Race Report – VLN Round 2 Room 3 – 22 Laps (shortened to 20)
Nurburgring 24 hour Circuit (Map shows Nordschleife but race was on full 24hr circuit)
The Grid after 20 min qualifying ‘alone’
1. Gadget333 (TMB) – Mercedes SLS AMG GT3 (Yellow/Blue) – ‘STEVE’
2. attrapp (GORE) – Mercedes SLS AMG GT3 (Light Blue) – ‘ATTRAPP’
3. GTP_LancerEvo7 (REST) – Nissan GTR GT3 (Orange #43) – ‘EVO’
4. GTP_RACECAR (THAR) – Nissan GTR GT3 (Blue #32) – ‘RACECAR’
5. the-burre - BMW Z4 GT3 (White #1) – ‘BURRE’
6. GTP_oldboy1957 (P24)- Mercedes SLS AMG GT3 (Red) – ‘OLDBOY’
7. double0rob (ABL) – BMW M3 GT2 (Matt Black #14) – ‘ROB’
8. ZondaDriver451 (STM) - Nissan GTR GT3 (Orange)– ‘ZONDA’ *
* ZONDA did not complete qualifying and exited the room. We believe an imminent delivery of his partners’ baby was the cause of his rapid exit. If so, we hope Mother and Baby are doing fine
Lap 1
The race is underway and ATTRAP gets jumped by the two GTR's before we leave the GP Circuit.
RACECAR goes off on cold tyres allowing first EVO, then OLDBOY past.
A few corners later, struggling with some damage from his earlier off, RACECAR is off again allowing ATTRAPP and BURRE to make up places.
OLDBOY chasing EVO at the Karussell with leader STEVE up ahead.
EVO gets it all wrong accelerating out of Pflanzgarten allowing OLDBOY up into 2nd. Luckily EVO’s error only cost him time as he avoided hitting anything.
Dottinger Straight first time around STEVE has a decent gap to OLDBOY who is now being lined up for a draft pass by EVO but as he doesn't properly catch him until just before the Bilstein Bridge he wisely backs off and tucks in behind.
ROB and RACECAR have had horrible first laps having both sustained early damage and having to limp almost 15 miles back to the pits for Damage repairs. This means they are already almost 5 minutes behind the leaders.
Lap 2
ATTRAPP makes an unexpected early stop, presumably to repair some light front wheel damage
Lap 3
OLDBOY has closed up on STEVE as the cars start the third lap.
Likewise BURRE has closed down the gap to third place and is now locked in a battle with EVO
EVO is into the Armco at Flugplatz allowing BURRE to move into 3rd place.
Up front the battle of the Mercs is intense with OLDBOY waiting patiently for his chance to seize the lead.
And on Dottinger he finally gets the draft and moves into the lead for the first time. But in the background, now released from EVO, the TOR Z4 of BURRE is catching both of the Mercs.
EVO pits to repair the damage from his off. The mistake has cost him dear, and by the time he emerges from the pits ATTRAPP has passed him into turn 1.
Positions end Lap 3
Lap 4
GORE’s ATTRAP has a battle on her hands to defend his newly acquired 4th place from the Team REST Nissan driven by guest driver EVO. He would get past the Swede on Dottinger at the end of the lap.
Leader OLDBOY pits for a routine tyre change. STEVE regains the lead and BURRE moves into 2nd
Positions end Lap 4
Lap 5
No sooner has OLDBOY re-joined the track on a brand new set of Racing Softs, the rain starts to fall.
Into Adenauer Forst, and BURRE is now right with STEVE battling for the lead.
BURRE gets better traction accelerating out of Steilstrecke and completes the pass into the Karussell
Both leaders pit. The track is now 14% wet and while BURRE fits a new set of Racing Softs, STEVE puts on Inters, hoping the rain will continue to fall, and also tops off with fuel in anticipation of a long run. Meanwhile OLDBOY flashes past to regain the lead. Quite a battle going on between these three.
EVO also pits for Inters
Lap 6
By the end of the lap the track has reached 40% wet. OLDBOY pits from the lead but again goes for more Racing Soft tyres. BURRE and STEVE retake him for 1st and 2nd place.
ATTRAPP stops at end of the lap for Damage repair and to switch onto full WETS
Positions end Lap 6
Lap 7
One hour into the race and the top three are separated by only 8 seconds. BURRE leads along Dottinger with STEVE chasing in the background.
Lap 8
The two Mercs had been gradually reeling in the Z4 in the wet conditions, and then suddenly, on the fast right hander into Arenburg the BMW snaps sideways and then slides off into the barrier on the outside causing heavy damage, but worse, surrendering the lead. Perhaps a lap too far on RS tyres?
OLDBOY passes STEVE for the lead again along Dottinger
BURRE stops for damage repair but has lost an awful lot of time to the leaders. Despite the track being 46% wet and rising, he sticks with Racing Slicks again
Lap 9
The leaders close up on and lap 5th place ATTRAPP. The blue Merc displaying a perfect example of staying tight on the right and allowing the lapping car to pass.
STEVE pits at the end of the lap for full WETS. OLDBOY stays out on RS’s despite 74% tracks wetness.
Positions end Lap 9
Lap 10
By not stopping OLDBOY’s lead is now out to 42 seconds, but he’s riding his luck on those slicks and has the first of several excursions onto the grass on the twisty section at the start of the Nordschleife.
