It could have been worse = ACC League Racing - Lifes up's and down's

[Deetz]

Gaa, well. That didn't go to plan.
4 hour endurance race at Barcelona, 2 drivers, me and my brother, in the Nissan,
I didn't think I was going to get a decent lap in qually, 6 min to go and last. So many cars on track very difficult to get a clean one, then thankfully I found some space, and a 1:43.4 lap netted me ...24th place. Thats about as quick as I can go, so happy enough.

Race start stint one, made a clean start, had to thread my way through an accident ahead, so was was running in 18th place. A gaggle of cars ahead, and someone holding the group up slightly.
But I was experiencing a major isse, I was running an app, race sync, and this was hammering my PC, frame rate was 35, 45 fps, and super stuttery. So although I was holding my own, I didn't really want to attack, as I never knew when it would glitch.
Didn't matter though, as I was punted off a few laps later out of the back hairpin. Then after recovering, was punted again by a porche out of the last turn. Plum last I was counting down the time untill my stint was over, and I could close the app causing my issue. But at the pitstop the driver swap didn't happen, so we lost a few seconds untill I realised I was still in the hot seat.
Round again, back into the pits, as I wasn't doing another hour with stutter vision.
We'd upped tyre pressures a little, as the track was cooling, my brother ran a reasonably clean stint, pace ok but not fantastic, track further cooling and we were stuggling to keep tyre pressure / temps, so up pressures again for my second stint.
I think I manage a lap before a slight run wide nets me a tack limit violation.... and a drive through as my brother already collected some, and we had been on our last warning. Sigh.
I still was struggling with tyre pressures / temps, the car being very taily, untill about half way through my stint, when the pressures / temps came up, and I managed to get into a good rhythm, lapping fairly quickly  / consistently in the low 1:45's untill my stop.
Track still loosing more temporature, so we upped the pressures again for the last stint.
Bingo, tyres now bang in the correct range and my brother was flying, nice consistent 1:44.7 - 1:45.1 laps, and with 20 minutes to go he started tp make up some places, often lapping 3 sec a lap quicker than our rivals. from  38th to 37th, to 36th, and finially we finished in 35th.

Some minor reward for sticking it out.
Other than the first stint I'd enjoyed the racing, pitty it hadn't gone so well.

:racing::racing::racing:
On to the next round.


Rob I hope you had a better day.

[Deetz]

Doh, not really important, but last stint, 144.3 - 1:44.7. Brain fade.

[robt100]

Hey Deetz, sorry late reply again!

Enduros at Barca was a nightmare, out split had a major pileup at T4, I got punted on entry ( https://streamable.com/xt8lx8 ) and then on exit got pummeled in the pileup, think we finished P24......did better at Imola last week, though my teammate isnt the fastest, id say pace wise im split 1 and he is split 4. So being in split 3 means I get stuck in traffic and he gets cars unlapping themselves! Think we got P11 in the end, but the enduros im not too worried about.

Currently in split 1 of the sprint cup, sharing with Ross McGregor and John Munro (raced against them both for over 10 years, but this is the first time racing WITH them). Ross has done all the races, and me n john have alternated being driver 2. So far we have two 5ths and an 8th. Currently P5 in the championship and only 20points off the lead. Driving the Bentley is good, but at Barcelona the 2020 BoP kills it. Qualified P24, finished P8 thanks to keeping out of trouble:D

Hows your season so far?

[robt100]

Also had this 'fun' character in split 3 enduro almost kill me...

https://streamable.com/fahwxm

[Deetz]

OOOO OMG that was close, well done avoiding that car.

Yes, I saw you were doing very nicely in the Sprint Cup, with the top split being broadcast, and was very pleased for you, I was grinning watching the Brands Hatch race.

We've been having a tough time of it in both the Enduro and Sprint Cup, we had to miss the 2nd round of the Enduro, as I was having some issue with the nerves in my leg / foot. Isn't Diabetes great (not.)

The Sprint Cup, I've been enjoying, but we have poor qualifying one lap pace, but generally excellent race pace. Tough overtaking after starting so far back. (We swapped to the new Evo Ferrari, which suits my driving style better than the Nissan did.) Incidents, stupid mistakes (Doh starting R2 Misano on Wet tyres on a greasy but dry and drying track), getting hit in 2 of the three races so far, oops hitting others and penalties etc. have stopped anything like a good result, best finsh have been a couple of 21st position. Fun but frustrating.

Good luck for the rest of the Sprint Cup.:racing:


And a Merry Christmas to everone.:thumbsupsmileyanim:

Deetz

[Deetz]

For anyone still reading, It's official. (well for us).

Having no real practice, having terrible quallifying pace, and diabilcally poor race pace but having a clean race, is much much better than having ok qualifying pace, excellent race pace, but being smashed into in the race.

Results in our Sprint cup Championship have been: 31st, 21st and 21st, when having practice, and been quick, but being ramed into.
Result from being really slow, but having a clean race: 16th.

Says a bit about driving stanards as well thougth. I guess it's just so competative, that no one is willing to give an inch, or back off even slightly in caution. (Well, to be fair, there are some who will and do, but they seem to be a minority.

So, best result so far. :racing:

Onwards and hopefully upwards.

[robt100]

Yup, split 3 enduros is full of nutters, out of 4 races we have had 2 lap 1 incidents that have totalled the car, neither of which we were directly involved in. Means we have had two 20 somethings and 1 10th place. Hoping the sprint race a kyalami is going to be better in split 1, but the bentley isn't fast enough there, which means our mathematical chance of winning the series is probably out of the question.

[Deetz]

Well, last round at Kyalami brought our best Sprint Cup result of 13th.
Even though we'd done all our practice focussed on wet running, as that looked to be the most likely race conditions. Of course the Quallifying / Race were run in the dry. Doh.

After my moaning about other drivers and not giving an inch etc, well that was basically me on lap1, and I ended up crunched in the middle of a three car sandwitch, where we all ended up pinballalling about, and spinning. I think the blame was equally shared among the three of us, and the stewards rules as a racing incident, but I guess I was the person who saw most clearly, in advance that it might not end well and didn't back out, and neither dis the others.
The incident caused about .6 sec a lap pace drop, ~.3 car damage and ~.3 a massive flat spot. This meant It was practically impossible to overtake anyone. I cought a Merc, which was costing me another .5 to .7 a lap all bottled up. Still, an early pit and repairs, and my brother was putting in nice fast consistent laps, which meant he chased and closed down a 12 sec gap to grab 13th place on the 2nd last lap.

Maybe a top 10 was on the cards if I'd kept my nose clean, but all said and and done, I thoroughly enjoyed the race, great fun. :thumbsup:

Rob, your's looked like a decent race, the wet qualliying may have done you a favour. Easily quick enough to hold position, but not quite enough pace to pass. You were holding your own in that pack, I guess you were swearing when that BMW squeezed by early in your session. But i have to ask. "What happened on that last lap"?, the coverage swapped away from you in 7th, and when it returned you'd dropped a place. A place that it looked like you were going to comfortably hold on to!

Didn't effect your overall standings any, and 5th place overall is pretty blooming respectable. You may be dissapointed, but I say very well done anyway. :clap: