RD GT Championship 2010 I

[Ross Balfour]

Sander van Doorn - "Renegade". Awesome new track and the anthem of trance energy 2010.

Sander van Doorn :thumb: awesome DJ. Thought I think Bastillon or Blixem are better from him.

Nice lap!

 

[Eckhart von Glan]

just watched the replay and what a fun race it was in pos. 17-21 before pit stops and 18-21 last five laps. Pity one cannot see my face on the replay as my fuelmeter read 6 litres 5 4 3 2 in that last lap after I had done a pass - pass back - pass back again with Michael von Scheppingen the lap before always with one eye on fuel already. Gonna put in some more for Spa, that stress is too much for an old man

 

[Ulli Haus]

Oh well,

after 2 mini Fridays and the R8 race the day before Christmas last year, I decided to join this littel league of only 4 races for some present time fun & of course, in order to be able comparing GTL to GTRe

What did I find out?
... same old story: smooth driving grants you the good laptimes, plus it sure enough helps your tires LOL

Qualy: my best performance ever - overly eager, I ran the vette off track into the wall in T2 ... in my OUTER LAP hahahaaa
Race: Race was good but my preparation besides practicing the track & car were lousy - I forgot the "introduction lap" in my gas calculations so I needed to pit 2 laps ealier... while in pit, I decided to find out how to work the pit menue LOL and I changed the front tires only to find out that the rears needed to be changed as well LOL
... so, since I received a S&G penalty due to speeding in the pitlane, I had to pay pit another visit anyways LOL
I am not sure, but I think I might have pit three times due to such imperfections which made it kinda hard to catch up with others haha

Any ways, I enjoyed it quite a bit and will hopefully not make it a habit to pit that often LOL


Thanks Bram for your patience (honestly!): you tried to "chat" me three times 2 inform me about my "slightly numbered" name only to realize that I was completely oblivious to your attempt to inform me *duh* ... sorry again --> @ 1 point I got distracted by all those messages popping up so I decided to no longer pay attention to it (especially because I believed that I was all set and nothing was wrong)


See you guys at the next race


Ulli

 

[Bram Hengeveld]

We were all wondering if there was a 2nd Ulli Haus somewhere :thumb:

 

[Caramidaru Andrei Bogdan]

HY

QUALI - IN 19 PLACE with 5laps done overall

race- i just wanted to finish ..had some small fights but nothig serios cause i was dead slow...and on lap 5or 6 the game went in windowed mode...and i went stright in the wall ..so "{sory, damage is not repareable,race over"

p.s. i wasn;t even on my pc cause i was out off town..but next race i'm at home..and hope to do a better race

10-x RD

 

[Jari Vinnari]

Qualified in 3rd place which was pleasant surprise for me. During the race I got a small nudge from behind and that dropped me from 3rd to 8th place after doing a 360 spin. It was pure racing accident so no worries.
I had decided to change only front tires and that proved to be mixed blessing. Made some places thanks to faster pitting but the car was absolute nightmare to drive with worn back tires.
Finished in "happy" 3rd place.

Thank you very much RD crew.

eace:
Jari

 

[David Zafiu]

Someone is up there to make a video for C5R too? Nice vid Bram!

 

[Dinca Andrei]

Verry nice track.
I even made a small movie..
The song its made by me so the Youtube will not remove it....

 

[Jari Vinnari]

Brno GT video is almost ready and it will be made public after the commentary is added to the video.
Ill start making C5R video today.

 

[David Zafiu]

Wow great. Great video great driving. You can post it in Media Center!

EDITED: Is allready in Media Center,i was thinking that it's on Spa Round 2 thread....hmmm...or did Bram moved them?

 

[Eckhart von Glan]

nice one, makes me look forward to Sunday already

 

[David Garcia]

Really do not know how I found myself on P3.

I do know why mate, you where all the race on a very good and constant pace and you clearly deserved it. (I helped you a bit defending my P4 as an upside down cat) XD

Give David a GT car and he always does that.

LOL. Not always, but with a bit of luck and with the permission of my tires! Thanks Ivo! :tongue:

Qual ...then in the penultimate lap, I overtaken Garcia in turn 2, but he tried to close the door, and I/he shunted him/me, he went wide, during the action, I thought this would have almost no consequences (just a few seconds lost), but then I saw in my mirrors Garcia in the sand trap of the following turn, so even if David says it was not my fault (in one hand, he was closing the door while I was already in front), I'm sorry, because he lost many places in the two last laps.

Of course it was not your fault, you already gained the position when I stered into the corner. Well done James as you clearly where faster than me in th crucial moments, was a pleasure to meet you online finally. My problem on the last laps was that after many many laps on bad tyre conditions (at least worse than the 4 cars behind me) and on a defensive line I simply was not able to keep the concentration anymore, was a dificult race at the end with loads of pressure and pleasure together.

