GT Sport Season 8 Division 3

Wow, what a difference between practice pace and race pace. Couldn't replicate my practice lap pace during the quali session and so started 11th. Got a good start but played it cautiously through turn 1 & 2 to avoid any issues and found my self briefly in 2nd last. Using a good measure of precision and patience worked my back up to mid-pack. After pitting on lap 13, whittled away the 4.5s gap to @Tristan Jones and @deedz_aus. Jonesy & I as team mates did a bit of bump drafting to close the gap to Deedz. I passed Jonesy then caught up to Deedz. He & I exchanged places over the final 3 laps with him narrowly in the lead on the final lap going into the final hairpin. I got inside him cleanly as we braked into the turn, but I got on the loud pedal just enough too early for the back end to break loose, clipped the wall, which stopped the slide but ricocheted into his side. I redressed but it cost us both with Jonesy flying by to take 9th. I finished where I started in 11th.

I was shocked with your pre qualifying pace, clothing low 1:57's, even a 1:56 if I remember... I couldn't get lower than 1:57.6. Disappointing when it cant be replicated

Negotiating traffic for a clear or assisted run during quali was my issue. We said in the party chat after the race we may have been better off sending people out with a 20 sec gap.

+1 to that. Thanks everyone for turning up.

Definitely a good idea for this track. I got 1 'clean' lap in. I gave up on 2 of them, to try and get some room to the person in front, and then others came flying by only to clog it again

I got told by @Hatfield about promoting me to Division 2

They will eat you alive lol

You'll be OK @LE_bananajosh, you're not rated an S S driver by GT Sport for nothing.

Sorry?

I’m currently S S rating now

I'll rephrase that for you - you are rated S S for a good reason.

I like being a BS driver. Kinda suits me

What a race! We all knew splipstream would be a big part of the race, it was still a surprise to see it as such a deciding factor. In my race anyway.

Poor @LennonLegend1993 couldn't shrug me - I could stay with him for most of the track, but he would build a 0.5-0.8 gap on me in the last corner or 2 - then I would gain it back on the straight. I thought I would gain an advantage by turning my brakes up to -5 for more stopping power, seemed to go great in practise - but that was the lap he lost me, i worked out slipstream now goes to 1.3 seconds or so (since update im told), instead of just 0.8. It is a weak slipstream at 1.3, and gains quickly at 0.8.

After Lennon left me, @T F Eccles caught me - even gave me a bit of bump draft. Being my team captain, and seeing him hit 1:56 in practice, much better than my 1:58, i thought I would let him by to catch Lennon. I tried to bump draft him but I couldn't catch him - draft gave me no relative advantage when he had Lennons draft too (or maybe i just slow).

Towards the end, my tyres were not being nice to me (i was sliding on them pretty awfully in places), and i was losing half a second per lap - which I was aware of from practise, but I was mid-battle with someone (Lennon, Deedz?) going into pit, and didn't want to lose draft, so didn't change tyres - I figured they weren't going to change. So by the end of the race I was only barely keeping up with Lennon and Colin - but then their tussle saw me fly by both of them on the last corner...

Also a confession - i think.



Wasn't sure if i caused that or not...so redressed anyway...then looking back in the replay later saw @fezza turned around...i thought at the time it was Colin - so when he got past me, i got going - still wondering at the time that it was an amazing recovery. Not sure if i got a bump from behind, though it felt very pinball-y. Ill have a look tonight.

@DAMN_RIGHT_BOB is faster than me, though I had momentum on him from his wall bump - but I still wasn't trying to overtake him. I thought I had a bit of a buffer staying off his line/ out of his slipstream, but then he dove across and braked on the inside of @Matthyus - I didn't pick that coming! He had big gap in front of him before that, didn't think we would all be so close.

Guilty or not guilty u reckon?

Every god damn lap I was getting up around .8-1.1 roughly and that damn straight haha. Having to defend into turn 1 for about 15 laps It made it fun mate!

In terms of the video above, I think Bob moves under braking and you cant do much about that. It's such a hard braking zone, and anything can happen. You redressed what you thought was right, cant ask for much more.

EDIT : Also, @Tristan Jones it was me you were behind going into the pits. I thought you might change and i'd be able to shrug you off but you put less fuel in than me, and ended up coming out closer! Grrrr

You found lots of ways to do that first corner!

You mixed it up really well giving me bump draft halfway down the straight to be able to pass me on the corner, very lateral thinking.

I would have liked to stay a bit closer to you through the first section of the track - i tried a couple of laps, but driving that close is crazy! I thought I would smash you into a corner too easily staying that close, and take us both out - so I backed off...a little. Once I gave an inch you screamed away though! I had a few good irl lols at my good slipstreaming fortune, you definately deserved to shrug me a lot eariler than you did!

I had to.. you wouldn't off

You should have heard me on the chat I had with Bob and Deedz. I was so mad because I had no slipstream ahead of me for over 50% of the race, and you just wouldnt leave me alone But looking back it did make the race better than driving alone.

It was me that bumped you ever-so-slightly, a victim of an ill timed un-ghosting. I saw the calamity happening up ahead as I braked into the hairpin, turned in tight to avoid everyone and thought I'd got through OK, then you solidified right at the wring moment - I think I just caught your right rear corner.