UKGPL Season 44 (Spring 2024) - FUN RACES - Sebring - Jan 7

[phspok]

I tapped Rainier into T1, apologies, I was taking it easy but I had contact from a Winged white car behind (That's my excuse anyway) 

[pjlohmar]

I may be shown as pjlohmar

[Phil Thornton]

Pleased to finish P4, I think I was more like P7 on absolute pace. Stunning times by Greg in the Lola and a great result for Cookie in the Chap. I had some good battles with Andreas, Evil, Pete and Bully. I benefitted from a few mistakes by others but the pace was very even and it was a case of who makes the least mistakes wins.

I had a quick look at the replay. There were 1 or 2 avoidable shunts. If you were involved in any please have a look at the replay and see what you might have been able to do to avoid contact. The odd shunt in a fun race is of no consequence but in league races we need to be on our best behaviour, unnecessary contact can be very annoying in a league race when someone may have put in a lot of practice and preparation. Good luck in Season 44 

[Pete Bennett]

I had a quick look at the replay. There were 1 or 2 avoidable shunts. If you were involved in any please have a look at the replay and see what you might have been able to do to avoid contact. The odd shunt in a fun race is of no consequence but in league races we need to be on our best behaviour, unnecessary contact can be very annoying in a league race when someone may have put in a lot of practice and preparation. Good luck in Season 44 

Good racing, Phil and good words of advice. Let's hope we have a full grid in every race. 

[GregT]

Congratulations Axel and Clive! It looks like I got lucky Clive had some early trouble. It was very difficult staying in front of Axel. Two drivers may have been far more pressure than I could have withstood.

I was glad to see Axel in the Chaparral. I drove the Lola since I hadn't driven it at Sebring and thought it might give me a chance to keep up with Axel in the Chaparral. I think Axel posted his qualifying time at the same time as I posted mine. I was right on his tail when I got pole position. That was a nice lap you drove Axel. I kept thinking you were going to slow me down at some point but you never did.

I gave it everything I had for 17 laps to stay in front of Axel. I "worked" so hard to open a 4-5 second gap on Axel twice, only to slow drastically to avoid a spin and lose all that gap. I thought he was going to catch me again late in the race, but he seemed to fare a little worse with lapped traffic than I did.

Sebring was my favorite airfield circuit until Nassau was released. The two places us North Americans loved to go racing during the winter. I think the Europeans preferred Australia but plenty of them made it to Sebring and Nassau too. I think it was a very nice choice of track and mod to drive this time of year. I can't think of any time of year I'd rather be in Florida.

Thanks for the fun gentlemen and thanks for letting me join. Take care guys.

[EvilClive]

Grats to Greg and Axel, I was hoping to be in that battle too, but I failed to curb my enthusiasm on cold tyres and paid a heavy price at T2. I got a better start than Greg and the slow starting Chap 2F of Axel, so I managed to lead into T1. the slightly yighter entry sent me onto the grass but I ( just) managed to keep things pointing in the right direction until T2 where it all went very wrong. I thought that I had got away with a very clumsy corner until I clipped one of the distance markers and I was spun out onto the grass to be wedged at the track boundary as the field streamed past. 1st to 18th in 5 seconds!!! is that a record???
It might have been the sun's reflection off the Ferrari paintwork but the view from my cockpit was decidedly RED.

Quite how that V12 retained all of it's whizzy bits throughout the rest of the race I have no idea, but I passed car after car as I worked my way back towards the front of the pack. Quite naturally as one gets closer to the front the cars are faster and take longer to catch and pass, but I was not taking any prisoners  
Everything was 98% faultless until I caught Phil and I think he cast a spell on my car? I could not believe how many spins/near spins/clips of haybales and tyres happened in those final laps as I passed...dropped behind...passed again...dropped behind and finally took 3rd spot ahead of Phil, Pete and Cubby. Talk about making hard work of it??!!

Thanks to all the cars I passed who were gentlemen and could probably see the steam issuing from my helmet and great to see yet another full grid of cars.

[Cookie]

Yeah, that's why I do online racing!

Grats Greg to a perfect win and Clive for a fantastic recovery race

My setup was conservative to not kill the fragile Chevy engine (and it survived),
with only one little mistake - rumbling over the tire polos, but enough to loose the tow of Greg.
I ran np til the penultimate lap, when I recognized I had a little too low fuel calculated and had to shift and coast to the finish line - with 0.5 liter left...

Reminder to me: next race 2 gal more than computed!

[fpolicardi]

Apologies to Fulvio for the contact on lap 3, I think. Exactly the sort of thing I wanted to avoid.

NP Peter, I'm an early braker. I could continue without much damage and I had a nice battle with Andreas. Too bad you leaved.