All the fights where really clean, and it is a privilage racing with such an experienced fast and nice fellas. Thanks RD for taking care of making it that well.

 

[Danny Asbury]

RDGTC S2 - Blog

Hello race fans. The organizers have given me the okay to start a blog of sorts for the RDGTC. Here, I'll be reporting on each round of the series. You'll also find here driver interviews, team news, and other interesting league happenings. Feel free to comment, all that is asked is that you stay on topic, as this is not the paddock.

Enjoy!

 

[Danny Asbury]

RDGTC--Round 1 Brno

This past weekend marked the opening of the RaceDepartment GT Pro Championship. The series spans four races over one month, one round every Sunday. Week one saw the championship coincide with the FIA GT1’s round at Brno, which allowed virtual racers to not only watch some great GT1 action, but to also get on the ‘virtual’ track to mix it up a bit themselves. On the virtual side of things—which, let’s be fair, is what us sim-racers care about the most—drivers competed in an intense test of both patients and skill. Here on the GT Blog, we’ll take a closer look at the action.​

Going into the weekend, odds makers had an easy time choosing the favorite, and that was anything associated with Aston Martin. The Martin team not only had what many consider the superior car for Brno, but they housed a driver lineup that made even the most seasoned sim-racers shudder. Leading Aston Martin’s team of speedsters was none other then superstar driver, Marcin Skrzypczak. In practice Marcin showed just why he’s feared as he was over 2 seconds clear of any other driver, and in qualifying it was much of the same, as he took pole in a walk.​

A surprise performance in quali was just how well the Corvettes placed. Christopher Aponte along with ‘car-mate’ James Johnson took up 2 podium spots, taking the fight to Aston Martin early. Unfortunately, the last of the Vettes clocked in on P20, which left Corvette supporters leaving something to be desired.​

A little further down the grid it was team Lister that surprised the crowd at Brno, clocking in two machines for top ten slots. It would appear that the cobination of David Garcia, Martin Vrba and Xose Estrada work well together, and it paid off big time for the Lister Storm organization, which had this to say after watching the quali effort. “We’re absolutely thrilled. Those lads killed it out there. We knew we picked the right men for the job, and they proved it today.”​

Other notes from qualifying were Dodges’ grand effort to also get two of their cars inside the top ten, despite the car not being particularly fast at Brno, a circuit known for its long, sweeping corners and not so long straights. ​

Moving onto the race, it was Mr. Speed, Marcin Skrzypczak, who easily walked away with the contest, lapping all but four cars. Meanwhile it was Corvette’s woes that took major attention during round one. James Johnson and Christopher Aponte finished 3rd and 9th, respectively. But that result is a far cry from their 2nd and 3rd quali effort. In fact, Johnson had to make a rather remarkable recovery drive to regain his 3rd spot, falling out of the top 10 running order at one point. ​

Perhaps the biggest surprise of the weekend was Hugo Hekkenberg, the only driver to have any major success in the Gampert Apollo. The Netherlands’ driver qualified on p15, but during the race was able to take the Gampert all the way to 5th. Gampert Apollo were to the moon with the result, and had this to say following the race. “With a week filled of mediocrity by us, we are very happy to have a star performance for our side.”​

Audi also put in a good day at the track, getting a car inside the top 5, driven by none other then the Polish man with the hardest name to say, but not so difficult to cut and paste, Krzysztof Babij. Babij led a charge by Audi to put them inside the top 3 in the manufacturers’ cup, and thus right inside the title chase. After a great performance in RDGTC in season one, odds makers pegged Audi as one of the favorites going into the manufacturers’ cup, and this first round result surely doesn’t disappoint. ​

Losers over the weekend were obviously Saleen. The American based manufacturer put together a very solid lineup of drivers, led by Bram Hengeveld, who ran the fastest Saleen times throughout the week. Still, Saleen couldn’t quite seal the deal during the race, as Bram finished on p10, earning the manufacturer their only significant points for the weekend. The manufacturer’s #2 driver, Yoeri Gijsen, also put in a nice effort, but unfortunately for Saleen, it wasn’t enough to get them cleared of 7th place in the manufacurers’ cup. This has led Saleen supporters to already cast doubts on not only the Saleen drivers, but also the car itself. Does it have the grit to finish a race strong? And can young driver Freddie Besems put in a good enough result to bolt Saleen up the order? Time will only tell.​

Finally there is Koenigsegg and their lackluster performance. Spectators were absolutely baffled by ‘the eggs’ inability to factor into the contest. In fact, Koenigsegg put in such a nonchalant effort, that their highest placed car finished on p16, driven by race veteran Neil Gault, who was followed closely by car-mate Yves Larose. Koenigsegg’s P.R. man made a terse, ominous statement to the media following the disastrous opening leg of the championship. “Heads will roll if this doesn’t turn around. Heads will roll!”

