UKGTL Ladder - GTC-65 @ Nurburgring GP - 14th September

[Jeffrey]

I was in a dilemma at the start, TVR or Daytona . I went for the Shelby as it is a more raw car and can be a bit more forgiving when throw around.

This afternoon I did 1 lap in the Daytona and it was a 2:22, so when I got a 2:19.5 I was quite happy as I thought that eventhough it was just 1 lap practice, I couldn't get much off. Guess I was wrong.

The beginning of the race went well for me, I was pulling away slowly from Pero as he was in a fight with a whole nation of Elans behind him. When he was loose of that train, he came closer and closer. From 4.1s to 1.3s. I could keep that gap for a few laps, but I was struggling with my car at the end. The tyres were not that bad at 3/4 of the race, the brakes were. I was braking before my normal brakemark and when I pressed the brake fully (without locking up) I still went wide, which required some handbrake action at the hairpins.
Pero came withing 0.4s behind at the last quarter of the race, and I thought as I was doomed, because there was nothing I could do with my car anymore. Luckily for me he went wide in the Audi curve which gave me 4s for the last 2 laps. Without that I wouldn't have won. The last 2 laps were just trying not to fok up.

The first half of the race was quite boring, but the second half was interesting again, which made it a tough race after all.

Wish there could be more cars like this in races

[Pero_Grozni]

Good race - it was a race of almosts for me.
Firstly I almost got pol position, but wasnt to be. I couldnt combine one good lap although I lost 0,6 sec on one split on my best time - on best splits I would get into the 2:18's
Than I made a bad start to the race when I got passed and couldnt repas quickly enough so Ruskus could get some gap. After I finnaly was able to pass I didnt really get into my stride at first, but than I started to put down some very quick laps and was starting to catch Ruskus. Three laps from the end I was right behind him and ready to start my attack, but than I lost it into the fast uphil S and almost had a crash - even got onto the gravel. Again one of the stupid mistakes I have been doing recently - I wanted too much and than lost control so strangly - I normaly would have cought that slide no problem whatsoever, but not this time. Than there was not enough time to catch up again so I settled for second. I am quite happy to have gone with the Daytona - it was again V8 fun. Got the fastest race lap though which is good.  
But I dont like the track as it is terrible on the FPS and I was struggeling in some corners.

[pribeiro]

Congratulations Ruskus, Pero and Minton, i hope the order is correct
Nice fight with team mates ASSASSINO and JohnnyDee
Sorry Johnny, for the tap that made you spun
I had a stop and go, after the 1st cut (only one )

Thanks all, see you next race

[Adam Parle]

Really enjoyable race for me. Probably my most consistent race with you guys ever.  Didn't spin, only ran wide on a few occasions.

The race start was pretty much as expected, sat in an Elan with a TVR infront and one behind.  Dave shot past me after the flag dropped, and I carried on following him round for a good number of laps.  Got a bit excited on one of the early laps, almost had contact, fortunately I just slid past Dave's nose, and he went by again (EDIT - actually, looking at the replay I just cocked up the exit, it was a clean pass, just thought it was a bit closer at the time). Got close on a few more occasions before getting past, with Dave spinning as he caught me up going into the final chicane.  After that it was pretty lonely for a while, but then I seemed to be making up big chunks of ground on BigG.  Finally got back into a tussle in the last 5-10 mins, when I was trying to keep up with PRibeiro after he came out of the pits and BigG spun at T1.  Never had a real chance of getting by the muscle car, and finished a second or two behind, and well happy with 13th place.

Cheers all for the race - Ruskus, looking forward to the highlights!

[Jeffrey]

when I was trying to keep up with a Cobra that had spun and was trying to get away.

Ban the guy who drove that car

Cheers all for the race - Ruskus, looking forward to the highlights!

I'm reading through the debriefs of people to see where the footage is. So please help me out and mention good things 
 But I'll be working on the plane tomorrow again, so it won't be finished anytime soon.

[pribeiro]

BTW 
http://www.driftlive.com/?p=351
enjoy

[Adam Parle]

I'm reading through the debriefs of people to see where the footage is. So please help me out and mention good things 
 But I'll be working on the plane tomorrow again, so it won't be finished anytime soon.

Sorry, that just won't do!   I'll have a look through the server replay once it's up - my replay is rubbish.

