iRacing Season Five Endurance - Spa-Francorchamps - Mar 27

[Adam Parle]

Safe start from me, and was catching Pops up when the Vettes came past.  Two got together on the straight after Eau Rouge, and I slowed to avoid them, dropping to 3.5 seconds behind my teammate.  I gained a little, but the slightest touch from Jamie on the exit of Eau Rouge put me in the pit wall.  I think it was just bad luck .... the Stang needs a lot of road, and it needed an inch more to stay contact free .

The steering was totally knackered, but I carried on round to pit to see where I'd be.  Turns out I was a minute behind anyone, and not making any sort of an impression other than on my IP with a steady stream of 1x.  A lot were due to running wide to get out of the way, others for running wide, and a few others thrown in for good measure.

Try as I might, I couldn't face another hour of luke-warm-lapping ....

A really dissapointing end to the season, I was looking forward to a good race with Pops and co ... and although I had one - it was a little shorter than I wanted.

[Fred Basset]

Well not a good start to endurance racing for me. I couldn't miss a spinning Oily when Mike W and he got together on lap 1 so after a reset I was running behind James and we caught Chris P.

We'll leave it that a lap or so later I was out, not sure about Chris. Watching the main incident between us I think we both had a part in it.

Oh well I enjoyed it whilst it lasted

Regards
Gary

[bk0125]

Really disappointed with iRacing's crash model lately, the slightest touch with the wall on that kink on the start finish "straight" and it ruined my steering. After a few laps I got used to it and was doing some decent lap times to keep the second place but then the engine blew up which was a surprise since I didn't think I hurt it on any of the downshifts. I think it was going to go down to the wire between Darren and myself, he was driving really good after his pit stop and I just had nothing left to keep him behind with my wobbly car. Oh and Brian don't worry m8, my fault for moving to the right and left, the car was very unstable that point.

[Mike Wrightson]

I think I must be trying to do too much racing and I'm suffering some burn-out.  I hadn't practiced at all before tonight, and I couldn't get up any enthusiasm to do so either.  This of course meant that I was well off the pace I should be able to achieve, and it's all downhill from there.  Truth be told, I have struggled to drive the Corvette consistently for the last 3 events, others seem to have unlocked more pace from it and I can't find it.  It's been a really poor end to this series for me.

So, I don't know what to do now, I'll see what is planned for next season.  Whether I continue with the ROC races, I don't know yet.  Feels like I need a bit of away time right now.  I think that quite  a few of us have felt a bit like this recently judging by the grids.

Tuesdays IndyCar race is the last one I'll definately be doing.  Haven't done any practice for that yet either

[Dave 'Gizmo' Gymer]

Well, I knew I had to win that to have a shot at the championship; struggled to find the pace I had in yesterday's free practice until qualifying when I nailed a perfect lap and took a commanding pole.

So it's especially stupid that for the second race in a row I was caught napping at the start and let Raimo take the lead. After picking our way through the mangled wreckage of half a dozen Corvettes after "the big one" I set about hunting Raimo down. It took some considerable time but eventually I managed to sell him the dummy going into Pif Paf and sneak past on the exit.

After a few laps I managed to open a small gap of about 5 seconds, but as the tyres wore the handling started to go away and gap began to shrink. It was a huge relief when Shark came on the radio to announce half distance and I dived in, which handed the lead to Jasper as Raimo covered my stop. I obviously got my entry wrong 'cause he gained a couple of seconds on me and we left pit lane with him only a second behind.

I tried to open a gap again on the fresh rubber but Raimo had other ideas and was stalking me rather ominously. So distracting was his presence that I mixed up my car placement when Karsten was lapping me and we ended up touching; my car was still quite drivable but after that I wasn't able to lean on the left rear quite so hard which made Eau Rouge and that fast right hander after Stavelot hard, and once the tyres were past their best Raimo and Jasper were closing quite quickly.

With a handful of laps to go I knew the game was up and it was only a matter of time before Raimo and Jasper found a way by - so it was a huge turning point when Jasper got a run on Raimo out of Eau Rouge and drew alongside on the left - but disaster followed as a lapping car left Raimo unsure where Jasper was, and he moved over onto Jasper triggering a massive shunt for the pair and handing me a nice big comfort zone so I could cruise round to take the win.

