24 March - Easter Monday Fun Race - TC65 @ Imola

[Joel]

TC-65 @ Imola

Track: Imola
Cars: TC65 and Lotus Elite
Race distance: 22 laps
Password: wnr

Qualifying will start at 6:00pm UK time (18:00GMT), with the actual race starting at 8:00pm UK

Find the starting time in your timezone here (http://www.worldtimeserver.com/convert_time_in_GB.aspx?y=2008&mo=03&d=24&h=20&mn=0)

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results - http://www.nogripracing.com/leagues/GTL/results/Fun_Races/2008.3.24_20.3_Imola/
replay - http://www.nogripracing.com/leagues/GTL/replays/Fun_Races/Imola_080324_2003.Vcr

[rookiedaz]

Hmm, Imola + TC-65 + Mogget = Mustang;)


Thanks Joel, will definitely be up for a bit of this!

[Mogget]

That's a fair bet, Daz. I started using the Falcon online last night, but I don't quite have the same level of confidence with it as I do with the Mustang. It would undoubtedly be quicker, but the Mustang is more controllable.

My PB at Imola in the Mustang is currently 2:18.162.

[rookiedaz]

Was thinking I may pony up myself mate. Only concern I have are the rear tyres (as usual), but have never done that combo. Not my favourite track though....

[Joel]

Server now online for practise

[grem304]

2pm EST

[psyfungi]

I should be able to make it, but probably won't be there till after 7pm GMT

[bobken]

Sorry cant make tonite, got visitors.(grandkids).

[HeebyJeeby]

I'll be giving this one a miss too, Easter weekend has seen some DIY going on in chez Heebs and there's still plenty of aftermath to contend with. :)

[a_englishman]

Was having great fun, working my way back through the grid after i got hit off last corner 2nd lap. But then out of no where my car gave way under braking and i hit a tyre wall. Engine dead :(

[Roger]

Post race report..........

One of the best races ever - take a bow Daz & Mogget..........gentlemen it was great fun :trophy:

Mog - it took me ages to figure out how to get past that last time - I'd been working on it for several laps.....:wave:

P.S. Watty - just in case you wondered ;) - :P - if I hadn't been having so much fun with the aforementioned, I'd have been miles up the road - no chance mate :D (maybe)

P.P.S. - helluva drive Watty

[Pero_Grozni]

Missed this one completly - and it was on Imola as well (my favourite track).
Looking at the results it would have been a nose to tail race with Joel.

[Joel]

Re-run an wednesday, if you're around then.

:)

[rookiedaz]

:D Cheers Roger! Glad you had fun trying to get past the yank tank!

Can definitely say I got more out of this than I was expecting! Even managed to edge Moggstang in quali for 3rd on the grid!:up:

Blasted away and used the power advantage to get in front of Yop, but by halfway round the lap he was all over my tail. This was a recurring theme! First of all Yop spent about 3 laps having a go at me, but then Roger put him under pressure so all three of us were nose to tail.
All this was happening whilst I was desparately trying not to go too fast and burn my rubber, being as that has been a real problem recently:yes:.
Roger took over when Yop went off, and was actually giving me a harder time in the cortina. Was a real struggle to keep him back, and was using all the V8 muscle I had! Eventually he pushed himself off the road, Phew!, a bit of breathing space.
Not for long, cos here comes Moggstang, and of course Roger, closing in rapidly. And had Roger not gone past Mogget, slowing them both, they would have both been on me.
So Roger continued to assault my defences, but I held firm. Car was starting to move around a bit now, which I think put him off a bit, judging by the frequency of lols.:roflmao:
Then a Falcon powered Watty comes flying up from behind, charges past Roger, duffs me up:D:up:, and disappears off after Joel (no chance). Just couldn't hold him off, he had all my advantages in power, plus a bit in the turns. Great drive Watty!
Just about managed to have enough grip to hold off Roger till the end for another podium! Bloody hard work though!!
Seriously Roger, great stuff mate! So many times you could have had a nibble at me but didn't, and the racing was totally fair.:up::bowdown:
See ya weds!

[rookiedaz]

Missed this one completly - and it was on Imola as well (my favourite track).
Looking at the results it would have been a nose to tail race with Joel.


You would have been the only one Pero!!;);):yes::bowdown::clap:

[Mogget]

I have to agree with Daz and Roger that this was one of the best races ever, despite the disastrous way that it ended for me. I had absolutely no idea how fast I would be when compared to the rest of the NoGrip crowd, so I was very pleased indeed to qualify 4th on the grid. My PB at Imola in the Mustang was 2:18.162 before yesterday, but I was having a bit of trouble through the day trying to match that in practice. The best I could do was 2:18.947, which was a bit frustrating. Nevertheless, Imola requires patience. It has some very subtle corners that can really make a difference to lap times when you get them right. Obviously, I must have nailed it last night, because my qualifying time was a new PB (2:18.010).

I got a solid start, but it wasn't enough to keep up with Daz doing a wheelie down the S/F straight (that guy is seriously good off the line :eek:). I pulled alongside Yop approaching Tamburello, but backed off to avoid a first corner disaster. That left me in 4th place through the "esses", with Roger in hot pursuit in that oh so familiar yellow Cortina ;)

Joel engaged warp drive soon after, and disappeared from everyone's radar screens. That left four of us to engage in one of the best race battles I have ever had the pleasure to take part in. The trailing pack soon vanished from my rear view mirror, and I settled down to concentrate on keeping Roger behind me. A tough prospect. I've raced against him enough times on the Gamers Crib TC65+ server to know that he is seriously quick in that Cortina.

