AC Race #3 Championship Abarth/Mazda @Deutschlandring, Wed 2nd November 2022

[Kek700]

It is probably just being diverted from being aware of who is around you, with everyone packed in a tight spot, trying to get one over on each other. I just took the view that it would be a Mazda and that being the case I would wait for the next long straight. I certainly was not going to be held up by a Mazda for the majority of the circuit and was happy to wait for the long straight.
Plus I have triple screens which is always a bonus.

 

[thom462]

Had a blast with this one. Messed up qualy but a good start put me back in the game. Had great fights and good overtakes with Hank and Douglas in the first half. Great slipstream battles, sometimes felt like in an oval indycar race, us going three wide in the banking. Tried to be consistant and not going all in in these lose or win corners every lap, finally making no major mistake, although it was close once at the last corner hay bale, leading to another slipstream fight.... Finally consistency paid of with a good result on home ground.
Thx all for the great battles and fair racing.

cu next time

three wide with Hank and Douglas in the banking:

close fight before the bridge:

going for it on the inside having good exit out of second fast left hander:

the pack at this great track:

By the way, some more insights of the Deutschlandring, thx to Herman Liesemeijer for the great work on this:

Deutschlandring Germany - Track Visit 2016 - Circuits of the past

Have you ever heard of the Deutschlandring circuit? It was intended to host the 1940 German GP, but WWII came between. In 2016 I visited this lost circuit!

www.circuitsofthepast.com

 

[Dzul]

What a marathon. Although I was 3+ seconds behind the fastest times I was happy with my pace and race. The "first stint" ended up in the Twilight Zone for me, as I braked hard to avoid the car wall piling up at the front, I touched Dave's car as he was spinning INTO the tarmac and got drawn in as if it were a black hole. I simply could not teleport back to pits and hence decided to close AC and give this one up. So I am very, very grateful you chaps were open for a restart... I can imagine I was not the only one who lost time and humor on that L1 tango ball.

The "second stint" went much better and although I lost two spots at the start by taking no risks in order to stay in the race I managed to climb back on pace and avoiding making mistakes. I did have a few bumps that got me riding fences Nascar style but managed to lose just time on those. I had a very enjoyable chase/battle with Dave half way. I managed to pass him when he also had a Nascar moment, he was closing in but I had a better pitstop and managed to keep a gap at the end. Also, trying to catch up with Callum ahead helped me keep focus looking in front of me.

It was a fun event after all on my side. Thank you for the organisation Han and for the restart once more. I'll see you chaps in Kyalami!

 

[Douglas Aird]

Had a blast with this one. Messed up qualy but a good start put me back in the game. Had great fights and good overtakes with Hank and Douglas in the first half. Great slipstream battles, sometimes felt like in an oval indycar race, us going three wide in the banking. Tried to be consistant and not going all in in these lose or win corners every lap, finally making no major mistake, although it was close once at the last corner hay bale, leading to another slipstream fight.... Finally consistency paid of with a good result on home ground.
Thx all for the great battles and fair racing.

cu next time

three wide with Hank and Douglas in the banking:
View attachment 613813


close fight before the bridge:
View attachment 613821


going for it on the inside having good exit out of second fast left hander:
View attachment 613823

the pack at this great track:
View attachment 613824


By the way, some more insights of the Deutschlandring, thx to Herman Liesemeijer for the great work on this:

Deutschlandring Germany - Track Visit 2016 - Circuits of the past

Have you ever heard of the Deutschlandring circuit? It was intended to host the 1940 German GP, but WWII came between. In 2016 I visited this lost circuit!

www.circuitsofthepast.com

You had a great race. I really enjoyed the early laps with you and Hank. The three wide on the banking was fun. A couple of times I had good slipstream but couldn't get past as I was boxed in.

It's a pity I wasn't as careful as you and couldn't sustain my pace, otherwise I think a class podium was possible for me today.

 

[HF2000]

First I want to say sorry to everyone for the mess in the 1st start. I was slipstreaming John and I thought I was already in front of Allan. When I was about to bump John I went to the right for an overtake but Allan was still there. His left front hit my right rear and for the rest most of you know what happened next. I felt guilty and when I also saw that Raul his race was totally ruined I proposed a restart.
Glad that almost all of you agreed and that the 2nd start went well. Maybe we should do this more often if there's a total mess in the 1st 3 corners or so.

My race may seem boring as I could get second with the speed of the Abarth and stayed there for the whole race. But the track is great to drive so with trying to hold John in my sights and Ernie in my mirror I had concentrate for the whole our because every mistake should have been fatal. And of course hoping that they would make one themselves.

