.  Gap didn't come down however, and then Ziu announced his retirement.  

Was catching Matt towards the end, but not very keen on passing him, as that would have obliged me to go faster than him, and with my shredded left front tyre, it might not have been easy.  No chance of catching Geoffers 30 secs ahead, unless he outright retired, so eased off and cruised home on the last two laps.

Grats to Geoffers on the win   and John on the final podium.  Grats to Ziu also on bagging 2nd in the Championship - my luck that he met with bad luck in some races.

Cheers,
Erling

[Ziu Bacubacu]

Congrats to Erling on winning the BMW Procar 1979 Championship  

2nd place - Ziu 

The fight for third place goes to the wire at Monza.

Thanks Tony & Ziu; this series has been a blast and I'm proud to have run away with the Championship

Commiserations to those who met with various ailments last night; Bill, Kurt & not least Ziu, with his bad arm.

Didn't like this track for the BMW; found it very difficult to get any sense of flow through the corners.  New pb in qual, so couldn't complain about that.  Dreadful start; not enough revs, so bogged down, but still retained my 3rd pos.  Ziu & Geoffers took off at a frightful pace, seemingly impervious to the reduced grip of cold tyres. Found myself wondering if they had sneaked tyre warmers onto the grid.. 

Behind me, John loomed in my mirrors. Start of L3, I found Ziu recovering at T1 and managed to squeeze past him. Had to give back the position a couple turns later, when I ran wide.  Just as well, as I would just have held him up unnecessarily.  Lost time on this, giving John the opportunity to make himself larger in my mirrors. Out to psyche me of course, but I refused to play ball; with Ziu gone, I could focus on getting the corners if not right, then at least a little less wrong.

Stretched the gap a little over a few laps, and then it jumped to 5-6 secs, when John had an off.  Up ahead, Ziu & Geoffers were disappearing, so the race turned lonely and quite boring!  My concentration was slipping away at the same rate as my tyres, so made small mistakes in several corners.  Gap to John had grown to around 30 secs, when the pit board suddenly showed it to be 1.2 secs.  I wondered if he or someone else had retired, 'jumping ahead' to the pit area, but then next lap's pit board showed me to be in 2nd, now with around 30 secs gap behind me again.

That woke me up and I tried to focus and up the pace!  Maybe one of the leaders had taken a S/G, and I fully expected him to come charging back at full speed. With around 8 laps to go, I was nowhere near certain I could stay ahead.  Gap didn't come down however, and then Ziu announced his retirement. 

Was catching Matt towards the end, but now very keen on passing him, as that would have obliged me to go faster than him, and with my shredded left front tyre, it might not have been easy.  No chance of catching Geoffers 30 secs ahead, unless he outright retired, so eased off and cruised home on the last two laps.

Grats to Geoffers on the win   and John on the final podium.  Grats to Ziu also on bagging 2nd in the Championship - my luck that he met with bad luck in some races.

Cheers,
Erling

No, why luck ?  You drove better than me, you win. Luck does not exist is just an excuse when we humans do not find any explanations.

[BillThomas]

I passed Bill at one point, and took an inside line which didn't work, and we both went off
Bill apologised after, but it wasn't his fault. More mine, if that's what you are referring to.

It isn't.

I apologise if it was our coming together but as I wrote my qualifying was a disaster and I nearly quit the event.

[Geoffers]

Not done very well with these cars previously in this series, so wasn't expecting much from this race, hadn't even done any practicing before turning up. So after learning the differences in the track from the older version of Zandvoort we have used during practice, I tried stiffening the front end for better response but this made the car slide more on the front & slower, so reasoned that softening it would make it grip more, bingo 1.5s faster!

Slotted into 2nd at the start between Ziu & Erling, I was soon in the lead when Ziu ran wide at Tarzan about lap 3. Held on for many laps but Ziu was a fraction quicker & eventually caught up & passed me on the S/F straight when I got the final turn a little wrong. A couple of laps later Ziu was slow through the final turn & I could retake the lead. Held the lead for 3 or 4 more laps but then ran wide through Gerlach onto the grass, expecting Ziu to come past on the right I tried not to pull back on track too quick. Imagine my surprise when Ziu went past on the left even further off track than I was!

The battle between us only lasted another half lap as Ziu speared off the track at Panorama into the barriers, I guess with arm problems (hope it clears up soon Ziu). Now with half a minute lead over Erling I could take it a bit easier & came home to a fairly unexpected win.

Congrats to Erling & John on the podium 

Also congrats to Erling on winning the championship & Ziu in 2nd. 

[Ziu Bacubacu]

Not done very well with these cars previously in this series, so wasn't expecting much from this race, hadn't even done any practicing before turning up. So after learning the differences in the track from the older version of Zandvoort we have used during practice, I tried stiffening the front end for better response but this made the car slide more on the front & slower, so reasoned that softening it would make it grip more, bingo 1.5s faster!

