- 64
- United Kingdom
2023/4 GTWS Exhibition Season 2 – Nations’ Cup R4 – Lake Louise (Short Circuit)
GT2 League – Mixed A & B DR Lobby – 146pts to winner
It’s Where? And it’s in which car? Blimey…
In retrospect, I suppose I should have seen Lake Louise coming – it was widely supposed that the Mystery Round last season ended up being the rather insipid Daytona+Gr3 combo because something else had been planned but had to be ditched. At the time, everyone thought that the new ice track was the original venue but it got dropped because of wall-riding concerns. In the meantime of course, the latest update brought us a new car that was ideally suited to loose-surface racing for all abilities so it was only natural that the two should be brought together. It was also a novelty to race something that’s got less than two-thirds of the power of my economical commuting car IRL.
The delaying of any details until Thursday morning meant that I had chance to try to clear the decks of real-life shenanigans earlier in the week, for as much preparation time as possible. Note “try to” – reality was that I didn’t get near the PS until Friday lunchtime. OK, where to start? Better go for Free Practice first to see if I’m competent enough to even bother – The TT at this venue is the only one in the last year that I couldn’t even get silver at, in fact I wasn’t even remotely close to it (like about 4s off). I also struggled at Daily Race A as well when it was on the ice, so if I slide around like Bambi then I won’t bother buying the car even though it costs less than a set of RS tyres.
Hey, this isn’t bad – a few laps tootling around after watching a replay of a top time (no ghost) got me a mid-1:18 and just outside the world top 1000 – I normally can’t even do that when there is a Gr4 round in Manufacturers’ (and therefore the GT1 players aren’t counted in the list). OK, now try with a ghost – instantly knock 1 second off my time on the very first tour and within a few minutes I can do an entire race length in laps of 1:17s or less with a best of 1:16.8 which put me on the second page of the worldwide FP standings in 194th – nosebleed time, I’ve never been so high up!
Strategy? Nope. Tyre wear and fuel usage won’t even be on in the race so just go for it. Grab a car from the dealer and off to the lobbies for some races. I can safely say I’ve never enjoyed lobby racing this much – I’m able to battle with – and beat – A and A+ drivers in these races, just what is going on? Still cynical about tomorrow though, perhaps only a few people are practising, and I’ll still get swamped come race day.
Wake up on Saturday and read the reports coming through from A-O. Looks like the Custom Slipstream is actually “ridiculously high” – I know these things are shaped like bricks but slipstream giving a 10mph boost at the end of the straight? Blimey. Looks like it will be hard to escape from the pack, even if I do get out front.
As usual for Saturdays, I couldn’t get on at the beginning of the day, my efforts started in the 3rd EMEA slot.
Run 1 – EMEA Slot 3 – Mixed A & B DR lobby – GT2 – 150pts to Winner
Well this is something new, first time I’ve ever been mixed in with A drivers in GTWS (it has happened in dailies before). Is this because I’m reaching the top of B, or because turnout is low today? Probably a mixture of the two. Wait in the pit lane for the crowd to disperse and set off, but even with the gap I’ve given myself I find myself powering through the field on my last 2 flying laps, which can’t be good for my time. Perhaps having to go tight in the last turn helped actually, as I emerge with 1:16.7 and – shock horror – pole position! This is the first time I’ve ever stuck it on Q1 in GTWS and only the 3rd time ever – the other 2 were converted into wins though, so that bodes well.
So to the race, and my all-over Kinetic Yellow – I chose the hue to honour a colleague who not only bought one of these things new but bought it in that very colour – car sits at the head of the super-tight rallycross grid wearing the #13. Unlucky? We would see.
A good run to T1 means I can take the line through the banked section, I hook 4th at the right moment while those behind me hit each other and the wall. Heading towards the first apex of the back stretch I already have 1.7s over the field. Right, I know I can put together a string of fast laps, surely if I keep my head I can drive into the sunset while they squabble, right? Er, no Norbs, you’ve forgotten about the SUPER EXTRA STRENGTH XXXX ADULTS ONLY PARENTAL ADVISORY slipstream and the field are back on me by T1 on lap 3 even though my second lap was a low 1:17. I eventually become part of a group of 5 out front, the other 4 are all French, which isn’t fair – I mean they’ve got Alps and everything and I haven’t. I’m gradually learning the alternative ways I have to approach T1 and the final turn when going at slipstream speed, and we all approach the first corner together on lap 6, I lift and turn early and get a perfect corner – or at least I would have if the other 4 hadn’t hit the wall together and one of them stopped right in front of me, obviously I then clobber into them, getting me a 1s penalty but even worse robbing me of any momentum for the best part of a lap. By the time I serve the pen I’m back in P9 and, although by the beginning of lap 10 I am back in P5 the lead group are now way up the road and, worse yet, I have a small group behind me who then proceed to mug me on the last turn and I cross the line P8 (106pts). Very disappointing from pole – but then with this slipstream I’m not sure pole is any advantage really – and I didn’t even improve my previous scores – my lowest counting round is 107. That however means nothing to lose by going again, and the one smidgen of positive news was the marginal “DR up” so I should be in a high points lobby again.
