SRF GT-MES Season 13 | Finished
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Viva Italia!
For Round 2 we head to Lago Maggiore, circuit that returned to calendar last season and proved to be very popular between drivers.
Circuit has couple straights with decent length, some fast corners, those very tight first two corners and then that hairpin with plenty of camber.
Lots of challenges, but still much room for racing. Race here last season got us some great overtakes.
Gr2
Honda domination was expected in Round 1, and in the end TSR_JoeToGuy delivered quite simple win in his return to Gr2. But he was not the one that started from the pole, it was last seasons Gr2-champion Nils who pulled out amazing lap to take poleposition. It was not going to be 7th win in home for German-driver though, wiped out in Turn 1 at the start. Incredibly he did not get any damage and only dropped to 4th place, still in podium fight, but he was not feeling 100% and had some technical issues, so he ended up 6th in the end. That is actually lowest position defending champion has ever finished in Round 1 in GT-MES history. ''Round 1 wasn't that bad considering I got on pole during qualifying while having some technical issues The start of the race was a bit unfortunate then, but that's a mistake I made too in the past From that point on it all went backwards but it wasn't all that bad to be honest'' - Nils. As finishing on 6th place, he has received small ballast-help going in to Lago Maggiore, circuit that is known to be sensitive with ballast. Last season Nils did well in qualifying there, despite carrying lot of ballast, which in the end dropped him down the field. Now he has lightest car of the class, so watch out. His teammate TSR_JoeToGuy raced in
Lexus had again good result from Nurburgring, back to back wins in Season 10 and 11, second place last season and now FRGT_Spookiluki drove home with second place after solid clean drive. FRGT_Hatton93 was running 3rd most of the race, but slipped down to 4th in closing laps when pitting for mandatory medium-stint:
''Round 1 went very much as expected to be honest, Luki did a great job to get P2 and i was fairly happy with P4, Lago Maggiore should be another tough round where it will probably be difficult to get onto the podium, I'm hoping that the ballast will fall nicely so we can have a competitive Round 3 and 4''. Lago Maggiore was success for Lexus last season whe FRGT_Spookiluki won and FRGT_Hatton93 was on podium aswell, but seems like not much expected this time around.
Nissan and Team Sotasport walked away with another podium, but it did not come without drama and setbacks. sota59 qualified third and was challenging for second place going in to Turn 1, but ended up going deep, and having contact with leader. He escaped damage, but dropped down to last. He quickly swapped positions with his teammate jonimestari91, then he caught Nils who he had contact in the start. He got past German, but shortly made mistake and dropped behind, but eventually got ahead for good. Having done medium-stint at the start of the race, he was able to catch and pass FRGT_Hatton93 for 3rd, and was close to second place in the end. sota59 received Drive Through-penalty for Round 2 as result of causing Turn 1 accident at the start. In other car jonimestari91 finished 5th, difficult race for him. sota59 commented on season opener: ''Good qualifying for myself was bit of a surprise, but then i had unlucky accident at the start, very frustrating considering pace i had compered to others, happy to get podium of course in the end. Penalty for next race is deserved obv, it really ends my hopes of good result, but my teammate jonimestari91 should have good shot for podium.''
Gr3
Porsche and y_bearr_ started season in impressive fashion, win in Nurburgring. It was actually Porsche's first win in Nurburgring, 18th in overall. y_bearr_ qualified second, but it did not take long to take the lead, and unlike past 2 seasons, he had clean race, and Indonesian was first to cross the line. He is now in championship lead, but also has most ballast going in to Lago Maggiore. Last season he could not start the race due technical issue, so we dont know what to expect yet from him: ''My car feels very comfortable but slow, normally I will not feel the ballast but at Lago Maggiore it seems the track layout make it a bit different. I hope I'll finish in front of Tom''. His teammate de-luck4 had epic battle for 3rd in final laps and actually crossed line 3rd, but +5 sec penalty for accident dropped him to 4th. Still very good start for Danish-driver, who is now for first time in same car for second season. ''You win or you learn. Round 1 showed how much i still need to learn. Looks like it will be great rivalry between me and Rotary all season. My fighting spirit is high, car feels like i want, so looking for great race at one of my favorite tracks'' - de-luck4. Porsche seems to be real contender for Manufacturers title, but need consistant podiums, let see if they can do that.
Subaru had brilliant return to GT-MES. TSR_Tomsoft put the car on pole. He started quickly fall down the order, but quickly set his place in second place. Doing extra pitstop got him fastest lap and he gained on leader in last few laps rapid pace, but it was not enough. 16 points is good start to his title bid, and they now return to circuit he won his first ever GT-MES race last season, and it seems he has found extra pace. Other car will field VLX_CJohn this weekend, making his season debut. Having won race last season in Brazil, and picking couple fastest laps, speed is there and he has no ballast either unlike top contenders. Seems like he is big favorite this weekend.
