SRF GT-MES Season 15: Finished
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NIGHT IS DARK AND FULL OF DANGERS
We finally return to Australia, Mount Panorama and we have our classic night race.
Circuit is very difficult even in daylight, but darkness will make it twice harder. Especially hill-section you need to decide how much you are willing to risk. You could decide to take it very carefull this weekend and still be on podium.
Gr4-traffic will also be major player in Gr3-battle, get traffic in wrong position and you might lose lot of time.
Ballast from first 2 races will make playing field quite equal, and those that have had poor start to the season might be able to recover.
Gr3
Subaru had awfull start to their season in Nurburgring, but it got lot better in Kyoto last weekend. Qualifying speed was again missing, but race-pace was great. de-luck4 quickly gave up 3rd place to his teammate Freddude, and he was able to keep up with the leaders all race. Eventually Freddude moved up to 2nd position and final laps he was right behind the leader. Then in very end he was able to make his move, and crossed the line to take his first ever GT-MES win: "Pretty happy with it win ofcourse after having an off race at Nurburgring last week, made up 3 places in the end after starting from P4 and had a good battle with both TSR Merc's. The strategy also seemed to be working out this time''. His teammate was able to steal podium place in run to the line, almost making it 1-2 for Subaru. Big improvement after struggles in Round 1: ''Extra week of practice was great to me. Looks like i got idea how WRX works and getting used to the car''.
Danish-driver is not expecting more success this weekend though: ''Mount Panorama is not my best track. So far, i crashed in all my races here, so if i manage to make it clean, it will be something special to me. Also, one lap qualy will be interesting experience, because 3 cars has +5 balast, so expecting very close grid''.
Freddude has now success ballast after his win, but everything is possible if he gets clean race: ''Hope to get a good lap in during Q for a good starting position and see how the race will go for us''.
Mercedes was big favorite heading in to Kyoto, specially TSR_JoeToGuy who missed out on Round 1-win first time ever, and did not even get podium. Qualifying went perfect for them, 1-2 with TSR_JoeToGuy on pole with his light car. And race was going well, he did not have big lead, but he was leading pretty much every lap. But he made mistake in pitlane, underfueling. He could not defend his lead in final laps and then corner before the finish he ran out of fuel, dropping down to 4th place. Luckily TSR_Swablu could hang on his 2nd place, bringing valuable points for team and himself, he is now championship-leader: ''2 solid results in the bag already so im happy with my start to the season despite being winless. Round 3 will be difficult due to the ballast i have accumulated, so another podium will be very tricky but with good consistency and a few mistakes from others who knows what could happen''.
TSR_JoeToGuy has had incredibly weak start to the season, due 2 mistakes in 2 races. He needs big result this weekend, and he should have by far the fastest car: ''If I can have an incident free race, it should be a easy one for me to do well at. The lack of ballast from my mistakes in the first races will help a lot here''.
After 1-2 in Nurburgring, it was harsh reality-check in Kyoto for Ford. TSR_Tomsoft was running alone, and he just could not get the car work. Qualifying 5th he was hoping to make places in the race, but instead he dropped to 6th. He eventually got back to finish in 5th place, but gap to others was big.
Luckily early reports say Ford could be strongest car in Mount Panorama: ''Looks like a strong circuit for the Mustang from what I've seen so far, so I need to push that setup as fast as possible to get the optimum in. Not a lot of room for overtakes until the end of the track, so a good quali lap will do a lot''- said TSR_Tomsoft.
Dstinct_CJohn missed Round 2, but he will be back this weekend and agreed with his teammate: ''I believe this track will somehow suit the Fords. My championship rivals have got more ballast so I think it will be a closer race than expected''.
Nissan has had difficult start to the season. Wesley_VR_99 was running alone in Kyoto, and was hoping to challenge for win. But instead he was quite far away from podium pace. He was fighting for 5th place but had to settle for 6th in the end. He will be hoping to bounce back this weekend and challenge for first podium of the season.