Run 2 – EMEA Slot 4 – Mixed A & B DR lobby – GT2 – 146pts to Winner
A slight drop in points but still very high by my standards, and I’m #7 now so I’ve gone up in the world. A few more of my compatriots in this race – including this thread’s very own @MetalApe – and I also notice that 2 of the UK top 3 GT2 drivers are in, one of whom is sporting a very – ahem – striking OnlyFans livery, meaning that although I did record this run I wouldn’t be able to share video or stills as it would make the page NSFW! A cleaner run in qualifying, I only had to pass one car and they let me by on the out lap, but I wasn’t quite as with-it this time as a 1:17.2 put me P4.
I must have missed the memo saying “before this race, would all drivers please map their horn to a convenient button” since we started the race to a cacophony of hooters that rivalled a Torinese traffic jam. I get a reasonable run to T1, gaining on the cars ahead as cars behind me gain on me in turn, and am clean through most of the turn, but as I exit a car doing the inside-to-outside line clobbers back into me, I touch the wall and don’t lose too much momentum but am back battling for 6th or so down the back stretch. Gaining a couple of places through the last turn and up the main straight means I arrive on L2 T1 in 2nd, and 3 of us hit the snow bank exactly the same but I get 1.5s penalty while the others get nowt (curses like Muttley). I am actually battling for the lead as we cross the penalty line, however that crucial loss of momentum puts me back in P6 by the time I exit T1 on lap 3. By now the top 3 cars are in a group with 4,5 and 6 (me) in another group. I get into 5th and P4 and I work together for a couple of laps while P6 slips back. P4 then leaves me and chases the top 3 and it looks like a lonely run to the flag, still P5 will give me the points I need to potentially challenge for the county title so I’m happy. Meanwhile one of the top 3 is dropping back from the other 2, my former drafting buddy in P4 catches them and instead of working together they tussle it out, that brings them back into my slipstream range and I catch them on the final turn of Lap 9, I draft past them both entering the final tour and nail T1 – just the right lift, just the right time to turn, just the right time to change down – and gain 0.5s in that one corner, just enough to ensure they can catch but not pass down the back stretch, and I finally find the Lesser-spotted apex of the final turn to ensure I have the place as we enter the main straight for the final time. Surely they can draft me now, though? Nope – as luck would have it, the top 2 have been battling so much they are now only 0.7s ahead so I line up behind the car in P2 – as it happens, the OnlyFans car – and nail the loud pedal – er, trigger – for the run to the line. As I gain speed though, the unexpected happens – the driver of the OnlyFans car decides to pull themselves off the track just before the line – and I lose the slip but gain a place, and I just beat P3 to the line – that P2 gives me a relatively whopping 138 points (my previous record is 121!) I also got the CRB despite the wall penalty and a bit of bump-drafting in the middle section of the race. That DR bar now looks pretty much full, as well…
That points haul helped me to the county title – in reality, 112pts would have done it as the previous leader didn’t race this round. In fact looking at the league tables quite a few people didn’t run – I wonder if that was due to the track choice (“not bloody racing on ice”), the car choice (“not bloody racing that, it’s got less power than a Kenwood Chef”) or the fact that the combo was announced very late in the week. It’ll be a pity if the low turnout dissuades PD from running more races with low-powered cars or loose surfaces in Nations’ Cup in the future, and I’m not just saying that because I did well in this round – I feel that Nations’ should reward all-round, adaptable skill, not just the ability to drive a very fast car very fast on a well-known circuit.
So, hopefully, to the next season – I hope we’ve got enough time for a couple more Exhibition seasons before the real thing starts in the spring. There’s a few things I liked this time and a few things I didn’t – but that’s for another post. Thanks to all who I’ve raced with and against, to those who’ve given tips and reported on the A-O races early doors, and finally to everyone who’s read through this lot!
