iRacing Season 5 Sportscar Challenge - Spa (2007-) - Jan 11

[Paul Thurston]

I don't think you're alone there Darren.  We'll see how it goes.

Perhaps we should have waited till after the patch to run Spa but it's too good a combination and I couldn't resist.

[Fred Basset]

Yes I'm in the same boat as Darren, good performance everywhere else but Spa is just horrible.

I'll try it but if it looks like its too choppy in practice I'll withdraw

Regards
Gary

[spanner]

Doh! Not going to be able to make this one either due to work commitments - sorry Paul, will aim to be there next week!

Great little app that Andy, nice one - should be a big help.

Ross was practising last night. Someone not done his homework?

[Paul Thurston]

Yes I'm in the same boat as Darren, good performance everywhere else but Spa is just horrible.

I'll try it but if it looks like its too choppy in practice I'll withdraw

Regards
Gary

Bloody drama queen. 

[spanner]

Only place i suffer FPS drop is around rivage as the view opens out. But it only drops down to 100

[Paul Thurston]

We probably don't get the problem Mark because we're monitorly challenged.

[Dave 'Gizmo' Gymer]

Server on the way...

[Robin Durrant]

Damaged even before the startline, car pretty much undriveable with rear suspension hit. Started again on cold tires and lost it around Radillion on cold tyres. I spent more time in the pits than I did on track.

Poor show all round. Hopefully Brands will be less eventful

[Brendan]

Phew, that was hard work.

Couldn't hook up a decent Q lap but was still pleased with pole.  After the pace car had a brainfart I set off with the intention of trying to pull a gap to Darren.  That plan lasted all of 2 laps when I had to concede position after making an error at Eau Rouge.  Kept with Darren but was aware of how much I'd be taking out of the tyres.

Decided to pit earlier than planned and hope to leapfrog Darren somehow.  Was mighty surprised that when Darren took his stop I was 6 seconds ahead.  For the next few laps I managed to keep the gap around the same level although Darren was taking a few tenths here and there.

Lost around 3-4 seconds behind Dan who was on a late stop strategy.  By the time he pitted Darren was only 2 seconds behind and my ageing tyres were making life very difficult.  On the penultimate lap, Darren got a run through Eau Rouge and I held the inside line up the hill.  Unfortunately, I missed my downshift from 3rd-2nd and careered across the grass, right into Darren's path and contact was made.  The car was undriveable after this so reset and tootled round to finish 6th.

Well done Darren and the podium.

[GizMoTo]

disappointing is an understatement  

the start tossed me a wobbly  I'm there expecting a lap behind pace car, BUT shortly after the turn it goes green, I go then realize cars in front haven't    I thought I had miss heard the start so checked up only to skid onto the grass to avoid a car in front end up loosing places, then all was going well  having a good race then I decided to do the pit stop  ran into the pits  did the tyre/fuel adjustments that I had practised during practice only to find my pit guy behind me in pit spot something like 9 or 10 .I was expecting pit 3 where I had been all practice   got a black flag I assume for reversing in the pits   came out with a car handling like a bag of s*** was getting the handling when  the back end went silly on me coming out of a turn and ended up collecting Robert {sorry! I was just a passenger } so then had to reset due to damage, at that point I was debating if to continue the race or just pack it in a a bad joke   then I saw the white flag so ran the last lap a couple laps down  



as for Spa ..........nice track  awful 1x's awful pits  

[Darren Seal]

What happened at the start?  The Pace car started on the wrong grid and then instead of doing a full pace lap tried to dive into the pits through the pit wall.  

Race started well and I soon got the run on Brendan out of Eau Rouge.  Brendan took the inside but thankfully I managed to beat him into Les Combes.  From then on we both slowly pulled away from the field.

On lap 10 I was surprised to see Brendan pit.  I had a feeling he would try something sneaky like no tyres.  This belief was further enforced when I found him 7 seconds up the road after my pit stop.  I slowly closed the gap, but a double downshift at La Source meant a half spin and 5 seconds lost.  

I was given some hope when I noticed Dan just in front of Brendan somehow fighting for 1st place.  Not sure how this happened because I thought Dan was 30 seconds behind.  

Anyway, I soon caught them both up and with 5 to go Dan peeled off into the pits.  For the next few laps I closely followed Brendan and with 2 to go I managed to again get the run on him exiting Eau Rouge.  However, this time Brendan tried to defend the inside by braking late into Les Combes.  Unfortunately  a missed gear sent him flying up onto the grass spinning back onto the track right in front of me.  I tried to avoid him but couldn't...  

My car was badly damaged, but I think Brendan's car received the worst of it.  When he tried to pull away he went flying straight across the track into a barrier...  This left me to limp home to claim 1st place...

Not the way I wanted to win, but a win is a win I guess....  Unlucky Brendan...

Congrats to Gary in the Radical and well done to all those that finished on the podium...  

  

[Dan Minton]

Lost around 3-4 seconds behind Dan who was on a late stop strategy.

Was going to stop with 3 laps to go but went in a bit earlier as i could see Darren catching.

[Dave 'Gizmo' Gymer]

Well that didn't go as planned. I got the server settings right and that's about the last good decision I made.