Toyota got their first ever podium in their return, already going better than first time. G4 Rotary ended up with 3rd place after penalties, in his first race in Gr3-class. It was good start for driver expected to be title contender. He says that he expected 3rd place to be maximum he could get, and there was indeed bit of a gap to ahead, mainly because all the on track battles he had to do. His teammate GTO250GTO finished solid 6th in other Supra: ''Round 1 showed that I need to get to grips with the car. Especially with the mandatory 4 laps on mediums this season. If I get it right, there is some potential for good results''. Lago Maggiore in paper seems like circuit that wont suit Supra, but after that there is races that could really swing other direction, and ballast might also favor them by then. There is also some question marks about future BoP-changes, decision will be made next week.
Mercedes had bit of a difficult race. thunderpigeon has not hit the pace fully yet and finished 5th in his return, while amuda74 was off the pace, even though it was one of the most consistant races he has done lately. ''Even though the finishing position didn’t show it, I had a better race than expected, being consistent and fighting with other cars which hasn’t happened before (for me) at the Nurburgring'' - said amuda74 about last weeks race. Round 2 is some ways quite similar to Nurburgring, and neither is sounding confident, but thunderpigeon atleast likes the circuit: ''I think I will be lucky to get a podium this season but I'm looking forward to the next race, as I really enjoy the track''.
Mazda had nightmare start to the season with FRGT-team. Problems started already in qualifying, and sadly ended their race. FRGT_Revs had to already retire opening laps and FRGT_Bottlejob then retired in last few laps from 5th place. Main hope for them is to be able to have race without technical issues: ''May be a bit faster than last week but I don't think enough to push for a podium just yet. Once again, if I can get a clean race like I did last week until disconnecting I'll be more than happy'' - said FRGT_Bottlejob. Mazda had 1-2 here last season, that seems unlikely this season.
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GREED FIELDS OF AUSTRIA
Season has really kicked in to gear now, and next we go to Red Bull Ring in Austria.
Red Bull Ring has produced always some really great racing in dry conditions, and expect to see that continue this weekend. It is shortest circuit in the calendar but even though there is not many corners, some of them are quite tricky. Drivers enjoy this circuit and there is also some great overtaking spots. Short circuit allows more options with tactics, last 2 rounds options been bit limited due new tyre-rules.
Last weekends race saw 16 drivers start, most ever in GT-MES history. There was also no technical issues this time, let see if we can keep this up.
Gr2
Honda has been most dominating manufacturer by far first 12 seasons in GT-MES, and this continued in Lago Maggiore, second win of the season, win number 59 in overall. Nils was driver winning this time, after really shocking season opener he really dominated, incredible pole lap, out of reach all race and extra point for fastest lap: ''Round 2 was maybe the most perfect weekend I've ever had. I didn't know what to expect after the first round so it was kind of surprising. I got the strategy right and finished the race on P1 this time''. Nils has been racing last 5 times series visited Red Bull Ring and been second 3 times. He does not expect to get win this time around either: ''I know Round 3 will be more difficult now with the ballast and I'd be happy with a Top 3 maybe. My goal for this season has been achieved with winning last weekends round''. It was actually 1-2 for Honda, Round 1 winner TSR_JoeToGuy extended his point lead by taking second place. He has now by far heaviest car due success ballast, and this circuit is not so forgiving with much extra weight: ''For Round 3 I'm not expecting much, possibly 4th place. I'll need to hope others make mistakes''. If he can steal podium this weekend, can he really be stopped rest of the season?
Lexus had another solid weekend, FRGT_Hatton93 took third place ahead of FRGT_Spookyluki. They ran much of the race in formation, clean race meant they were not challenged from behind and FRGT_Hatton93 could challenge for second place with lighter car: ''Round 2 was interesting, feel like i could have had P2 with a bit more luck, now I'm level on most podiums without a win and i have ballast to contend with so not sure how the next race will go, another podium is possible i guess and as Spookyluki is missing this race i need a good result for the teams championship''. Yes FRGT_Spookyluki is missing Round 3, leaving his teammate to handle point scoring for the team, let see what happens.
Nissan had shocking race. sota59 was out of the podium fight as he could not claw back time lost with Drive Through-penalty and jonimestari91 crashed on lap 1, ending up in 6th place. He has had difficult start to the season, but series now heads to Red Bull Ring, circuit where he has always done well. 2-time champion also only driver to have no success ballast, he was actually given weight cut after last race, so he is one to watch out for. sota59 commented on his teams chances: ''After disappointing race last week, we need to bounce back, and i think this circuit is perfect for it. Both of us like it, joni has been quite solid in practice. This is one of the best chances we have for win, and joni is probly favorite on paper, but let see. If we cant get good result here....''