GT2 League – Mixed A & B DR Lobby – 146pts to winner
It’s Where? And it’s in which car? Blimey…
In retrospect, I suppose I should have seen Lake Louise coming – it was widely supposed that the Mystery Round last season ended up being the rather insipid Daytona+Gr3 combo because something else had been planned but had to be ditched. At the time, everyone thought that the new ice track was the original venue but it got dropped because of wall-riding concerns. In the meantime of course, the latest update brought us a new car that was ideally suited to loose-surface racing for all abilities so it was only natural that the two should be brought together. It was also a novelty to race something that’s got less than two-thirds of the power of my economical commuting car IRL.
The delaying of any details until Thursday morning meant that I had chance to try to clear the decks of real-life shenanigans earlier in the week, for as much preparation time as possible. Note “try to” – reality was that I didn’t get near the PS until Friday lunchtime. OK, where to start? Better go for Free Practice first to see if I’m competent enough to even bother – The TT at this venue is the only one in the last year that I couldn’t even get silver at, in fact I wasn’t even remotely close to it (like about 4s off). I also struggled at Daily Race A as well when it was on the ice, so if I slide around like Bambi then I won’t bother buying the car even though it costs less than a set of RS tyres.
Hey, this isn’t bad – a few laps tootling around after watching a replay of a top time (no ghost) got me a mid-1:18 and just outside the world top 1000 – I normally can’t even do that when there is a Gr4 round in Manufacturers’ (and therefore the GT1 players aren’t counted in the list). OK, now try with a ghost – instantly knock 1 second off my time on the very first tour and within a few minutes I can do an entire race length in laps of 1:17s or less with a best of 1:16.8 which put me on the second page of the worldwide FP standings in 194th – nosebleed time, I’ve never been so high up!
Strategy? Nope. Tyre wear and fuel usage won’t even be on in the race so just go for it. Grab a car from the dealer and off to the lobbies for some races. I can safely say I’ve never enjoyed lobby racing this much – I’m able to battle with – and beat – A and A+ drivers in these races, just what is going on? Still cynical about tomorrow though, perhaps only a few people are practising, and I’ll still get swamped come race day.
Wake up on Saturday and read the reports coming through from A-O. Looks like the Custom Slipstream is actually “ridiculously high” – I know these things are shaped like bricks but slipstream giving a 10mph boost at the end of the straight? Blimey. Looks like it will be hard to escape from the pack, even if I do get out front.
As usual for Saturdays, I couldn’t get on at the beginning of the day, my efforts started in the 3rd EMEA slot.
Run 1 – EMEA Slot 3 – Mixed A & B DR lobby – GT2 – 150pts to Winner
Well this is something new, first time I’ve ever been mixed in with A drivers in GTWS (it has happened in dailies before). Is this because I’m reaching the top of B, or because turnout is low today? Probably a mixture of the two. Wait in the pit lane for the crowd to disperse and set off, but even with the gap I’ve given myself I find myself powering through the field on my last 2 flying laps, which can’t be good for my time. Perhaps having to go tight in the last turn helped actually, as I emerge with 1:16.7 and – shock horror – pole position! This is the first time I’ve ever stuck it on Q1 in GTWS and only the 3rd time ever – the other 2 were converted into wins though, so that bodes well.
So to the race, and my all-over Kinetic Yellow – I chose the hue to honour a colleague who not only bought one of these things new but bought it in that very colour – car sits at the head of the super-tight rallycross grid wearing the #13. Unlucky? We would see.
A good run to T1 means I can take the line through the banked section, I hook 4th at the right moment while those behind me hit each other and the wall. Heading towards the first apex of the back stretch I already have 1.7s over the field. Right, I know I can put together a string of fast laps, surely if I keep my head I can drive into the sunset while they squabble, right? Er, no Norbs, you’ve forgotten about the SUPER EXTRA STRENGTH XXXX ADULTS ONLY PARENTAL ADVISORY slipstream and the field are back on me by T1 on lap 3 even though my second lap was a low 1:17. I eventually become part of a group of 5 out front, the other 4 are all French, which isn’t fair – I mean they’ve got Alps and everything and I haven’t. I’m gradually learning the alternative ways I have to approach T1 and the final turn when going at slipstream speed, and we all approach the first corner together on lap 6, I lift and turn early and get a perfect corner – or at least I would have if the other 4 hadn’t hit the wall together and one of them stopped right in front of me, obviously I then clobber into them, getting me a 1s penalty but even worse robbing me of any momentum for the best part of a lap. By the time I serve the pen I’m back in P9 and, although by the beginning of lap 10 I am back in P5 the lead group are now way up the road and, worse yet, I have a small group behind me who then proceed to mug me on the last turn and I cross the line P8 (106pts). Very disappointing from pole – but then with this slipstream I’m not sure pole is any advantage really – and I didn’t even improve my previous scores – my lowest counting round is 107. That however means nothing to lose by going again, and the one smidgen of positive news was the marginal “DR up” so I should be in a high points lobby again.
