UKGTR Season 7 Lower Endurance (GT2/3) - Barcelona (GP) - Apr 27

[Minton]

Was a lonely race for me although i had to push the whole race as Paul and Simon were ready to take advantage of any mistakes , had the set up spot on as the car was easy to drive hard the whole race . Left Rear wore out pretty quick in both stints but managed to do a 31 sec pitstop ,first time ive ever got the pitstop right in 2 years!!
Had to short shift the last 2 laps as i had no petrol left and was lucky that jeff came round to lap me for the second time just before the start/finish straight and finish with just under 2 litres left.
Grats to GT2 and GT3 podium.

[Ted]

Hmmm... 

Firstly, apologies for my connection problems and the problems this may have caused anyone following me. These problems finally culminated in my disco about 1/3 of the way through.

Until then it was interesting. Apologies to Hal for the tap on T5 (I think), just didn't brake early enough. Hope it didnt damage your car.

Then there was the Pile Up that saw half my new team taken out a few hundred yards up the road from me. 

After that there seemed to be increasing dropouts in my connection and finally disconnection.

Hopefully better luck next time. 

[ginsters sponsored]

Like he said.    I gained some places due to this and I lost some time in it also. I guess it all comes to about even.    A never ending story. I must confess I was a bit pesky and pushy sometimes when lapping (sorry SBG),

No worries TT, it was very tricky for both sides out there. I was fully expecting you to get past where I "invited" you and if anything you weren't forceful enough. That gives you carte blanche next week

Got pushed and shoved, (a couple of times off the track) in a few places that cost me unnecessary time, but I suppose thats GT Racing

Well, no not really. Please report it if you were pushed and shoved

I was sure you were saying Hi to me Pseudo. Perfectly timed as you span across my bows I thought. Biggest chuckle of the night

[Simon Gymer]

Have to say I was not prepared to let GT2s by on the straights cause that's the only place the Viper is quick, so losing time there is like sacrificing your whole lap. I was happy for people to pass me under brakes, I never lost any time out of it because I was willing to let it happen so I got the line I wanted and forced the GT2 driver to compromise his lap.

Didn't have any connection and fps issues myself, the whole race was very stable except when I came across Mike's frozen car in the middle of the hairpin. 

Certainly won't be driving the Viper next season it sucks. In fact don't think I'll do GT3, both cars are naff. Next race is irrelevant now as I can't catch 2nd and 4th can't catch me, so it's a fun race, might switch back to the Z3M!

[Simon Gymer]

Short of Jeff taking 120kg ballast and winning next week (to get those juicy bonus points) I believe Joss is the provisional GT2 champion of this series as well as helping the Junior team to the GT2 team title. Well done pesky Junior!

GT3 is still up for grabs between two team mates SBG and Paul968 and they wrapped up the team title with ease, so well done on that.

[Paul968]

A rather frustrating race for me. Qual went well but not quite well enough to get ahead of Dan. I expected to get swallowed up by Pseudo Vipers down to turn 1 but luckily that didn't happen so I could concentrate on staying with Dan. He was quicker at this point, but then again he normally is so I wasn't too worried. Then Simon came storming up from behind and I had no answer to his speed down the straight. What was annoying was that having got past me he then appeared to have shot his bolt and spent the next 10 laps or so sliding around in front of me as Dan disappeared into the distance. Then when I wanted to pit I didn't get a confirm for 2 laps, so I lost more time on old tyres and also meant that I took more fuel than needed at the stop. When I finally came out, Dan zipped past on the straight with about an 8 second lead. I then spent most of the rest of the race driving as hard as I could to catch him, but most of the laps he was rock solid and if anything a little quicker. He made a few slips and the gap did drop down to 4 secs at one stage, but he was always tantalisingly out of reach. Then, with a few minutes to go I glanced at the engine health and saw with horror that it was on 57% and and as I watched it dropped to 56%    With a big gap back to Simon I immediately started taking it very, very easy, but it kept falling. I got half way round the final lap and was just starting to think I might make it when the power ebbed away and I drifted to a halt 4 corners from the finish  My fault for not taking care of the engine, but I'm still getting used to manual clutch and chasing Dan took my eye of the ball at the crucial time.