They didn't and in the end Ernie came quite close. Fortunately I could gain some seconds with my pitstop.

Really love these events even without battles. Thanks all for racing. Congrats to the podium and see you in two weeks on the Feldbergring (another favorite of mine) or next week on Kyalami.

 

[JamKart22]

Another enjoyable track in this series. I'd managed a 2:44.08 on my pre race practice but couldn't get that pace in the event itself. Don't really know why. I was still in the 2:45secs - so competitive enough for a good race.

Very glad we had a restart as my first race was ruined by the first lap incident and I was well down the field.

Second start went much better and there was a group of about six cars on very similar pace. I was waiting for someone to make a slight mistake in order to get past as it was very difficult to overtake any other way

I was following Doug for the first few laps and was surprised to see him peel of early for a pitstop. I did think he'd drop back in to traffic - so that might slow him down a bit

Then had a really intense battle with Hank for most of the rest of the race - swapping positions as we each made slight mistakes. Very close and fair racing.

Hank pitted the same time as me but I still managed to stay out in front, I could also see Alan homing in like a killer shark - but I had a few cars between us so I was hoping they'd keep him at bay.

Doug seemed to have a moment behind Alan, allowing him past. Leaving Hank as the only buffer. I made a stupid mistake on the last lap and Hank shot past - leaving Alan closing in fast.

A last corner drag up to the finish line saw Alan pip me by 0.15 secs for fourth. If I'd not made the last lap mistake then I'd have probably bagged 3rd. Doh.

 

[HF2000]

Oh that feels so good!!!

 

[gearwhine]

That was a lot of fun. Screwed up quali forgetting to use setup hence a soggy car with too much fuel. Never mind, started 17th and by end of lap was in 6th due to huge crash which i managed to duck and dive around, then restart. never mind, off we go again. Now it gets better with what can only be described as the best wheel to wheel racing i have had for a while with everyone i battled with able to race inches away from me without causing me panic Great! Excellent battles with Mika, Andre, Carsten, Doug, Allan etc. Only time i got untidy was when i was mixing it up a little with Doug and Andre on the last lap through the fast esses trying hard not to touch them and found myself in the dirt for a second or two. Thanks guys, it was a lot of fun. Thanks also to our usual host Han who pulled it out the bag yet again. And maybe Han, you might have started a new trend. If it aint going to plan we can always start again

 

[a_murel]

I really had a decent race and a lot of fun!

This tracks are not my favourites, but I must say, this was a lot of fun and got some speed later on.

Great race guys!

 

[a_murel]

View attachment 613886
Oh that feels so good!!!

that is AFTER the 1st start I assume?

 

[eN1xes]

Covid D': (if sm1 can upload the race replay would be good)

 

[HF2000]

And maybe Han, you might have started a new trend. If it aint going to plan we can always start again

Yes, I suggested it in my post also. It will work quite good if everyone is on Discord so we can agree on it.

 

[Kek700]

I was in a comfortable 3rd, and just thought of the carnage behind, and what was probably going to be a dull race, not only for me but all involved, for the opposite reasons.
So from my probably positive situation I am very much In favour of a restart.
I think we will give that decision to Han.
So he can referee it, with maybe an ask on discord.

 

[HF2000]

I think we will give that decision to Han.
So he can referee it, with maybe an ask on discord.

As a Dutchman, I was raised by consensus as a prominent part of our way of life. So I get the shivers when one person makes the decisions.
While this approach probably won't be the best way in all situations, I'm sure the Netherlands would not have invaded Ukraine (or Belgium).

 

[Mikke73]

That was a lot of fun. Screwed up quali forgetting to use setup hence a soggy car with too much fuel. Never mind, started 17th and by end of lap was in 6th due to huge crash which i managed to duck and dive around, then restart. never mind, off we go again. Now it gets better with what can only be described as the best wheel to wheel racing i have had for a while with everyone i battled with able to race inches away from me without causing me panic Great! Excellent battles with Mika, Andre, Carsten, Doug, Allan etc. Only time i got untidy was when i was mixing it up a little with Doug and Andre on the last lap through the fast esses trying hard not to touch them and found myself in the dirt for a second or two. Thanks guys, it was a lot of fun. Thanks also to our usual host Han who pulled it out the bag yet again. And maybe Han, you might have started a new trend. If it aint going to plan we can always start again

Oh yes, our battle was one of the best ones I've been in a long time, especially when Allan joined it . Such a shame that I ended the battle by making a stupid and costly mistake in the exit of the 2nd hairpin. I was a bit too eager to get on the gas, lost the rear and turned my car 90 degrees straight into a fence

 

[maxilogan]

Hi Han
Looks like I will miss tonight’s race as a family medical emergency had come up and currently waiting at hospital.
If I don’t make it home, good luck everyone.

