Endurance Championship Division 1 - Season 1, Round 2, Magny-Cours - July 31

[Simon Gymer]

Tyres temps mean nothing in the wet. My front never got much above 55 and the rears were about 70 after a while. It's more about the feel and just having grip of some sort rather than aquaplanning a lot.

The Lambo is one of the best cars in the wet as it has lots of natural traction under acceleration which is one of the smaller reasons I chose it before the season began as there was likely to be some wet weather so it would stand my in good stead in those races.

I don't think you should be allowed to change cars during an event (I thought there was a rule to that effect although it might be UKGPL).

[PaulW]

I understood that, once you'd joined Q2, jumping out and getting another car was not allowed. Or at the very least, a bit cheeky.

My tyres were icy compared to you guys- 30ish front, 40ish rear all night. After one spin I managed to get the rears up to 50 something though which was very exciting

[fozzmeister]

I understood that, once you'd joined Q2, jumping out and getting another car was not allowed. Or at the very least, a bit cheeky.

My tyres were icy compared to you guys- 30ish front, 40ish rear all night. After one spin I managed to get the rears up to 50 something though which was very exciting

Yeh, mine were like that too, We are both NGT so its probably semi-normal.

[Mark Harrison]

Well, my race was extremely strange.  It's the most eventful race I'd been involved with in quite a while - but knowing it was an 'endurance' race (an hour, yeah right ) I endeavoured to take it easy, after what happened two weeks ago in the wet.

Was pleased to see a full grid this time out, and set about qualifying having done....yep, you guessed it....no wet weather running since two weeks ago, which was the first time ever.  Sensible, I know but still.  At least I had qualifying to get acclimatized this time.  Hardly went off, to my great surprise, in qualifying, and wound up P4, behind some super-fast laps.

A strange thing happened on the formation lap, just coming out of the final chicane - I think I hit something invisible, because I slowed all of a sudden and then was hit from behind.  So I lost 3 seconds or so on the start.  No big deal, after Rik F spun at the hairpin and I passed Matjaz easily under acceleration, I was in the position I was before.

Took it very easy on lap 1 this time, but coming down to the hairpin, Shark had the moment described above.  It was a sudden horrible realization that Truetom was directly in the flight path of the aquaplaning Lambo....thankfully it *just* missed.  It didn't miss by a lot though!  Very, very lucky indeed.

Muorali gave it too much throttle a couple of laps later, and so it was me and Truetom up front.  I had no idea at this stage about fuel strategies, but I was coming to realize, rather quickly, that I could have gone the full race on the single tank of fuel.  But I'd only taken 60 litres.  Cursing my lack of preparation, I wondered whether my soft wets would last the whole race.

I decided I'd make the decision when I pitted, which was just after half-distance.  In the meantime, I set about harassing Tom.  I didn't want to risk anything, so just made myself as big as possible in his mirrors.  I was still finding the limits to an extent....twice I went straight on at the final corner, using the tarmac runoff to good effect, and once I went right across the Nurburgring chicane.  But Tom didn't make any kind of a mistake, great driving.  A little half-spin at the last corner told me it was time to pit.

Soo....what state are the tyres in?  A couple of 7's, a couple of 8's....hmmm....decisions, decisions....I'll gamble and not change them.  Forgot to turn the engine back on after refuelling, so that cost me a couple of seconds but it was only a 20 second stop anyway.

I wasn't sure whether anyone else had realized you could go the whole race, either, so I prayed for the next couple of laps that they hadn't.  Sure enough, Tom pits, and I gain 20 seconds on him....he must have changed tyres.  Muorali pits a couple of laps later, putting me 2nd.  Mike Wrightson a few seconds in front.  It's looking rather good....

But then, coming up to lap Jamera, he gives me a love tap coming out of the hairpin, spinning me round.  Grrrr.  13 seconds behind Mike, with about as many laps to go, and all of a sudden I'm gonna have to push hard.  Next lap, 11.3.  Then, 8.4.  Oh no....locked a brake and straight on at the final corner, costing me at least two seconds.  Gap 9.3.  10 laps to go.

