RRE Season 7 (2020) Race Room Touring Classics+P964 - Road America - Sep 24

[BiriBiri]

 

Damn first DNF due to a crash, started well (Toni even better), and after T1 still 4th. Then into T2 Pete spinned and tabbed the front of his car slightly (I think i helped you even with the tab to get your car back in the right direction) 

In the exit of the carousel i went to early on the throttle, get in touch with the grass on the right side and spinned the to the left side in to the wall  engine 100% damage


Congrats to the winner

[Glenn Richardson]

Think my luck was in yesterday, hard luck Geoff and Frex. It was a steady race of erosion from my perspective, I certainly wasn't quickest but the little BMW kept plodding on as others ran into issues. Well done to Frex for the storming pace and Toni for a solid podium.

Having run the R32 GT-R last series I decided to run the E30 M3 this time, they are both two of my favourite ever road cars and as a 90s child my idea of classic cars. The M3 spent most of practice being a lawnmower but once I learned how to drive it, it became a joy to drive (if not fast) and I surprised myself to get through the race with no major mistakes.

The Godzilla drivers were gone at the start, Frex seemed to lose the back end at turn 2. Had I chosen the outside I wouldn't have lost a lot of momentum but I couldn't hook the M3 inside without slowing right down which put me into a good battle with Pete. We both took avoiding action when Birger couldn't hold onto it out of the long right hander and spent the rest of the lap side by side. Apologies for the confusion at the first corner on lap 2, I braked early and gave room, Pete must have braked as early and when I then needed to turn in to make the corner he caught my rear end and spun.

Frex had great pace, caught and passed me while Geoff and Toni continued to build a gap. As the race went on and the GT-Rs worked their front tyres harder, Frex was catching Geoff and I was catching Toni. Had a good clean battle with Toni for third and the gap to Geoff started to stabilise. I was surprised to see Geoff and Frex both run into issues later on allowing me through. Frex caught and passed me again only to lose it on the last lap.

[frex]

It's early days but I can already see it's going to be a love/hate relationship with the Volvo.. Only way I can get any speed out of it is to reduce the diff preload to almost nothing, stiffen the rear and turn in on the brakes. But with the solid rear axle that makes it very nervous on corner entry and so easy to lose the rear end - especially on cold tyres (at the start) or worn tyres (at the end). Getting it right though is so satisfying, and once you get to the corner exit the TC (turned down to halfway) allows you to get on the power so early. Which is nice.

But a spin is always going to be on the cards, as here - once on the first lap, and two near the end. It is a lot of fun to drive though. Mostly.

Congrats Glenn for the win, and Toni P3. Bad luck Geoff, I guess your car died when you spun and hit the wall?

[frex]

Then into T2 Pete spinned and tabbed the front of his car slightly (I think i helped you even with the tab to get your car back in the right direction) 

That was me I think, not Pete, and yes your nudge definitely helped! 

[picnic]

The Volvo is very drivable but don't show it a corner, I had huge problems slowing down or getting around a corner at a reasonable speed. The braking problem demonstrated nicely by the incident in T1 that Glenn mentions. I thought I was braking early as I wasn't in a position to attempt a pass but still managed to catch your backend Sorry and I'm glad it had no real impact on your race.

After a silly spin at T3 at the bottom of the hill I was almost last. Spanner and I played a game of wait for each other as we fell off, mainly me waiting  Prating around at the end of the race, trying to get a dead heat, meant Spanner beat me by 1ms 

Interesting to hear your setup changes Dieter. I softened the front a lot to try and get the thing to go round a corner, at anything other than a crawl, but I see you've been much more radical. Expect more tyre smoke and expletives in 3 weeks 

[frex]

I can post my setup Pete if you want to try it? And btw, how do you get the Volvo off the line - with the turbo lag it's low end torque is so low, a bit like the NSU it's really hard to get going. And if you get stuck in the gravel it takes ages to get out again. Not sure how anyone driving it without a clutch gets it moving at all..

[Geoffers]

Bad luck Geoff, I guess your car died when you spun and hit the wall?

Ahem, yeh sort of. It certainly reduced the engine health when I hit the wall, but I then went to turn around & hit the wall the other side & that did kill it .

Although I bought the TC cars ages ago, I had never actually gotten around to driving the Skyline, so I thought I had better give it a go. Instantly liked it, brakes are poor & it is not too keen on turning into corners but boy isn't it fun.