I finally decided to let Roger get past me (:p), and this was followed a short time later by the sight of Yop spinning at Variante Alta. He was having a scrap with Roger at that point, so maybe a bit of contact was involved ? Anyway, that enabled me to move back up to 4th place, with a clear view of Roger and Daz ahead (neither of these two guys would disappear from my view for the entire time that I was on the track....wonderful stuff).

Yop had recovered by that time, and was slowly gaining ground on me. Roger then made a slight error up ahead, and that allowed me to sweep past majestically. I was now in 3rd place, and hoping that Yop would keep Roger occupied whilst I tried to gain some ground on Daz. However, Yop soon disappeared completely (apparently he had suffered a disconnection :(), and that enabled Roger to concentrate on catching the famous blue Mustang ahead of him :)

We had a titanic battle over the next few laps, and even managed to close in on Daz at one point. Unfortunately, I had already been given one cut track warning for turning in slightly too early at Variante Alta, and shortly after Roger had finally got past me again, I got a second one (at Acque Minerale; I slid too far into that white painted area). That forced me to be extra careful at those two corners on subsequent laps, which slowed me down. In addition, I noticed that my tyres were starting to lose some grip. The gap between myself and the Daz/Roger battle started to widen, and it was at that point that I noticed a car approaching rapidly from behind.

Who the hell was this ?

I soon realised that it was a Falcon, and suddenly everything made sense. It had to be Watty, and he was flying ! He caught and passed me rather easily, and blasted off into the distance after Daz and Roger.

It was at this point that I realised my big mistake. Yep, you guessed it. The dreaded "forgot to increase the fuel load" error reared its ugly head. Damn. I had been driving so well :mad:

I checked the fuel gauge, and estimated that I had no more than two laps worth remaining. I was 5th at that point, and wondering what position I would be in when I rejoined the race after the inevitable pitstop. My thoughts were then interrupted by the sight of Roger's Cortina auditioning for a circus act just past Tamburello. Very impressive somersaults, mate. You should make a career out of it :roflmao:

Apparently, he had made contact with a back marker called grem (a notorious wrecker around these parts :p). Not that I gave a toss. I was back up to 4th :D

My brief moment of amusement was cut short by a blue flashing light, which indicated that my fuel tank was dangerously close to empty. With a big sigh of resignation, I entered the pits at the end of the lap. I remembered to engage the pit limiter, and rolled to a stop at the assigned point.

Then my brain wandered off.

I forgot which keys I was supposed to be pressing, and made exactly the same mistake that I had made during the "F1" race at Sepang a week ago. I pressed the Return key instead of using the arrow keys. This got rid of the pitboard, and my desperation to get it back resulted in me hitting the Escape key by mistake.

:cry:


PS. As Arnie is so fond of saying.....I'll be back !

[Roger]

Good summary Mog - note to yourself......practise pit-stops ;)

For the record - Yop out braked himself at Variante-Alta and due to a yellow tina alongside had nowhere to go and spun out. It was pressure, but no contact.

Grem (I know you were teasing about the wrecker tag :up:) - just one of those things - I was lapping and thought I had given enough room on the inside, we had the tiniest touch - the effect was like going over a land-mine - boom..........aerobatics.

Some great driving Mog - your mirrors must have been bright yellow - it takes a calm head not to fall off the road.........:trophy:

[grem304]

I think I figured out what happened Roger, You all were coming by me so fast I opened my door to get out to see what had happened to my car. And BANG!!!:eek:

[psyfungi]

...One of the best races ever...

Wasn't it! A mistake on lap two saw me slip from 7th to 12th or 13th, but for the next half hour it was nose-to-tail action through the midfield.

Check out the gaps chart - the closeness and number of crossed lines. Amazing fun!

http://www.nogripracing.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=8978&stc=1&d=1206461092

[Roger]

I think I figured out what happened Roger, You all were coming by me so fast I opened my door to get out to see what had happened to my car. And BANG!!!:eek:

Aaah - I did wonder if someone stuck their foot out to trip me up :D

Roll on Weds.........:up:

[The Stig]

Will there be another TC-65 race this week?

[Roger]

Will there be another TC-65 race this week?

http://www.nogripracing.com/forum/showthread.php?t=23003 ;)

[The Stig]

Okay, thanks. :up: :)

[watty]

Yes! A great race!
After suggesting that the previous winners didnt take the fastest cars at Donnington I felt a bit guilty about taking the fastest one here!....until Joel turned up!
Decided to start at the back and see how far up the field I could get before the tyres shredded!
Brilliant fun racing with everybody and moving up the field, all the time expecting my tyres to go up in smoke!
Amazingly I caught up with the Roger, Daz, Mogget and Yop battle and used extreme luck and a bit of bullying(sorry Daz!) to move up to 2nd!( Joel was on another planet as usual!)
Still expected half the field to come back past because of my tyres but I guess you were too busy racing each other!
Thanks guys!

[rookiedaz]

Amazingly I caught up with the Roger, Daz, Mogget and Yop battle and used extreme luck and a bit of bullying(sorry Daz!) to move up to 2nd!( Joel was on another planet as usual!)
Still expected half the field to come back past because of my tyres but I guess you were too busy racing each other!

No need to apologise mate, I only missed an apex on a couple of occasions all race, but one of them was when you were directly behind:o:rolleyes::D. And tried to stay with you, but you were too quick for me, and, yes, I was on the lookout for the yellow Tina....

[Mogget]

The Moggstang won again last night, Daz. I qualified 2nd with a full grid at Magny Cours GP in the last race of the night, and held off a determined challenge by some guy called "hed" in a Lotus Cortina to nail my 8th win in the car.

Cool :cool:

[Roger]

Some other guy in a Cortina didn't qualify and finished 3rd ;) :P

Great way to end the night for my Mog :up:

[Mogget]

Yeah, I noticed that, Roger. It's a good job the race was only 5 laps. I might have struggled to handle two Cortinas :)