GP3 Career Thread
Posted by Diax F1
Race 7 - Streets of Monte Carlo, Monaco GP
I dominated the Saturday qualifiers by two seconds in front of Regazzoni and Scheckter. The race start was also impressive. I quickly made a margin of 10-15 seconds, 2nd being Regazzoni who was looking very good that day. Shortly after my firt and the last pit-stop in lap 31 Regazzoni retired and now 2nd place was in Laffite's hands as Scheckter retired before his pit-stop. I kept increasing the gap which reached in its peak 50 seconds. Some 20 laps from the flag the sky got dark and it started to rain. At first I wasn't worrying too much as the tarmac wasn't becoming particularly wet but after 5 additional laps I was forced to go for wet tyres. I chose intermediates and still was the only to have changed tyres. I increased the margin even to more than one minute over 2nd driver as they all were going on soft drys only to change tyres some laps after I did. I had to be very careful no to go off and ruin the race and I luckily managed to grab it all to the finish. I won again, 4th time in a row. All the top rivals retired along way leaving Villeneuve, Scheckter and Reutemann with no points. While Laffite's performance wasn't a surprise in Monte Carlo I was a bit surprised to see Depailler finish 3rd as he was 8th in the qualifying session. Another good day for Ligier. Traditionally, neither of Renaults crossed the finish line...It's good they didn't build airplanes :P
The winner - Lauda, 2nd - Laffite, 3rd - Depailler
I dominated the Saturday qualifiers by two seconds in front of Regazzoni and Scheckter. The race start was also impressive. I quickly made a margin of 10-15 seconds, 2nd being Regazzoni who was looking very good that day. Shortly after my firt and the last pit-stop in lap 31 Regazzoni retired and now 2nd place was in Laffite's hands as Scheckter retired before his pit-stop. I kept increasing the gap which reached in its peak 50 seconds. Some 20 laps from the flag the sky got dark and it started to rain. At first I wasn't worrying too much as the tarmac wasn't becoming particularly wet but after 5 additional laps I was forced to go for wet tyres. I chose intermediates and still was the only to have changed tyres. I increased the margin even to more than one minute over 2nd driver as they all were going on soft drys only to change tyres some laps after I did. I had to be very careful no to go off and ruin the race and I luckily managed to grab it all to the finish. I won again, 4th time in a row. All the top rivals retired along way leaving Villeneuve, Scheckter and Reutemann with no points. While Laffite's performance wasn't a surprise in Monte Carlo I was a bit surprised to see Depailler finish 3rd as he was 8th in the qualifying session. Another good day for Ligier. Traditionally, neither of Renaults crossed the finish line...It's good they didn't build airplanes :P
The winner - Lauda, 2nd - Laffite, 3rd - Depailler
Race 8 - Dijon-Prenois, French GP
This race has proved how sometimes those who shouldn't win do it.
The qualifying's day was heavily wet. I set 6th best time and waited for Sunday's race. A surprise was Nelson Piquet who was in a higher row than me for the first time this season as he got 4th best lap. The pole for Laffite in Ligier. 2nd for Andretti and 3rd for Scheckter.
The race day was,contrary to the qualifying session, sunny with no single cloud in the skies. I instantly passed the rivals and made it to 1st place but my luck didn't last long. In lap 5 I got some electrical problem with my car which drastically decreased my performance. I somehow managed to crawl into the pit-lane to get my car repaired. From now on ,while 18th, I didn't expect much and wanted only to get the best what I could that day. At the same time some of my main rivals retired including Scheckter, Reutemann and Piquet. I kept passing the backmarkers and ,lucky enough, managed to climb up to 5th after first pit-stop. Then I kept pushing extremely hard and passed Depailler and Villeneuve. There were still Jones and the leader - Laffite in front. Around lap 60 I managed to pass Jones constantly increasing the margin but Laffite was out of reach. I was succesful in decreasing the gap from 15 sec to 5.4 sec but I spun off the track in one of the corners and my pushing brought no results. Suddenly , at the second pit-stop I saw a light in the tunnel. Laffite pitted as well and he was just a few metres ahead! His crew was suspiciously slow and even though I got to my crew a few long seconds later, I managed to decrease the gap to only 6 seconds. The margin was getting smaller but not fast enough to think about a victory... Eight laps from the finish I was given a God's blessing - Laffite got a transmission failure and I became the leader having Jones around 14 seconds behind. This way I have won again claiming my 5th consecutive victory.
The winner - Lauda, 2nd - Jones, 3rd - Villeneuve
This race has proved how sometimes those who shouldn't win do it.
