UKGTL Season 16 Fifties Sprint Races - Grenzlandring - Sep 5

[Erling G-P]

So, what you are trying to tell me in the nicest possible way is "You chose the wrong car Clive!"   

Possibly, but I thought you remembered that from last year 

Personally, I've ever tried anything else than the Jag here.  To me a track where you never change gear once you're up to speed, seemed ideal for a car which is handicapped by its 4-speed gearbox everywhere else.  Can only speak for myself of course, so maybe the other Jag drivers are able to lap without braking or lifting.

Cheers,
Erling

[Geoffers]

Can only speak for myself of course, so maybe the other Jag drivers are able to lap without braking or lifting.

No, I can't get around without lifting at least twice, but then the best I can manage is 2.08. 

[EvilClive]

Well, I think with a little slipstream help I could match Geoffer's 2:08's, in the Aston.

 But, if those D types are going to lift in front of me ( and I am pretty sure that they WILL be in front of me  ) before the corners, then things might get tricky when I need to stay firmly on the gas to maintain my momentum. So, maybe I will have more work to do in the race?

It could get interesting.................................

[Wiltshire Tony]

IMPORTANT

Would all Mercedes drivers please make sure that they have this collision bug fix installed. http://www.nogripracing.com/details.php?filenr=4181

Note carefully where this file is installed to and do not deviate (Clive)

[EvilClive]

What moi?

[BillThomas]

New PB about 6 secs faster but at end of lap 2 suddenly found Roger stationary in mid track in avoiding him lost it big time and saw two wheels bouncing down the track.    Early bath then.  :'(

[Jeep]

IMPORTANT

Would all Mercedes drivers please make sure that they have this collision bug fix installed. http://www.nogripracing.com/details.php?filenr=4181

Note carefully where this file is installed to and do not deviate (Clive)

I did have it installed but also it does say in the readme.....

"In online games, the version installed on the server is crucial, if the server has the fix installed, the collision bug is fixed, even with unpatched clients connected. "

TTFN
John.

[Wiltshire Tony]

Don't you believe it!

[Ziu Bacubacu]

Grats Jeep !!!

[Wiltshire Tony]

Results and replay now posted

[EvilClive]

All going beautifully to plan............get a tow behind a D type for Qually ( thanks Erling )  

Make sure that I get hooked up behind the inevitable D types when the racing starts......worked a treat!!

Slight hitch , a Mercedes got into the fray and prevented me attaching my tow rope to a Jag!!   and the 3 leaders creep away.

OK so John is quick in the Merc , we'll follow him....that long 5th gear is coming in very handy  

Then Eifel gets the clockwork in his D type working and catches us ......great now John and I have a Jag to tow us doen the straights and we can easily match him through the bends.

Then we pass Erling and another D type stuffed in the barriers........our group of 3 is now in a battle for 3rd spot.........I smell chapagne  

I can sit behind Eifel and John and wait for the final lap before making any risky moves....another 10 laps of being towed around seems OK, just backing off a little when the slipstream drags me too close.

Then Eifel takes a strong dislike to a telegraph pole but fails to actually remove it, instead he performs a triple salko with 2.5 twists and harpoons my poor Aston.............NP Eifelblitz it was an accident, but this was not in my copy of the script!

John escapes and by the time I have realised that a) my car is the right way up.....b) the engine is still working....c) I am facing the wrong way.......d) I am in 2nd gear and that is why I cannot get going.......  54 cars have passed me!!!

My car is now not driving quite as the makers intended and I cannot catch TonyW up ahead no matter how hard I try. Eventually the now not so solid handling catches me out and I clip the barriers with 1 lap to go and decide that the cramp in my right ankle is too much to continue.

Grats to Ziu and the podium guys. the race was certainly more entertaining than I was expecting, even if my first lap expectations were to go up in smoke later.

Must make a note to save the D type if we race here again............

[Jeep]

Well that was more than a little unexpected. I had planned to take the Jaguar for this 1 but had a senior moment earlier in the season and used it at Monza so looking through my garage it was either the Merc or the Healy A few recon laps indicated the Healy was a none starter but if I pumped up the tyres and threw out anything heavy the Merc could return lap times in the low 2:06's which should put me at the tail end of the mid pack in qualifying. As it was I started my 1st hot lap and was passed by a D-Type. Not sure who it was but I threw a rope around his rear bumper and hung on for dear life and was rewarded with a 2:05.8 good enough for a 6th place start.