Gr3
Subaru took their first win since return, and it was part-timer VLX_CJohn who dominated in his first race of the season. Last years winner TSR_Tomsoft made it first 1-2 ever for Subaru, he was second in Nurburgring as well. Red Bull Ring will be hard one for German, Subaru is slowest in terms of top speed and he is heaviest due ballast: ''Not really feeling well for Round 3 due to the weight, but I think a Podium again is doable''. Podium here again would make him man to beat in championship. Even though we return to Red Bull Ring for 6th time, only former winner in the grid is TaZZ_1990 who is doing part-time program, and expected to make his season debut. As we said earlier in the season, he has not really been racing last 10 months, and practice ahead of this weekend been limited, but he says he really likes the circuit and setup he has feels good. Let see what he can do.
Porsche got podium once again last weekend, as de-luck4 repeated his 3rd place from last season after clean solid drive. He had no speed to challenge Subaru's, but very happy to get podium: ''Round 2 was perfect race for me with best possible result that day, so i am happy about it''. Danish driver says he likes Red Bull Ring, but traffic of Gr2-drivers lapping Gr3's is not something he is excited about this weekend. His teammate y_bearr_ won in Round 1, but had awful weekend in Lago Maggiore, bad qualifying and plenty of mistakes during the race, including one in last corner of last lap. He ended up 8th, taking only one point. This weekend he needs to return other end of the Gr3-field, podium would be important for his championship hopes. He also has expressed concern how Gr2-field lapping Gr3's will effect their race.
Toyota had solid race, G4 Rotary was 4th after couple mistakes early on, GTO250GTO got 6th place in other car. G4 Rotary hopes to get second podium of the season, if he gets good feeling, dont count him out for victory, Supra could work well in this circuit. GTO250GTO says he needs to improve his pace in qualifying, and then also in the race, and then maybe he can fight for podium places.
Mazda had nightmare race in Nurburbring, but no issues in Lago Maggiore, FRGT_Bottlejob showed his solid place that we saw already in Round 1, and got 5th place, even though he was disappointed to lose out on 4th place by 0.6 seconds. He is hopeful ahead of this weekends race: ''As always the ballast gained by those ahead will hopefully bring them closer to me and if the stars align, maybe a podium''. His teammate FRGT_Revs finally also got race finish, he struggled for pace and finished 9th place: ''Round 2 was a frustrating race for me struggling to find a competitive tune as it's my first time tuning. Having less ballast at a power track gives me hope for Round 3, just got to get into that midfield. Track limits will not be fun but just got to keep it clean and hope for a better''.
Mercedes had difficult race. amuda74 got great start and jumped 4 places, but several mistakes dropped him to 10th place. His teammate thunderpigeon did not really find pace, but is hopeful this changes as season goes on: ''I have been struggling with qualifying over the first two rounds, so hoping to nail a good lap for once at RBR to put me in the mix further forward. I think the Merc has better speed than the Mazda and Porsche so this may allow me to get a stronger result, if I can be consistent and manage tyres better than I did in Round 2''. amuda74 got quite significant weight break, and with quite different circuit to first 2 races, exception for improvement is big: ''Hopefully I can get some good points here, this is a track I really enjoy running at compared to the last 2 races. Not too optimistic, but let’s see what happens''.
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CROATIA!!!
For Round 4, GT-MES heads to Dragon Trail - Gardens. Circuit is very technical, has some very tricky corners that can lead to big time loss. Last seasons race here was pure chaos in both classes, every driver had at least one small moment during the race.
Balance of Performance is set to create another exciting fight in both classes, just like last week in Red Bull Ring.
Gr2
It was perfect bounce back for Nissan in Red Bull Ring after struggles in Round 3. jonimestari91 took pole after very dramatic final seconds in qualifying. He had clean start and was overall fastest man all race, but some drivers tried 2-stop tactic compered to his 3-stopper, but 2-time champion was able to take lead couple laps left in the race. He went on to win, and it was 20th win for Nissan. In other car sota59 struggled in qualifying and started last in the class, but he kept close distance to other all race, and in final 6 laps he quickly made his way from 5th to 2nd, securing 1-2 win for the team. jonimestari91 and sota59 have been teammates since Season 4, in that period they have won 4 Drivers Championships, 3 Manufacturers Championships, 25 wins between them and of 57 races they have both started, they have taken 1-2 win 13 times. Now they head to circuit they really struggled last season: ''1-2 win was amazing, but i would be lying if i said it was not our objective. This weekend goal is to get one car on podium, honestly we even take 4th place. My personal pace was not that bad here last season, and we both have improved in that section a bit, but i cant see us being able to challenge top guys. We have focused on consistency, hope that gets us some results'' - sota59.
