NA 2010 German GP race reports

[Bilbo]

The server replay and results files can be downloaded here:

Qual results: http://nar.kicks-ass.org:8086/narresult ... y_Qual.xml
Race results: http://nar.kicks-ass.org:8086/narresult ... y_Race.xml
Replays: http://nar.kicks-ass.org:8086/narresult ... ermany.zip (9.3MB, contains race and qual. replays)
League stats: Click here for the NAR stats
Web-stats: Click here for stats!

Thanks to all who participated.

[Christian Laforce]

haha i am stall after rouge is off hahah

[SteveB]

WOW WOW WOW
What a race

Qualifyed 3rd I was happy with that.

Race start was fantastic, Juan got the line really slow and I got by him and now behind Bilbo.
At T2 Bilbo ran wide and I was able to get by and I put the hammer down and tried to open up a gap.
I noticed that Juan had got by Bilbo as well and was holding his position well, it was hard to open the gap.

Exiting T6 I ran a little wide catching the curb and I spun and Juan got passed me, I was lucky to hold onto 2nd position.
I was almost 8 seconds behind Juan and caught him just as he was entering the pits and I still had 2 laps to go before I pitted.

Through the 2nd and 3rd stint I managed to stay in P1 and had a 30+ second lead on Juan then when I was approaching T1 I saw Juan in the pits then he left and just had to bring it home from there.......then.......brain freeze sets in a few times,exiting T7 I ran on the curb and it spun me and I slid into the wall and lost my front wing, lucky there was only me and Rich on track and he was 2 laps down, this happened with 10 lpas to go.

Congrats to Rich for his 2nd place......sorry to see the others not finish especially Bilbo and Juan they were fast here.

Thank you to all who participated tonight.

C U in Hungary

[Bilbo]

Despite an early ending of my race, I'm mostly happy with what I have accomplished tonight.

I qualified 2nd with what I'd later see was the 2nd heaviest car (91L of fuel, symmetric 2-stopper) on the grid so I was happy with that. I was aiming for 1:18.5 and got 18.4, I could have done a bit better but did not bring it home.

Race start was good despite some wheelspin, got the lead right there but busted the first few turns and actually got last as is a longtime habit of mine. I did a few more mistakes as I got up to 3rd position, including a little fight with Carl, but from lap 5 or so I got my stuff together and started driving more consistently, trading fast laps with SteveB (my best lap held to the end, surprisingly) meaning the ~10 seconds gap he had on me was not going down as much as I'd like, if at all. SteveB had really great pace tonight.

I was trying to catch him when, on lap 20 or so, Tim was going slowly accross the track in the esses of the stadium section and, with nowhere to go, I pulled a Webber to his Kovalainen (not as spectacular but certainly as effective in disabling two cars). I managed to bring the car to my stall but the lazy techs did not want to touch the car. I'm sure that my missing wheel could have been replaced with some judicious use of duct tape but the guys just couldn't be bothered...

Congrats to SteveB and Rich for the finish and thanks to all who participated. While we were not many, we were more than at last race. Hopefully we'll get a more normal grid in Hungary!

[timothy harrison]

I sincerely apologize Bilbo, I was trying to get out of your way and did anything but that. I was aware of the blue flag but was trying to get through the section until we were in a safer area. Sorry again, sometimes my lack of speed compromises somebody else, I'll try to be more aware and get out of the way faster guys. I'm afraid if I go so far as to start going completely off track that the number of accidents I cause is sure to go up. Sorry again Bilbo, and congrats to the winner.

Tim

[SteveB]

Hey Tim,

I know how it feels to be lapped and you don't want to slow down or ruin the lapping driver's race
but IMO if you feel you are in a dangerous part of the circuit and can't get off the racing line in a safe manor
then you need to do it when you feel your in a safe place on the circuit, within 3 corners (I think is the blue flag rule).

