hessi
Premium
- 154
- GTP_hessi
I decided to go for the 300km Grand Valley again today, this time with a BMW 135i, one of the few Premium cars I own - I'm a sucker for the UCD and don't want to spend money on cars I can buy anytime.
The car is completely stock, but I'm driving SM which I've bought for another race before and simply forgot to change before the start. The only driving aid is ABS 1, I'm using a Logitech MOMO.
Quickly I realize that my car is too powerful, I get first place within the first lap and gain about 15 seconds in the first 5 laps. With quite a large quantity of tyres left I pit after the fifth lap and change to CS, making the car 100% stock.
I leave the pit just as the last car drives by, giving me 12th place and quite a long way to go.
Unfortunately, something has clearly happened while I was in the pit. Instead of a 300 ZX and a Supra, an RX-7 has the lead now, and instead of the 2:20 the pack was driving before, it drives a fairly consistent and not-so-easy to match 2:14 lap. And so, while I am overtaking the slowest (Legacy Station Wagon, G35), the leading RX-7 gains about 4 seconds per lap to me. After lap 14, I settle in 8th place, with very consistent distance to 7th place.
In lap 19 and with about 1:20 difference to the RX-7 I pit again and change back to SM. I leave the pit in 12th place, with the RX-7 in my rearview mirror and start the big comeback.
By lap 30, I'm in 4th place and quickly gaining seconds on the RX-7, whose tyres seem to deteriorate rapidly, judging from his lap times. It finally pits in lap 33 and manages to get out of the pit about 5 seconds before I cross the start line. We meet behind the Legacy Station Wagon, and of course I manage to squeeze past it a lot easier than he does, so I easily manage to take the lead. Unfortunately, it only takes him another second to overtake, as well, and while he is on fresh tyres, mine are starting to show. He manages to overtake me again, and although I first think I can stay behind him, I lose about 12 seconds in the next lap, so I decide to pit in lap 35 and get fresh tyres (SM again, unfortunately I didn't have SH). I get out of the pit in 4th place again, with 1:05 to the RX-7 and start my second comeback.
By lap 48 I'm 4 seconds behind him, but my fuel is on the last white line and I decide to pit and get another set of fresh tyres, while I'm at it. I refuel 28 liters and get out of the pit, still in second place, with 45 seconds to the RX-7. In the following 11 laps, I manage to squeeze the difference down to below 1 second, and in the beginning of the 60th lap we go right after each other down the start line. Right after crossing the line my fuel switches from white to red, but at this point I can only hope it lasts, there is nothing I can do about it.
I overtake him while breaking into the first corner and manage to get a two second lead on top of the bridge between the two tunnel. In the middle of the second tunnel, the unthinkable happens - my fuel is gone. It takes him until the tight right-hand corner after the tunnel to overtake me again, but there is nothing I can do - blocking until the finish line would have been futile.
I'll crawl over the finish after 2 hours, 19 minutes and 58 seconds, a full 21 seconds after the RX-7 with which I've had such a great fight. The third place, an Impreza, does not make it in the next 30 seconds.
Honestly, I screamed out loud after this race, but it was great nonetheless. Lots of fun, very intense and thrilling.
I love the 135i, maybe next time I'll give it a go with SH for the whole race - and I won't be such a cheapskate on fuel, that's for sure!
The car is completely stock, but I'm driving SM which I've bought for another race before and simply forgot to change before the start. The only driving aid is ABS 1, I'm using a Logitech MOMO.
Quickly I realize that my car is too powerful, I get first place within the first lap and gain about 15 seconds in the first 5 laps. With quite a large quantity of tyres left I pit after the fifth lap and change to CS, making the car 100% stock.
I leave the pit just as the last car drives by, giving me 12th place and quite a long way to go.
Unfortunately, something has clearly happened while I was in the pit. Instead of a 300 ZX and a Supra, an RX-7 has the lead now, and instead of the 2:20 the pack was driving before, it drives a fairly consistent and not-so-easy to match 2:14 lap. And so, while I am overtaking the slowest (Legacy Station Wagon, G35), the leading RX-7 gains about 4 seconds per lap to me. After lap 14, I settle in 8th place, with very consistent distance to 7th place.
In lap 19 and with about 1:20 difference to the RX-7 I pit again and change back to SM. I leave the pit in 12th place, with the RX-7 in my rearview mirror and start the big comeback.
By lap 30, I'm in 4th place and quickly gaining seconds on the RX-7, whose tyres seem to deteriorate rapidly, judging from his lap times. It finally pits in lap 33 and manages to get out of the pit about 5 seconds before I cross the start line. We meet behind the Legacy Station Wagon, and of course I manage to squeeze past it a lot easier than he does, so I easily manage to take the lead. Unfortunately, it only takes him another second to overtake, as well, and while he is on fresh tyres, mine are starting to show. He manages to overtake me again, and although I first think I can stay behind him, I lose about 12 seconds in the next lap, so I decide to pit in lap 35 and get fresh tyres (SM again, unfortunately I didn't have SH). I get out of the pit in 4th place again, with 1:05 to the RX-7 and start my second comeback.
By lap 48 I'm 4 seconds behind him, but my fuel is on the last white line and I decide to pit and get another set of fresh tyres, while I'm at it. I refuel 28 liters and get out of the pit, still in second place, with 45 seconds to the RX-7. In the following 11 laps, I manage to squeeze the difference down to below 1 second, and in the beginning of the 60th lap we go right after each other down the start line. Right after crossing the line my fuel switches from white to red, but at this point I can only hope it lasts, there is nothing I can do about it.
I overtake him while breaking into the first corner and manage to get a two second lead on top of the bridge between the two tunnel. In the middle of the second tunnel, the unthinkable happens - my fuel is gone. It takes him until the tight right-hand corner after the tunnel to overtake me again, but there is nothing I can do - blocking until the finish line would have been futile.
I'll crawl over the finish after 2 hours, 19 minutes and 58 seconds, a full 21 seconds after the RX-7 with which I've had such a great fight. The third place, an Impreza, does not make it in the next 30 seconds.
Honestly, I screamed out loud after this race, but it was great nonetheless. Lots of fun, very intense and thrilling.
I love the 135i, maybe next time I'll give it a go with SH for the whole race - and I won't be such a cheapskate on fuel, that's for sure!
