WSCC Nurburgring 500km
Well got an email with 24 hours to go on this... threw my hat in - Love longer races and not really been able to get online to race "proper" drivers - Real life is tricky at times, A league lets you plan about times, All preparation and for me GT is a relaxing thing -Pick up races can provide some fun, but as you all know one bad driver ruins a race.
Got a Silvia, RM'd it, gave it a lick of Paint... Use a chip of Mazda's Combonation B Excellent Green Mica - And then some 70's Ferrari Rosso Dino orange for the wheels. Number 62 - All in tribute to Graham Hill BRM's star pilot of the 60's who won the 1962 F1 title in the P57 BRM. (I know the BRM in 1962 didn't have an orange nose.)
I had a few tests in another on Sunday morning with an alternative Silvia RM - On Race tyres because I am stoopid, and felt the race would be too easy, far too much grip. Online felt smooth enough but the car didn't have any challenge - it made many sections of the ring flat out stretches with not alot of driver input.
But then I read the thread again - Sports tyres... just the job. I guessed many sections would require either a pin perfect line or a bit of throttle modulation to get the lap times. More chances of mistakes, but more chances to save mistakes - getting closer to the edge and improving.
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Got real life all tied down and put a chair against the cellar door so the kids wouldn't come up and bother me.
Joined GPRili's lounge. And onto the paddock.
A bit before 7-30 (English Summer time Evening - 1830-GMT/UTC) but better early than late.
I could hear a couple of cars already on track - the old pre race adrenaline was begining to seep into my blood.
Got my car, bought the full set of Sports tyres for the trip. I didn't know how they would last, But 20 laps to find out.
Now I am not too sure on the race ettiqute of chatter - I myself am used to a chat room where you can talk till you are blue in the face, and then when you join the track you don't talk unless it is important. Maybe a "sorry" if you trip up and block another driver in quals or the race.
had to ask about the power. But I skimmed the thread, but missed the testing bit about rev limiter on the long straight. GPRilli put me right -
Put the restrictor plate to get the power down to 276. Everyone seemed to be on SS tyres. May as well find out how long softies last.
To the track.
Car felt nice enough - no aids, I left the rev and speed up mostly to keep the fuel gauge and the tyre wear meters...
Another guy had joined the track ahead of me, but they were pulling away, I had a bit of a slide into the dunlop hairpin... I had my track map at "2" so any close quarters action would be safe. No driver list as it just gets in the way.
I pushed about the track, getting the grip levels but not driving too silly. Had a slight off at the baby karussel reading the chatter -
No real damage, but a nice reminder. I was running very close to the rev limiter on Dottinger hohe, With a slip stream I guess you would be hitting it - but you'd still have some room to pass the car ahead... maybe.
I then chugged along to the start, and started a flyer. This lap was even pace, not pushing too hard. A Safe banker lap. The engine note seemed to drown out any tyre screech, and the back end seemed to step swiftly once you peeked over the edge of the cars frcition circle. Oversteer is something I can work with, understeer is just a grind in a car. Lack of tyre scream was - different. I had a target time and had already lost a second on the first split, then gained 5 on the next, but progressivly the pace setter was a few tenths per sector faster, - But I was not trying to bully the car, I had to learn the limits, and also work out how long the tyres would last with a smooth lap.
Set a clean lap, 9-47. about 10 seconds down on the early best. But it is very easy to get alot of time by getting a few corners spot on, But driving easy will just leak time.
I slunk back into the pits (Parked up behind the paddock - Let some marshalls wheel my Nissan back to the guys in the pits. I guess I could run 3 easy laps or 2 hard pushing laps on these soft tyres.
Tyres at the ring are an issue, if they run out on you you can struggle te last part of the lap as once you clear Galgenkopf it is a big old chunk of low skill But befroe Galgenkoph is a huge testing section WippermanEsbach, Brunchen Ice Kurve, Pflantzgarten and Swallowtail. Having naff tyres here will just kill a stint.
Mediums and Hards? I figured running them in Quals, to get a "slower" grid slot. I figured most drivers would have put in a couple of race distances in practice for the event... I'd just done two laps.
I then realised that many drivers were having connection issues - Was it me? It was suggested I leave and return.
That was the last time I was online!
I reset the Ps3, but it kept saying error connecting... time was ticking and the instant turn arround didn't happen.
... And to make matters worse the router felt it didn't want to connect the PC to the internet either? Time had ticked by, I didn't think I would get connected,
and I was right,
the interweb was unwilling to link to my PC or PS3... typical. I couldn't even type up a reason for my absence... nor an Email via the PS3 to GPRili either...
I've run races before and had discoes, and as far as they go this wasn't that bad... If I had been looking forward to this event since the start of March I would be livid! But after only 1 day it was - a shame. I can feel the racing bug coming back though.
Hope the other drivers had a good race.