Honda did not win this time, but got solid points as Nils took third place. Nils took fastest lap in last seconds of qualifying, but it was not enough to take third pole in 3 races, and started second. Start went all wrong, he quickly dropped to 4th place, and quickly tactical battle began. Ultimately he was on faster soft tyre in final stint, and was able to make some moves, including overtake in final lap, to take podium: ''The start wasn't great, and I was stuck behind other Gr2's for large parts of the race However, the last ~10min were great and I got back on the podium with a last lap move''. His teammate TSR_JoeToGuy was always going to have difficult race with all ballast earned in first two races, but incredibly ran most of the race on podium places. However he fell down to 5th place in final laps. Now with Ballast more evenly spread around, podium should be possibility in Dragon Trail: ''Round 4 has a more complex track and more people have got ballast now, so I think I should be able to get back on the podium''. Nils also has now gathered some ballast, and is facing more difficult race, but who knows, he is always fast on qualifying and last season he got second place even with heavier car.
Lexus was running only one car last weekend in Red Bull Ring with FRGT_Hatton93 finishing 4th place. He was running 2nd after the start and was even leading after opting to do one less stop to other, but having to run mediums in the end and spin dropped him from 1st to 3rd, and then lost podium in final lap: ''Round 3 was a mixed bag, could have had the win the 2 stop worked well but on the mediums at the end with Joni coming up behind on softs it was tougher and tougher to stay ahead, eventually he forced me into a mistake and i spun, i'm not too disheartened though because finishing 4th means i have no extra ballast for this weekend. I have to win, this is my big chance, if i don't win here i might as well pack up and leave''. FRGT_Hatton93 is yet to win indeed, he has 8 podiums across in 17 races. That makes him most successful driver without a win, and if he wins finally this weekend, he will tie record for most podiums before first win, held by Emilius73. He is not only driver that looks strong for win this weekend, his teammate FRGT_Spookyluki who has won 3 races last 2 season, is set to return after missing last weeks race. He does not have much ballast either, but does not sound that optimistic, hoping just to get some good points.
Gr3
Subaru has returned to GT-MES with a bang. Back to back wins from VLX_CJohn has moved him to Gr3-championship lead, but also Subaru to top of Manufacturers-table. VLX_CJohn was not set to race this weekend, but very late chance of plans meant he was able to start. Having just missed pole position, he started second. Opening stint was very eventful, but race settled down for him after first pitstops. He ended up doing one less stop than others, and it was enough for him to take finish flag first. Greek-driver is now in championship-leader, but as he is set to only do one more race this season, this seasons champion will be somebody else. One of the main contenders is TSR_Tomsoft in other Subaru, and having been on podium in first two races, he struggled with ballast in Red Bull Ring, He was actually running in 10th place in opening stages of the race, but clean drive moved him up, and in to 5th place. This weekends circuit should suit his car better and ballast should be more on his favor to return to the podium places, but he admits, it is not his strongest circuit. Other car should finally field TaZZ_1990, having missed Round 1 with technical issues, and last weekend made way to VLX_CJohn.
Toyota had another positive race. GTO250GTO shocked everyone and took pole position, but faded behind some other cars in the race. He was still looking for very solid points, but was taken out with couple laps to go, and had to settle for another 6th place. Luckily G4 Rotary had no issues, and was able to take second place. He was in fight for win most of the race, but extra pit-stop compered to leader cost him more time than gained. Now they head to circuit that really does not suit Supra on paper. G4 Rotary said: ''Dont think a podium is possible at DT, a lot of the drivers who have been quick are coming in to Round 4 without much ballast, so I'm going to have to make the best if a bad situation''. GTO250GTO showed his potential last weekend, but he is not expecting much either. Another 6th place coming?
Mazda finally took their first podium of the season. FRGT_Bottlejob drove great race, solid pace and no errors, and finished 3rd, his first podium in GT-MES: ''I was really happy about how Round 3 went for me personally, a safe 3rd place after a yet another solid drive from myself''. His teammate FRGT_Revs was having good race in midfield, looking like getting some good points. but it went all wrong with 4 laps to go. Mistake coming in to his last pitstop ended up him collecting another driver, then on pits he failed to switch on medium-tires and even though he came back to pits lap later, it was now impossible to make mandatory 4-laps on mediums. To make awful race even worse, he had contact with another driver. This all +30sec of penalties, dropping him to 9th place and out of points, then he also earned Drive Through-penalty and grid penalty to this weekends race. It will be very difficult race for Mazda-rookie: ''Just got to be consistent and patient and do a bit of strategy magic perhaps''. His teammate FRGT_Bottlejob is set again to be man that takes points for the teams, car should suit the circuit, he does not have too much ballast, but he does not like the circuit.
