UKGTR Season 9 Lower Sprint (GT2) - Spa (2003) - Feb 3

[Prof]

Another poor race even by my modest standards. Drifted around on a quickly deteriorating front right which eventually gave up the ghost at the fast left hander sending me straight on.

Apologies to Matt Rowe for the touch but you were lagging quite badly from my view - perhaps it was me but it was not mentioned by team mates on TS.

Really poor start to the season not helped by a computer struggling to give me a good picture at any sort of decent fps. Strongly considering sitting out for now until I get some enthusiasm back. 

[Mark J]

Whoohooo !! My first win in a long time ...since last time i won at this track  

Had a bad qually session, with first a CTD then traffic on two of my flying runs, leaving me in a less than great 8th on grid knowing i was quicker than that.
I took the whole of the countdown time just to make my mind up what setup to run and at the last minute opted for my dry setup with a tad more wing...it worked a treat 
Race start was all action with me, Spanner and Picnic running 3 abreast up the Kemmel straight !   I was so busy watching Spanners meandering 997 that Petes SEAT arrived from nowhere!...just glad i never changed lines at last minute  

Took me a lap or two to shake loose and get into a rhythm but then i started to bang in some fast laptimes and caught several cars quite quickly. Simon gave me a rabbit to chase for several laps and i was starting to set fastest race laps. Once i got by Simon, i had about 5 seconds to make up on Busi and Purdie up front but now i had the car really flying and was banging in fastest race laps about 2 secs quicker than the front man

I caught Andy's 997 and then actually started to get slower as i got mesmerised watching his car in front and feeling some pressure from Busi behind. This went on for several laps until i got closer to put some pressure on the leader, and followed Purds up through eau rouge. I saw his car bottom out with a shower of sparks half way up and that seemed to cause him to understeer off onto the slippery kerbs where i saw him have a hefty race ending impact with the Belgian Armco !   Unlucky mate  

Busi came back at me a couple of times near bus stop but then i could pull out a gap around the rest of the lap, and in the final lap had clear air behind me by a decent margin, even allowing me to slow around La source enough to watch the lap counter go down to zero, meaning i didnt have to do another lap  

I was ecstatic to cross the finishing line with a win at my favourite race track in my favoured car, especially in tricky conditions  
Congrats to TT for his 3rd place and Busi in 2nd.  

[Legzy]

I think my race can be summed up in this little video (kindly laughed at prepared by a Teammate), it's my last twenty seconds of the race  :
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=zpymg8vcA5c

I've no idea how I managed it & I lost gave away two hard earned positions 

Happy with my laptimes again, dissapointment over consistency again.

[Truetom]

Hehe, it happens. 

[Blunder]

Lol ! that video is classic!

Great race for me especially as I had all those lost connections on Sunday and none this evening!?
I have changed nothing!? Wierd!

Last minute panics all round as Team Oldie tested tyres in quali !!

Went with Soft slicks in the end and was obviouisly marginally quicker than those around me. Still took
some work to pass people. Great few laps with Dave particularly. That was good fun! Dave originally passed me on the outside too!
So I returned the favour later!! Felt like my tyre choice was spot on and others were having issues?

So relieved the Sim seems configured Ok again after my PC rebuild. What a nightmare that has been! and I work in IT !

B*** computers! 

Oh, better thank my Team mate Lazlow for not rear ending me when I had been slowed through the bus stop by someone in front of me!

[Mark J]

hehe, great video Legzy!....not your finest hour   

[Dave 'Gizmo' Gymer]

Apologies to Matt Rowe for the touch but you were lagging quite badly from my view - perhaps it was me but it was not mentioned by team mates on TS.

Suspect the "not" there is spurious; I was seeing it too - the M3 was jumping back and forth by 100 yards at a time, most alarming!

[phspok]

Legzy said I was warping some as well. humble appologies, I am away this week, and I am borrowing a friends conn
which is "variable quality" as other people in the house use it.
I will try to use it only when it's free, but I have limited control as it aint mine.

[Josè Arrogantio]

Spun at rivage, got beached on the curb and then annihilated my rear tires getting off. Had to pit as the rear then had no grip at all.

Though Jose coming up behind me on the last lap to unlap himself into the bus stop put me off from doing anything, It was the last lap Jose.

Sorry for the poor unlap spanner, was pushing hard and trying to catch smokey as I was 15 sec faster than him on the previous lap and I didn’t realise it was going to be the last lap, Thought there was going to be one more. Would have backed off had I known.        
Noob Error sorry!!!

[spanner]

No problem Jose I often get confused over whether its telling me the lap i'm on, laps complete or what?

[Joss]

Congrats to MJ on his first overall win....ever! 

[Truetom]

That'll fire him right up! 

[Blunder]

Sorry for the poor unlap spanner, was pushing hard and trying to catch smokey as I was 15 sec faster than him on the previous lap and I didn’t realise it was going to be the last lap, Thought there was going to be one more. Would have backed off had I known.        
Noob Error sorry!!!

Hey Jose, I think we had the same issue buddy! API and I were racing for position 7th/8th and you were way quicker than us but getting involved with us with a lap or 2 to go may not have been an ideal plan! You were a lap down at the time I think? I was catching API slowly but obviously another car in the mix does change things! I did get an opportunity to pass API but held back on purpose so not to take the position unfairly and then raced him for position after that.
I guess what I am politely saying is you did nothing wrong but it is always good to be mindfull of peoples battles!
Hope you don't feel I am having a pop!, just wanted to mention it!

Obviously any top tips for going quicker from the 'Newbie' to us veteran slow guys would be great! 

[Josè Arrogantio]

Hope you don't feel I am having a pop!, just wanted to mention it!

Any advice on driving style is always much appreciated.
Think I got a bit over excited when I saw how fast I was catching Smokey