Slotted into 2nd at the start between Ziu & Erling, I was soon in the lead when Ziu ran wide at Tarzan about lap 3. Held on for many laps but Ziu was a fraction quicker & eventually caught up & passed me on the S/F straight when I got the final turn a little wrong. A couple of laps later Ziu was slow through the final turn & I could retake the lead. Held the lead for 3 or 4 more laps but then ran wide through Gerlach onto the grass, expecting Ziu to come past on the right I tried not to pull back on track too quick. Imagine my surprise when Ziu went past on the left even further off track than I was!

The battle between us only lasted another half lap as Ziu speared off the track at Panorama into the barriers, I guess with arm problems (hope it clears up soon Ziu). Now with half a minute lead over Erling I could take it a bit easier & came home to a fairly unexpected win.

Congrats to Erling & John on the podium 

Also congrats to Erling on winning the championship & Ziu in 2nd. 

To be clear i pass on left because also i made mistake on Gerlach, we were very closed when i saw you out fo road this distracted me but absolutely my overtake not was intentional. What I can say is that that between Gerlach and Hugenholtz is short but very delicate from the moment you start to brake until have traction output the car is always unbalanced and we was driving on the limit enough to watch times lap only when i abandon you slow down 1.30.
When i said to Erling that the luck does not exist mean that if one drive on the limit always it s very easy make mistake, if you remember also at Hockenheim we were very closed you mistake and i won, Zandvoort has been the same thing.
Who was right is Erling, maybe he not is ultrafast but he is the best driver on the championship vision. He is like Lauda or Prost, Geoffers me and you like Mansell.

[Wiltshire Tony]

That makes me like Chanoch Nissany (google it) 

[Ziu Bacubacu]

That makes me like Chanoch Nissany (google it) 

No possible, you got 4th he never got one point 

[Erling G-P]

That makes me like Chanoch Nissany (google it) 

Well, at least you're a successful businessman.. 

Cheers,
Erling

[Bob M.]

And I should have applied for a pit crew job instead of even trying to drive these cars!!!!

Bob M.

[Ziu Bacubacu]

And I should have applied for a pit crew job instead of even trying to drive these cars!!!!

Bob M.

Always with our team, I hope

[roguk]

LOL went to join and server said track not installed, panic with 10 minute to go had to download track/ install and back to race, my bad for not reading race info carefully, thought it was the Zandvoort 67 track. The race for me was just a learn the slightly different layout and keep out of the way of others, so lonely race apart from when you guys came buzzing past to lap me.

Grats to Geoffers on win

Grats to Podium

Ziu hope your arm heals soon

[Jeep]

Well, my track issues were much the same as Roguk's. I did have it installed but for some reason had spent time practising on the wrong 1 although I had downloaded it.  Quite a surprise when I joined the server. This was the 1st time I had not actually practised on-line before the event. (Won't make that mistake again).

Fortunately although not as pretty graphics wise in my opinion it was close enough to the 67 version that only a small amount of brain recalibration was necessary but I was over a second down on my PB during Q and lined up in 6th.

Flag dropped and I got a good start passing Matt almost immediately and then Tony ran wide at T1 and I was through to 4th behind Erling. Managed to stay with him for quite a while and while probably not true to say I felt comfortable (I was driving the wheels off it) I did manage to stay within a second. Then on about Lap 4 I ran wide at the end of the back straight which lost me several seconds and put Tony right on my tail. Took me a few laps to get my rhythm back during which time without Erling to chase he began to extend his lead quite a lot and it was only the slightly superior speed of the GTO which was keeping Tony behind me. Made a few mistakes during our tussle but each time Tony was sucked into making the same mistake so I managed to stay ahead.

Over the next few laps we began to approach the rear of the field and 1st was Bill and I was fortunate enough to pass him at the end of the back straight. This was good for me as there was a chance Tony may have to wait before making his move, As it happened Tony ran wide and lost several seconds which put me in a comfortable 4th place but a long way behind the front 3 and it looked like a mega battle between Ziu and Geoffers was going on judging by the closeness of the pair of them on the display.

Then suddenly on lap 23 was promoted to 3rd and notice Ziu had dropped behind. Later heard this was due to his ongoing arm problems. I really hope you can get this sorted Ziu, it can't be any fun at all at the moment.

Continued to lose ground to Erling and make ground on Tony who seemed to have a few off's later in the race. and bought it home in a very distant 3rd.

I'm beginning to really like these as the season wears on and hope we will use them again in future series.

So pleased with the result but obviously less happy about the circumstances of losing Ziu 2/3rds of the way though the race..

Thanks all, congrats to Geoffers and Erling for the other podium spots and of course to Erling on winning the championship and to all who managed to finish.

TTFN
John.