Good luck Paul, hope that everything went well.

 

[Douglas Aird]

Another enjoyable track in this series. I'd managed a 2:44.08 on my pre race practice but couldn't get that pace in the event itself. Don't really know why. I was still in the 2:45secs - so competitive enough for a good race.

Very glad we had a restart as my first race was ruined by the first lap incident and I was well down the field.

Second start went much better and there was a group of about six cars on very similar pace. I was waiting for someone to make a slight mistake in order to get past as it was very difficult to overtake any other way

I was following Doug for the first few laps and was surprised to see him peel of early for a pitstop. I did think he'd drop back in to traffic - so that might slow him down a bit

Then had a really intense battle with Hank for most of the rest of the race - swapping positions as we each made slight mistakes. Very close and fair racing.

Hank pitted the same time as me but I still managed to stay out in front, I could also see Alan homing in like a killer shark - but I had a few cars between us so I was hoping they'd keep him at bay.

Doug seemed to have a moment behind Alan, allowing him past. Leaving Hank as the only buffer. I made a stupid mistake on the last lap and Hank shot past - leaving Alan closing in fast.

A last corner drag up to the finish line saw Alan pip me by 0.15 secs for fourth. If I'd not made the last lap mistake then I'd have probably bagged 3rd. Doh.

With hindsight, Colin, I should have stuck with our battle but I thought on such a long lap I wouldn't get into the traffic until much later than I actually did. Lesson learned for next time.

It was a fun battle as we had similar pace with you being faster in some places and me in others.

Next championship round is Feldbergring and I remember we had a good fight there previously so it should be interesting again.

 

[KDiesel]

Almost good race here, my fuel was 1 litre short so I had to do 2nd pitstop and drop 6th there.

 

[maxilogan]

Don't know what to say.. I managed to qualify in the bottom field but without too many errors and was quite happy, focused on being consistent and ready to profit of the usual initial mess to gain some position. I was concentrated on the race start when I started to smell a rat: how could it be that Han was doing the pre race briefing and everybody wishing luck to everyone if I was still seeing the "QUALIFY: 0.00" on screen?
It was my Usual Sh*tty Internet Connection that briefly failed and did disconnect me from the server without telling me. I then exited, re-joined (after having seen the "Race Canceled" popup ) and found myself starting at the very bottom, with everyone already 15 seconds away

However, there came Han helping me to regain positions and to my great astonishment, I managed to be in the bottom of the midfield (ah ah.. well, 15th on 21) in the matter of three quarters of a lap.
I agreed to the restart, thinking that it might have been an opportunity to get an even better position, but the bad luck was still waiting for me in the dark..
I decided to pit relatively early (despite having an unexpectedly high amount of fuel ) because I had space both in front and after, and went into the pits a bit too speedy, and went slightly beyond my box. I started to go back and forth without my equipe evern thinking of pouring me that couple litres I set in the strategy. I thought that it was due to me having gone beyond the box and decided to restart and stop the following lap. I was alone and last already, nothing would have changed.
The following lap, though, the same thing happened despite me having stopped in the right position. Left the box in rage and started to think about what happened, when I suddenly realized that by quitting before the race and joining immediately, and starting racing without doing anything, I had the default setup, with zero litres to be added at the pit stop. That's the reason of my team's strike! A quick glance at the strategy menu confirmed my assumption, and the third pistop went smooth as butter, but my race had been inevitably ruined.

It's a shame because I had lots of fun before even if I didn't know the setup wasn't the correct one (I noticed after the first pitstop that the tyre pressures were low but I thought that it was due to the long time stopped), and eventually to add insult to injury I was beating my PB of over 1 s in the last lap, only to see the screen fade at the last corner (the one with the VW T1 stopped besides the road) because of the overtime. No registration, then..

However, as usual I managed to cut down the practice qualify time by quite a substantial amount so in the end I am not dissatisfied of the result.

Thanks Han for organising, cheers to the podium finishers, and see you next time on track! (Hopefully this time I'll be able to join the inter-championship race, Kyalami is a great track especially with the Mazda!)

 

[maxilogan]

Oh, and by the way.. this is my new(-to-me) car's instrument cluster, if it reminds you of something being mentioned here, well it's not by chance (though the redline is a modest 5k RPM and not >7k)