[fpolicardi]

Grats to Greg and Axel, I was hoping to be in that battle too, but I failed to curb my enthusiasm on cold tyres and paid a heavy price at T2. I got a better start than Greg and the slow starting Chap 2F of Axel, so I managed to lead into T1. the slightly yighter entry sent me onto the grass but I ( just) managed to keep things pointing in the right direction until T2 where it all went very wrong. I thought that I had got away with a very clumsy corner until I clipped one of the distance markers and I was spun out onto the grass to be wedged at the track boundary as the field streamed past. 1st to 18th in 5 seconds!!! is that a record???
It might have been the sun's reflection off the Ferrari paintwork but the view from my cockpit was decidedly RED.

Quite how that V12 retained all of it's whizzy bits throughout the rest of the race I have no idea, but I passed car after car as I worked my way back towards the front of the pack. Quite naturally as one gets closer to the front the cars are faster and take longer to catch and pass, but I was not taking any prisoners  
Everything was 98% faultless until I caught Phil and I think he cast a spell on my car? I could not believe how many spins/near spins/clips of haybales and tyres happened in those final laps as I passed...dropped behind...passed again...dropped behind and finally took 3rd spot ahead of Phil, Pete and Cubby. Talk about making hard work of it??!!

Thanks to all the cars I passed who were gentlemen and could probably see the steam issuing from my helmet and great to see yet another full grid of cars.

You passed me in the same car at the first hairpin like you had a turbo  , I call for a verify! 

[EvilClive]

OK I confess.....I was using studded snow tyres. 

[fpolicardi]

OK I confess.....I was using studded snow tyres. 

More you get older , more you get faster than me 

[Bully]

Ok, so after a careful review of the server replay (I didn't save mine in time before the server left the track). It has come to light that I am a terrible driver....

I made an ok start off the line, a few people went past but that is expected in the Chap D. I saw Evil going off on turn 2. Then when I arrive at T3 and there is a Ferrari (B. Whitwell) ahead and I am approaching fast. I tried to avoid, but seems like I just gave the slightest tap and sent him spinning. From my point of view I didn't think I'd hit him, I felt nothing on through the wheel. But server reply shows I did. I probably should have waited there for him to re-join. But I just carried on... I don't know who B. Whitwell relates to here in the forums, but I would just like to apologise sincerely for that as that was my fault.

Anyway I carry on and I'm in 3rd place. Pete Bennett is keeping me honest for the next couple of laps or so. I made a couple bad gear changes and grinded the gears. But then I got it together and managed to pull away slowly. I built up a gap of 10-12 seconds, and was thinking to just take it easy, hit the braking points, don't take any risks. Cookie and Greg were well ahead, 10+ secs, and I had no chance of catching them.

I managed about 10 clean laps except for a little tap on the tyres at the 1st chicane. Then disaster struck, loss of concentration. I slid wide coming onto the 1st long straight and hit the hay bales. I ended up sat on top of one of them. Time to Shift-R, by then I think Evil had got past Pete and I re-joined in front of them, but my 10 second cushion was gone.

After another lap or so, I went wide on the last turn and let both Evil and Pete through. I re-joined after Pete with Phil just behind. I gave chase and after a couple of laps I was back onto Pete's tail. We were going down the second long straight and I had a good tow so slipped up the inside to the last turn. But cunning Pete did the old switch-a-roo and then dove up the inside of me, as I had left a little gap there. I did not expect Pete to be there and I thought I had the inside. But as soon as I turned in then we collide. I am sorry about that Pete, I turned into you, there was nothing else you could have done. I waited for Pete to re-join and set after him again.

By this time my concentration was shot, and ended up making a couple more mistakes. In the end I came in 6th. On reflection, I'm not sure that I deserved that due to causing a couple accidents.

So once again, apologies to B. Whitwell and Pete. I need to get the hang of racing etiquette again and just overall be a bit more patient.

Apart from that, it was a fun experience and I did enjoy the race, it was great to see a full sever again.

Cheers,
            Bully.

[Doni Yourth]

A fine win for Greg!  Axel scoring a good P2!  Evil Clive making a remarkable recovery to scoop the final podium place.  Well done, chaps!

A pretty reasonable run for me in the GT40.  Somewhat of a stone compared to everyone else's ride but I was hoping for a Porsche or Alfa to make the show.  No such  luck.  Save for clipping a polo a couple of times, the race was largely uneventful.  Only real drama was being collected by Paul's Ferrari in the last corner at the end of the first lap and losing a couple of places and some 20 seconds.  Not entirely sure what Bad Bob was up to in qualifying as my last attempt to score my best time came to grief in the last corner.  Whatever were you thinking there, Baab?  I hope that's not a trend.

Lap times for our race are a good 10 seconds per lap faster than that recorded for the 1967 of this Sebring event.  I mean, I know that we're all superior talents compared to the likes of Andretti and McLaren but...

[AnGex]

 
[/quote]
from fpolicardi
... I could continue without much damage and I had a nice battle with Andreas...
[/quote]

Yeah, once again a another marvellous battle with you.  

Congratulations to the Podium!