iRacing Season 5 Sportscar Challenge - Barber (GP) - Feb 22

[Ken Murray]

I was pleased with my qually performance with a new PB, but still not in to the 19's. I was caught a bit napping at the start. Not wanting to cause any trouble through those final tight turns I gave Simon plenty of room, but I soon found the leader had gone and I wasn't even through the final turn!!

However I slowly dropped back from Simon anyway and I was constantly aware of Ian loitering with intent. After about 10 laps a momentary lapse of concentration saw me clip a curb and spin out. Fortunately I didn't hit anything but now there was only Robin behind me. I trundled around for the remainder of the race and with a long first stint I was running 3rd at one point. But I was driving very scruffily. I'd hoped to make some time with a short stop for 4 gals of fuel and no tyres, but it was starting to understeer badly so I changed the fronts. Trouble is I'm hopeless at pressing the buttons to make that change and drive at the same time. I think I went across the grass and generally lost a load of time just faffing about getting it set how I wanted. Do you guys do any practice at that sort of thing? Maybe just drive around changing things for the sake of it just to make the operations more familiar to the brain!!

Towards the end Paul caught me and gave me a gentle tap in the penultimate turn to spin me out, which I thought was clever race craft. But, being the gentleman that he is, he pulled over and gave it back to me before the line!! Who says the age of chivalry is dead?!!

[Paul Thurston]

Positives and negatives.

On the plus side my speed has moved up a level and I was on the pace without having to spend the previous week practising.  Qually was a PB but not by much and my optimum is now a 19.1!

I managed to avoid overtaking the leader on the pace lap this time and got enough of a lead on Dave to avoid being pressured on the run down to the hairpin then settled in for the long haul.

Contrary to Dave's impression the balance of the car was fine, the problem was the gears.  I was obviously not blipping high enough and kept finding myself a gear higher than I meant to be.  This was allowing Dave to catch but when I got a lap right I would pull away.  I was just starting to get it right when I screwed up the hairpin and half span in the middle of the turn.  I had to sit there and wait for the Sharks to go by but then got going.  The problem was that I then immediately missed the turn-in point at the fast right hander at the end of the back straight, hit the kerb full on and was airborne on route to the scene of the accident.

The tow put me a lap down but I set off in pursuit to see what transpired.  I had another smaller spin and decided to pit.  I remembered to lower the fuel top-up from 21.2 but didn't check the tyres and lost another 10 seconds while it did that.

The new tyres did help though as I was able to lap more quickly than before, the spins may have shafted the old ones and I started to catch the cars in front though they were distant.  I decided to think like Stirling and aim for the fastest lap and managed a 1:19 fairly late on chasing down Brendan and Ken who I caught with a couple of laps to go.

Brendan let me unlap myself into the final complex on the penultimate lap (ta mate) and I spent the last lap on Ken's tailpipe.  Into the final complex I tried to get alongside but got it wrong and tapped him round.  I don't race that way so waited on the pit straight for him before crossing the line.

Hey, I still got 4th.

Congratulations to Mike and Brendan who both drove beautifully.

So where was everyone then?  Are the tracks too difficult with all these corners and things?  Should we race ovals perhaps?

Paul

[Simon Gymer]

I threw myself into a do or die effort over the curbs in turn 1, somehow not spinning, running into Ken or bouncing off.

Report him for over-driving! Drop him 2 places and make him last in class!

[Blunder]

Mmmmmm

Had a great first few laps chasing Ken and Ian, really close, loved it!
After Ken had a minor spin then it calmed down a little and a lack of concentration lost me a load of time
Pitted and decided not to take tyres, good plan but then had a puncture 2 laps later...
Was way behind at that point and not wanting another 20mins of hot lapping by myself, I exitted out
First time I have ever done that!

Must admit this low turnout is making me wonder if to just give Tuesdays a miss?
Not ideal but I am always short on time and I could use the time to practice for other races.

Real shame as this car/track combination was brilliant!

[Brendan]

Must admit this low turnout is making me wonder if to just give Tuesdays a miss?
Not ideal but I am always short on time and I could use the time to practice for other races.

Real shame as this car/track combination was brilliant!

Don't do that Martin, the problem will just perpetuate itself further.

I'd be interested to find out why turnout has dropped off recently.  Is it a case of clashing with the Enduro or lack of interest in the cars/tracks, or something else? 

Paul, do you promote the series on the iR forum?

[Simon Gymer]

I'd be interested to find out why turnout has dropped off recently.  Is it a case of clashing with the Enduro or lack of interest in the cars/tracks, or something else? 

I would think most of the people reading this thread are the ones that turned up so you're not really going to get many others (that didn't attend but might have) to answer in this thread.

I can tell you why I didn't turn up for the previous round. Week night, tired from work, couldn't be bothered, just wanted to vegetate in front of the TV instead.

[Fred Basset]

I will be back next time, I seem to have got to the end of my issues with my wheel (well I hope so anyway)

It was just locking into a fixed position and I decided it would not be safe or fair to race until I was sure I'd sorted it. I was busy pounding round Northamptonshire testing whilst you guys were racing.

Regards
Gary

[Brendan]

I would think most of the people reading this thread are the ones that turned up so you're not really going to get many others (that didn't attend but might have) to answer in this thread.

It was a rhetorical question, really.  I'm not trying to get a straw poll of opinion here, just tossing around suggestions as to why the last few events have gone the way they have.  If those of us who do attend regularly can try and drum up the interest, it might help lift attendances in the future.

[GizMoTo]

well I'm glad I stuck it out with the radical  2 weeks in I really was gona give it up as I couldn't drive the car to save my life didn't know how it handled or anything 
since then I took the idea I was just gona run the series to learn the car a bit and i think it is now coming together for me

last nights race I enjoyed fully  I was slow at the start and was next to last as Martin Mason got easy past but wasn't bothered and drove the car hard but safe..ish a few laps in and Martin made a mistake which allowed me past  so now it was on to chase Ken knew this was gona be a challenge going off other races with Ken he is closely matched to me with his driving I thinks   had a good time running behind him and there was no chance to pass so i just stuck as close as possible which paid off as Ken made a mistake and spun luckily I had actually dropped back a shade so i had time to watch his spin and pick my way past 

after that I just drove the car as hard as I could {a bit lonely really the rest of the race} made my pit-stop as I had planned at half distance  took fuel and rubber second half of the race was quiet taken just below my full limit only had 1 incident count for the whole race, just a fraction to much curb entering the back straight i think it was

ended the race in 5th place over all and a second in class so well happy with that

thanks for a good race even if the numbers where low it was still a lot of fun 

see ya all next time

Ian