Gr4:
Toyota was favorite heading in to Kyoto, so it was no surprise when Nils took dominant pole position. Small mistake dropped him to 2nd in the race, but he got back to lead before the first pitstop. It was looking like big battle for win once again, but his rivals made mistakes, meaning Nils was able to cruise to his first win of the season: ''I had a good feeling going into the race, since Kyoto is one of my strongest circuits, but I never expected to win with such tough competition! I got a bit lucky because of thunderpigeon's wreck, because I think otherwise he would've won. From that moment on I knew I would have a good chance to win, and I'm really happy I got it done''. His teammate amuda54 was starting from back due technical issues but was moving up the road and fighting for podium. Small accident send him to the wall, and his rejoin back to circuit meant he got more damage and grid penalty for next race. He finished 6th, but was able to get extra point for fastest lap.
He has not ballast going to Mount Panorama but he will be starting last on circuit where track position is key: ''Even with me starting at the back of the grid, I think a top 5 is possible. I don’t think I have the fastest car this race but we seem to do well over a long stint. I also really like this track so we will see what happens''.
Nils is tied for championship lead, but he also has ballast this weekend. Clean race will be key for his weekend: ''I think I‘ll have a very difficult weekend at Mt. Panorama because of all the extra weight I have in my car right now. I‘m hoping for a clean race and to not repeat my wreck from Season 6''.
Porsche had another great weekend. Round 1 winner sota59 was struggling for pace in qualifying and dropped to 6th place at the start. But his teammate GTO250GTO was fighting for 3rd place, and was aiming for lead after pitstop, but he was collected by accident, and he had to survive stint on damaged car. Going to final couple laps sota59 was able to get to 2nd positions due drama for others, but there was faster cars behind him. He dropped to 3rd position, and then swapped positions with GTO250GTO. Due penalties for others they were able to secure 2-3 for Porsche.
sota59 is still tied for championship-lead, but due ballast he has one of slowest cars this weekend: ''Mount Panorama is circuit i like, but i am not that good at. Also ballast will be big issue. Plan is to have careful race, see where that puts us''.
His teammate GTO250GTO is suspended for 1 race due accident in other SRF-series, so NS_Zokeo_9 will step in for race. He has raced couple times in GT-MES in past, but not in Gr4 car. He has not been racing for while, so it will be interesting what he can do: ''Well, it's nice to be getting in the drivers seat once again. Mount Panorama is a circuit I really enjoy, even being crazy enough to take LMP's and Formula cars for a spin (sometimes literally). It'll be interesting with the different challenges that driving a Gr.4 car presents of course, and the night conditions add a new factor too. Overall though I'm really looking forward to it''.
Lexus was again fighting for podium, but still left sort. G4 Rotary was right there in podium fight in opening laps, and was even running 2nd in later in the race, but small mistakes cost him dear, leaving him 4th.
This weekend Lexus should have 2 cars running, Emilius73 will make his return first time since Season 10: ''From the get-go I felt very comfortable in the car round the hill. This weekend will be a great opportunity to get good points in due to the difference in ballast, but qualifying will be crucial to my result, so getting good single-lap runs in practice will be necessary''.
Other car will see BenMK make his return. 3-time race winner last raced in Season 8, when he was runner up in Gr4-championship. Pace is rumoured to be good, despite car being new to him and circuit not being his strongest: ''Well it’s going to be interesting, notoriously Bathurst is a weak point for myself and I have little experience with the Lexus but I’m all up for new challenges. I’ll give it my all and that’s what matters''.
Honda was looking for sure podium in Kyoto, maybe even win. thunderpigeon was 2nd in qualifying and took the lead quickly. But tires wore off quickly, dropping him back to 2nd. After pitstops he was pushing hard for undercut, but instead he spun to wall. After major time loss, he was going for fastest lap, but even that was stolen from him in final lap, leaving him only with points for 5th place.
He needs big race in Mount Panorama: ''After my abysmal performance at Kyoto, I'm hoping for some kind of redemption. I think Kyoto was my best chance for a win this season, but the closeness of the field means anything can happen, especially during the night at mount panorama! Not having additional ballast from Kyoto will help on the mountain section but I need to be consistent... Practice races have not been consistent at all. Getting the right strategy will help here too. The lexus looks to be the favourite car for outright pace, but they are heavy on tyre wear. Maybe I can pull off a shock win, if everyone else crashes more than me''.
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MIDSEASON RUMBLE!!!
