UKAC TCR Series - Vallelunga - Rounds 3&4 - Oct 3

[Mark J]

Great racing again tonight gents, you can have some really great close quarters fights with these cars.    However, there were too many contacts tonight and I am probably going to have to dish out some penalties. Both races I was smashed up at the first proper corner on lap 1, where there is plenty of room to get around without multiple contacts    Door rubbing and nudging is acceptable but not being run off the track.
I will be watching the replay for incidents. If anyone would like to report one, pm me please.

The track layout suited these cars well, on the whole great fun  

ps, were any of you using a handbrake at that tight 1st gear lefthander? I seemed way sluggish there than a few others.  

[Jeffrey]

Had a good qually, but FMG was too fast and Itamar just jumped me before the end.

Top 3 all had equal starts, so we headed towards turn 4 in the same order. I braked a bit earlier than the other 2, which helped as they both ran a bit wide. Was able to overtake Itamar and was alongside FMG, when he pulled a Perez on me as he tried to close the door with me still standing in the door  . First few laps he pulled away from me and I expected that to continue, but once I got into a rhythm, I was able to slowly close the gap again, while still heaving Yativ breath down my neck.
I was better on the braking, but the gap was never small enough to really try something. I think I had 1 attempt, but it wasn't enough.

Had a terrible start for the 2nd race and had to reengaged the clutch, so I expected to get swamped off the line, but I held my position to my surprise. Braked earlier again for turn 4 when the mayhem started around me. I was barely able to steer through the mess and got out in 5th I think. Had a nice battle with Stefan for a few laps and I really had to go all out when trying to outbrake him into turn 4.
I felt bad overtaking Simon, as he is in the slowest car  .

Good fun these 2 races (except for the race 2/lap 1 shenanigans).

[frex]

Hadn't managed much practice and was just hoping to stay out of trouble - unfortunately didn't manage to achieve that however, with both races incident filled. Still greatly enjoyed the racing, although big apology to Pete for the ill-judged move in race 2, and especially sorry to see you quit straight after. My bad.

Congrats winners and podia.

[Mark J]

Results are up, but provisional until after i dish out some penalties!    I lost 12 places in race 2 by being rammed for the 2nd race running on lap 1, turn 1  and pretty sure others were equally dis-placed by unfair contact.

Will try and watch the replays tonight. Jeff was that both races you uploaded? If not, can i have a link to both from someone?

[Jeffrey]

Will try and watch the replays tonight. Jeff was that both races you uploaded? If not, can i have a link to both from someone?

I think it even contains the whole practice session, so it should be good .

[Bob]

Looked at reply no complaints regarding incidents  

[Mark J]

I had some great multi lap battles with some guys in both races, which was a lot of fun.  and it gets very intense when several of us are glued together through the corners! 
Just a few need calming down as we cant keep having multi-car pile ups on the first corners. But i cant watch both races from every car for every lap so it relies on you guys telling me of specific incidents if they cost you race positions or seemed plain stupid! 

Will award myself a wet-fish award at end of race 2 when i lost 3 places with only a couple of minutes remaining by trying a different braking line around the roadblock that was Spanners Golf ,only to get loose on the marbles and run wide all on my own
I hadnt noticed how quick the time had gone or would have just followed him home.

[Itamar Yativ]

Great fun this cars  

1st race was good. I almost didn't have any time to try and build a good setup but I did manage to get a good-ish result that I was happy with. On quli I tried small changes but couldn't find the best setup and the time I knew there was to gain, on my last attempt I did improved a bit and jumped Jeffrey, started well and settled down for the race as I knew it will be hard to overtake. On Jeffrey overtake attempt I was busy watching him and forgot my braking point. Apart from that all the race was smooth and good.

Race 2 started well, I managed to gain some places but after the first corner I knew I'm on the outside for 4 & 5 corners and I was afraid of someone overshooting braking point and will hit me. I was wrong. I was murdered   and I found myself  on last place.
From there I managed to gain places up to 9 only with a mistake from me with fmg. Together we managed to climb up the road (I'm quite sure every overtake was a clean one) and 2 minutes to finish I have accidentally took us both out on braking to 4 corner. I braked to 4th corner with a bit moving to the left so I will have a better entry option, but fmg was on my bumper and I didn't saw this. I was spinning in to the wall but I didn't saw what happened to fmg. I managed to comeback to the racetrack but I was busy after that to see if fmg coming back to the race after me, was so busy on with it that I missed my brake mark to 9th corner. I saw that he is ok and right after me and relaxed. sorry for that fmg.

[phspok]

Curious about setups for these. I thought I had optimised my setup for best FWD performance
and I am at max allowed on some options, so there is nothing left to adjust...

AM wondering what people are doing that allows some further adjustments?