The flag dropped and I got a great start. Clive went all sideways in front of me so I dived for the gap. The Jags seemed a lot harder to get off the line than the Merc and I passed Erling and Navin and suddenly much to my amazement found myself in 2nd behind Zui. Had a small moment in T1 when I was surprised at just how much Ziu had to get off the throttle and had to run a little wide to avoid and this let Erling through so was back to 3rd with Clive showing indications of wanting the position but by the end of lap 1 Navin had replaced Clive and the Jag showed it's advantage and he simply drove past me in the run down to T1 so I was 4th Geoffers then appeared (Damm Jags) and he also drove past me like I wasn't there and I again found Clive large in my mirrors and running 5th. Coming off 1 of the turns Geoffers suddenly slows and both Clive and me thunder past and this was the start of some of the most enjoyable online racing I've had in GTL so far. Over then next few laps Clive and me were never more than a few car lengths apart. I had the outright speed once the Merc was wound up but with slipstreaming and his better acceleration Clive could draw level before the game of "Chicken commenced prior to the next turn. Suddenly 2 stationary cars flash by and I'm in 2nd as Navin and Erling have a coming together. Meanwhile Kurt has been chipping away at us and joined the fray in his D-Type. (Oh great another bloody D-Type).  He eventually passed Clive and then me right on the approach to T1 which of course meant I was searching for the brake pedal as these Jags don't go around corners and Clive was back up my a$$ and pushed past but I managed to hold the inside and bit straight back again. managed to re take Kurt only for him to force his way past but again I retook the position. Eventually he made a pass which stuck and I was having to be almost in his passenger seat to hold onto the tow down the straights. Then into 1 of the turns he started to slide wide and I hauled the Merc to the inside line and caught a glimpse of him hitting something and then everything went quiet and I realised Clive had been caught up in Kurt's accident. I can honestly say I didn't want our tussle to end and would happily have seen all 3 of us finish with me behind both of them I was having so much fun.

So suddenly I find myself in a very safe 2nd about 15s ahead of Bob in 3rd and 15s behind Ziu in 1st and the rest of my race should have been largely uneventful but no. Around Lap 3 or 4 Polly (one of our Cats) had jumped in front of the screen and started making her "I'm hungry" noises I made the usual reassuring "yes, yes in a minute, I'm a bit busy at the moment." noises and she went away presumably safe in the knowledge that I would provide the required food shortly. Well she obviously got fed up of waiting because around lap 13 she re appeared and dropped a 9" Rat between me and the screen as if to say "Look I'm bloody hungry". (I hasten to add I don't live is a rat infested Hovel but during harvest time we do get the odd 1 come in off the field. Hence the 2 cats which do act as a good deterrent). So after regaining my composure I spent the last 7 or so laps with a (Fortunately) very dead Rat staring at me while Polly sat there demanding to be fed sooner rather than later.

Back to the race and I noticed the time between Ziu and myself tumbling very quickly and passed him in the run down to the final turn presumably recovering from a major off. I fully expected him to come steaming up behind me in the next few laps but no, he must have suffered some damage as I was even extending my lead. So in the end despite posting only the 6th fasted lap I actually managed to finish over 43s ahead of Ziu in 2nd.

A very unexpected result indeed,largely due to the JAG drivers hitting the self destruct button but I'll take any win thrown in my direction.

TTFN
John.

[Navin R Johnson]

Not much to report on this race other than having a "as of late" Hamilton type start getting mugged because of a bog down this time. Not sure why tires didn't spin right away as I did was on full throttle and dumped the clutch. Worked perfect in practice. After getting passed by many I was able to fight back to second place in the first lap. At that point I started a great battle with Coyote which seemed to realize right away swapping the lead/draft position without battling to hard in the corners help us both to slowly but surly catch up to Ziu which we did. Then it was a three way fight for a short time before Ziu and myself pulled away by about a second or two from 3rd place. At first it was a similar fight like with Coyote. Exiting the last corner I got a good draft run on Ziu and passed on the outside front straight I had him cleared by a car length going into turn one and saw he was coming up the inside for a pass so I held my outside line on the left hand turn one. I was well over in the right lane but I could see Ziu get a bit sideways and was coming into my lane with the rear end out so I tried to pull wide but it was too late and got a ever so light bump which sent me into the hay bales grinded along them a bit until I hit that wall or whatever is the emoveable thing is halfway into the corner sending me flying into the air. Now here's where it really sucks. Coyote through no fault of his own got smashed by me when I came back down to the ground killing his day and race. I should of hit esc as soon as I was in the air Coyote and I apologize for ruining your race. Also to anyone else that was caught up in that mess. When back on the ground I was pointing the wrong way on the far outside of the track and saw Clive coming right for me and then realized hit the esc button FAST!! I did so but I think Clive did and awesome little jig to avoid the hit anyways. Good job Jeep for the Win. Great speed in that Merc.

[EvilClive]

That "jig" was one of my scariest moments thus far in GTL!!  I was foot to the floor for the whole lap, absolutely wringing every KPH out of the Aston to stay with the faster cars.
On that lap I had got my line slightly wrong into T1, and was running the outside line...still at 100% gas when suddenly there was a D type facing me. I did not see it until the very last moment because my view was obscured by Jeep's hulking great Merc. I was sooo glad that I had set up the car to oversteer slightly if I lifted off the gas...and believe me I definitely lifted!!!! It was just enough to tighten the line and I would not be surprised to see that there had been an exchange of paint samples!!
Grats to Jeep on the win. Even if I had avoided the unfortunate Eifel, I doubt that the Aston had the sheer grunt to get past the Merc and hold the lead. So 2nd might have been a possibility as I was able to hang onto that tow rope dangling out of the back of your car. 

[roguk]

Disaster race for me, lap 2 was following Tony to close when accident happened ahead, braked but to late clipped Tony which sent car into hedge then bounced back on track just in time to collect Bill (sorry Bill for cutting your race short).

Grats to Jeep on win

Grats to Podium