Porsche was off the podium in Red Bull Ring, de-luck4 took respectful 4th place, but Round 1 winner and supposed title-contender y_bearr_ struggled yet again, taking only 7th place. It all started with poor qualifying: ''I wasn't able to go fast because most of the time, as there was no clear air, so I couldn't use my cornering speed''. Coming in to Dragon Trail, he is biggest favorite to win. Ballast should not be big factor and it is circuit he and Porsche are fast in. Also pressure is building slowly to get big points, as he has only 3 points from last 2 races, now in 5th place in standings.
de-luck was solid here last season, but he says he can do much better: ''Last season in Dragon Trail i was not consistent and got damage twice. Feels like i am way better prepared for this race and car do what i want. I guess traffic will be game changer, so looking for good fun''. Double podium for Porsche?
Mercedes difficult season seems to go on and on. Red Bull Ring was going to be the circuit where they get good points, but no. thunderpigeon was struggling for outright pace, but it got even worse when he was taken out couple laps to go: ''I'm still unable to get the best out of myself in qualifying which is frustrating. The race was got away from me by using the wrong strategy! But I ended up in some battles which was a big change to the first 2 races, which made it fun. Shame about the contact on the penultimate lap which cost me 1 or 2 places on track''. amuda74 had even worse race, again. Struggling with speed and yet again small mistakes, this all resulting in 10th place. American now has most ballast help rules allow, and still it does not look good: ''I’m not expecting much really since I really don’t like this track and almost always finish last here. I’ve already began focusing on Spa though, and with the new setup I’m expecting a major pace upgrade there''. Like most of the grid, thunderpigeon is not biggest fan of the circuit, but there is some optimism: ''This Dragon Trail is not my best track. A quick practice has me closer to the predicted pole lap however, maybe my weight loss for this round might get me a better result, if I don't ruin the race''.
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SECOND HALF STARTS
After very exciting first half of the season, we head to rest of the season with very interesting championships.
First we go to Spa-Francorchamps. Legendary circuit, high speed corners, long straights.....circuit overall is quite long, so it makes strategy very interesting.
Most of drivers are still looking results to get in to title battle in Le Mans, Gr3-class still has no real contenders. Expect it to change this weekend.
Gr2
Lexus got their first win, FRGT_Spookyluki returned after missing Round 4, took impressive pole and then controlled race, leading every lap and was never challenged. He also earned extra point for fastest lap, and currently is second in championship, even though he has one less race than others. His teammate FRGT_Hatton93 was expected finally take that first win, but it was not meant to be, and only could manage 3rd place. He will now hold record for most podiums before first win, if he ever wins. He has another change this week in Spa, he does not have too much ballast but he has struggled there past 2 seasons, and does not sound optimistic: ''Not really looking forward to Spa as i don't think we will have the pace there, we just have to hope the ballast falls favorably for us in the next few rounds''. FRGT_Spookyluki has by far most ballast in the class, so podium would be miracle.
Honda got another great result, with TSR_JoeToGuy returning to podium, and extending his championship lead. He did have quite a bit ballast, so when he got second place in quali, it was warning shot to other for rest of the season. He did well in thick Gr3-traffic to hold his position, and kept second place till the flag. With win and two second places, he is only driver right now that has secured his title challenge, and by looks of it, he will be hard to keep out of podium next 4 rounds. While he still has considerably heavy car due ballast, it is now pretty even compered to others after last 2 races, so don't rule out him getting another podium. His teammate Nils struggled in Croatia, dropped to 6th in opening laps and could not keep up with others. Even though he did not lose any ballast, his weight is also now bit more balanced to others, so expect better race: ''While I keep the +6 for Spa, I think it's not going to be that much of an issue here. I'm hoping for a clean race and then see what will happen''.
Tougher race for Nissan last week. Coming from 1-2 in Red Bull Ring, they missed podium in Dragon Trail, carrying ballast. jonimestari91 jumped from 6th to 5th in opening laps, and was running high as third after first pit-stops. But he quickly dropped to 4th in traffic and then optimistic strategy call left him 5th in the end, behind his teammate sota59. Now this weekend is Spa, they have high expectations. Ballast has moved bit back to their direction, sota59 running lightest car now. He will be looking to get his first win since Season 11, while jonimestari91 returns to Spa as winner of last 3 races there, 2 in wet and one in dry conditions. sota59 said: ‘’There is bit of a pressure on us again, I think we are in best position to win, with either car. This is my favorite circuit and testing has gone well, but my teammate been unbeatable there for a while. If we can’t get result here, I would consider it title challenge over for us, looking at rest of the calendar’’.