Lucky to get pole, Frex was potentially faster in the Volvo. Amazed at the start how the car gets off the line, for a moment I thought I had missed that it was a rolling start & everyone else was taking it easy, but then saw that the other Nissans had got through to 2nd & 3rd & I was OK. Toni stayed close for a few laps but then started to fall back & I built a useful lead until Frex got through to 2nd & started to reduce the gap. It quickly came down from 9s to 4s but then stabilised, I was pushing a bit harder & I guess Frex's tyres were starting to lose grip. Then I turned into T1 a little too early & caught too much grass, thought the 4WD would sort it but no the rear stepped out & the resulting tank-slapper sent me into the wall (see above).

Congrats to Glenn, Frex & Toni.  

[picnic]

I can post my setup Pete if you want to try it? And btw, how do you get the Volvo off the line - with the turbo lag it's low end torque is so low, a bit like the NSU it's really hard to get going. And if you get stuck in the gravel it takes ages to get out again. Not sure how anyone driving it without a clutch gets it moving at all..

Love to try your setup please

I didn't give it enough revs at the start, initially I thought I'd got it right but it then bogged down and fooled Spanner in to thinking it was a rolling start  Need to practice that I think. Also I know what you mean about the gravel, took me well over a minute to get out last night and without the clutch I'd never had made it.

[azaris]

Bad luck, Geoff and frex. Seems like almost everyone lost it at some point, myself included when I tried to chase Glenn a bit too hard, spun in turn 7 and ploughed into the wall. Unlike Geoff and Birger, my engine was still going so I was able to limp home even if the car looked "interesting" to say the least.

My main issue was that the tyres don't build up temperature apart from the LF, so I was struggling with grip and a second off my leaderboard pace. Oh and wondering every lap if the brakes on the Nissan would actually do something coming down the Moraine Sweep or whether I would beach the car in the sand trap. At least every car having some kind of fundamental flaw makes things more balanced.

[Glenn Richardson]

I had a similar problem to Frex and Pete, the M3 is naturally aspirated but very highly strung so has good high end power but no torque low down. I resorted to kicking the clutch in again a couple of times at the start just to get the revs up into the powerband but still struggled up the hill out of the last corner.

Geoff, I agree the GT-R is brilliant. Great power, sound, traction and really controllable. It's brilliant at launching but the key to it is not being too greedy with the brakes. If you accept the brakes are poor (which I didn't do when racing Markus at RaceRoom Raceway in the last league) you'll never be far from the front, at Suzuka it was in a class of one.

[phspok]

I had some ballast added for the Nissan last series (at first) as in the past it was too quick compared to to others
Since the last downgrade it is supposedly not faster. The little beemer seems faster than it used to be
so was happy to remove ballast on the GT-R, perhaps I should give it a little to even things up
not much just a bit.

[Glenn Richardson]

I had some ballast added for the Nissan last series (at first) as in the past it was too quick compared to to others
Since the last downgrade it is supposedly not faster. The little beemer seems faster than it used to be
so was happy to remove ballast on the GT-R, perhaps I should give it a little to even things up
not much just a bit.

I remember, it was at Dubai. The GT-R probably wasn't the quickest car at that track anyway and the weight crippled the braking performance further  I think I came last?

If you are thinking of ballasting the GT-R a little it might need to be track specific. Last series it was lightyears better at Suzuka but probably not any stronger over a full lap at RaceRoom Raceway and somewhere in between at Bathurst.

[phspok]

I won't be handicapping at individual tracks. Experience has taught me that just because I can drive a particular car
faster than others doesn't mean it is faster, usually just easier to drive. If the races all get a grid of Godzillas
then I would look at adding a small weight handicap to balance if required. Same as the free Lada at the WTCR sessions
if it turns out to be the car to have it will get handcapped.

[Glenn Richardson]

I suppose you're right, it's probably better to let the races at the different tracks ebb and flow between different cars rather than trying to penalise the strongest car just enough each time.

Then the championship becomes about maximising the advantage when you have it.

Either way I enjoyed last night's racing!

[Geoffers]

I would say that the only other track on your schedule which may favour the Nissan is Daytona, the other tracks are probably a bit too twisty. It certainly has an advantage getting away from the start but the Volvo (certainly in Frex's hands) is probably just as quick if not quicker over a race distance. I am quite happy to change to another car if the Nissan does prove dominant.