We are reaching midseason, and pressure goes up. We have drivers that are looking like real title-contenders and drivers that have started slow. This is last race of the season where you have great result, earn success-ballast and still be able to drop it before Le Mans Finale.
Interlagos in Brazil is the circuit where we are racing this weekend. It is favorite circuit of many drivers, so expect to see close race, like we have seen in past seasons.
Gr3
Mercedes was heavy favorite to win both titles, and it is starting to look good after getting their first win of the season. TSR_JoeToGuy had awfull start to season by his standards, podiumless after mistakes in first 2 races. He was under big pressure to win in Mount Panorama, and he was dominant as expected, winning the night race from poleposition, never being challenged: ''I knew from past races that I'd do well at Bathurst, and then also add in that I had no ballast, it ended up being an easy win. I just had to keep it clean and drive a consistent race''. His teammate TSR_Swablu had almost as impressive race, finishing 2nd after clean, uneventfull drive, while having quite significant success-ballast. He extends his championship-lead after 3 podiums in first 3 races, consistancy he neved had last season.
He will be missing this weekends race after injury, so scoring points for Mercedes will be up to TSR_JoeToGuy. He has now some ballast, but he won here last season and is 3-time champion, so never count him out: ''It'll be a closer race than last week and my aim is just to be on the podium again, as I don't really know what to expect for pace''.
Ford had good bounce back last weekend in Mount Panorama, TSR_Tomsoft drove clean smart race, despite some thicc traffic and scored his second podium of the season. He is aiming to challenge for his 2nd title, so he has high hopes for Interlagos-race: ''Good looking track, I usually have had good experiences there apart from last season. Time is already closing up with the season being almost halfway through, so I definitely have to get at least a podium here or better. Should be a bit more comfortable this season though''. Ballast is quite equal between top-drivers, so podium fight is realistic goal.
His teammate this weekend will be GT-MES Hall of Famer y_bearr_ from Indonesia. He has always been great around Interlagos, and won in Gr3-class in here last season. But he is facing struggles of new car: ''First of all, I'm happy to race at GT MES again. Driver line up is awesome, top class drivers. I will be struggling at interlagos, because it's been awhile since my last time driving FR car. But let's see on the good side, Interlagos is my favourite track. And I will have no ballast, so I hope it will help me''.
Subaru had another What If-race, as both drivers missed the podium. Qualifying was issue again, and then Freddude had small accident on first lap. He decided to pit straigh away to fix damage, and extra stop proved to be costly end of the race as he was left in 5th place. de-luck4 was afraid of Mount Panorama when calendar was announced, but he had clean race and solid speed, despite just missing podium in 4th place.
Interlagos is circuit where de-luck4 got his first ever win in Season 11, and has always done well, but he has had very little preparation this week, and is just hoping to have clean race. Freddude had had 2 poor results and 1 win. This is weekend he needs to avoid mistakes and get another podium to keep his title-hopes in track. Subaru has always been fast around here, so let see what he can do.
Nissan delivered its 3rd Drivers-title last season and almost won first Manufacturers-title. Move to Gr3 has been disaster sofar. After solid pace and 5th place in Nurburgring, they have failed to improve and have just had 1 driver appearing. Last weekend Wesley_VR_99 was again struggling to match top guys in qualifying, but made progress in opening lap, but then had several accidents, finishing 6th and lap down.
Wesley_VR_99 will be missing race this weekend, and will be replaced by RTA_SAFFA, 7-time race winner and last seasons runner up in Gr3-class. He is talented driver, but can he be fast straight away in new car? ''Glad to return to GT MES even if it is temporary. Not particularly fond of the GTR but then again I wasn't too fond of the Subaru last time around and now I love the thing. Not expecting miracles but just happy to take part in my all time favorite series!'' Nissan also has got BoP-update after bad start to the season, could they shock top runners in Interlagos?
Gr4
Lexus had rough start to the season, but BenMK joining the team rebooted Lexus with bang! Always known to be good driver, if he was not fast in Lexus, nobody will. And he dominated. Starting from pole, he was out of reach after first 3 corners. Avoiding major drama, he won with huge margin: ''I'm happy with my performance, the strategy worked out perfectly apart from a small touch with the wall that resulted in damage. I was not expecting to win the class by such a large margin''. In other car Emilius73 finally made his season debut, and had solid qualifying and moved to 3rd place in opening lap, but mistake dropped him to 7th place, and he was not able to recover higher than 6th place.