Gr3
Porsche's good season continues as they get their second win of the season, and it was actually de-luck4 this time taking honors. Danish-driver took second place in qualifying, and even though he dropped bit first few laps from leader, he was able to caught and pass him before first pit-stops, and then he drove clean laps all race, taking his second ever win, first in Gr3 and took his first ever fastest lap to cap off great performance: ''Thunderpigeon pace in qualy was surprise for me. Start went perfect and plan was to stay behind him, to learn where he is fast or slow until lap 7, but all changed then i saw that he lost rear for a bit in last corner, so i decided to stay for extra lap and because of tyrewear he made mistake st hairpin. From here my race was just to manage gap and bring it home''. His teammate y_bearr_ was expected to be man to beat last weekend, but while he was unable to match de-luck4's pace, he eventually made it 1-2 for Porsche, taking his first podium since his win in Round 1. Pressure is not off the Indonesian-driver, having started the season as one of the title-favorites, he still needs big points to be in title-fight. Winner in Spa last season, he is in great position to repeat that, and he now actually has less ballast than last week, so consider him favorite: ''My lap was good but still can't drive faster than last season yet. Maybe because of the ballast and colder track but I don't really think about that and will keep pushing to be faster than last season''. de-luck4 is incredibly in championship-lead after 4 races, but it comes with downside, ballast. He has never ran with so much added weight, so next race will be struggle: ''Race at Spa is not my favorite also was huge frustration to get use to ballast. Now i found right setup and consistence pace so i will try to stay close and to use mistakes of other cars if will be any''.
Toyota's return to GT-MES has gone well, and GTO250GTO that got surprise pole in Red Bull Ring, now took surprise podium, making the move in last corner of the last lap, with drag race to the line: ''I struggled a bit at the start of the race to keep up with the Top 3, but I managed to put in a very good last stint and got rewarded with a podium''. His partnership with Nukeshot/Paradox this season has proved success, he seems competitive even on difficult weekends. He will run ballast first time ever this weekend: ''I could not do a lot of practice for Spa and the pace doesn't look too promising, but I will try to score some good points''. G4 Rotary struggled in Gardens last week, but now with less ballast and quite different circuit, could we see him get his first Gr3-win, and first win for Toyota?
Mercedes had very breakthrough race, even though results may not tell that. thunderpigeon took his first pole position since Season 6, bit of a surprise as he has been off the pace start of the season. 2-time champion lead for while start of the race, but slipped down to 3rd, before losing podium in final corner. Still good points, and pace real positive for rest of the season: ''Round 4 was much better for me. I would have taken 4th beforehand, but it was so close to a podium! I was really impressed with my qualifying result after finally getting a good session! My two fastest laps were good enough for pole and I was able to show my potential pace for once, even with my weight advantage over my rivals. I didn't expect to win the race, but I lead the first stint comfortably, and chose to offset my tyres to 2nd place after pitting at the same time. This was a mistake as the extra fueling time put me in traffic which held me back. The final stint is where my race fell apart, making a couple of mistakes and letting a 5 second advantage to 4th slip in the final 5 minutes. I messed up my final stint, lap and corner and lost out on the sprint to the line. Pleased with 4th, but should have been 3rd''. amuda74 again struggled in qualifying, but had positive pace in first half of the race, but mistakes and accidents left him 10th and last yet again. But now we head to one of his favorite circuits and with ballast very much to his favour, expectations are high: ''Finally we are going to a track I know well, and the car handles extremely well. I think fighting for a top 5 or even a podium is realistic. Seeing my teammates pace last race I think we can score some big points here and close the gap to our rivals''. Could we see double podium for Mercedes?
Subaru was left out of podium for first time this season, as TSR_Tomsoft was again only 5th and TaZZ_1990 missed points in his return to racing. TSR_Tomsoft was close to podium all race, but was happy with exciting race. He now has less ballast, and his participation for second half of the season confirmed, he can focus on title-challenge. But Subaru will not suit highspeed circuit Spa is, so podium would be achievement. TaZZ_1990 showed good speed in his return, even though he did fade out of the points and then had accident on final laps. Spa will be struggle for him as well, but let see what they can do.