Congrats to Dan on a great drive and for finally getting the strategy right! Also to Ruskus for a fine win in the Seat. Sorry to JPS1 (J1 in the race?) for the tap under braking - I got caught out by your braking point and with Simon alongside I couldn't go left.

Not hugely thrilled to lose points because of the silly DNF rule. Finishing behind drivers who completed 2/3s of a lap less is not right and would not happen in any other form of racing. I realise this is a limitation of the game export process, but why can't the results be edited on the rare occasions this happens as has been suggested by several of us before now? It's not as if the finishing order is in any doubt?

The race also confirmed what I always felt - that racing Vipers in Cup cars is an exercise in frustration. Most of the time you don't race them at all - they just interfere with the result of the race. They can pass you at will when their tyres are fresh, but you have absolutely no chance to pass a Viper even when they are all over the place and much slower, and getting stuck behind one can kill your chances against your real competition. Exactly the same thing happened at Mugello. Normally I'd say I enjoyed a battle such as with Simon last night, but this was just a bit pointless IMO as unless he fell off I had no chance. Great driving from you though Simon - every corner was different!

Lucklily the result isn't a big issue as it sets up a really good last race finish. If SBG wins then I have to finish 2nd, if he is further back then there is more leeway. I might need to withhold my TT this time m8 

[Mike Wrightson]

Have to say I was not prepared to let GT2s by on the straights cause that's the only place the Viper is quick,

It certainly was! 

[psuedo]

The race also confirmed what I always felt - that racing Vipers in Cup cars is an exercise in frustration. Most of the time you don't race them at all - they just interfere with the result of the race. They can pass you at will  when their tyres are fresh, but you have absolutely no chance to pass a Viper even when they are all over the place and much slower, and getting stuck behind one can kill your chances against your real competition.

So take a Viper instead of the porka 

[Paul968]

So take a Viper instead of the porka  Wink laugh

Trouble is, I want to drive a racing car, not a tank     . Anyway, my point isn't necessarily that the Viper is better, but that it is not directly competing with the other cars. Cruising past a much slower car and then holding it up for half the race isn't my idea of fun either when I know I'm not likely to be able to compete with it come the end.

[ginsters sponsored]

If SBG wins then I have to finish 2nd, if he is further back then there is more leeway. I might need to withhold my TT this time m8 

Well you'll not have mine either These last two races have been a bit unsatisfactory but we might just have a thrillling climax yet.

Congrats to our Ade, Paul and Mo for bringing home the GT3 Team bacon   I'd say the biggest and most important championship in all of UKGTR, of course.

[Simon Gymer]

Have to say I was not prepared to let GT2s by on the straights cause that's the only place the Viper is quick,

It certainly was! 

I must admit, it did tickle me seeing BMW M3s pull up behind me get my slipstream, pull out and then have my Viper still hold it's own, forcing them to pass me under brakes, MOST amusing.

Cruising past a much slower car and then holding it up for half the race isn't my idea of fun either when I know I'm not likely to be able to compete with it come the end.

Hee hee, dunno what your saying Paul, you got free front row seats to a spectacular show of why Americans shouldn't build racing cars. My tyres lasted up to the point where I passed you and then they were already half worn and it was down hill from there. Not much you can do when you select hards and they can't even do 40 minutes.

I certainly don't think GT3 works as a class though. The 911 Cup and Viper are, as you quite rightly say, not really in the same race, nor would the Z3M be if anyone took it. With the potential movement of the Vertigo to GT3 it will just be even more silly. I won't be doing GT3 next season cause it's just a class that doesn't make sense. I'm happy for it to turn into a one make series, with the one make being changed every season, but it doesn't work as is imho.

[Paul968]

Hee hee, dunno what your saying Paul, you got free front row seats to a spectacular show of why Americans shouldn't build racing cars. Smiley My tyres lasted up to the point where I passed you and then they were already half worn and it was down hill from there. Not much you can do when you select hards and they can't even do 40 minutes.

No criticism intended of you Simon, quite the opposite - great driving 

I certainly don't think GT3 works as a class though. The 911 Cup and Viper are, as you quite rightly say, not really in the same race, nor would the Z3M be if anyone took it. With the potential movement of the Vertigo to GT3 it will just be even more silly. I won't be doing GT3 next season cause it's just a class that doesn't make sense. I'm happy for it to turn into a one make series, with the one make being changed every season, but it doesn't work as is imho.