In Interlagos Emilius73 will have more experience about the car, but unlike many others, circuit not that familiar to him: ''Interlagos is a track that I'm relatively inexperienced with, so this week's race will be more about damage limitation and recovering from the disappointing result at Bathurst instead of pushing forward in the championship''.
BenMK has quite a bit success-ballast, so will be interesting how fast can he drive Lexus this weekend: ''Going to be different compared to Bathurst with Ballast and less preparation going into Brazil''. If he can have another top result, he could be serious contender for Gr4-title.
Porsche stays in in Manufacturers-lead after another great recovery race. NS_Zokeo_9 was making his one-off appearence, and with no ballast he was expected to qualify in top half of the grid. Instead mistake left him 6th place. After 3 laps he had made his way to 5th place, before making early stop and undercutting his way to 3rd place. In the end he made his way to 2nd place, scoring big points for Porsche. sota59 was struggling with ballast and was running 6th most of the race, slipping to 7th place in final stint.
Ballast will be bit more even in Interlagos, and sota59 could do with another top result to help his title bid, but it seems hard: ''We have still heaviest car in the grid, and i have not been podium contender lately in Interlagos, despite it being one of my favorite circuits in the world. If i get top 4, i am very happy man''.
After his 1 race-suspension, GTO250GTO is back. He has some ballast from his podium in Kyoto, but less than many others, and Interlagos is one of his best tracks: ''I like Interlagos. Most competitors have picked up some ballast now, so I am hoping for a podium''.
Toyota had another solid race, despite not having as much pace as start of the season. Nils had solid qualifying in 3rd place with lot of ballast, despite dropping to 4th place in couple laps, he was running 3rd before first pitstops. amuda54 started 7th after penalty but was quickly in 4th place. After first stops Nils and amuda54 were undercut, but were running together in 4th and 5th place. Last stint they swapped places and amuda54 was able to push for podium, making it to 3rd place in final lap, with Nils finishing 5th.
Nils is now championship-leader, despite not picking up success-ballast last weekend, his car is one of the heaviest in Gr4: ''I'm expecting another difficult race this weekend, even though Interlagos is a circuit I'm usually pretty good at. I'm hoping for the best and that the ballast I have in my car won't be too much of an issue, especially when it comes to tire wear''.
amuda54 has had best start to his GT-MES season ever, and is looking to continue on form in Interlagos, that has delivered him some good moments in past: ''I think we will be fast here, the car feels good. I’m happy we finished on the podium last round so hopefully we can carry that momentum to Brazil''.
Honda was looking good for rebound season after Round 1, but with doc-shipman missing last 2 races and thunderpigeon making couple mistakes, Honda is 7th in standings. In Mount Panorama thunderpigeon had another top 2 in qualifying, and was running in 2nd position for long time, and 3rd until very end, but couple small mistakes left him 4th place.
Ballast is starting to be in thunderpigeon's way again, and if he wants to challenge for title, he needs to deliver in Interlagos: ''I'm hoping for some luck and consistency to come my way after throwing away good results in Kyoto and Bathurst. I think this track should favour the NSX and is another opportunity to score my returning win. The new driver of BenMK in the Lexus could stop that from happening as he is clearly a very fast driver and if close enough on the final corner will gap me every lap with the Honda catching up in sector two and being unable to pass on the straights. The pit strategy will need to be perfect to win, but a podium finish should be achievable if I'm clean and consistent''.
doc-shipman is back this weekend, it is not his strongest circuit, but he is ready: ''I'm excited. After a couple of races out due to personal reasons I'm looking forward to getting back out there. Interlagos isn't one of my favourite tracks, but it's not one I'm truly terrible at either, and I've not been racking up ballast like some of my competitors, so hopefully I can start to get some decent points on the board''.
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TIME TO PUSH
We are now starting second half of the season, and title-contenders are starting to become clearer. Next 3 races before Le Mans Finale are very important for those that have had some difficult weekends, and those that have had several podiums already, can make sure they have as little ballast in Le Mans as possible.
Blue Moon Bay in USA is location of this weekends race. Very highspeed circuit with fast corners that can really hurt you if you take too much risks. Shortlaps means traffic is issue for most of the race, and bad place for traffic can really hurt your momentum.