Mazda was bit off the pace in Dragon Trail, FRGT_Bottlejob came home 6th and FRGT_Revs was 8th. FRGT_Bottlejob said: ''I was really disappointed by the result last week, I felt I drove perfectly and extracted all the time out the car but it was so uncompetitive compared to everything else but hey, at least i got Rotary back for Maggiore''. FRGT_Revs got his first point with 8th place, but there was potential for more, had he not had all penalties from last race. Highspeed Spa will also be tough for Mazda, so dont expect to see him fighting for podium all the sudden: ''For Spa I'm not holding out much hope despite having -5 as the Mazda is a tractor in a straight line. Hopefully some good strategy and a consistent pace can get me further up that grid again''. FRGT_Bottlejob not expecting much either, he thinks he might even fall off the points.
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100th GT-MES RACE!!!!
After first season in 2018, GT-MES has had some good times, less good and quite hard times. Last 4 seasons has seen league grow and become healthy, this season has seen old attendance records broken and proving to be very popular.
This weekend GT-MES celebrates its 100th race, in Japan, country that has hosted more GT-MES races than any other nation. All drivers will use special white-livery to celebrate 100th race. Circuit will be Autopolis, returning for first time since Season 6.
We should see 6 out of 12 champions take part in the race, grid has combined 15 Drivers-titles and 96 race win across two classes.
Autopolis is very difficult circuit, with many technical corners. You need to be 100% focused, and have good flow. Small mistake can cost you lot of time, and if you perfect every corner, you will gain lot of time. This weekend’s race will be more about the drivers than cars.
Gr2
Nissan was favorite going in to Spa last weekend, and it was sota59 who took his first win in 16 races. Qualifying did not go for plan for him, but he made his way to second place already in first corner, and did not take long before he was in the lead. But error after first pitstop dropped him back to second place and was lucky to escape damage. He eventually retook the lead after lapping Gr3-field in progress, and then he kept car on the road and took win and fastest lap: ‘’We went all out for straight-linespeed with setup and it worked. Pressure was bit on to take win finally, luckily i survived my mistake. My bid for 6th title is alive’’. His teammate jonimestari91 had won 3 previous races in the circuit, but could not keep up with leaders through traffic. He still took solid 3rd place, keeping his title hopes alive for now, but still needs big points to be still in fight when we go to Le Mans for Finale. Autopolis-rounds seems like challenge too big for both Nissan-drivers, now heaviest with ballast and neither driver likes circuit. sota59 is all time leader in races with 86, tied for all time lead in wins with 26, all-time leader with most fastest laps with 30. He also has record 5-titles. jonimestari91 3rd all-time in races with 68, has won 13 races and has won 2-titles.
Honda keeps getting points, as TSR_JoeToGuy took another second place last weekend. British-driver took pole in qualifying by slim-margin, his first of the season, but eventually did not have race pace for win. He pitted for new tires end of the race, tried to get fastest lap and extra point, but traffic put end to that. His teammate Nils started second, but slipped down to 4th quickly. He challenged for 3rd for while, but eventually finished 5th. Reigning champion is now 6th in points and his teammate starting to pull clear, Nils need strong end to the season, pressure is on this weekend in Autopolis and ballast suggest he is favorite for the win. TSR_JoeToGuy holds very good championship lead, and he is hoping to get on to podium again in Autopolis: ‘’I’ve improved the setup ahead of this week, so I may be able to get a bit more out of the car than before’’. He does not have lightest car in the field, but ballast has not slowed him much before. Nils will celebrate his 80th race this weekend, second all time. He is also tied for most wins with 26 and has 4-titles in his name, only second driver ever to win title in Gr2, Gr3 and Gr4. TSR_JoeToGuy has won 5 of 15 races he has started, and won Gr3-title last season.
Lexus had again race without podium, and is starting to fall out of Manufacturer-title battle. FRGT_Hatton93 had pace for podium, but mistake early in the race was costly and he had to settle for 4th. FRGTS_Spookyluki was heavy with ballast, could fight early on with others, but eventually slipped down to 6th. He should not have any issues with ballast this weekend though, and if he can survive chaos and have clean race, he is hoping for podium. FRGT_Hatton93 has another opportunity to take his first win, he has one of the lightest cars, big points are expected: ''Podium is a minimum here, i would like to go for the win but i think Nils might have that wrapped up being the lightest car, but we will have to wait and see''. Both drivers are still in title-fight, but they need some good points. FRGT_Spookyluki is 3-time race winner having started 14 races, while FRGT_Hatton93 has raced 19 races, he holds record for most podiums without a win.