[Radius]

hmmm missed race tonight, had to work late

Sounds like it was fun.

grats to all!!!

see u r a turkey, i mean...see u in turkey

Rad

[Dave 'Gizmo' Gymer]

Quite a good race for me at either end with a really frustrating patch in the middle. With no practice whatsoever I plumped fior the TVR a it's the only one of these cars I know at all. Bumped up the tyre pressures just before the race to try and stop them overheating and for once a last minute setup change didn't end in disaster.

Not surprisingly I was off like a rocket past Adam's Elan, and then had to concentrate really hard on making myself wide into and through the turns, getting good exits, and not leaving the door open for the nimble Elan to get inside under braking. The battle was briefly interrupted by Mooman as he came steaming back through. Went well for a few laps, despite Adam getting up the inside at the hairpin I toughed it out round the outside and used my superior power to get back past into the uphill S. Eventually he made it stick but I was still in the fight until I stupidly snatched the rears under braking for the final chicane and spun, having to wait for pretty much everyone to go past before rejoining.

Thus began my frustrating phase where I was not a happy camper, but slowly I regained my composer, and then suddenly, at about half distance, as the fuel load dropped off the car really came good and I was shaving .6 or .7s off my laptimes each lap. That was closing me up behind Smiler and Mike Cooper pretty rapidly, and gaining some ground back on Adam too, although there weren't enough laps to stand any realistic chance of getting that place back unless he went off.

Smiler chucked it into the kitty litter at the hairpin so that left me a clear shot at relieving Oilseal of a place by swapping our orange TVRs. After a lap or two he made a small mistake and that was enough for me to get through; at first I could open up a little gap, but with 2 to go my tyres were utterly shot from my earlier efforts to make up time and I was really struggling in turn 1, with Mike all over me in the twisties. Again, I had to concentrate hard to avoid leaving big inviting open doors, and getting good exit speed, but this time it paid off and I managed to pull out enough of a gap on the fast straights to remove his chance of getting the place back.

Glad the race wasn't any longer 'cause I'd have been in real trouble on those melting boots!

[Minton]

Great race, Made a good start and managed to pass Leh into the second corner and Pero soon after . Couldnt stay with Ruskus and soon Pero passed when had got his rythem back.  Had a gap of 1.5 secs back to Baracus but made a mistake at the chicane and he passed me, we then had a great battle for the next 3 or 4 laps until he lost it at the chicane, nice on Baracus that was great fun. Kept it consistant till the end of the race to bring it home third again.
Grats to Ruskus and Pero.

[Aagramn]

Replay and provisional results up. Congrats on the win Ruskus. 

[Jeffrey]

Unofficial Lapchart

[LeH]

That was not my race. First I was surprised that the Shelbys were that fast. I was distinctly faster with the Griffith and Elan, than with the Shelby and Vette while testing. Also my times had been fast enough so I should have been able to keep up with the leaders. I also thought the Elan's tyres would last longer, to give me an advantage at the end. But well ... strategies are one part and the race is an other ...  

Dan Minton totally surprised my already at turn two in the first lap. I completely didn't expect him being next to me (because I could open a gap to him at the start, and didn't feel I took T1 too slow) and when I pulled inside I almost rolled over sideways after I touched him. Looking at the replay, I would say it was a hard but fair maneuver from him, but I lost already 2 positions there. After some good and clean fighting in the next laps, I touched Mad-RIP who braked a bit early into a corner, because he was in the middle of a fight with Dan. This ended in a spin for me and I lost 2 more positions.

Being 7th now, I could slowly catch up to Shark, but it took me until the last third of the race, until I was close enough to try to attack him a bit. Like Shark already said, somehow I couldn't really keep up on the straights, tho we were both in an Elan. I finally could pass him once, after he made a little mistake going into the Müllenbach-section. Therefor he got me again a few laps later when I almost spun in T1. Unfortunately for him, he lost his back braking into a corner in the last lap and I could pass again. Without a mistake on his side I don't think I would have made it. So I got 6th with luck.

Grats to the podium.

[Madd-RIP]

Damn good race  had a good run on Shark at the start nearly got past but couldn't make it stick initially, but eventually got past and then had a whale of a time against Minton, Leh and Baracus, I seemed able to close under braking in the hairpins but just could not pass, , lost concentration on lap 13? and spun into T1, I think, wife was nagging me about being late for work, was like having a co-driver in the seat next to me giving me all the wrong directions!! 

Still no matter, one of the better ones and even had fuel left at the end!! 

And as a extra suprise blew my pb out of the water! 3rd fastest wooohooo!!!

[Dave 'Gizmo' Gymer]

Replay and provisional results up.

Unofficial Lapchart

Thanks guys.