Gr3
Subaru has had up and down season. Qualifying speed has been lacking, but race pace has been strong, if they have avoided mistakes. In Interlagos it went like planned for Freddude, qualifying 3rd but was able to move up to positions during pitstops, and eventually he found himself in the lead. After pressure from behind, Freddude took his 2nd win of the season, boosting his title hopes: ''Happy with the 2nd win of the season of course, always a good thing, strategy worked out pretty well, now it's back to focusing for next weekends track''. His teammate de-luck4 was in battle for podium all race, but pace was just not enough, and he ended up 4th place again.
Blue Moon Bay was great for Subaru last season, but for Freddude issue is success ballast as he is running heaviest car in Gr3, and ballast seems to be issue in this circuit: ''Probably just going to limit the damage I currently have considering the weight I have to apply and see where it will bring me''.
de-luck4 was not expecting to be able to fight for title again this season, but after awfull Round 1 pace has been solid. With one podium in his name from first 4 races, he will not fight for title unless he has some big results next couple races, so he will instead enjoy every race and help his team. de-luck4 was very fast last season here despite success ballast, but now in different, even if lighter car, he is struggling to find pace: ''Mixed feelings, car feels good but still cant beat last season time. Really enjoy this track, but not sure about traffic also walls will be close''.
Mercedes is now championship leader in Manufacturers-standings and looking very strong in Gr3-standings, but it was mixed race in Interlagos last weekend. With TSR_Swablu missing the race, it was all down to TSR_JoeToGuy, and he had again great qualifying with 2nd place. He even took the lead of the race opening laps, but then it started to go wrong. He dropped quickly to second place, suddenly he was 3rd place and in the final stint he was stuck in 4th place. Unexpected pitstop by rival moved him to 3rd luckily, and then penalty for his rival ahead postrace moved him to 2nd place. Lot of points after difficult race, and he is now championship-leader.
TSR_Swablu will return this week, and it wont be easy. He has lot of ballast after 3 podiums, and circuit where he struggled with pace last season: ''Car feels a bit loose but thats something that im going to have to put up with if i want pace to be competitive. With that being said im still working on the setup and the pace us definitely there, just need to focus on my consistency and hopefully be in for a good result. The aim is P1 as always, but id accept a podium''.
His teammate TSR_JoeToGuy is in same position with ballast, but he is looking to get important championship-points, even if win might be difficult: ''I'm hoping to be back to consistent podiums again. I feel like the Nissan drivers may do well here, as its great in the high speed corners''.
Ford got once again podium, keeping close in both championships. y_bearr_ made his comeback, securing poleposition in new car, but decided to go for 3-stop strategy after struggling with racepace. This left him 5th place. His teammate TSR_Tomsoft struggled in qualifying. He moved quickly to 4th place though and was defending 3rd place before his teammate pitted for last time. Penalty postrace dropped him again to 3rd, but it still gives him important championship points.
This could be big race for Ford, of top runners they are running least ballast. TSR_Tomsoft has some ballast, but less than his championship-rivals, giving him opportunity to capitalize. But he is not as hopefull: ''Probably going to be a relaxed race, I hope not to take anyone out though. Should be quite alright in terms of pace, although I don't see myself doing well here. I'm probably just going to enjoy the track and race while it lasts and hope for the best''.
y_bearr_ now has much more experience in the car, and with no ballast, look him to be very fast: ''I'm excited towards BMB. the car surprisingly very good at cornering, the rear slide really well, and easy to setup. Just in few hours I already faster than my PB with Porsche. I'll give front runner a good battle like I did at Interlagos''.
Nissan has had awfull season. Interlagos was even worse as none of the 3 signed drivers could start the race, leaving Nissan scoring 0 points. Manufacturer-title hopes are done, and drivers pretty much too.
RA-A_MrT17 has missed past 3 races, but he is now returning. Round 1 was awfull performance by him, known to be fast in both Gr1 and Gr3. He has now bit more experience, Nissan has had ballast help and all other drivers have success ballast.
Wesley_VR_99 is back after missing last weekends race. He was not one of the title favorites, but by his standard start of the season has been hard. Nissan should suit Blue Moon Bay well, so watch out for him.