I'm catching at 2 seconds a lap though, and sure enough, 5 laps later, I'm right on Mike's tail.  A backmarker in front, Mike struggles to deal with him....and skews to the right out of Adelaide.  OK, I lead by 20 seconds, the race is mine.

So, what do I do?  Take it easy, eeeeaaassyy....coming up to lap a car in the 180, the back comes round for seemingly no reason!  What?!  Lost 12 seconds, and saw Tom had gone into 2nd.  5.3 seconds in front, with 3 laps to go!

Okay, calm, calm....it's still yours Mark.  Next lap, 3.5.  2 to go.  Still calm.  Got backmarkers though....out of the way!!  2.4 coming into the last lap, and I think it's mine again.  Into the 180 once more, I leave the braking very late trying to clear a backmarker, and run right out wide....Tom is right on me now though!  Half a lap to go, don't make a mistake, don't you DARE make a mistake....nice run through Imola and Chateau d'Eau, and braking into the Lycee I'm still in front.  Out of the chicane, and the end of the most nerve-wracking half a lap in recent memory....YEAH!!!

As you can see, I made bloody hard work of it.

BTW, well done to Matjaz for a brilliant drive

[[ZiP]Tyf]

Please click on the 'Next Page' button to continue reading the novel by Mark Harrison. 

Just joking m8, well done!

T

[Simon Gymer]

LOL.

Excellent report Mark. I particularly liked the bit about the flight path of my aquaplaning Lambo.

The fuel thing was interesting. I had no intention of not stopping even in the wet i didn't think the Lambo would be even close to finishing with a full tank. Not sure now though, but I dont really want to do another hour race in the rain at Magny to find out. 

[Aagramn]

Results are up here:

http://www.ukgtr.org/lm2-report.php?group=10101&event=11

[Truetom]

I was on a no-stop strategy. Filled up Saleen to 100 litres. Had to pit to repair damage and decided to change tires btw from hard to soft (or rain to monsoon). When I finished I had about 10 litres of fuel left. So in rain Saleen can go no-stop if your tires endure. Had rev limiter on 7000, forgot to change, so with lower I would have more fuel left.

[Dave 'Gizmo' Gymer]

Thanks Aagramn.

[cb95amc]

Well, was going along OK, considering that was the first time I had raced in such conditions......
On Lap15 I entered a corner a little too fat (the fast uphill chicane) and ran a little wide onto the grass.......As I tried to make my way back to the track I somehow managed to ground my car on the grass - couldn't move backward or forward not matter what I did....eventually gave up and quit back to the pits.
 

Oh well....here is hoping for better weather next time - can you imagine monsoon weather at Enna ??

Regards

cb

[Muorali]

Shark - do the cars really aquaplane? Because i'm pretty sure they don't, and i've heard from good sources they just don't in the game.....

[Muorali]

I would love to see the time of the race extended to 90 mins - 60 mins of 'endurance' racing is just too short - it goes very very quickly. Anyone else would like to see it extended to 90 mins? (most GTR leagues I know run at 90 also)

[fozzmeister]

I would love to see the time of the race extended to 90 mins - 60 mins of 'endurance' racing is just too short - it goes very very quickly. Anyone else would like to see it extended to 90 mins? (most GTR leagues I know run at 90 also)

Gets my vote, but I think as we were setup for 60, we should get far greater than 50% wanting to go for 90

[Mark Harrison]

I would love to see the time of the race extended to 90 mins - 60 mins of 'endurance' racing is just too short - it goes very very quickly. Anyone else would like to see it extended to 90 mins? (most GTR leagues I know run at 90 also)

Yup.

[Truetom]

I think I could make 90 min. Would be more of an anticipation for a race, too. And more rewarding (feeling) for a winner.