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Practice: ~19:20 (60 mins)
Qualifying: 20:20 (20 mins)
Race: 20:40 (30 laps)

Track: Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya (GP) '07, Spain

Car restrictions: Check your car availability here

Time of Day Setting: 14:00
Start: STANDING
Tyre wear: Normal
Fuel consumption: x2
Pit stops: May be required

Server: simracing.org.uk Monday
Password: see above

Notes:
(1) It's best if all drivers can make sure they are connected before the Qualifying session as drivers on track during qualifying will not see cars that join after they are on track until they go back to the garage.
(2) Please make sure you are fully aware of the SimRacing.org.uk Rules.
(3) The AI control should be turned off so that you have control of the car at all times, including pitting. Your player file should therefore read
Autopit="0"
Force Autopit Off="1" // Forces autopit always off
No AI Control="1" // AI never has control over car
If you still finding pitting problematic, experience tells us that its less to do with positioning and more to do with approach speed. A slow approach to pit crew chief has proved most reliable.

Special Notes: None.

Away for another couple of weeks. Will be back somewhere mid September. Will be glad to dig up my gloves and goggles again by then.
Happy racing, Dan

Results and replay now posted.

Well that result was a bit of a surprise. Originally I was going with the Sierra, did a few refresh laps yesterday afternoon only to then find I had been using the 2003 layout not the 2007 one . Only had a few minutes to try the Sierra on the 2007 layout but getting it through the tighter section at the end of the lap seemed to be a nightmare with the setup I had. Recalled from previous races that the Toyota was quite good on twistier tracks so despite zero practice laps & no idea if it would be competitive I went with it.

Practice & qually revealed it was somewhere near the pace, but Daz's pole lap convinced me he had more than enough pace to get another win. Only chance might be to forgo a tyre change but I had no real idea if the tyres would last. Daz predictably took the lead with the Holden grunt off the line & I only just manage to cling on to 2nd from a fast starting Erling. In the early laps Daz eased away lapping a few tenths faster than me but tyre wear soon started to tell & I could reel him in through the twisties. The Holden would open the gap on the straight but earlier & earlier in the lap I was able to close in. Just before half distance Daz ran a bit wide in T3 & I was able to just sneak through the gap & pull away. Daz pitted at half distance & I went on to lap 20 before stopping, tyres didn't seem too bad so didn't change them.
Came out with 23s in hand over Daz although Fulvio who hadn't stopped was now leading. Took the lead back when he did but Daz was closing fast, pressed on as hard as I dared on the now well warn tyres hoping that tyre wear would also slow Daz towards the end. Fortunately it worked out & I could hold on for the win.

Congrats to Daz & Erling on the podium.  

Thanks Kurt 

I can't claim to be the biggest fan of Tilkedromes, but I have always liked Catalunya as a layout, has that bit of gradient change that is often missing from new tracks, and usually gives good racing. I do very much prefer the layout with the fast 2 corners at the end of the lap though, so it was a bit disappointing to find that horrible chicane!!!

Took the Holden to use up one of its drives, got 2 of them left and 2 Sierra drives, so will be in a car that doesn't suit the track at some point I think, not that I know all the layouts very well, Mexico is new to me for a start. Geoffers was rapid in quali in the Supra, the only way I could get my nose in front of him was running a proper quali fuel setup. It was already very clear that tyres were the problem for me though....

Kept the lead off the start, and tried to settle in at a decent pace without going too hard, as I was desperate to not have to change tyres if possible, given that I felt Geoff would not. I was actually therefore surprised to be pulling away for the first 3 or 4 laps, but he was just lulling me into a false sense of security! The gap then started to shrink, and soon he was all over me in the tighter stuff, only the extra urge of the brawny V8 keeping me in front.

However, that brawn was quickly munching through the tyres, and I was now certain of changing them, not doing so would have made the car utterly dangerous to drive, as well as very slow. By lap 10 I was losing quite a bit of drive, meaning Geoff was creeping ever closer. Eventually this took it's inevitable toll, as I couldn't quite leave the door into turn 3 firmly shut, and Geoff made sure it was big enough for a Supra and took the lead. He then quickly made the extra grip tell by pulling away inexorably....

I had started with the car full of fuel. This meant it was heavy, but did give me options to play with, either going very long and not taking tyres, or a shorter fuel stop if I did have to do it at halfway. I was hoping the stop would therefore be  a bit quicker than recently, but I was still stationary for 54 seconds, felt like a lifetime....Exited the pits in 3rd, as Fulvio had romped on past, and the gap to the front was around a minute or so, which I couldn't really see any way to overcome. The car was now much better of course on the new tyres, and I was lighter than the start of the race, so it was also quick.

Once the pitstops panned out, I was suddenly now only 15 seconds or so behind Geoff. Didn't think it was going to be so close to be honest, but I was now doing my best laps of the race, and the next lap took another 2 seconds from him, briefly giving me some hope! He then upped his game though, and the best I could take out of him on a lap after that was a second, which faded gently as my tyres wore down, and he coasted home with a 7 second gap...Good fun throwing the big beast around though, it is quite friendly to drive when compared to the Sierra for instance....

Grats to Geoffers, pretty flawless win in truth, and grats to Erling for the podium.