Figured I needed to be a fair chunk of time faster than any Radicals I wanted to beat on account of the DP's increased sensitivity to tyre wear. Fuelled for 13 plus a pace lap, qualifying confirmed my suspicions that the car was too low on cold tyres when I spun on my out lap. Luckily I didn't break the car and managed to get 4th on the grid... but with Gary's SR8 breathing down my neck by just five thousandths of a second I could see I wasn't likely to get a good finish.

Was confused to say the least to find us on the F1 grid at the start, but worse was to come when my spotter called the start as we exited La Source and I knew my low tyre pressures were going to be a major issue. (Apparently the start location is known but not acknowledged as a bug, and the pace car driving through a wall is common on ovals. Great advert for this ultrarealistic game simulator.) I think Dan was caught out even more and I squeezed into 3rd, but the first warning sign that the car was not happy came at the end of the Kemmel straight as I took an *ahem* unconventional line into Les Combes. Survived that and pushed hard to try and get the tyres up the temperature and pressure, but surprise surprise, dropped it at the exit of the pif paf in exactly the same way I did in qualifying, but this time going hard into the wall and having to reset.

My tow ended about a minute behind the cars I'd started amongst, which I reckoned was about 20s extra lost comnpared to a normal stop, and I converted the tow into my stop, adding my second stint's fuel (another five seconds or so) and set off after the tail end of the field. Happily the car handled okay even with the fuel on board.

I reeled Blunder in and was looking forward to actually effecting a pass in another couple of laps when he pitted and robbed me of the chance. The only car I actually passed on the track was Ross, and I nearly gave him the place back late in the race when I touched the grass braking for the silly final chicane (sorry, but I still think that's a complete dog's breakfast of a chicane) and spun, getting not one but two slow downs in the process.

All the other places I made up were from people pitting, crashing or otherwise disappearing. In the end seventh was probably more than I deserved. Brendan managed to finish 6th, some 30 seconds ahead despite a tow in the closing stages.

Results imported. Well done Darren and Gary.

[Mike Wrightson]

What an epic race!

Qualified 3rd of the Radicals, but the start really took me by surprise!  All very confused but we all made it through Eau Rouge  and the race was on.  I was soon hassling Paul and we both blew past Gary when he got a slow-down.  Gary caught us back up and passed us.. then spun! In the meantime I was all over Paul like a bad suit, but couldn't find an opening.  Then Paul pitted and I knew I had one lap extra to try and pass him in the pits.  Since Gary was closing this was my only chance of beating him to the flag.

Then Brendan's DP dragged past me up the hill.  Noooo!  So the lap ended up being not particularly special and I duly rejoined right on Paul's gearbox.  He seemed to be struggling more this time and I really turned the screws on him and had a couple of chances that he expertly fended off.  Then when he was slow exiting Pouhon, I managed to pass around the outside in the Pif Paf    I now had 4 laps to survive and hope I could break away, but Gary was soon past Paul and closed in again.  Then I caught a kerb in 4th gear and nearly binned the car catching it  but that had let Gary past and there didn't seem much chance of getting him back.

Brilliant race Gary and Paul.  I'll put some video of it up

[Paul Thurston]

The world's gone mad, that's two consecutive races I've finished!

Qually went nicely.  My 2:15.6 was a PB by nearly half a second, though I'd not done any low fuel running for a few days.

The start threw me, like everyone else.  I'm amazed most people got through unscathed to be honest.  In hindsight I would prefer that to tooling round for 3 minutes but only if I know it's going to happen.

The confusion meant people went at all different times and I nearly came together with Gary into Eau Rouge when he appeared from my right.  We did in fact touch but luckily he caught it and we both carried on unscathed.

I had Mike on my tail but not too badly at this point but when Gary slowed for his penalty I had to swerve and lost a little time which put him right with me.  I held him off till Gary got past him and took over the attack.  After a couple of laps he got nearly alongside up the hill but I braked later and shut the door into Les Combes.  Gary slotted in behind me for the left hander but then span and I was on my own.

That put me about 5-6 seconds ahead of Mike who'd lost time and comfortable until I screwed up Pouhon and went wide, losing my comfort zone.  That put Mike right back on my tail again.  By now he was appreciably quicker than me but I held him off till the stop.  I noticed a DP behind him and figured he'd slow us both down when he passed.  With that in mind I dived into the pits a lap early and from what Mike says it worked perfectly, bringing me back out just behind Mike but with the momentum to power past.

At about 2/3 distance I started to have problems out of Pouhon.  One lap Mike came past me on the left like I was standing still.  I managed to stay ahead into Pif Paf but that puzzled me as I didn't seem to be doing anything different.  A couple of laps later he did it again and this time he was far enough alongside that he was on the inside into the left hander and away.

Gary was quickly up behind me and got past into le Combes before setting off after Mike.  In reality I didn't defend too hard as he was substantially quicker than both me and Mike.

I eased of and inevitably started to lap more quickly as a result.  Third in class isn't bad at all and fifth overall when I expected the DPs to be all over the Radicals.  If the Radical can be competitive at Spa then just maybe this isn't such a mismatch as I thought.

Congrats to Darren and Gary.

Paul