[Saturday - 25th of June]
Track Map
I got the honour of doing the practise/qualifying/first stint job in the VTR3 #86 car. I spent most of practise just moseying about, checking the gears and trying to be consistant. My qualifying outlap went fine, but for some whacky reason I disconnected entering the corner before the back straight. Connected again, got half an outlap done before another disco. Sprinted upstairs, nicked the network cable from dad's room and plugged it into my PC. Reconnected fine but Happy Hour had started, so we were dead last. No matter, this is a 12 hour race and grid position means nothing for us slower folks.
On the grid I had some graphical glitches, due to my computer not being the most up to date, so I took it nice and easy in the start. Settled into a nice rythm a few laps in, after passing the TPTCC car on the outside into the last corner. There was a small gap up to the WR Racing car, that kept expanding and decreasing. Can't really remember what happened next as the rest of my stint was pretty standard without much action. I handed over to Sim after having a small spin heading onto the backstraight, originally planning on doing an extra lap "just to be safe".
When Graham's gremlins arrived, Gav hopped into the car and reported a smokey and nonresponsive engine. Refusing to belive it I hopped in myself and the car was fine, so I did 6 laps while the rest of the guys tried to figure out what to do. Eventually we all agreed on putting Rich in the car, and he could set off on his extremely ultra-mega-bloody quick stint.
Edited my setup a tiny bit offline, so it was pretty much perfect when I took over after Sim at around the stroke of midnight (here in Norway). We were two laps ahead of the TPTCC car so I just took it really easy (but still doing 1:52s, actually pushed for a few laps near the end and got a 1:49 almost immediately). Unfortunately it got a bit too sloppy near the end after lapping a mono-geared Mazda, when I rode the kerb a bit too much onto the backstraight and I got T-Boned. Minimal damage, I continued, while listening to the soothing and calm words of Rich and Gav. If they would have had their houses to themselves I'm sure they would be yelling "GET THE F***ING CAR TO THE FINISH IN ONE PIECE ALREADY!!!" so thanks for restraining yourselves.
On another, not too important note: I felt a bit like Tiago Monteiro crossing the line: Torn between being happy for the 4th place (wanting to scream "WOOOOOOHOO!" at the top of my lungs) and slightly ashamed for having messed up so much near the end.
29 June, 2005
26 June, 2005
Vader Trophy - Oulton Park
[Wednesday - 15th of June]
Track Map
I knew there was going to be chaos at T1 so I sandbagged my way through qualifying, almost managing to qualify last. After the green flag was dropped, I engaged first and patiently (read: slowly) made my way toward T1. Sure enough a bunch of cars go off and this time I have loads of time to avoid them, but then I get blasted off the track in Cascades just after saving a huge slide. I reset the car and rejoin dead last, but pass 3 of the cars involved in a 5 car wreck in the hairpin. I pass the two remaining cars as they tangle into Knickerbrook and I'm all by myself in 8th.
I get caught by Gav exiting the hairpin on lap 5. Unfortunately I try to hard to make it through Druids quickly and I exit the asfalt. Needless to say Gav got by, as did Ian so I'm now in 10th. I then proceed to spin off at Cascades on lap 7, luckily without losing position. Then on the same lap, I make a meal of getting around the right hander after the hairpin, and I have a little excursion on the grass. The same happes, on the same lap, at Druids (Sim passes). Another spin in T1 on lap 9 while chasing down Sim, plus an off at Cascades... After a few laps without spins I pass Sim exiting the final corner on lap 13, and can let Neil through to lap me. Sim sneaks through down The Avenue, and we both spin out of Cascades. Of course he is allowed the first reset, so I had to wait twice as long before I could reset my car.
A few laps (and a stupid amount of spins) later I crossed the line in a lousy 11th.
Track Map
I knew there was going to be chaos at T1 so I sandbagged my way through qualifying, almost managing to qualify last. After the green flag was dropped, I engaged first and patiently (read: slowly) made my way toward T1. Sure enough a bunch of cars go off and this time I have loads of time to avoid them, but then I get blasted off the track in Cascades just after saving a huge slide. I reset the car and rejoin dead last, but pass 3 of the cars involved in a 5 car wreck in the hairpin. I pass the two remaining cars as they tangle into Knickerbrook and I'm all by myself in 8th.
I get caught by Gav exiting the hairpin on lap 5. Unfortunately I try to hard to make it through Druids quickly and I exit the asfalt. Needless to say Gav got by, as did Ian so I'm now in 10th. I then proceed to spin off at Cascades on lap 7, luckily without losing position. Then on the same lap, I make a meal of getting around the right hander after the hairpin, and I have a little excursion on the grass. The same happes, on the same lap, at Druids (Sim passes). Another spin in T1 on lap 9 while chasing down Sim, plus an off at Cascades... After a few laps without spins I pass Sim exiting the final corner on lap 13, and can let Neil through to lap me. Sim sneaks through down The Avenue, and we both spin out of Cascades. Of course he is allowed the first reset, so I had to wait twice as long before I could reset my car.