Next weekend the series stops over at Belgium for its second leg, hosted on none other than the legendary Spa Francochamps GP. With the championship still in its early stages, manufacturers still have time to turn their operation around, and for those who had a good round one, now is the time to put the hammer down. Some of the main questions focus on the Lister and its ability to duplicate its performance from last round. And can Corvette keep their noses clean for 60 minutes and put in a result good enough to overtake Aston Martin. One is only left to wonder until the flag drops and the racers get racing this Sunday at Spa. What we can leave you with is the current team and driver standings after round one. ​

That’s all for the GT Pro blog for now, but don’t forget to check in for special team updates, driver interviews, and, of course, more weekend reports. Happy racing! ​

Aston Martin leads the manufacturers' cup through leg one. ​

1.
GT1 Aston Martin Racing

3
137​

2.
GT1 Corvette Racing

3
109​

3.
GT1 Audi Racing

3
101​

4.
GT1 Lister Racing

3
98​

.
GT1 Gumpert Racing

3
98​

6.
GT1 Dodge Racing

3
95​

7.
GT1 Saleen Racing

3
93​

8.
GT1 Koenigsegg Racing

3
84​

1.
Marcin Skrzypczak

50​

2.
Hannu Karesola

47​

3.
James Johnson

45​

4.
Krzysztof Babij

43​

5.
Hugo Hekkenberg

41​

6.
Fernando de Almeida

40​

7.
Martin Vrba

39​

8.
Danny Asbury

38​

9.
Christopher Aponte

37​

10.
Bram Hengeveld

36​

11.
James Chesters

35​

12.
Yoeri Gijsen

34​

13.
Remco de Wildt

33​

14.
Marcel vd Aa

32​

15.
David Garcia

31​

16.
Neil Gault

30​

17.
Yves Larose

29​

18.
Xosé Estrada

28​

19.
Michael van Scheppingen

27​

20.
Eckhart von Glan

26​

21.
Dave Stephenson

25​

22.
Hansi Josefsson

24​

23.
Freddie Besems

23​

24.
Chris Sykes

22​

 

[Danny Asbury]

Race Report--Spa Francorchamps

Racing—does it get any better than at Spa Francorchamps? When it’s GT racing, then the answer is certainly no. This week in RDGTC season 2, fans and reporters alike found themselves placed right in the middle of racing heaven, where they witnessed a drive for the ages in Belgium at legendary circuit Spa Francorchamps. With a touch of bad weather tinge-ing the circuit with rain before the start, making conditions less than ideal, it was anyone’s game. To see just who did the business, read on.

Going into the weekend, there was a lot of talk surrounded Lister Racing. After an impressive opening round at Brno, team Lister were pegged as the ‘dark horse’ manufacturer to get on the podium, and perhaps win the title when all was said and done. Problem is, when there is that much hype around a club, it’s hard to live up to it. And although Lister Racing turned in a great result, placing cars on p6 and p11, it wasn’t enough to live up to that hype. Why? Well, their whole effort was without the team’s number 2 driver, David Garcia. Apparently Garcia’s car wouldn’t start, and it wasn’t able to do so little as attend practice on race day. This caused Lister Racing to take a slide in the points this week, dropping them from 4th to 6th.

Quite possibly the biggest disappointment of the weekend was found at camp Dodge. The American based manufacturer had a quick car at Spa, breaking free of its pedestrian pace at Brno. In fact, the Viper was so good in Belgium that it challenged for the podium during the race, a podium that has thus far been locked out by Aston Martin and Corvette. Unfortunately for Dodge supporters, everything went terribly wrong when the manufacturer’s leading driver, Danny Asbury, heading down pit-lane. For whatever reason, the crew didn’t expect Asbury, and when the driver stopped, no one was there to perform the pit. The blunder sent Asbury, who was running well inside the top 3, tumbling down the order. As it turned out, Dodge had misplaced their tires, and as their driver came back down to pit, they once again couldn’t work on the car. In the end, Asbury finished on p20 with a DNF. However, James Chesters was able to step in for Asbury and put in a great performance for Dodge, placing inside the top 10 for the first time this season. Sadly, it wasn’t enough to keep Dodge from falling to last in the manufacturer’s cup.

