26.09.2023 / GPLRACER TC / Race 03 / Jops Siffert Circuit (jops)

[Doni Yourth]

Dear me... That was rather a grim outing. I hadn't intended to enter this round at Jops as the 'yump' is so very difficult to negotiate with any degree of confidence. The entry was low so to support the mod, I threw my hat in the ring.

Off the grid, I got a reasonable launch and put both Frank and Pavel in my mirrors by the time we arrived at T1. To be sure, I had doubts as to the wisdom of doing that as now I'd have to runners, both substantially faster in Q, all over me for the balance of that opening lap. I was banking on my wings set at 0° to give me a cushion on the pit straight where I could see upwards of 204mph. I didn't see anyone else on the far side of 190mph.

Held on for two laps but at T2 of Lap03, Pavel moved to the outside and I didn't pick that up in my mirrors. A collision sent him to the barriers and a DNF. Sorry, PZ. Later in the same lap, Frank was now on my tail and making serious bids in the twisties and certainly was surging by on my right but in viewing the replay cap, I think that he edged to the left a little early catching my right-side tyres and sending me off to a wild ride on its rollover bar. Sigh... Frank smashed into a tree and called it a day, too. Sorry, FM.

Perhaps I should reconsider my desire to run zero aero. Makes it a bullet on the straights but a complete stone in the corners. It's just that I hate wings. The current crop of F1 cars from Red Bull, Mercedes, Ferrari and the like look like something out of a David Cronenberg movie.

[David Cheshire]

What a lovely track this is. I am new to TC's and so far have found that my enjoyment with them is very track dependant Balcarce and Jops great fun but Jacarepagua was a real trial! Don't know why...
Managed a decent time for me in qualifying but blew 2 engines which worried me for the race. I was shocked at how fast Yannick was! I thought mine was a decent time but far from it! Oh well - keep practicing.

In the race I got off the line well but hung back a little as I was very aware of the 2 blown engines in qualifying and didn't want to push as I was determined to finish. The guys ahead were a little faster than me and the guys behind a little slower so I was soon in no-mans land. My concern over engine failure was meaning I was changing gear in different places which meant I wasn't driving well but I was staying on the track at least. I was watching the position table and could see there was a decent race up ahead. I had a harmless spin at May but otherwise an uneventful race Towards the end I could see the leaders were catching me and I was trying to stay ahead but on the last lap at Moser a car appeared in my mirrors so I took to the grass as I thought the race for first was still close and didn't want to get involved. My wife was quite impressed I finished 4th - I didn't tell her I was last and a lap down .

Great fun anyway. Well done Yannick for the win and the admin. Thanks to GPLRacer for hosting.
Dave

[Stefan Roess]

RACE VIDEO
26.09.2023 / GPLRACER TC / Race 03 / Jops Siffert Circuit (jops)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsvELAhSIyo

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I have never raced this track with TC.
A great mod and track combination. Good choice Yannick (and Paul supported picking the tracks if I am not mistaken).

I only did 4-5 laps just before the race with the Balcarce setup that was posted by Paul in the Balcarce topic (thx Paul, great setup!). I only made the last gear 1 click shorter.
It was good enough for the 2nd fasted race lap.

I had great, close racing with Yannick, Paul and Alain! Thx guys, a race to remember.
On the last laps I was on P1 after a mistake by Yannick and I might have been able to drive it home except Yannick would put heavy pressure on me again like at the beginning of the race.
But this time I wouldn't have just waved you past.

Unfortunately, it didn't come to a duel, because I took T1 too narrow on the inside without any pressure and the car was shifted on the grass verge, so that I had to open the steering and ended up in the meadow on the other side of the track. I thought I was lucky and just drove through the trees back onto the track. Well, I thought wrong, the trees were planted narrower and the car was wider than I thought (with a 65 car it might have worked). So it tore off my right front wheel.
What a stupid accident.

Anyway, until then it was a lot of fun.
The TC mod was already cool to drive in the beta tests and that hasn't changed with the final version. A much too underrated mod.

Dave, to finish first you have to finish first.
Let your wife celebrate you, and rightly so, because to finish last you also have to finish.

Grats to the podium and all who finished.

My crash at 36:55: https://youtu.be/dsvELAhSIyo?t=2215
Sorry Paul that I rolled backwards over the track. I heard you coming but didn't see you and thought it might be easier for you to predict if I just kept rolling. Luckily you passed.

[Frank_Mueller]

Hi Doni,
this was my fault. Your stile to set up your wings is very strange, far away from all others and not easy to handle with as a competitor
Anyway no reason to drive with high risk like me!
Sorry, for causing this collision!