Raimo has the last laugh though... second place was all he needed to ensure the GT3 title. Well done. And well done to Steven Jones on taking the GT1 title - and to Shark for ensuring a Gymer is also in the other runner up spot.

It's not all bad news for Team Shark, though - both team titles are ours.

[Gazza49er]

Well i did it AGAIN!!

Was driving really nicely up till 40 laps then entering the pits for final stop (i did a Hamilton) a got a little wiggle on and put the wheels on the grass and went straight into the barrier at the pit entry at about 10mph   couldn't believe it and it bent the steering
! I tried for one lap but it was to dangerous so parked it in the pitts.

I totally forgot about the reset but not sure it would of fixed the steering.

That's 4 podiums ive thrown away now in the last 4 races. Ive really enjoyed the Vette and ive really improved my times with it from the first rounds so pleased i had the pace but alot of silly errors ruined the end.

A nice podium would of been a great end to my birthday today but it wasn't to be.

Thanks Adam for a great series and to everyone who took part.

[Raimo Piiksi]

wow that was a long hard race.

Got a very good start and managed to stay infornt of Dave for some laps. Soon him and Jasper managed chase me back down. We had a very good fight and Dave got past, Jasper was right on his tail, but I managed to hold him behind. Managed to stay with Dave and got a chance to get a run at him on the back straight, but missed a gear. I think Jasper had planed a run on me at the same time, so I guess the missed shift surprised him and I was lucky to hold him behind. This stayed close all the way up to pitstops. Me and Dave went in at same lap and we gained some seconds on Jasper, that pited next lap(?). Again we where close and as I chased down Dave, Jasper chased down me. It was looking for a epic end to the race when suddenly me and Jasper made contact on the straight after Eou Rouge. I couldn't see him anywhere so I thought he had crashed. Going sideways down the straight on lap 40 of 43 was as Jasper put it a big anticlimax. I really thought I had at least a Chance to get a run on Dave for the win and the championship, and maybe Jasper also with his all out stamina at the end, would have got us both...wo knows..as I said big anticlimax.

Well all aside I must say this series have been very entertaining, fair and well run. I will have to thank all the racers and the organiser Adam for putting up a great show. Let's hope we soon will see a S6 of GT Enduro championship. Grats to Dave and all the podiums.

EDIT: Is the championstable finished calculated? I thought I had to win to actually win the champonship. LOL. wow 8 points thats close 

Raimo

[Reign Man]

Grats to Drivers and Team championship winners  

Not a great end to the season from me, I got a reasonable start, but wasn't able to push as
I was behind Somebody.  I lost time on the pit stops and came out behind Simon.  I was a bit quicker but wasn't able to get by until he pitted.  A short while later I span the car coming out of the hairpin before the pit straight right into the pit lane.  Stop go.  It cost me at least a minuet.

Came out half a minuet behind 4th, 5th and 6th places, so I just planned  to tootle around until the finish but Ian and Jaimie had some dramas and the gap disappeared and I was able to get the 5th place.

Pat on the back for Gazza as we got the last step on the team championship podium.

Looking forward to improved results for next season.  Hopefully!!

See ya all then.  

P.S.    -    Don't for forget the next RoC race:  V8's @ Phillip Island.  

[GizMoTo]

just a quick few words ..........not typing much my arms are killing me

first sorry to any Mustang drivers if i scared ya sh**less on some occasions in a few turns it was murder to to judge the closing speed, sorry to the mustang driver who ran into me at the last chicane at one point wasn't your fault i had misjudged the car in-front and hit the brakes to avoid it   hope your car wasn't damaged

also sorry to a couple of Corvette drivers after my second stop  i haven't a clue what was wrong after the stop i had less than zero grip ........i wasn't even pushing it to hard and the bugger was spinning out everywhere for a couple of laps

apart from that i don't think i did to much wrong to anybody

on the whole very happy with the race and result .ish  I will own up to using  a bit of "strategy" at the end of the race I slowed down to let the leader past as I wouldn't have made it another lap and he would have lapped me in the pit-lane anyway so was a bit pointless driving through the pits for a splash if this contravenes any rules here them please take appropriate  actions to rectify this and the standings

in the race it's self I had a superb time some good racing and "interesting" lapping forget now who it was I was having a right fight with for a little time .I was a bit hesitant and sorry if it caused you problems I had the speed to get level but not the confidence in the rubber come a corner so was having to lift I was just about to give up and just follow ya around and be safe when  I assume you backed off a bit as I finally got past ya {bet that's where I used my fuel up }