Gr4
Lexus had really difficult start to the season, now they look maybe too dominant. Mount Panorama-winner BenMK took another victory in Interlagos, despite the ballast. It was much closer, just securing the pole, and dropping positions in opening stint. But after switching to faster tire, it was not competition. Back to back wins and 2 extra points for fastest laps each race: ''Was quiet a surprise I'm not going to lie as I had the extra ballast to deal with and little practice. Starting on the hardest compounds seems to be my go to strategy at the moment and seems to be working''. Emilius73 in other Lexus had impressive pace again early in the race, even taking the lead. But early pitstop and getting overcutted really cost him. He had to really run long stints after that and he was struggling with tyre-wear. He crossed the line only 6th place, moving to 5th after penalties.
Blue Moon Bay could been another good race for Lexus, but it looks like all 3 Lexus-drivers this season are set to miss the race.
This means end for Lexus-search for Manufacturers-title and BenMK has lot of hard work ahead to win Gr4-drivers title.
Toyota's great season continues as they look back to back drivers and Manufacturers-title. Nils had another struggle with ballast as he finished only 7th, and dropping from championship-lead. But amuda54 carried the team again, finishing impressive 2nd place after solid qualifying, good tyre-managment and not getting involved too much action over trackposition.
After first ever back-to-back podiums, amuda54 is running most ballast he has ever had. His homerace might be difficult: ''I have a bit more ballast this round so I’m not expecting a very good result. This race will be mostly survival because I don’t have the pace to challenge for anything higher than 4th''.
His teammate Nils has got rid of some ballast now, but still running quite a heavy car on circuit where he has suffered in past: ''I‘m expecting another rather difficult weekend, but at least I‘ve gotten rid of some of my ballast now. As long as I keep the car away from the walls this weekend I‘ll be happy''.
Honda had to get good result in Interlagos, and they did. Qualifying was struggle, and both cars were sucked in to 4-car battle in 1st stint that cost lot of time. But thunderpigeon was luckily running the slowest tire, and when his rivals switched on to Mediums, he was able to push. He pulled great comeback to 3rd place, back on podium first time since Round 1. His teammate doc-shipman could not recover, and mistake in final laps dropped him 8th place.
Another big result needed this weekend, and it could be possible. doc-shipman is running lightest car in the class and was solid here last season: ''Looking forward to this one. Had a great battle but a disappointing result at Interlagos, but my times in practice have been competitive and I've found a real nice flow. I had a blast at Interlagos and am hoping for another fun race at BMB''.
His teammate thunderpigeon is not running that much ballast, but testing has been difficult: ''As the surprise championship leader, I am not feeling hopeful for BMR this week. Practice with my teammate highlights my additional ballast and my poor consistency during practice means my race might be challenging. I think the straight line speed of the NSX will be comparable to the Supra but keeping up with the Lexus will be a challenge. If I can finish close to a podium, I will be happy''.
After being championship-leader after first 3 races, Porsche struggled in Interlagos. Expectations where high once again, GTO250GTO was not running that much ballast in his favorite circuit, but pace from practice was just not there, and finished 4th place. Same thing happened for sota59 in other Porsche, who finished 6th after penalty: ''Practice was great, but i started on wrong tire, that cost me lot of time and when on clean air, i was not matching my times from testing. I was not thinking about podium due my ballast, but i am still disapointed''.
Porsche has still very realistic shots for both titles, but need to bounce back right away. sota59 has had couple bad races with ballast, but now most of it is off: ''I like the circuit, pace is solid. Just need to avoid mistakes, especially after last season. Podium is pretty much a must this weekend''.
GTO250GTO has not enjoyed testing this week, so he is aiming for clean race that can be difficult in here: ''The Porsche does not feel great around this track. The plan is to stay out of the wall and have a clean race''.
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IT IS GETTING MOIST
As we are closing in on Le Mans Finale, pressure is getting higher as people try to make sure they have serious title shot.
There is not yet single driver in either class that can settle down, some drivers need to get atleast top 4 result next 2 races, some need to win race. Season has been incredibly close this season, first time ever all 8 Manufacturers have won a race.
This weekend we race in legendary Spa, that has become regular fixture in GT-MES calendar. And after long while, we have wet-race. We have seen before that action in wet here is almost as great as in dry. Drivers will also be highlighted in these tough conditions, one small mistake can cost you big time.