OLDBOY would stop at the end of the lap but the pit crew put more Softs on despite almost full 99% track humidity. Its transpires that these were special instructions direct from PD!! He emerges from the pits right behind leader STEVE who is on the more suitable WET Tyres
RACECAR is having a torrid time. Only when the race had begun, and the rain started to fall, did he discover that his team had not invested in any Wet OR Intermediate tyres. In fact the only tyres he had were Racing HARDs…..not ideal for a fully wet track. Fair play to him for soldiering on and taking one for the Team!
ATTRAP laps ROB on the GP loop. The unfortunate BMW driver is still running on Racing Mediums as he also has no Wet or Inter tyres at his disposal, and is therefore only slightly better off than RACECAR.
Lap 11
Amazingly, by staying on the drier racing line, OLDBOY has kept up with STEVE’s ‘WET shod’ SLS, and on the Dottinger drafts past back into the lead.
Lap 12
The sun is coming out and the track has dried rapidly from fully wet to 47% in less than a lap. The track is coming back to OLDBOY on his Slicks and he’s starting to ease away from STEVE.
BURRE pits for another set of RS tyres and some fuel. The track is now almost completely dry so STEVE is losing handfuls of time to the slick shod cars in front and behind him.
Although 2 laps behind, now the conditions suit slicks again, RACECAR has caught ATTRAPP (on the road) and taken a lap back. ATTRAPP would pit for RS tyres and fuel at the end of this lap.
Positions end Lap 12
Lap 14
STEVE finally swaps his WETS for RS tyres at the end of Lap 13, but upon exiting the pits gets a hydraulics failure and the car idles across the track into the Armco. ROB screams past to take back a lap. It’s almost 30 seconds before the TMB SLS gets underway resulting in OLDBOY now having the largest leads he’s had all race
At the end of Lap 14 EVO parks it in the pits and retires. He’s clocked up 14 laps towards REST’s race total, but cannot take the punishment anymore!
Positions End Lap 14
Lap 15
A rare mistake from OLDBOY as his new cold RS tyres on a track still damp offline catch him out and he takes a trip into the gravel on the GP loop. And it’s started raining again!
His second mistake in 5 corners see heavy contact….this time causing damage, just as the GP Loop re-joins the Nordschleife. The Drivers are realising too late that when it has been wet, even when the humidity gauge shows the track has dried to '0%', it can still be very slippery 'off line' especially when you are on slicks. STEVE will see that gap timer really starting to change now. The chase is on
STEVE has caught the wounded SLS at the normally ‘flat out’ Flugplatz double apex right sweeper. OLDBOY has pulled out of the way on the right for the TMB car to pass around the outside.
Suddenly the P24 car snaps sideways across the track. Throttle traces from OLDBOYS car show that this ‘snap’ was caused when he downshifted from 2nd to 1st gear while on the wet grass. STEVE has nowhere to go and T-bones the other Merc resulting in full damage for both cars. Reportedly one of STEVE’s RL neighbours heard a loud expletive around the same time…….
OLDBOY clearly has less damage than STEVE and could have passed the crippled TMB car, but in true sportsmanship decides to instead sit behind him all the way back to the pits.
ATTRAPP makes a pitstop for damage and sticks to Inter Tyres as the rain is quite heavy now and track humidity back up to 17%. While pitting, he overtakes EVO’s retired GTR to move to 4th in the standings.
Positions End Lap 15
Lap 16
After repairing the damage from their shunt, STEVE and OLDBOY are back out front with over half a lap lead over BURRE in 3rd. STEVE is on Inters, OLDBOY on RS’s
Lap 17
The track has completely dried again. OLDBOY could pass STEVE (still on Inters) and drive off into the distance but presumably his sense of guilt for the earlier accident commands him to hold station just behind and track the TMB car to the finish.
Coming out of the Karussell the leaders catch and shape to pass backmarker ROB. It appears he has stayed on the right as required to allow the leaders to pass on the left….
But a spit second later his damaged car spears across the track and squeezes the race leaders into the Armco. More damage for the TMB Merc.
Meanwhile RACECAR passes the retired EVO’s lap total to move into 5th place overall.
STEVE and OLDBOY stop for repairs and new RS tyres as the track is now dry.
Positions End Lap 17
Lap 18
A Beautiful 3 Lap ‘Let’s Drive in Tandem’ arrangement comes to an end when OLDBOY locks up on the final left turn before joining the Nordschleife and rear ends the TMB Merc. STEVE suffers only light and symmetrical rear axle damage, but OLDBOY gets off much worse with heavy damage for both front wheels and engine damage. It would be a long and slow limp back to the pits for the Pole.
Following that incident STEVE had a steady run to the flag to take what was in the end a comfortable win, as OLDBOY and BURRE suffered more damage and had messy ends to the races as they both pushed to make up for earlier time lost.
With the race already over the 3 hour limit due to the long periods of slower running in the wet, the result race was ended at the end of the leaders 20th lap.
It was a very interesting race, and a good scrap between TMB, P24 and TOR for most of the race. For the guys further back we're sure lessons were learned regarding ensuring the cars are properly equipped with the full range of tyres for Round 3 in a months time, and also, following infringements such as pit lane exit line crossing etc, there will be less post race penalties next time.
Good race guys. I hope everyone enjoyed it
Final Results after 20 Laps (excluding separate penalties being applied)