The qualifying's day was heavily wet. I set 6th best time and waited for Sunday's race. A surprise was Nelson Piquet who was in a higher row than me for the first time this season as he got 4th best lap. The pole for Laffite in Ligier. 2nd for Andretti and 3rd for Scheckter.
The race day was,contrary to the qualifying session, sunny with no single cloud in the skies. I instantly passed the rivals and made it to 1st place but my luck didn't last long. In lap 5 I got some electrical problem with my car which drastically decreased my performance. I somehow managed to crawl into the pit-lane to get my car repaired. From now on ,while 18th, I didn't expect much and wanted only to get the best what I could that day. At the same time some of my main rivals retired including Scheckter, Reutemann and Piquet. I kept passing the backmarkers and ,lucky enough, managed to climb up to 5th after first pit-stop. Then I kept pushing extremely hard and passed Depailler and Villeneuve. There were still Jones and the leader - Laffite in front. Around lap 60 I managed to pass Jones constantly increasing the margin but Laffite was out of reach. I was succesful in decreasing the gap from 15 sec to 5.4 sec but I spun off the track in one of the corners and my pushing brought no results. Suddenly , at the second pit-stop I saw a light in the tunnel. Laffite pitted as well and he was just a few metres ahead! His crew was suspiciously slow and even though I got to my crew a few long seconds later, I managed to decrease the gap to only 6 seconds. The margin was getting smaller but not fast enough to think about a victory... Eight laps from the finish I was given a God's blessing - Laffite got a transmission failure and I became the leader having Jones around 14 seconds behind. This way I have won again claiming my 5th consecutive victory.
The winner - Lauda, 2nd - Jones, 3rd - Villeneuve
Hey abdelkader, let the other guys win one time or another! 
Just kidding.
Nice job mate, 5 wins in a row, that's very impressive. You could land me a bit of that momentum
Well, now my last race.
Round 5 @ Bayfront Park, Miami (Race 1: 34laps; Race 2: 69laps)
Even though I earned my first point of the season, I had one of those long crappy races that I wished my car broke down so that I could leave the race race with some dignity.
The Friday practise sessions weren't bad. A relative good setup put in the middle of the time sheets.
My qualifying performance was the best I had so far in the season. For race 1 my qualifying time was good enough to put me on 12th place, my best qualifying result at that point, of the season, which would be topped on qualifying for race 2. With a little tweak on my setup I was able to run a lightning fast lap that put on pole for the first time this season, 0.196sec away from 2nd place. With this pole, I got my first and only point of the season.
Race 1:
The heat of the two previous days broke, and rain greeted the drivers for race 1. My pole setup was good for rain conditions, and starting from twelfth, I was able to get to 8th, and after one of the WRC Fords retired I got into 7th with an eye on 6th, but a few little mistakes, on a wet tight track where there's only one straight long enough to get the car to 6th gear, and a bit of not trying hard enough forced me to settle for 7th, 'cause when I decided it was time to focus it was too late. I was confident that race 2 would be my race. But boy, I was by far wrong!
Race 2:
By the end of race 1 the rain had stopped and the track was drying, and when race 2 started the rain clouds had left and the sun joined the party. I was starting from the pole for the first time this season and I was overconfident that from there no one could get me, at such tight track. Since there was little room for passing there I decided to go with a strategy which I didn't need to pit. At lap 1 was able to maintain my lead, but maybe feeling the pressure of leading for the first time in the season, seeing all the other cars behind trying to find a whole to pass, I started to make mistakes, overshooting corners, eventually spinning (three times). Since the morning was a rainy one, I wasn't able to test my pole setup on dry conditions with such fuel load, so I got for the race an understeering car, which also made my car a lot harder to drive. It was one of the longest hours of my career at these series. In the end I finished 12th as the last car running, one lap behind the leader.
Both races victories win to teams running at their home country. Race 1 went for #11-Richard Childress Racing and race two for #7-Lola MasterCard. Both first wins of the season for both teams.
The points standing are still lead by the Acura team thanks to another finish in the podium by its top driver of the moment. And with the win on race 2, the Lola MasterCard team got to be the third team with enough points to be present in the next season.
Now, the series goes back to Europe, most precisely to Orschesleben. It's an important venue for my team since it's its home round.
Cheers.
PS: BTW, Ferrari2007, how did your race went in Hungary, did you end up to see a Hill victory? Or in fact you won it yourself?
Good luck.
Just kidding.Nice job mate, 5 wins in a row, that's very impressive. You could land me a bit of that momentum
Well, now my last race.