Aston Martin and trouble don’t seem to know each other, as the European manufacturer has sailed well ahead of the competition through the first 2 legs of the championship. Once again Marcin Skrzypczak took home the win, with car-mate Hannu Karesola right behind in second. There was one hitch in the Aston Martin blitz, and that was Fernanda De Almieda. Almeida placed 6th last weekend at Brno, but at Spa, Fernando suffered from some miscues and wound up with a DNF. And although Aston Martin’s lead in the manufacturer’s cup is a comfortable 16 points, it surely isn’t insurmountable, and Corvette and Audi are within striking range.

Drivers reported hearing lots of chatter going on throughout the Corvette camp in the lead up to the race. Apparently it was Christopher Aponte and James Johnson having a talk about the setup. And it quickly got out that team Corvette wasn’t happy with their car at Spa. In qualifying, neither Corvette machines lit up the scoreboard like they did at Brno, but they put in a respectable effort clocking in at 8th, 10th, and 16th. In the race it was Aponte that took a podium spot for Corvette, which helped Corvette Racing hold onto their #2 spot in the constructor’s cup.

One big surprise, and a good one, was Koenigsegg. After being put on blast all last week for an absolute dreadful performance at Brno, the ‘egg’ pilots stepped up to the challenge, running all 3 of their machines inside the top 15. Leading the charge was Neil Gault, who finished on p7. The race was a incredibly success for Koenigsegg after failing to put even 1 car inside the top 15 last round. Now Koenigsegg Racing, once pegged as the ‘bottom dwellers’ of RDGT Season 2, have a shot to make a run at the podium.

Aside from Dodge, there was one other big loser at Belgium, and that was Gumpart Apollo. The team’s leading driver, Hugo Hekkenberg, drove like a man inspired, shocking the whole crowd at Spa by clocking in on p2 during qualifying. During the race, however, Hugo lost his pace, and eu rouge—as it has done so many times—made an experienced driver look like an amateur, as Hekkenberg suffered a vicious crash through the legendary corner. He went on to finish 16th, but it’s a far cry from what could have been for Apollo Racing. Thankfully for Gumpart supporters, it was Remco De Wildt who stepped in to score big points for team. De Wildt was able to secure a top 5 spot, thus saving the weekend for Gumpart Apollo.

Saleen put in a good result at Spa, although somewhat curious. They were able to move up the manufacturer’s table due to Yoeri Gijsen’s p5 finish, but car-mates Freddie Baesems and Bram Hengeveld finished on p19 and p20. It would seem Saleen’s good weekend a Belgium didn’t have so much to do with their own merit, but rather it was their competition’s woes that granted them success. Still, the situation is much better for Saleen Racing as opposed to last weekend at Brno, where both car and driver were questioned by fans for a spotty performance.

Finally there is Audi, who had one of the best ‘team’ results of the weekend. Along with Koenigsegg, they were the only manufacturer to place all of their cars inside the top 15. This amazing result helped the German manufacturer keep pace with Corvette and Aston Martin in the constructor’s cup. Despite Aston Martin’s obvious dominance of the season thus far, odds makers have taken notice of Audi’s consistent driving. Some even speculate that if Aston Martin were to falter down the stretch, that it wouldn’t be Corvette to win the championship, but Audi. Only time will tell on that one.

Audi put in a great result this weekend at Spa, battling through the conditions to hold their place in the standings.

Next weekend as the RaceDepartment GT1 World Championship continues, we’ll roll into Germany for some historic racing at the 3rd stop on tour, the Nurburgring GP Circuit. Can Marcin Skrzypczak and Aston Martin be beaten? Will Koenigsegg continue its resurgence? And can Dodge, Lister, and Gumpart Apollo recover after an off weekend? You’ll have to tune in for round 3 to find out.

See you next week on Race Report, RD GT1 Blog!

 

[Danny Asbury]

Reserved

 

[Danny Asbury]

Reserved:wink:

 

[Dinca Andrei]

Wow great. Great video great driving. You can post it in Media Center!

EDITED: Is allready in Media Center,i was thinking that it's on Spa Round 2 thread....hmmm...or did Bram moved them?

Yes,he move it here.
Thanks Bram.

 

[Fernando de Almeida]

GT1

Qualy - 14th

Race - 6th Fanstastic race all time in clean batles, i only change 2 Tyres and i Pay very hard in track, not easy drive the Aston.
Tremend fight with Hugo( i start 14th , Hugo 15th) Hugo 5th, my 6th in final.

Special message to Pro Aston Drivers Marcin (I use your setup post in forum setups really nice) and Hannu. Guys nice Job 1th - 2th - 6th

 

[David Zafiu]

Thank you for the car manufactures report Danny:woot:. It was a great time for me to read those magnific words of the manufacture calss. Great job! Can't wait for the next one. :thumbup: