Moderator's Report
Staying in Germany.The ‘Green Hell’ presents a very different challenge tothe Sachsenring. For a start any reviewer has to work out which of the myriad corners an incident has happened on. Qualifying for any race can be hectic but at Nurburgring it is just lonely.
The usual suspects occupied the first couple of rows. Hristo, Tim and Clive taking the top three places. Due to the unique challenge of the ‘ring the qualifying times were unusually spread out. Martin had produced a creditable display to put himself on the third row and Fulvio was the last car to dip under 9 minutes. Bookie and Badblood bravely took up the last two places with qualifying times that were just a smidgeon slower than pole <ahem>.
Would H be slow to get away? Would Tim make it count? Would Badblood get lapped? Would anyone finish!
Yes, No, No, Yes. Now find out how...
Tim made his customary good start and took Clive with him leaving H choking in the fumes by T1. The field was careful through the first few tuens and at the back Badblood and Bookie both found that they had left their handbrakes on. If you think it is tough at the top, try the scramble at the back for last!
Amazingly no real Lap 1 incidents. Drivers were giving each other plenty of room. No incidents as such, but plenty of mistakes. Fulvio was the first faller. He had made a good start but as he approached Fuchsrorhe, just before the Adnauer Forst, he misjudged it slightly, took to the bank, bounced across the track and lost a wheel. Fuchsrorhe! I am sure that Fulvio said nothing of the kind being the gent he is. Unfortunately Fulvio takes Ronnie on a spin although RP can continue. Goran and Phil take advantage and speed through.
Earlier H had eased past Evil on the run to Flugplatz. No point defending too hard in a race this long. Tim leads but not for long. He makes a mistake in one of the many twisty hedged sections and nearly ends his race in the hedge. He does well to control it but it is all the opportunity H requires. He leads.
The lap is pretty quiet after that. H is first, 8m30s, Tim second in 8m43s and third is... what the... MARTIN! Where is Clive? Ah here he is a couple of seconds down on Maddog. Clive has managed to take a little spin at 153 mph at the end of the long straight. Cold brakes? I doubt it! Clive needs to copy his team mates – I don’t mean H, I mean Bookie and Badblood who nail that particular turn at 123mph. We have NEVER spun there.
Lap 2 is relatively quiet except for Martin who doesn’t learn from Fulvio’s mistake. Admittedly it would have been difficult. Unlike Fulvio, not entirely convinced that the maddog didn’t use the name on the sign – ‘Ah Fuchsrorrhe’
Clive goes through and Phil and Goran continue their chase. The field is thinning out and we come to the critical third lap, or at least most of us do. The two B’s, Badblood and Bookie are being very cautious but Bookie proves that even when not pushing too hard, a spin can sometimes catch you unawares. He loses the back end at the start of the twisty section after the Pit complex and that is the end of his race. Phil is having a lively time at Metzgesfeld and Goran catches him as he goes wide at Kallenhard. This also gives Ronnie a chance to catch up and Phil swaps leading a Swede for leading a driver with a Swede’s name.
Meanwhile up on the long straight Clive is having more fun. Having taken it carefully on Lap 2 by reducing his speed one whole mile per hour (wimp!) This time he has backed right off and lets Goran past with GJ doing some 50mph more. Admittedly Clive is on three wheels. He has got it horribly wrong on the nasty approach to the bridge before Schwalbenschwanz. In true Waza style he is damned if he is not going to get some points and he soldiers on. Luckily his lines are not affected too much!!! He even manages the concrete in the turn before the straight. This is more than Tim can manage with four wheels. He has a ‘moment ‘ and loses more time to H who is setting a scorching pace. Nobody can live with him today!
The field is pretty strung out now except for Phil and Ronnie who are matching each other, pace for pace and mistake for mistake. 26minutes in and Ronnie is surprised to meet a recovering Phil at the
aforementioned concrete. He leads into the straight and doing 170 mph might be a bit miffed as Phil breezes past at 177! How Phil controlled it off the leap and then flicked left at 174 I don’t know.
So Lap 4. Anyone here is scoring. Evil has limped across the line and for some unknown reason does a mile or so before retiring. H and Tim are long gone with Goran in a fine third. Phil and Ronnie are banging away with just a couple of seconds between them at the line. Bernie, Jonny and Rainier (not necessarily in that order) are having nice tidy races and will claim points. Whats this. Chug chug chug. It’s Badblood scoring for the second race in a row. Going at walking pace has worked out. Now its time to put the boot down and make sure H can’t get a lap up by the start of lap 6. Oops. Bye bye Badblood. Too much flying at Flugplatz ends his race. Lap 3 proves too much for Jonny as well. Overwhelmed by the number of points he is getting, he parks it in the green stuff. Further ahead Dave has taken lessons from Evil and also loses a wheel at the bridge at Schwalbenschwanz. Like Evil he continues. Unlike Evil he doesn’t make it to the S/F line. As he smashes into the Armco at the last complex he finds that two wheels just aren’t enough.
H finds Lap 4 nice and relaxing. He does an 8:18. Contrast with Tim’s tidiest lap of 8:35. Immense stuff from Mr Itchov. Phil and Ronnie are the only show in town as far as racing goes. It is nip and tuck for these two and the gap is never great although tiny errors keep both drivers fully alert and occupied. Ronnie makes a tiny error just when he doesn’t need to leading to the long straight and has to lift. This allows Phil to get away and break the tow.
As Lap 5 starts however Ronnie is back up to the Ferrari and Phil makes an error passing the Pit comnplex at Nordkehre. He takes to the banking but hops back down on the track just in time to force Ronnie off it. Phil has lost some time but Ronnie’s recovery isn’t perfect as he clips the red and white hi-vis tyre barrier – I don’t think he saw it... Ronnie leads Mr Thornton properly for the first time since lap 1. It is still nip and tuck and when Ronnie runs wide at Pflanzgarten, PT is there to take advantage. Into the straight and this time Ronnie is close enough for the tow and once more they take to the air side by side. Ronnie doesn’t control the landing as well as Phil had a couple of laps earlier and RP has to back off. As they start Lap 6 Ronnie is right on the exhaust pipes and Phil goes defensive into Nordkehre keeping left. Ronnie brakes late but too late and clips the rear right of the lead car. Phil spins and flips to Ronnie’s obvious horror. He stops and pulls off alongside the stricken Ferrari. This hands the place to Phil. It is only left to Bernie to motor through some few seconds later to trump the pair. Well done to the four who completed the full six laps.
H takes the win, a somewhat relieved Tim second and Goran completes the podium. Bernie gets a well deserved fourth.
Driver of the day? I had no trouble with this. Despite Hristo’s immaculate drive he was never really racing. Phil and Ronnie, however, had a terrific race and the side by side antics down the fast straight were amazing. So the driver of the day is Ray Cattini – aka Ronnie Peterson . A mistake acknowledged and an act of sportsmanship worthy of the great man himself.
Paul "BadBlood" Whitfield
Server replay time: 0h03m38s
Lap 1 incident
Fulvio gets out of shape, lose a wheel and bounds back on the track and hits Ronnie. When Ronnie is rejoining he does not make sure that the track is free. Rainer must take avoiding action to save the situation.
Server replay time: 0h37m28s
Phil goes off track and rejoin just in front of Ronnie. But then he waits so that Ronnie is in front when they leave the scene.
Server replay time: 0h46m27s
Ronnie brakes too late and hit Phil in the rear. Phil flip over and is out of the race and Ronnie simpy stop and disconnect although there seems to be nothing wrong with his car.