Round 5 @ Bayfront Park, Miami (Race 1: 34laps; Race 2: 69laps)
Even though I earned my first point of the season, I had one of those long crappy races that I wished my car broke down so that I could leave the race race with some dignity.
The Friday practise sessions weren't bad. A relative good setup put in the middle of the time sheets.
My qualifying performance was the best I had so far in the season. For race 1 my qualifying time was good enough to put me on 12th place, my best qualifying result at that point, of the season, which would be topped on qualifying for race 2. With a little tweak on my setup I was able to run a lightning fast lap that put on pole for the first time this season, 0.196sec away from 2nd place. With this pole, I got my first and only point of the season.
Race 1:
The heat of the two previous days broke, and rain greeted the drivers for race 1. My pole setup was good for rain conditions, and starting from twelfth, I was able to get to 8th, and after one of the WRC Fords retired I got into 7th with an eye on 6th, but a few little mistakes, on a wet tight track where there's only one straight long enough to get the car to 6th gear, and a bit of not trying hard enough forced me to settle for 7th, 'cause when I decided it was time to focus it was too late. I was confident that race 2 would be my race. But boy, I was by far wrong!
Race 2:
By the end of race 1 the rain had stopped and the track was drying, and when race 2 started the rain clouds had left and the sun joined the party. I was starting from the pole for the first time this season and I was overconfident that from there no one could get me, at such tight track. Since there was little room for passing there I decided to go with a strategy which I didn't need to pit. At lap 1 was able to maintain my lead, but maybe feeling the pressure of leading for the first time in the season, seeing all the other cars behind trying to find a whole to pass, I started to make mistakes, overshooting corners, eventually spinning (three times). Since the morning was a rainy one, I wasn't able to test my pole setup on dry conditions with such fuel load, so I got for the race an understeering car, which also made my car a lot harder to drive. It was one of the longest hours of my career at these series. In the end I finished 12th as the last car running, one lap behind the leader.
Both races victories win to teams running at their home country. Race 1 went for #11-Richard Childress Racing and race two for #7-Lola MasterCard. Both first wins of the season for both teams.
The points standing are still lead by the Acura team thanks to another finish in the podium by its top driver of the moment. And with the win on race 2, the Lola MasterCard team got to be the third team with enough points to be present in the next season.
Now, the series goes back to Europe, most precisely to Orschesleben. It's an important venue for my team since it's its home round.
Cheers.
PS: BTW, Ferrari2007, how did your race went in Hungary, did you end up to see a Hill victory? Or in fact you won it yourself?
Good luck.
Yep Damon Hill won in Hungary for Arrows 
Mika Hakkinen was 2nd and Jos Verstappen 3rd, Villeneuve 4th, Diniz 5th and Katayama 6th
It was a crazy race with rain at the start, some drivers pitted for wets while others including myself stayed out
But it didn't stop raining and no dry line appeared and my race was wrecked from there
I did move up some positions to around 12th but I had a puncture and stopped on the start finish straight
Schumacher crashed out and with Villeneuve 4th the gap between them is only 2 points 53 - 51
Races: 163 - Wins: 23 - Pole Positions: 24 - Fastest Laps: 22
Season 9: Constructors' Champions
Mika Hakkinen was 2nd and Jos Verstappen 3rd, Villeneuve 4th, Diniz 5th and Katayama 6th
It was a crazy race with rain at the start, some drivers pitted for wets while others including myself stayed out
But it didn't stop raining and no dry line appeared and my race was wrecked from there
I did move up some positions to around 12th but I had a puncture and stopped on the start finish straight
Schumacher crashed out and with Villeneuve 4th the gap between them is only 2 points 53 - 51
Races: 163 - Wins: 23 - Pole Positions: 24 - Fastest Laps: 22
Season 9: Constructors' Champions
Racer#73 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Nice job mate, 5 wins in a row, that's very
> impressive. You could land me a bit of that
> momentum
I need those points anyway and I can't give you any of my momentum, unfortunately. I have been "deprived" of one of my victories already as you probably remember ,only 4 best results from first 7 races counted to the championship in good ol' days of F1...I won five times in seven races so one victory becomes forgotten :/
> Race 1:
> The heat of the two previous days broke, and rain
> greeted the drivers for race 1.
As far as I remember, you wanted to avoid a tropical storm in Miami or something, while I hoped you wouldn't need an umbrella... Pity it didn't work out. It's gonna be better next time. Good luck in Orchesleben
Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 04/09/2009 03:48PM by abdelkader.
