iRacing Season 2 Skippy - Laguna Seca - Mar 30

[popabawa]

I'm just left wondering why we're not using the Mazda...

If only there were some way of expressing that opinion so that it might impact future events eh?

[ross.mcw]

Already voted on both polls!

[Fred Basset]

The Marzzarduh (as Dave K pronounces it) is such an ugly little bugger though isn't it. Can't we race nice looking cars!

Gary

[Blunder]

best point i've seen so far... lol, yep lets just race the pretty ones!

[popabawa]

All the cars look pretty in Legends colours  

Yes, yes, pretty far off the pace, I know...

[Paul Thurston]

All the cars look pretty in Legends colours  

Yes, yes, pretty far off the pace, I know...

Sadly they also all look the f*$%&£$ same.  Don't you boys have any imagination?  How about having different coloured sidepods or something so we can tell who we're lapping? 

[Ken Murray]

I quite enjoy the Skip on twisty circuits like VIR, but at places like Silverstone I'm just left wondering why we're not using the Mazda which is superb fun when you have a decent set-up.

Cheers, Ross.

You dittoed me previously Ross, so I'll ditto you now!!!

[ross.mcw]

Apologies for the tangled wheels in the last corner around lap 4 or 5 Ken, I hope there was no damage done.  Completely bored of the Skip now - one daft spin too many and I'd had enough.  Happy to have got in the 1m40s for qualy though.

Hope everyone else had a good one!

Cheers, Ross

[Mike Wrightson]

AAARRRGGGHHH

I was driving above myself there, the Skippy has never felt easier.  I even got into the lead when Paul got a slow-down.  We were wheel-to-wheel in T1 and I know I ended up too tight, but a lag collision spun me off.

I am so annoyed with myself, threw away a blinding result there 

[Simon Gymer]

Didn't enjoy that at all and surprise surprise crashed out on my own at one of the many impossible corners at Laguna Seca. Hate Laguna, hate Skippy so not a good combo for me.  

The Skippy is all about car control and I have none. I like cars where you work out how fast you should be going, what gear, where to turn in, where to brake, so basically my brain does all the work and the car just does as it's told. As soon as I start having to fight a car I just don't enjoy it. That's why I don't like yank tanks, that's why I don't like the Skippy.  :'(

Not doing any more Skippy races myself this season as I've had enough of it I'm afraid. If it's the Mazda next season for lower series then I'll just do the upper as I hate the Mazda too for different reasons...it just feels like a hovercraft or something, very odd thing indeed, doesn't feel like a car anyway, so fingers crossed that doesn't win the poll.

[Adam Parle]

Good fun that.

Qualifying was a disaster - half a second off my PB ... and behind Pops ..... that's REALLY bad

Lap one I took a bit too easy ... Shark got past, and I had Ken right behind me.  Got a bit of a tap into the hairpin, and then after that started settling down.  When Pops span I got past him and back past Shark, and then it was a case of getting my head down, getting some good laps, and catching the guys in front.

Had a good fight with Paul T for ages, got alongside into T1 a couple of times but never made it stick.  I think the best chance I had was when Rob span in T1, and the waved yellows were enough for me to back off and that was another chance gone.

After a mistake from Purds he was behind me, and after having a "moment" in T6, very nearly in the back of me going up the hill .... thankfully I got up to speed and carried on.

Rob was on a charge in the last couple of laps, and got me in T1 and making it stick with a lap to go.


Overall a good race for me, and very pleased to break into the 39's, taking a third of a second off my PB in the process.

Cheers all - good fun.

[Brendan]

I feel like Austin Powers right now.  Lost my mojo, then rediscovered it when it was all too late.

Had a poor qually 6/10ths off my PB after trying to appease my 2-year old daughter.  It's funny how the bedtime antics coincide with the clocks going forward.  

Anyway, lined up 6th and was surprised to see Brian only one place ahead.  Start was clean but I just couldn't find a rhythm over the first few laps.  Dave was pushing me hard and at T3, the fast right hander, I lost it when the rear broke loose.  This really caught me out as I usually get bucketloads of understeer here.

Just about managed to stay ahead of Burt and set about trying to claw back some lost time.