I don't know if you use the virtual mirrors (the mirrors on the top of the screen..I do) you get a better view behind you then the car's mirrors,
this way you always know where and when someone is behind you so you don't panic

This is just my opinion.

[timothy harrison]

Yeah I'm using mirrors, I just wasn't able to get out of the way fast enough. I think if you're not being forced by the car behind you it may be a safer bet to let the car in front of you get out of the way safely prior to making your pass. It's sounds crazy to say, but when faster cars are beating down on you, sometimes you just can't get out of the way quickly enough. Maybe if I can't qualify better or with times more closely to the rest of the field I should sit out the race, I seem to be the only backmarker and it sucks for the faster vehicles to have their day ended by a car that was barely competing.

[SteveB]

Yeah I'm using mirrors, I just wasn't able to get out of the way fast enough. I think if you're not being forced by the car behind you it may be a safer bet to let the car in front of you get out of the way safely prior to making your pass. It's sounds crazy to say, but when faster cars are beating down on you, sometimes you just can't get out of the way quickly enough. Maybe if I can't qualify better or with times more closely to the rest of the field I should sit out the race, I seem to be the only backmarker and it sucks for the faster vehicles to have their day ended by a car that was barely competing.

I think your doing fine, it was just a case of driver error (maybe you panicked a bit) I am sure(I didn't watch the replay yet) and stuff like this happens.
We will wait to hear from Bilbo but I am sure ALL IS GOOD

[SteveB]

I just watched the replay and the way it looked to me is that I think Bilbo expected you to stay to your left and leave the racing line
for him but you then turned into his path and Bilbo had no where to go at that point it was too late.

That's the way I saw it.

[timothy harrison]

I agree with you Steve, I think it was my fault...but I'm not sure what else I could have done about it. A slower guy still needs time to get out of the way! Granted I did turn down on Bilbo, but honestly I didn't think that a pass was going to be made in that section. I definitely turned down on the poor guy, but I wasn't racing him, I just didn't have sufficient enough time to get out of the way (or at least in a safer area). Sorry again guys, but if I can't get my speed up I'm not going to continue to put drivers in that situation. Bilbo works hard each week, and I feel pretty shitty to end his day that way! But there is only so much I can do to not be a nuisance to the quicker drivers..some courses don't offer me as much room to get out of the way as others.

[Bilbo]

Indeed, that's pretty much as SteveB just mentioned on my end. I saw you kinda dive to the left and brake at a place where I take a straighter line and go full throttle so there was absolutely no doubt in my mind that you were meaning to let me pass, even if I found the choice of location a bit weird given that we were so close to more "natural" places to do it (last turn or pit straight) and I did not think that I was "pressuring" you yet.

There was really nothing I could do once I saw you come back to the right. Sorry about the nasty hit, and please have no doubt that I know much too well the challenge of finding a "place to hide" with a faster car behind. I've been a backmarker for a long time myself and still sometimes don't believe my current pace (not as fast as some but much faster than I ever thought I'd get when I first joined NAR). Heck, I did not even realize until I saw the replay that I was (momentarily) leading the race. I was just planning to pass you on the straight and try to do some quick laps before my planned stop 3-4 laps later but I'll admit that I did not think about the blue flags that you could be getting as, in my mind, I was still catching up to you and you were not delaying me at all so far.

Anyways, no hard feeling from me. Been there, done that (and worse too).

[timothy harrison]

No hard feelings here as well Bilbo...just hate to be that guy. In the future if any of you see the "connect" logo on my back wing, you'll know it's me and that you're probably passing me! (blue flag) LOL! See you guys in Hungary.

Tim

[Steve]

I seem to be the only backmarker and it sucks for the faster vehicles to have their day ended by a car that was barely competing.

Nah, I am the original backmarker Tim!! haha

[SteveB]

I know how you feel about being that guy Tim and like Bilbo said "been there done that" is a statement
that all of us have used and still use.....lol

Maybe practice with us online a bit more it might help you.

I don't mean to offend you it is just a suggestion.