Gran Turismo 7 Season 8 Division 1

First race in D1 completed.
Qualified where I thought, towards the back end - 15th out of 16 racers. It was very nice to see a complete field of racers in D1!!

The first few laps were a minefield, but I managed to keep it on the track and with the pack.
By lap 5 things had settled down and packs had been formed and I believe I was just sitting outside the top 10.
In front of me was a large pack of racers and I was catching (mainly due to them battling), but once that pack got broken up, my race was pretty much over.
I couldn't catch the D1 lads in that 'pack' and by keeping it clean and pushing my own lap times to my PB's of 49 flats, I was able to keep the rest of the new to D1 crew behind me with a sizable gap.
To finish 14s from the D1 guys goes to show that I need to find at least half a second of pace.
At the end of the day, goals were achieved.
1. Didn't get lapped
2. Didn't stack it at all.

What a surprisingly enjoyable night! Qualified well, just inside the top 5, and got attacked at the start due to being a bit passive. Found my groove eventually and started running around with @SpeedyTyres which lasted the entire race. I'm super pleased with the field spread as a whole considering the last minute reserves we had jump in, so a massive thanks to Lane and TheStonedTowel who jumped in thanks to our partnership with Project One eSports!

Disappointed to be missing the next couple rounds as I'll be in Bathurst for the two weeks but looking forward to rejoining you guys in Tokyo for Round 5!

This was fun avoiding that.
Thank the lords that we were on voice chat for it, a slight lift and delayed turn in helped me avoided being T boned

When I can keep up, not just make up the numbers is when I will feel that I'm in D1.

We are a few signups short to truly make a dedicated 4th division to allow the proper spread of racers.
Incentive to push forward? That's what I'm using my thrust into D1 as.

I will share it tonight if no one beats me to it.

2.28
2.27 on low fuel.

Atm anyhow. Likely need to be pushing 2.26s to be competitive with the mid pack.

4 reserve slots available for round 2. First in best dressed.

Round 2 18/02: Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps - 24 Laps - Custom Weather - Early Morning 4x

WELCOME to Season 8 for Gran Turismo 7!!
As always please take a couple minutes to read the following so you have an understanding of what is expected on race night.
If you have any questions, or want clarification on any of the rules or regulations please ask!

ROOM OPEN:
Room captains may have practice rooms open beforehand but should have the official room up by 7:30pm AEDT. Please be on time, or let the room captain or div thread know if you may be late. If all agree, the room may wait for you, Within reason. Please remember we have drivers from NZ, and later starts mean a much later night for them.

SIGHT ISSUES:
Before qualifying, exit to lobby and spend 30 seconds in spectate mode, scroll through the list of drivers on track and make sure that you can see their car. If you can't see somebody (and they are confirmed as being on track), exit the lobby, re-join, and check again. Type the number of cars you can see in the lobby chat and cross check with other drivers to ensure clarity.

QUALIFYING : 8pm AEDT for 10 mins.
Feel free to run practice laps prior to qualifying, The host will trigger a 'Room Reset' closer to the commencement of Qualifying.

PITS ARE OPEN DURING QUALIFYING

RACE START TIME : 8:15pm AEDT

LAG ISSUES / ROOM RESTARTS:
This is up to the room host/captains. If there is a Disconnection (or cars stuck on grid) at race start, it is sporting to try to get them back in, which may mean a new room to be set up. I would suggest only having 1 restart if required due to DSC, due to having to set up the room from scratch and also having to set timed laps in order to set the grid. Please be as reasonable as you can with this....

TURN 1 LAP 1:
The old saying goes, you can’t win the race on lap 1, but you can definitely lose it. Please be mindful of other drivers on lap 1 coming into turn 1, and for that matter, the entire race. It can be very demoralizing to hot lap on your own for 45 minutes as I'm sure many of you are aware.

TRACK LIMITS:
As we are running with 'track limit penalties" OFF, we will run with our usual Raceonoz track limit regulations. This means you MUST have at least 2 wheels on the ripple strip OR white line that defines the track limit. If you do make a mistake and have to run outside the limits, be aware that you are not allowed to gain any advantage, position or time wise. Track Limits protests may be launched by any active driver in the race.

Track Limits will be monitored at turns 4, 9, 11 and 17 as well as generally around the entire circuit. Track limits will be defined as two wheels on the red and white kerb, or white line, whichever is further out.

CONTACT:
Is to be avoided at all times..... If you make contact with someone and gain an advantage, YOU ARE EXPECTED to give the spot back. Occasionally, Gran Turismo track limits may teleport a disadvantaged driver backwards on circuit to ‘reset’ them, if this occurs at the hand of another driver, IT IS EXPECTED that the driver at fault will wait and redress the position.
Side by side 'rubbing' is racing is allowed and promoted within reason, but all drivers are expected to give racing room. For clarity surrounding racing room, please feel free to PM @Viperzed
Show each other RESPECT! It is difficult enough to drive the car at the limit on your own, without someone squeezing you within a millimeter of the grass.
So be patient and show respect to your fellow drivers.
If you are redressing contact, please do so out of the way of other cars, off the racing line, or if there isn't much room, off track.

PIT ENTRY/EXIT LINES:
Pit Line Penalties are ON so you will be penalised in game if you cut any part of the entry or exit lines. Be mindful entering the pits that you will need to commit to coming in not long before the final corner. You may receive a penalty for misjudging your line on entry. Be mindful not to impede other cars on your way in. On pit exit, cars exiting the lane are reminded to keep drivers right if there are any cars approaching, you will have to give them space.

BLUE FLAGS:
Please observe blue flags, and move out of the way of faster cars if you are being lapped. Failure to observe blue flags WILL result in a penalty

STEWARDS GROUP AND RACE PROTESTS:
This season, the Head Steward will be @Viperzed. If you have reason to protest, please SAVE YOUR REPLAY, and then let him know via a PM.
DO NOT BLOW UP IN THE FORUM OR IN THE ROOM CHAT. There have been multiple incidents where the replays from drivers have been different, so its true that sometimes things are not as black and white as they may seem. You have until MIDNIGHT, Monday night to register your protest via PM. Stewards may ask for video evidence from both drivers or room captains to make any decision.

SAVE YOUR REPLAY:
If the room host can ask all drivers to save their replay would be good before exiting the room.....once they exit out and the option goes, it cant be retrieved!

PARKING UP:
If you are unable to continue to race, please enter the pits and leave your game paused without selecting tyres so that your car stays parked in the pits. Parking up off track activates yellow flags in the sector, and even though penalties are off, we have reports of penalties occurring for passes happening near the parked car. Quitting off track results in a sometimes race ending lag spike and may be punished in extreme scenarios.

ATTENDANCE:
Could all drivers please inform Room Captains or make a post on the division thread if they do not intend on racing on Sunday night, Room Captains/ Lobby Hosts are advised not to wait for anyone who has not communicated their intentions. If you do not post in your room thread or psn chat that you cannot attend, a spot may not be held for you for the following weeks race.

TRACK SPECIFIC - Spa
The non-24H edition, We return to the F1 pit lane and a classic GP circuit with plenty in the way of overtaking opportunities and undulations.

Be wary that this extended one hour round may feature some rain, but fear not, your sports tires can handle it!

Round 2 Results
Qual

Race Results