Run 2 – EMEA Slot 4 – Mixed A & B DR lobby – GT2 – 146pts to Winner
A slight drop in points but still very high by my standards, and I’m #7 now so I’ve gone up in the world. A few more of my compatriots in this race – including this thread’s very own @MetalApe – and I also notice that 2 of the UK top 3 GT2 drivers are in, one of whom is sporting a very – ahem – striking OnlyFans livery, meaning that although I did record this run I wouldn’t be able to share video or stills as it would make the page NSFW! A cleaner run in qualifying, I only had to pass one car and they let me by on the out lap, but I wasn’t quite as with-it this time as a 1:17.2 put me P4.
I must have missed the memo saying “before this race, would all drivers please map their horn to a convenient button” since we started the race to a cacophony of hooters that rivalled a Torinese traffic jam. I get a reasonable run to T1, gaining on the cars ahead as cars behind me gain on me in turn, and am clean through most of the turn, but as I exit a car doing the inside-to-outside line clobbers back into me, I touch the wall and don’t lose too much momentum but am back battling for 6th or so down the back stretch. Gaining a couple of places through the last turn and up the main straight means I arrive on L2 T1 in 2nd, and 3 of us hit the snow bank exactly the same but I get 1.5s penalty while the others get nowt (curses like Muttley). I am actually battling for the lead as we cross the penalty line, however that crucial loss of momentum puts me back in P6 by the time I exit T1 on lap 3. By now the top 3 cars are in a group with 4,5 and 6 (me) in another group. I get into 5th and P4 and I work together for a couple of laps while P6 slips back. P4 then leaves me and chases the top 3 and it looks like a lonely run to the flag, still P5 will give me the points I need to potentially challenge for the county title so I’m happy. Meanwhile one of the top 3 is dropping back from the other 2, my former drafting buddy in P4 catches them and instead of working together they tussle it out, that brings them back into my slipstream range and I catch them on the final turn of Lap 9, I draft past them both entering the final tour and nail T1 – just the right lift, just the right time to turn, just the right time to change down – and gain 0.5s in that one corner, just enough to ensure they can catch but not pass down the back stretch, and I finally find the Lesser-spotted apex of the final turn to ensure I have the place as we enter the main straight for the final time. Surely they can draft me now, though? Nope – as luck would have it, the top 2 have been battling so much they are now only 0.7s ahead so I line up behind the car in P2 – as it happens, the OnlyFans car – and nail the loud pedal – er, trigger – for the run to the line. As I gain speed though, the unexpected happens – the driver of the OnlyFans car decides to pull themselves off the track just before the line – and I lose the slip but gain a place, and I just beat P3 to the line – that P2 gives me a relatively whopping 138 points (my previous record is 121!) I also got the CRB despite the wall penalty and a bit of bump-drafting in the middle section of the race. That DR bar now looks pretty much full, as well…
That points haul helped me to the county title – in reality, 112pts would have done it as the previous leader didn’t race this round. In fact looking at the league tables quite a few people didn’t run – I wonder if that was due to the track choice (“not bloody racing on ice”), the car choice (“not bloody racing that, it’s got less power than a Kenwood Chef”) or the fact that the combo was announced very late in the week. It’ll be a pity if the low turnout dissuades PD from running more races with low-powered cars or loose surfaces in Nations’ Cup in the future, and I’m not just saying that because I did well in this round – I feel that Nations’ should reward all-round, adaptable skill, not just the ability to drive a very fast car very fast on a well-known circuit.
So, hopefully, to the next season – I hope we’ve got enough time for a couple more Exhibition seasons before the real thing starts in the spring. There’s a few things I liked this time and a few things I didn’t – but that’s for another post. Thanks to all who I’ve raced with and against, to those who’ve given tips and reported on the A-O races early doors, and finally to everyone who’s read through this lot!
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