UKGTR Season 9 Lower Sprint (GT2) - Valencia (GP) - Apr 14

[Prof]

Just when you think you are beginning to improve this game has a way of putting you back in your place...

I could not find a good race setup and was dreading this race. My fears proved true and I found myself towards the back struggling for pace with no idea what to do.

Someone seemed to think that redesigning the back of my car might help make me faster and tried to help but that didn't work either. I suppose it's the thought that counts.  

Struggled to the end safe in the knowledge that Sky+ was recording an interesting sounding second half at Stamford Bridge I am now watching.

I shall not bother with an 80 minute repeat on Sunday unless I can find some sort of setup.

[Busi]

Great race yet again!

I didn't feel 100% comfortable tonight in the Panoz, the car was very slidy and had to be very careful in some corners because the rear end looked pretty happy. I qualified behind sbg (on pole in the same car) and Purds. Ginsters didn't look as good in the race though and Purdie was all over him. I just tried to keep the car on track and I could watch the battle. The one and only time sbg went slightly off, both Purds and me went by (I struggled to keep the place once I passed him lol).

Kept chasing Purds, he made a mistake and I went by to take the lead. But he was faster than me today and at the minimum mistake from my part (ran slightly wide in Turns 4 and 5) he took the lead and won. I had to come in 2nd which makes it a R24/7 1-2, nice

Grats mate, very good driving today!

[ginsters sponsored]

Thought football was all over ( ) so thought I'd give GTR2 a try at short notice. Overall, glad I did.

Getting faster and faster in quali and chuffed with pole. But boy the lack of any clue how the Panoz is in race cost me deer. First 10 or so laps were great fun and then me tyres were gone. Getting a worn tyre message after 25min isn't ideal Had great fun trying to hold gents up and some brilliant stuff with Purdie, TT, Busi and Jose after that. Was gonna hang onto 4/5 but then..................o well mustn't let that cloud the memory. But blimey Legzy beat me  

Thx all and congrats to podium. How do you make the Panoz last Busi?

[picnic]

Replay and provisional results posted

LapChart

[Legzy]

Quite possibly my most enjoyable GTR2 race ever! Set a PB in qually by 0.9 sec & qualified behind all the  's (& Ginsters).

Managed to cling onto the back of RoadRunner & Jose as they fought brilliantly just in front of me, while Carl was catching all the time (as I got within 1 tenth of my new qually PB). We were then four cars nose to tail for 10 mins with some great driving. Sadly it ended with someone wobbling in front (I think) & I was left to try to close the new gap to Jose. He in turn was free to start reeling in Napo & SBG. Once he got them I started gaining fast as they fought. Sadly I had a good view of them coming together at T1. I didn't rubber neck too long as i slipped through to a generous 4th with less then 5mins to go. Spanner had been tracking & closing for as long as I could remember... just a couple more laps mate, my tyres were well shot & I was slipping everywhere!

I really enjoyed that guys, thanks all for a great nights driving 

[Busi]

Getting a worn tyre message after 25min isn't ideal

 

what on earth were you doing on soft tyres in the race? LOL

That's the only explanation to the tyre wear, because I was on mediums and finished with about 20 tyre wear. And I'm quite a tyre killer lol

Softs must have been so worn AND so hot! My meds were all the time around the ideal 90ºC that really helped me keep the car under control

[Truetom]

Phew, a proper Sprint there! Qualified 5th with my pb beaten by half a second. Had some close opening laps with RR, then Jose while keeping in contact with the first 4. Darn that Panoz, while I was close through winding part, it drove right away on that big straight.    Over and over, Napo took back all I gained so hard working on the rest of the track. But I saw I could enter and exit the corners more and more closely and I knew if I maintain pressure a gap would open sooner or later. And it did.    Then I went for SBG. What? Another Panoz? Same situation again - gaining through corners, losing on the straight, Napo was close on me by now but I saw SBG struggling, I even tasted a slipstream. Twice for about two seconds.    Managed to stick a nose in after a short slide by SBG and was then off, opening the gap by 2 or 3 tenths per lap. Still 10 minutes to go, so I concentrated on driving safely. 3rd feels good, Purdie and Busi were too quick today, grats to both.    Valencia always produces great racing for me. Too bad I went for GT1 in Endurance.  

Went to see replay. That move was never gonna work, lol, 3 can't fit into T1, no way.  

Good race.  

TT

[ginsters sponsored]

That's the only explanation to the tyre wear, because I was on mediums and finished with about 20 tyre wear. And I'm quite a tyre killer lol

You sir, are a wuss I went with med/med as well. Think I've spent too much time in PnG maybe as I used to be quite easy on tyres. It will come but med/hard till then 

[Napo]

That was a tough race!