I don't see why the Beemer can't be given more ballast help, and in theory the Vertigo could be ballasted up  to slow it down. 

[Simon Gymer]

I don't see why the Beemer can't be given more ballast help, and in theory the Vertigo could be ballasted up  to slow it down. 

The Beamer would need a huge amount more power and grip to benefit. Ballast isn't the answer.

The Vertigo would need a lot less grip to compete as it's way too good round the corners as is. When you consider Jeff can beat the rest of the GTCs in it, how can it possibly be part of GT3.

I'm against changing cars so much that you're not really driving that car anymore. What's the point in trying to force a square peg into a round hole? I don't see the point. There are enough cars to have enough fun racing without trying to get every single car to fit into one of our current classifications.

[Jeffrey]

That was an interesting evening

Just grabbed pole in the last second of qually by a few hunderds on Joss.

The first few laps were good. The Dunlops are optimum very quickly, so I could create a small 2s gap in the first couple of laps.
But after 10 minutes or so the difference between Dunlops and Michelins get noticable. FreQ was now slowly gaining and we were about to lap people.

Of the first 5 or so lappers, I think 3 spun infront of us, and I had a feeling it was only a matter of time before in ends in tears . And it did .
A Viper went slightly off and in it's rejoin it clipped me and send me into the wall. So FreQ was blasting past because of that.
That was very frustrating, because my tyres were shot at that moment, and I knew the only thing I had left was defense. My tyres were too crap to attack him.

So till the pitstops I was holding onto him, trying to stay close till I can get fresh tyres. He pitted quite early, and the lap he went in, I was also thinking about it. But because he went in, I had to follow a lap later.
We did identical pitstops and I can out right behind him again.

I was sniffing at his arse the whole time, trying to find a "gap"  . The Seat loses so much on the quick righthanders before a straight, that it was almost impossible for me to overtake somebody. Even 2-1 wing didn't get me a much higher topspeed .
But with 25 minutes or so to go, I did a Raikonen. I hit the grass under braking after the backstraight. The grass sucked me in a bit and I thought it would be better to gently steer into the gravel, than to try and despiratly flick it out the grass and spin .
So I was lucky only to lose 6s and not spin and crash.

At that point it felt like everything was going to sh*t and I became pissed and super concentrated. I kept improving my best lap for a few laps after that, and the whole 2nd stint, I didn't have any problems with tyrewear.
I was pushing like mad to gain on FreQ, which I didn't expect to happen, but slowly I was nibbling away the gap.

With about 10 minutes to go I was on his tail again. But again, it was impossible to overtake him due to those fast corners. A few times I could get alongside him at the mainstraight, but it was too risky to make the move stick, and I had to back off every time.

Last 3 minutes I got another draft on him. But this time he decided to defend his line, so I could stay on the racing line. He could brake later but because of the nasty he spun.
Kinda didn't felt fair to take the lead there, as he led most of the race.

All in all it was a cracking race that felt more like 10 minutes than 80, because I always had to do something .

[Paul968]

The Beamer would need a huge amount more power and grip to benefit. Ballast isn't the answer.

I have to disagree on this. It just needs a little more help. 20kgs could well be enough to make the difference. If the Vertigo isn't in the mix then the Cup car could be given a little more instead.

The Vertigo would need a lot less grip to compete as it's way too good round the corners as is. When you consider Jeff can beat the rest of the GTCs in it, how can it possibly be part of GT3.

Yes, but Jeff is the best driver. Without ballast then I think I'd be beating his vertigo most of the time looking at the results this season. The Vertigo also currently has a lot of negative ballast, so with +30 or so it might be a different story. Anyway, I agree that it is a stretch to get the Vertigo in.

I'm against changing cars so much that you're not really driving that car anymore. What's the point in trying to force a square peg into a round hole? I don't see the point. There are enough cars to have enough fun racing without trying to get every single car to fit into one of our current classifications.

Enough people don't like the 911 to make it worth the attempt to get one or tow more GT3 runners if possible IMO. It would be nice to have a choice of cars in the class, which does prove popular especially for the less experienced drivers.