started 7th after "finally" getting a clear last qually lap, timed it just right and was possably last person to finish a qually lap I think  finished 6th

my first season racing with you guys and if ya will have me it won't be the last I've had a cracking time throughout this endurance season 

 to top it all I have ended up 4th over all which I'm more than chuffed about 

big thanks to Organiser everything was excellently sorted

well done to Ste Jones, Shark, and Mike Wrightson for the final top 3in the Vetts
also well done to Raimo Piiksi,  Dave 'Gizmo' Gymer, and Jasper Groeneweg for final in the Mustangs

big thanks to everybody who has run any part of the season  it's been a pleasure

Laters Ian

[CCWashout]

I thoroughly enjoyed that race and my first proper online endurance sesion since I stopped playing GTR2 some years ago.

There was no way I would be contending any GT1 positions with no setup work done and my laps were 6+ seconds off the pace, but I've never given up on a race whilst the car still moves and despite a couple of dropped wheels off the tarmac here and there I was happy to get 8th.

Having done a few 24hr races at Spa in GTR2 this felt like coming home and I enjoyed dealing with both faster and slower traffic, even though I didn't know which system you guys run i.e. slower car sticks to his line and the faster finds a way around or the F1 way of doing things where the slower car pulls over (I much prefer the former as its safer IMHO).

Looking forward to future sessions.

Cheers


Chris

[mr_oily]

Shocking race for me but massive congrats to teamie Mr. Piikso for clinching the drivers title in the Stangs, doing just enough to get the job done - an impressive display there bud! Shame Dario couldn't make it for the final round but I'm sure he'll be back next season to secure that Prodigy 1-2 .

Grats to Darren on the win, nice to see you back mate and to Ste on the championship - some fantastic drives going in to secure overall victory in the GT1's.

As for my outing - after some extra practice on Sunday avo I had what felt like really decent pace on full fuel and was confident if I carried on as I had been in qually I'd be in the mix for sure.

Unfortunately it wasn't to be, traffic seemed to be relentless and on the couple of occasions I wasn't meeting Stangs at apexes, I'd clock up a +1. I only just managed to squeeze in a time at all with the scrappiest of runs putting me 7th, but importantly, the right side of the Stangs.

Unfortunately the race itself was over before it started really - despite trying to be conservative on the entry, an opportunity presented itself on the exit of Eau Rouge which I went for - all seemed good, was trying to hold the wheel perfectly straight and I was almost fully clear but then disaster struck, I got a tag to the rear and at that speed there was no hope I was going to hold it.

So sorry to Gary and others I collected - not yet seen the replay as mine didn't have those laps for some reason, would somebody mind uploading it for me if it's not too much trouble? The whole thing would be good but the first few laps would do me.

After limping to the pits for a reset, I exited at the same time as Gary and thought we might be able to salvage some fun from this one still and have a bit of a dice but I think he ran into "complications" from the sound of things!

Anyway I pounded around until half distance but my strategy was a bit fecked to say the least and I went too long on my tyres which were feeling decidedly second hand, as was my concentration as the frustration grew. Just as I was catching Chris (welcome btw) on the exit of Les Combes, I put the power down a fraction early and went sailing off to the left and into the barrier. Totally my own fault that one but it was an anti-climax to an otherwise stellar season (thanks Adam/ all). Still, that's motor sport for ya!

Don't for forget the next RoC race:  V8's @ Phillip Island.   

Good lad, just in case it needs making a bit clearer... 

[Adam Parle]

Ahem ...




LINKY

[Ste Jones]

It's a shame I had to miss Spa but I really needed that holiday! Although I was back home by last night I was far too zombified to attempt any racing. So, a slightly anticlimactic way to end but I'm well chuffed to have wrapped up the championship - the first thing I've ever won in sim-racing! 

Congratulations to Shark (not bad for a car you hate!) and Mike for occupying the championship podium with me, also Raimo, Dave and Jasper for the top three Mustang placings - that was definitely a close run thing   Congrats also to Team Shark for pretty convincing wins in both teams' championships.