Gr3
Nissan suffered awfull first half of the season, and Blue Moon Bay was the place to show they have pace. And they sure did show it. RA-A_MrT17 was running light car, and after qualifying on midfield, he drove smart, calm race. That allowed him to be top half of the field after last stops and on faster tire than most. He started pushing and soon he caught leader who was on mediums and struggling in traffic. He made the pass, and held the position to take his first GT-MES win: ''I managed to get the setup right with the Nissan after the Nurburgring disappointment and I had ballast advantage so I kinda expected it but I am happy to be on top again''. His teammate Wesley_VR_99 did not have as good pace, but he also drove smart race and was on right tire on right time, moving up 4 position on final stint. He got major Gr4-traffic in final lap that almost cost him 2 places, but luckily he was able to cross the line on 3rd position.
Sadly RA-A_MrT17 cannot race in Spa this weekend, so it is up to Wesley_VR_99 to bring points for Nissan. They wont challenge for Manufacturers-championship anymore, but can still move up position. Wesley_VR_99 also still has mathematical shot to win drivers-title, but he needs to take his first win since Season 12 quickly. And this might be just the right place for him, he won in these conditions in Spa in Season 10: ''After a decent race last week hoping to carry the momentum to the wet race at Spa. If I can find the pace from S10 I think I am able to go for the win''.
It was bit of a mixed result for Ford in their homerace last weekend. It was one of the circuits where they were favorites to take victory, and it was looking good for long while. Qualifying did not go that well, but as race moved on both drivers did well and on final stint it was looking like possible double podium with TSR_Tomsoft leading and y_bearr_ fighting in 3rd place. But both drivers were on slowest tire and others on softer tire were coming fast. First TSR_Tomsoft made mistake in traffic losing bit of time and was unable to defend his lead or retake it, finishing 2nd place. y_bearr_ meanwhile dropped down to 5th place. But positive was that TSR_Tomsoft was first of title challengers, moving him to championship-lead, while Ford took important points.
Despite being championship-leader with 3 races to go after 4 podiums in 5 races, TSR_Tomsoft is not very optimistic, as he is missing first win this season, so he needs to keep pushing: ''Well there's still the much needed win that I'm waiting for, and the weight may make a few things easier for me in terms of grip for the race. I'm usually doing well around Spa, so it should be worth an attempt to get a podium at least. Best case would obviously be the win, but given the chaos in previous seasons, anything could happen''.
In other Ford this weekend will be Dstinct_CJohn, winner from Round 1. After missing 4 races he is out of title-fight, but hungry for some good racing: ''It's been a while but I can finally race again, it feels good. With the success ballast the other drivers have, I think I can perform well in this weekend's race''.
Subaru also had mixed weekend. de-luck4 tooks their first poleposition this season, and he was running away in early laps, looking for his breakthrough result this season. But small mistake sent him to wall, leaving him in 8th place. In other car Freddude was struggling in heaviest car in the field after his 2 wins, but surprisingly his pace in race was solid, and smart race-craft got him to 4th place end of the race, good result for his title hopes.
Spa has at times been good for Subaru, but we have not seen it in rain before. Freddude is continuing his title-challenge, and now he has dropped some success-ballast, so there could be chance to get solid result: ''Planning to just keep it on the road and, not over do things, especially in the rain and try to keep a consistant pace''.
His teammate de-luck4 is in must perform-position for his personal title-hopes, but as he has never aimed for title this season, pressure is not that high. But for Subaru, he needs to find consistancy. Spa is his least favorite circuit, but he won here last season and was on podium in rain before, so dont count him out, despite his own words: ''Well, i just hope dont crash in first 5 laps.. Dont find conection with a car even on dry.. no need to say how it feels on wet, also reduced free time not help with this too''.
Mercedes had their first bad race. Qualifying was again brilliant with both drivers in top 3, but in the race, they slowly faded down the order. TSR_Swablu finished 6th place, with TSR_JoeToGuy in 7th place, his worst ever finish. That dropped him from championship-lead and Mercedes moved down to 3rd in Manufacturers-standings.