A few laps (and a stupid amount of spins) later I crossed the line in a lousy 11th.
06 June, 2005
04 June, 2005
Back with a vengeance
Jumped into a pickup race today with my fellow Monster Masher, Topi, at Rouen a few hours ago. After the race I submitted my player.ini to GPLRank and this is what came up...
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Update time: Rouen-les-Essarts 1967, BRM time 1:58.748 session P improvement -0.761
Update time: Rouen-les-Essarts 1967, BRM time 2:00.210 session R improvement -0.121
GPLRank score = -33.814 (no change)
Monster of GPLRank score = -109.930 (change of -0.761)
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If you have GPL, you can download the replay of my lap here.
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Update time: Rouen-les-Essarts 1967, BRM time 1:58.748 session P improvement -0.761
Update time: Rouen-les-Essarts 1967, BRM time 2:00.210 session R improvement -0.121
GPLRank score = -33.814 (no change)
Monster of GPLRank score = -109.930 (change of -0.761)
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If you have GPL, you can download the replay of my lap here.
02 June, 2005
Vader Trophy - Rouen
[Wednesday - 1st of June]
Track Map
As you already know, I have taken a (some say unhealthy) liking to the BRM. Due to this I decided to swap to the tank for Vader Trophy, as I could see myself having a lot more fun in it as opposed to the Cooper. An hour or two before the race I was consistently doing 2:00s so I was looking forward to the race.
I beat my old PB in qualifying with a 1:59.5 placing me 11th on the grid, a tenth of a second behind Jannis Koopman's Ferrari and over a second ahead of Jamie Mason's Cooper. My start was not exactly good seen as I spun off in the first corner, but I didn't collect anyone and I actually avoided the customary lap 1 wreck. By the end of lap one I was all the way up in 7th place, having passed several crashed/spun out cars. I drove steadily until lap 4 when Gav in his Cooper made a wee mess of his braking for Scierie, and we touched. I got going without getting passed, but I made a real mess of T1 and got passed by two Ferraris.
I didn't trust Gav with the inside for Scierie for the next lap (:P) so I moved over, barely keeping him behind. I run wide in T1 and Gav is alongside me, we go into T2 side by side and I exit just ahead of him but I also run wide. He goes for a run around the outside for the right hander, but unfortunately I squeezed him off the track. On lap 7 I catch Gui's (ridculously slow) Lotus into Gresil, and in my rush to get by I touch him and do a complete corkscrew, thus losing two places. I do a series of pirouettes in T1 on lap 9, but can keep my 11th position. I drive more or less all by myself from lap 7 to lap 15 when I pass my teammate Chris Kirk (Brabham) plus Gui after the last corner, and a flying Mark Egan after T1.
I cross the line just over a second ahead of Kirky, and eleven econds behind Ian Woolham. Finally I managed to finish a VT race and not feel disappointed with the result.
Track Map
As you already know, I have taken a (some say unhealthy) liking to the BRM. Due to this I decided to swap to the tank for Vader Trophy, as I could see myself having a lot more fun in it as opposed to the Cooper. An hour or two before the race I was consistently doing 2:00s so I was looking forward to the race.
I beat my old PB in qualifying with a 1:59.5 placing me 11th on the grid, a tenth of a second behind Jannis Koopman's Ferrari and over a second ahead of Jamie Mason's Cooper. My start was not exactly good seen as I spun off in the first corner, but I didn't collect anyone and I actually avoided the customary lap 1 wreck. By the end of lap one I was all the way up in 7th place, having passed several crashed/spun out cars. I drove steadily until lap 4 when Gav in his Cooper made a wee mess of his braking for Scierie, and we touched. I got going without getting passed, but I made a real mess of T1 and got passed by two Ferraris.
I didn't trust Gav with the inside for Scierie for the next lap (:P) so I moved over, barely keeping him behind. I run wide in T1 and Gav is alongside me, we go into T2 side by side and I exit just ahead of him but I also run wide. He goes for a run around the outside for the right hander, but unfortunately I squeezed him off the track. On lap 7 I catch Gui's (ridculously slow) Lotus into Gresil, and in my rush to get by I touch him and do a complete corkscrew, thus losing two places. I do a series of pirouettes in T1 on lap 9, but can keep my 11th position. I drive more or less all by myself from lap 7 to lap 15 when I pass my teammate Chris Kirk (Brabham) plus Gui after the last corner, and a flying Mark Egan after T1.
I cross the line just over a second ahead of Kirky, and eleven econds behind Ian Woolham. Finally I managed to finish a VT race and not feel disappointed with the result.
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