Last but not least, a massive thanks to Adam for organising everything and respect to all the other drivers for the great racing and courteous driving all season long. On a personal level I'm disappointed to see the Corvette being dropped next season, although I can understand why, so it looks like I've got some choices to make for i6e. Still, I'm looking forward to it 

[BorchersDK]

Long story short, my worst qual ever. Didnt get a single decent lap in, and even crashed out in a mistunderstanding on my last lap, which I was 0.15 behind my optimal (2.14.0). Got 10th out of it.

For this race I had opted for 3 stints of 17-18 laps, just to try something different. Usually I would have gone for full tank twice, and then a splash with some 5-6 laps to go. But these shorter burst really held my focus. I knew I had to push to stand any chance of a good position, especially since I qualified 10th. So thats what I set out to do. James and Mike crashed out just infront of me, so I got handed two positions there, and from then on its really a blur. I was chasing Adam K for many laps, and we had a nice little fight going. Cant remember when and how I came infront, but I did, and then it was a continued push from me. Got handed some positions in the pitstop face, and found myself in 3rd. Then 2nd just before the 2nd pitstop I think it was, and I then tried to keep the pressure on Darren. With roughly 20 sec up, that pretty much remained the same lap after lap, I went safe with some 10 laps to go and cruised it home. Im really pleased with my performance yesterday. I dont think I could have done better.

Thank you all, and especially Adam for this great season. Im really looking forward to the next one, and it seems I need to practise that Riley a lot - Im not fast in that thing, at all . I too will hate to see the Corvette go, its only now that I finally started to understand the car, how to set it up etc. Hopefully I can transfer some of that over to the Riley.

Once again, thank you all, and see you for the next one.

[Simon Gymer]

No practice again, but I can't really find the enthusiasm to do it for this car much (or any car for that matter). Anyway, that meant I started right near the back of the grid with the a pretty pathetic effort of a time in qualifying. As the race got underway I somehow avoided the huge crash after eau rouge on lap 1. I got very lucky, unlike poor Gary. But you take what you are given and I was happy to so easily gain a few places.

Lazlow chased me for a bit early on as I found my footing, but I had little pace at the start to pull away and my tyres felt like halibut after I must have taken half the rubber off avoiding the lap 1 wreck. I knew the car was doing about 1 gallon per lap so fuel wise I knew it was going to need 2 stops and that strategy could be changed therefore. Having started out with a full tank I had a big window to do whatever I wanted. After about 10 laps I decided the tyres really felt too rubbish to continue so I pitted early, took on 9.7 gallons and some fresh rubber and after using the first stint as sighting laps I then started going much quicker. Quick enough in fact that when the other guys had pitted on their much longer first stint I was ahead of quite a few people that I didn't expect to be.

I stayed out for as long as I could before needing to pit for the final 23.8 gallon stint to get me to the end with 22 laps to go. But I had to fight really hard to keep Reign Man behind me for quite a long time before the pits as I knew if I could do that I stood a chance of slowing him down enough to still be with him later on.

In the final stint I was even quicker on fresh rubber again and this really sent me up the order somewhat higher than I thought possible. Passing Dimitry and Ian in the pits was sweet and with Reign Man and Gary both having problems I didn't find out if I was going to be ahead of them or not as they ended up being a long way behind. I just couldn't believe it when I found myself in 3rd and with a comfortable gap for the remaining 10 laps.

I'm still not quite sure how it happened, but with that final 3rd place I pipped Mike for 2nd in the championship. I thought I had a fight on my hands to get 3rd with Ian, so to finish 2nd is a real treat.

Not entirely sure how much I enjoyed that car this season. I was regularly near the back of the grid through a lack of practice and even after learning the car during the races and getting better I still didn't like it too much. I see next season is DP and Mustang. Going to be hard to choose as DP is one of the closed cockpit cars I'm better in, but I find the Mustang much more relaxing than the faster cars and overall I think the Mustang was lower on numbers than the GT1 so I might choose that. Decisions, decisions. If only there were a GT2 car, although I suspect everyone would choose that then. LOL.

My only suggestion for next season is that I would like to see qualifying going up to 30 minutes and practice going down to 45 minutes. It would stop the desperate frenzied approach people are having in mixed class fields to set a decent time in the tiny qualifying session of 15 minutes. Other than that, the longer the races the better.

Thanks to Adam for hosting this season, really appreciate the effort you've put in and everyone else behind the scenes.