But both drivers and Mercedes are still looking good in points, but they need to return to podium right away. And Mercedes is favorite going in to Spa, last seasons winner TSR_JoeToGuy is looking for solid result: ''The car should do well here due to its traction, but the ballast may counter that a bit. If I can look after the tyres I should be able to get on the podium again''.
TSR_Swablu in other car also is good bet to challenge at least for podium-places: ''Im yet to do any practice but from what im hearing, driving in the wet isnt too fun. If i can get some laps in tonight and dial in a good setup i should be looking at a podium at least''.
Gr4
Honda had massive race last weekend, just when they needed it. Since returning to racing last season, doc-shipman has struggled, with best finish of 4th place. But this weekend all was in his favour, lightest car and circuit suited for him and Honda. And he took the opportunity with both hands, pole position and after challenge early in the race, he dominated his way to first win since Season 6: ''Genuinely shocked. Winning was incredibly unexpected, but pole, lead the whole race and fastest lap too? AMAZING''. Making it even better was thunderpigeon in other Honda, after racelong battle, he beat his championship rivals and took 2nd place, making it 1-2 for Honda. That also extended his championship-lead, while moving Honda to contention of Manufacturers-title.
With doc-shipman missing Round 6, pressure is high on thunderpigeon to perform again. He is also winless despite leading championship, so he cant relax, otherwise he can quickly become underdog in his fight to win 3rd title. Spa will challenge for him, he has never raced in rain, and race in Spa last season did not go that well: ''Spa in the wet is a very different type of race, so carrying the momentum from last week will be difficult. I have never raced in the wet, so I am feeling a little nervous about how fast (or slow) I will be. Another podium would be nice but that might be a bit too hopeful. Either way, I am looking forward to the race as it will be a new experience''.
Porsche bounced back after Brazil, and left Blue Moon Bay back in Manufacturers-championship lead. sota59 again had average qualifying, but he managed to undercut his way to 2nd place. After epic battle, small mistake dropped him to 3rd place, and he was unable to recover, but still took very important points. GTO250GTO had struggle in other car, just missing out on 5th place after mistake early on.
Both drivers are still mathematicly in championship-battle, but it seems like sota59 is one with realistic shot for it. He had win and couple podiums, but needs to keep pushing after couple bad races between. He has couple podium in rain and is former Spa-winner, so expectations are high: ''I love rain, i love Spa. But i like to also be realistic, there is probly faster drivers in rain than me, and i cant affort to take risks. If i get podium, that would be fantastic''.
Toyota had bit of a offweekend in Round 6, but they were running heavist cars, so it was expected. Nils again had great qualifying performance, 2nd place that he held for while. But after long battle, he faded down to 4th place. amuda54 was running most ballast he has ever had. He was not off the pace by lot, but long run pace left him 5th. Despite this Toyota is still 2nd place in Manufacturers-championship.
Spa is big race for Toyota. Not only for Manufacturers-championship, but also for both drivers. Nils has finished out of the podium last 3 races, but he is now running no ballast. He has never been able to win in Spa in past, but his best races has been in wet-weather. But he does not think he will be that strong: ''I'm expecting a very difficult weekend, even though many see me as one of the favorites for the win. The only advantage I might have this weekend is the fact I have 0 ballast in my car, which is a nice thing to have. However, I don't like to race in the rain and I'm also not very good at it, so all I'm hoping for is to keep it clean and don't finish last''.
amuda54 has chance to fight for championship, but he needs to win his first ever race soon. He is running quite a bit of ballast this weekend again, but in rain, it might not be such bad thing. And amuda54 has always been fast in rain: ''Hopefully we can get a good result here in the wet, even though our car doesn’t really suit these conditions. I think a podium is possible''.
Lexus had nighmare last weekend, as no driver could take part in Round 6. That ended their hopes of first Manufacturers-championship, and makes road to drivers-championship very rocky.
BenMK is only Lexus-driver with realitic title-hopes. But as his 2 wins from 2 races bring lot of points, ballast is also big. Next 2 races he needs to finish Top 4 in very tight class.
Emilius73 in other Lexus is mathematicly still in title-fight, but realisticly it is looking impossible. But he will fight every race, and is looking forward for Spa: ''Spa is a track I know well, and I have experience driving it in the wet. This gives us a new opportunity to move forward in the championship''.