After a few people had mishaps ahead I was back up to 6th and close behind Simmo but couldn't get the gap to much lower than 1 second.  I was mightily impressed with Simmo's consistency as I was pushing as hard as I could but wasn't making much impression.  Sadly, my team mate caught the dirt in the left hander after corkscrew and I was upto 5th.

Had there been another half dozen laps, I may have just reeled in Brian and Dave as at the finish there was only a second or two separate all three of us.  In the end I suppose 5th was a fair reward considering the great pace of those around me.

Grats to Paul and Gary on a Team KC 1-2 and Dave on a solid 3rd.

[Kerr]

Not my night tonight.

Started my practice tonight and was happy that within a short space of time I was doing regular 38s when I wanted in both race and quali trim.

Like the other week at Silverstone my brakes became very snappy after practice and my qualifying time was miles off what I had been doing, leaving me in 5th.

I had the run on Stuart into T1 but he firmly closed to door to hold me behind. Leaving Stuart, Gary, Mike and Paul ahead.

Initially Stuart and myself were hot on the heels of Gary and had a gap back to Dave but whilst putting pressure on Stuart he made a few mistakes and that let Dave catch us and Gary leave us.

Watching Paul move away I was desperate to pass but I could not find a hole.

Watching Stuart's lines into T1 I tried an overambitious move. I thought if I put my nose up the inside he would be forced to stay wide rather than run the rather strange line he had been using. Braking early on the outside and then moving into the inside line before the bend.

I made my move and Stuart moved across early again. I tried to steer to miss but clipped Stuart and this sent my car off. I offer and apology for that. I felt it was fair and possible to pull the move off but in hindsight I know it was overambitious.

After that is was damage limitation as the car was bent. Picked up a few positions as others went off but I really could not get anything more out of the bent car.


Grats to Paul, Gary and Dave.

[Paul Thurston]

Had a good fight with Paul T for ages, got alongside into T1 a couple of times but never made it stick.  I think the best chance I had was when Rob span in T1, and the waved yellows were enough for me to back off and that was another chance gone.

I knew I had my work cut out to keep you behind me as you were a lot quicker.  Every time I put in a decent lap you were back on my tail in no time.  I could see Rob catching you though and was delighted when you started to swap places as it gave me a bit of breathing space.

You know you've had a good race when every driver who finishes behind you did a faster lap.  

Like Simon I don't like Laguna, never have.  Knuckle down though and sometimes it works.

As you say, good fun that.

[Dave 'Gizmo' Gymer]

Felt like I'd bottomed out at a 40.3 in practice so I went off to read for a while and came back for qually. Somehow my brain had processed all the inputs from practice and I slapped in a new PB of 39.6 - but still only good enough for 7th. I figured that might translate into 5th but probably not much better.

Start was very tight but made it through the first few corners, and was soon putting Brendan under serious pressure. During lap 3 I called over TeamSpeak that I thought he would chuck it off at some point and sure enough, on the next lap he obliged. Brian then went off in T1 trying to get past Stuart, and then it was his turn to feel the gnashing of a Shark at his gearbox, and soon he too succumbed to the pressure.

Mike's unfortunate exit left me 3rd and now Gary was in my sights as I continued to get faster and faster, dropping down into the 39.5s for the first time ever. Second place was looking distinctly possible, and with laps running out I figured it was time to check the fuel.

Oh dear.

I'd done very careful calculations during practice and was sure 3.8 gallons were enough. And they would've been... at my practice pace. But at this new, semi-alien pace of steady 39s, I needed a fraction more. Drat. I had to go into fuel saving mode for two laps, which let Brian get back on my tail, and Gary pull away a bit. Uh oh.

With two laps remaining, I was sure I had enough and lit the blue touchpaper again, getting straight back into the 39s, and setting a magnificent new PB of 39.2 on the final lap, actually pulling away from Brian a little.

I wonder if I'd have managed to go that quick with 4.5g on board. I guess I'll never know. Still, a podium was both unexpected and very welcome, and I've discovered some interesting things about the Skippy's setup which should come in handy in the final round in two weeks.

Once again, the only car with no incident points. Tell me again how that means I'm not going fast enough, Paul?