UKGTR Season 8 Upper Sprint (GT1) - Magny-Cours (GP) - Jul 1

[Minton]

Dan, did I turn you into the chicane? Came close on the braking, but never felt a touch. Wasn't sure, so when you caught up I ... I owe you one anyway...  Kiss

You did TT but nevermind ...save the favour for the championship.

[baracus250gt]

Exciting race! For all I tried I couldnt repeat my winning performance last time we raced Magny (my only GTR win I think!) and my driving was a bit rusty. Couldnt realy get a clean qually lap in so aimed for driving a steady race and see what happens. I seemed to be able to make up a lot of ground into Adelaide but was losing just as much in the first sweeper. Great racing with Reign Man, SBG and Dan - seriously good fun thanks everyone

Its the sort of track that you really do need to let the car do the work, which is fine once one locks into the groove but it took me a while. Sorry to anyone behind that I surprised with my bouts of slow apexes and lairy opposite locks

[Ade]

Managed to keep things together to finish the race despite having to fend off Ade, he was all over me like a rash for almost the entire race   Good driving Ade

Cheers JPS1 was enjoying that    soz for the knock at T1 I think you braked a bit harder when you let a car through on the inside and i was a bit close. Ended up hitting escape when my tires where shot and things where getting a bit ragged.

[Kerr]

I never got a flag to signal the end of the race. I had no idea it was until everyone started crashing and talking. Race time also shows 42 min 55sec which is not right.        My first ever race in the 575 and it went well. I knew from earlier I probably could not match Busi quali pace with the 575 but resisted the temptation to go back to the lambo, mc12 or even the 550 as I knew my race car was better than qualification car.              I had to chuckle on the warm up lap. I thought busi had put it in the wall. His attempt to warm the tyres sent the car off the track towards the wall. He must have missed and I kept things slow enough he could move ahead of me.       busi ran a little wide on the second corner on cold tyres and I managed to slip up the inside.   I managed to pull out some breathing space and could go at my own pace. The gap then remained the same for a bit then my tyres started going off.      Wear was not particularly bad but just had little grip front of back. Busi caught up and put me under pressure for a bit but i held on to win, whenever the race actually finished.          Happy with my first outing in the 575 and hardly made a mistake of any note. A wobble or two on worn tyres. Great race and pace busi, you were never far away.    It looks like to win this season the pace will have to be stepped up from previous seasons as I don't think we were that quick last time here. Think both lap records went too.

[spanner]

Congrats to everyone ahead of me especially the podium, I dont know how you guys can do it!

[Mark J]

Great first race back in the GT1 monsters. Forgot how much hard work it is wrestling these beasts around the track, especially once the tyres start to go off. I was sweating buckets by the end.

Qually didnt go as planned, at least a second off my pB.   Was 6/10ths up on my best lap at one point only to balls it up on the penultimate corner, otherwise would have quallied top 8 i think?

Race was a constant battle from start to finish with no letting up, enjoying some good dices with several drivers along the way.
I spent the whole race between 9th and 11th, losing places to 1 spin at same penultimate corner as qually, and one tank slapper at estoril curves, but then regaining the places. Finished 9th with two other legends in top 10 so a good team performance.

Great pace up front, congrats to the podium guys. 

[Busi]

Anyway here goes my race:

Great quali, even if 3 tenths off my PB. At the warm up lap I spun the car to the wall, thanks for waiting Brian I went on med/hard tyres and needed them up to temp or I was dead. At the start I released the limiter very few metres before the finish line to avoid what happened at Brno, I hope it was Ok. Then at Estoril corner I understeered with still cold fronts and had to hesitate on the throttle, that gave Brian the lead.

After 4 or 5 laps I was up to speed and managed to keep the gap with him at around 5 seconds. At the second half of the race I started reducing it a little bit, backmarkers were not a problem (very good job by all you guys  ) and with few laps to go I was just behind Brian. I didn't really have a chance to overtake, in the last lap though I was gonna get ready for an attempt into Adelaide, but when we were about to exit the previous corner I had a double shift that made me spin and it was gone.

Very happy to finish 2nd just 3 seconds away from the winner, that is if results are changed

Great race all, cheers

[Dave 'Gizmo' Gymer]

Results corrected - I've taken off the last lap of Brian and Steve. I've a feeling we've had this problem before at Magners Irish Cours.


Very enjoyable race for me - DMN gave me a place during the (slightly hectic) formation lap by falling off, then after he got past during the race Darren had me under constant pressure and eventually I cracked, touching the sand going into Imola and losing about 3 places.

After that I chased down a pack of three; the Lambo isn't quick in a straight line but it is very quick out of the long right hander and Picnic made it easy for me to pass once I got alongside him. Got past the other two as well and set off after TinMan but he was a long way up the road by then and the during the last 2 or 3 laps I was struggling with tyre wear and more worried about the increasingly loud rumbling of Picnic's C5-R.

The whole race was very intense for me and I'm really looking forward to Sunday's Endurance event now, although I still don't know what class or car to run!

[Steve Holmes]

What, I'd I come second for a time.      Thoroughly undeserved if I did.   

End of the race was a mess, technically.  My pitboard stopped giving gaps 3-4 laps from the end, but then the end never came, I saw cars all over the track near Adelaide and assumed that must have been the end but with no official indication I carried on round, slowly, to finish another lap, I was going to carry on further and see if I could get the end of race, but 2 litres wasn't going to get me round.  Got no chat from anyone either and half the field were missing in the standings.  No idea if I was still properly connected but at least I do appear to be in the results.   

My first real GT1 race (bar a half-hearted super-enduro) was good, monster cars, love 'em even if like PR I'm not too confident in them.  Lonely race, I'd got some confidence up during the end of qually, started the race feeling good but made a few minor mistakes and decided to ease back a bit, then it was lonely all the way as Aagramn pulled away and I pulled clear of those behind, once Pseudo and MJ made mistakes and fell behind.

Exhausted by the end after too much post-work practice trying to get up to speed, lost the car several times in the last few laps, but at least I made it.  I'll definitely be up for more GT1 action, these are real racing cars, especially if I can just go slowly round and do another lap after the end of each race and get the podium that way.   

[Aagramn]

Results corrected - I've taken off the last lap of Brian and Steve. I've a feeling we've had this problem before at Magners Irish Cours.

Thanks Dave. Results now look correct, but the standing need re-generating.

[Dave 'Gizmo' Gymer]

Thanks Dave. Results now look correct, but the standing need re-generating.

Oh, thought I did that before. Oh well, I've gone back and pressed the button harder this time. Team Shark have an extra point's lead.

[psuedo]

Team Shark have an extra point's lead.

Don't get too excited.....it wont last long 

[Truetom]

Steve got demoted...    and Legends Racing fell from 2nd to Xth place in standing. 

Saleen is not as good as I thought. I think I'm slower than in the Lister, though I hope it's due to not knowing the car enough. 

[Aagramn]

Team Shark have an extra point's lead.

Why do you think I was so keen to get it updated? 

Don't get too excited.....it wont last long 

Two weeks at least. 

[JPS]

 Cheers JPS1 was enjoying that    soz for the knock at T1 I think you braked a bit harder when you let a car through on the inside and i was a bit close. Ended up hitting escape when my tires where shot and things where getting a bit ragged.

Ade, No worries on the knock, it was a gentle tap by the time it reached my steering wheel and didn't really effect me much.