Gr3
Subaru got some big points again, as TSR_Tomsoft won them their 3rd win of the season, his first this season. He took pole position, fell down the order with medium-tires, but second half of the race, slowly lap after lap made his way back to top, catching leader with one lap to go, and made his move stick with better tires, taking win and point for fastest lap. His speed was surprise considering how tricky high speed circuit should have been for Subaru. In other car TaZZ_1990 was also surprisingly fast, was 3rd quickest in qualifying, but had to start last due his penalty from previous race. He was making progress in first 5 laps, but then was spun around, costing lot of time. Struggling also with medium-stint, he had to settle for 7th place, but he was happy to get his first point of the season. Autopolis is TSR_Tomsoft's favorite circuit, and early signs show that he holds quite an advantage in terms of speed, and even with bit of a ballast, he is clear favorite to take the win. Already in championship-lead, win would give him quite a margin. TaZZ_1990 forgot to run his ballast-help last weekend, and still was quite a fast. Let see what he can do with lighter car. TSR_Tomsoft has 3 wins in 12 races, while TaZZ_1990 was elected to GT-MES Hall of Fame in 2020, he has started 5th most races, 34, and won 2 of them.
Toyota was looking to get that first win ever, and G4 Rotary was really close. He was leading coming in to last lap, but could not do much with mediums, was overtaken with only few corners to go, and Gr2-lapping right after left him unable to retake the position: ''Spa was a mixed bag, I had the pace for pole position but got a track limits penalty through the chicane, and then had a fast race where i only just lost the lead. Spa was my last chance for a win until Le Mans so its going to be tough to win the championship from here''. GTO250GTO was having solid race in other car, but could not match cars with less ballast, and took 5th place. Autopolis is set to be hard race for Toyota, circuit that really does not suit Supra. Manufacturers-title is out of reach and G4 Rotary needs to pull out some magic out of the car to win drivers title, even though he is sitting second in points right now. G4 Rotary is Season 9 Gr2-champion and has 7 wins in 32 races. GTO250GTO took record for most races before podium last season, but has since got 2 podiums to his name. He celebrated his 20th race last weekend.
Mercedes finally got that first podium, as thunderpigeon made his way through the field to take 3rd place: ''Yet another poor qualifying performance from me. Spun and ran wide on my two flying lap attempts. With a higher starting position, I think I had the pace to win. Race was a good performance and really enjoyable. I messed up my race plan by going one lap more on the opening stint on medium tires, which cost me 5 seconds, maybe more as I was engaged in a battle on track on the outlap. The Merc had good straight line speed which helped at spa and overtaking. I was gaining on the top two and finished approx 5 seconds behind them. Very happy with the result, given the poor qualifying''. His teammate amuda74 had finally good qualifying, 3rd, and then quickly made his way to lead. It was starting to already look like incredible first win was coming, but then he slowly moved down the order, and finished 4th: ''Round 5 showed my true pace, unfortunately small driver and strategy errors cost me a podium but 4th is still good''. Autopolis will be very different kinda circuit, drivers will just try to get clean race under them: ''I'm nervous for Autopolis as it's a bogey track for me. Hoping the lighter Merc will be quick enough to fight for a top 5, if I can manage not to crash for 40 minutes!'' said thunderpigeon. thunderpigeon is 2-time champion and has 5 wins from 19 races. amuda74 holds record for most races without a win, 25.
Porsche had weekend to forget in Spa. y_bearr_ was looking like favorite, not much ballast and winner last season. But technical issues send him back of the grid, and he had hard time making his way back to podium places. Then accident in final lap dropped him to 6th place. de-luck4 came in as championship-leader but also running most ballast he ever had before. Pace was not there, and then accident top of that left him 9th and with penalty for this weekend, but he is still optimistic: ''Autopolis is completely different story, track is very good for handling cars, also car is alive again. Start from last will test my patient and will be good learning opportunity. With clean race, good result is possible''. His teammate y_bearr_ started season as one of the biggest, if not biggest favorite for the title. He took the win in season opener, but since has only got one podium, other races he has been outside top 5. Pressure is now on. He needs results. Can he do it? y_bearr_ and de-luck4 both celebrated their 20th race last weekend, y_bearr_ has 3 wins, de-luck4 has 2 wins.
Mazda had awful race in Spa, but it was bit expected. They have not found much top speed from the car, FRGT_Revs managed to get 8th place and point, while FRGT_Bottlejob dropped it, and had major crash, leaving him 10th place. Next 2 races should suit the car, and both drivers have quite a light car compered to others. FRGT_Bottlejob declared, if he is not on podium, he is disappointed. FRGT_Revs said: ''It's a track that suits the car and with less weight with me and bottle we could be on for a decent race''. FRGT_Bottlejob and FRGT_Revs are both competing their first ever season, FRGT_Bottlejob has one podium.