4th was the best I could hope for in qualifying.

Come race I just can't seem to keep up with these aliens! I had TT all over me until I put a wheel off trying to get closer to Ginsters. Even if I didn't put that wheel off there TT would have got by me eventually as my tires were falling apart at that point.

Jose then closed in on me and passed me. Then while Jose and Ginsters battled I was able to close in on them and then I braked too late and took both of them with me. Sorry!

I was running mediums. I must be doing something wrong as every time I race in GTR2 I seem to run my tires off at the end of the stint! Perhaps I should have ran Hards on the rear. How does everyone else keep their tires good?

Congrats to Purdie, Busi and TT on the podium.

[spanner]

Doh! Last corner I mess up letting Carl through. It looked like Lazlow was helping Legzy early on by holding everyone up but as Lazlow dropped further back it was clear he wasnt happy with it, with Carl dropping a couple of secs back i was in a lonely gap but slowly was managing to claw my way nearer Legzy but my mind was wandering too much and started thinking about changing lines, gearing for corners and with a few too many missed braking points Carl was gaining slowly until the 3 ahead who went off were trying to get past. But my tyres were struggling towards the end and Carl had dropped back a couple of tenths but I seemed to understeer just touching the edge of the gravel out of the last corner and Carl beat me by a tenth

It was a hard race just for 10th or 11th as it seemed to be early on but being given places has made up for it

[Burtoner]

god damnit was working late 

[Truetom]

You, sirs, are too hard on your tyres! I was running front meds, rear softs. At the end fronts were at 12 and rears at 14.    No overheating. I must say I was very satisfied with the car and the setup. The car was sliding just up to the point where I wanted it to and I think I brought out maximum of both car and me. Those two at the front were too fast for us.    This mod rocks. 

TT

[purdie]

cheers guys......that was great fun   grats to podium  

Managed to get some practise in and found a good race setup, car was great to drive although still with usual 911 understeer making sure you have to concentrate every corner to get it right in

After breaking into the 32's in quali i worked on the race setup further, wanting to see tyre wear with current temps etc. Thought I had pole but ginsters put in a cracker in the dying moments ...  

At the start Busi was applying a lot of pressure and gingsters was getting into a rhythm in 1st. I stuck with him and his car seemed to become more and more of a handful. The 911 had the edge in S1 and S2 seemed equal and then the Panoz pulled it back on the straight  , so, as TT mentioned, your helpless as they pull away. In the end ginsters made a mistake which enabled Busi and I to pass.

I managed to maintain about a 1 sec lead and we both pulled away from the rest of the pack. Then I lost my concentration and got sideways T1 and Busi flew past  ... I managed to apply pressure again and his car started to look hardwork (assumed tyres) and I slipped past when he got a slide on.

!!!!!!! Great racing with my teamie for a 1 -2 !!!!!!!!!.... quality stuff  


Can't wait for Silverstone next round  I know this track and car combo too well  !!

[Blunder]

Only managed 30mins practice prior to the official sessions!
Knew the car and circuit but was still working on the set up in quali!
Set my best time on softs and low fuel only to get within 2 tenths with full fuel and meduims! 

Started 13th and had a good battle with MJ and Steve?.
After they had a little incident and tandum spininng I was through.
Intense race then although on my own.
MJ was catching me and I was catching Team mate Lazlow.
Race ended in time to save me ( and Lazlow ! )

Very pleased that my set up skills are getting a bit better.
( All thanks to Legzy !  )

M.

[Mark J]

Complete lack of praccy did for me last night and not even any warm up laps before being hurled into qually with only 8 mins left  :'(

Couldnt get near my PB in qually of a 1:33 in race spec  that i was doing last week when i ran some laps but was hopeful of making up some places in the race despite it being hard to overtake here. Qualied 15th 

Got past several people on my charge towards the top 10, getting upto 11th or 12th after some good battle with Blunder, stewprovo and Matt ? Alas after a several lap battle with Stew i caught his rear left corner in one of the turns where i could brake much later and we both took to the side of the track allowing blunder back through. Sorry for that Stewart 
Alas my tyres got over cooked by that moment and a lap later on that nasty downhill right hand brake point before the s/f straight i went into a spin and had to sit on the apex whilst a slower moving train of about 4 cars went past.  :'( All my hard work undone in an instant.
I caught them again and it was fun trying to find ways past, but i did eventually pick 'em off one by one.
Unfortunately the lost time meant i had a 10second gap to Blunder ahead and i tried hard to close, whittling it down to about 4 secs but then with 2 laps to go i got the low fuel warning and had to start short shifting and ease off, allowing him to scamper home un-molested.
Finished a not so good for my champ points 12th.

Plenty of good fun battles though made for an enjoyable race