Both races were fun.  I outdragged Picnic at the start of one of the races, had to go on the
grass to do it, but then was passed twice, once by Frex, and once by someone else, possibly in race 2
at the fast T2 right hander, and gave them as much room as could without lifting
Did a pass on Sid there once, but ran out to the grass to avoid contact, and ended up spinning us both 
Was still good racing, trying to avoid other "incidents and keep slightly faster people behind was entertaining.

[Simon Gymer]

I assume the fast guys were running 0 wing as I couldn’t keep with anyone in a straight line even with a slipstream? What sort of camber are people running?

[picnic]

I guess setup made a bigger difference here than at Oulton Park, I was no where near the fast pace last night. Not that I'd expect to be it just means everyone else is understanding the car better each round and leaving me in their setup dust.

[Baikal]

I guess setup made a bigger difference here than at Oulton Park, I was no where near the fast pace last night. Not that I'd expect to be it just means everyone else is understanding the car better each round and leaving me in their setup dust.

This cars needs a  brake balance managment at first 2 laps, when tyres going to warm. For me i used 66 front in start and 60 in end of 2nd lap. 60 BB was better for trailbraking ans slow corners. And yes, wing0.
About races it's hard to find any good words when you started P5 and going to PLast with 100+ car damage points after massive crash in first ( mean4th) corner due some ppl wants to win a race immediatelly in this corner in cold tyres , when other 20 pilots moving the cars more careful and cautiously. However, this turn always hid a bunch of dangers at the start of the race  
Congrats podiums 

[FullMetalGasket]

I assume the fast guys were running 0 wing as I couldn’t keep with anyone in a straight line even with a slipstream? What sort of camber are people running?

0 wing last night here, but it was the changes to roll bar, toe, springs, camber and shocks that made the biggest difference. Wing just upped my top speed and involved moving my brake bias about (also helped in braking).
Encouraging the car to turn under power and out of the tight turns was the key last night, most is in setup but the final bits (my qually lap in particular) come down to working out when to tickle the brakes/throttle and when to jump up and down on them. My pole lap was absolutely bang on the money in those respects and was .15 -.2 faster than my normal qually laps when I was driving more 'roughly'.

From there I managed to gain places up to 9 only with a mistake from me with fmg. Together we managed to climb up the road (I'm quite sure every overtake was a clean one) and 2 minutes to finish I have accidentally took us both out on braking to 4 corner. I braked to 4th corner with a bit moving to the left so I will have a better entry option, but fmg was on my bumper and I didn't saw this.

That was a good fight until you did that, and I must admit I was not best pleased at the time - even though neither of us lost additional places.
In future just remember that the rule on blocking is that you can only move once (for reference the final or penultimate lap in race 1 where Jeff had a run on me), we demonstrated one of the reasons for it existing last night

A good enjoyable race otherwise, especially as Vallelunga is a bugger to pass on!

[Manteos]

I'm surely not happy for the result, but at least I had an enjoyable second race.

Despite the good amount of laps on the server in the previous days, I guess I was on an horrible setup, and I worsened it with a last minute change at the differential power moving it on 25%... my car was practically stucked on the track. Soft springs set on the default setup surely didn't help, but at least after the qualif Fabri suggested me to stiffen the springs, and the car was better except for the power diff.
First lap in Race 1 at the Cimini was a complete mess, but luckily I was on the outside and I managed to go on the escape, keeping away from the disaster. In the rest of the race I had a personal and not so fascinating battle between myself and the understeer.

In race 2, after some other tips between the two races offered by fmg, I decided to go insanely hard on springs and even on ARB, setting the power diff. at 75% this time. The car was surely better, even if a bit too nervous, and I was lucky enough to avoid Simon at the start for an inch at the Cimini
In the first laps I didn't push too much but my laptimes were getting better lap after lap. Unfortunately I did a stupid mistake that costed me the chance to fight a bit with Jeff, so I found in 5th pos. battling with a lot of car around me. Meanwhile Kay S. passed me on the outside of corner 8 (exploiting a bit too much track , but I won't complain about that ) and we started another great duel in which Stefan L. added to the fun, with Fabri coming back from behind. With some great duels until the end with crazy manouvres, I found myself again on the rear bumper of Simon for the two final laps, but his experience kept me behind 'til the checkered flag  
That was a great fun.

Grats to fmg, Jeff, and to the podium(s)

Cu in a couple of weeks

[Baikal]

"0 wing last night here, but it was the changes to roll bar, toe, springs, camber and shocks that made the biggest difference. Wing just upped my top speed and involved moving my brake bias about (also helped in braking)."

From now on we need a fixed setup on server !    It's easy to realize and it was my mistake that i am not offered it before series begins  
Default setup ( wing3 and so on) + brake balance, tyre pressure, fuel adjustment. Thats all we need  to reach full nirvana here  
May be vote for it?
BTW Mark, i can prepare server files for it if you'll send me their. For save your lifetime. Or i can give you a consultation in any questions about subj