-------------------------------------------------------
> Nice job mate, 5 wins in a row, that's very
> impressive. You could land me a bit of that
> momentum
I need those points anyway and I can't give you any of my momentum, unfortunately
. I have been "deprived" of one of my victories already as you probably remember ,only 4 best results from first 7 races counted to the championship in good ol' days of F1...I won five times in seven races so one victory becomes forgotten :/> Race 1:
> The heat of the two previous days broke, and rain
> greeted the drivers for race 1.
As far as I remember, you wanted to avoid a tropical storm in Miami or something, while I hoped you wouldn't need an umbrella... Pity it didn't work out. It's gonna be better next time.
Good luck in OrcheslebenEdited 2 time(s). Last edit at 04/09/2009 03:48PM by abdelkader.
nice reports guys.
Argh. Storm on Miami is the last thing i'd like to see.
well done with the wins Abdelkader, wish me some luck too for the turkish weekend
-------------------------------
Argh. Storm on Miami is the last thing i'd like to see.
well done with the wins Abdelkader, wish me some luck too for the turkish weekend
-------------------------------
Race 9 - Silverstone, British GP
This report won't be a long one. As Julius Ceasar said: "Veni, vidi, vici". I've come, I've witnessed, I've won
Silverstone was extremely sunny throughout the whole weekend. I won the qualifying session by 1.5 sec
over Jabouille and Arnoux.
The race itself started very well to me. I started to make an abyss between me and the rest. I was flying around the circuit. Actually, after first ten laps it was clear that only a mechanical failure would deprive me of another victory. At the end of the race I was 2 laps ahead of Andretti and Scheckter (as Jabouille and Arnoux from Renault both retired due to engine problems). I've made the 6th consecutive victory in the season. This race can be successfully called ABSOLUTELY FLAWLESS as I had no doubt from the first to the last second of the race who the winner would be...it gets boring just a little bit
The winner - Lauda, 2nd - Andretti, 3rd - Scheckter
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/09/2009 10:44PM by abdelkader.
This report won't be a long one. As Julius Ceasar said: "Veni, vidi, vici". I've come, I've witnessed, I've won
Silverstone was extremely sunny throughout the whole weekend. I won the qualifying session by 1.5 sec
over Jabouille and Arnoux.
The race itself started very well to me. I started to make an abyss between me and the rest. I was flying around the circuit. Actually, after first ten laps it was clear that only a mechanical failure would deprive me of another victory. At the end of the race I was 2 laps ahead of Andretti and Scheckter (as Jabouille and Arnoux from Renault both retired due to engine problems). I've made the 6th consecutive victory in the season. This race can be successfully called ABSOLUTELY FLAWLESS as I had no doubt from the first to the last second of the race who the winner would be...it gets boring just a little bit
The winner - Lauda, 2nd - Andretti, 3rd - Scheckter
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/09/2009 10:44PM by abdelkader.
Another great job Abdelkader. Congrats.
abdelkader Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>
> I need those points anyway and I can't give you
> any of my momentum, unfortunately. I have been
> "deprived" of one of my victories already as you
> probably remember ,only 4 best results from first
> 7 races counted to the championship in good ol'
> days of F1...I won five times in seven races so
> one victory becomes forgotten :/
I forgot that the points system worked like that in 1979
> As far as I remember, you wanted to avoid a
> tropical storm in Miami or something, while I
> hoped you wouldn't need an umbrella...
Judging by my performance on both wet and dry races, I'd rather preferred that it had rained on both of them. Maybe I could have won race 2, who knows...
Well, sadly, Miami is a thing of the past, 'cause I like to race in the USA. Now it's time to start the second half of the season, which last season was where I earned 48 of my (championship victory) 51 points.
@Rob
Good luck at Istanbul. I hope ur car doesn't brake down this time, and that u get ur first points of the season. If I may say, I guess that a finish within the points for u this weekend can be a good momentum change for you. Good luck
@Ferrari2007
How real can the game get, with Hill winning the Hungarian race for arrows? Anyway, pity that you had to retire. Wish u better luck for ur next race.
Cheers.
PS: Rob, I have just downloaded the Oschersleben track from your site, but the file didn't come with an MD file, would you mind send me one, please? Thanks
PS2: The last round of my season is set to be at the Korean track Hanghang Park, but I've been having difficulties find it, more precisely finding someone who has it. So, is there anyone of you who has this track, that can kindly send it to me? Thanks
My email is: paulo.mota.galante@gmail.com
abdelkader Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>
> I need those points anyway and I can't give you
> any of my momentum, unfortunately
. I have been> "deprived" of one of my victories already as you
> probably remember ,only 4 best results from first
> 7 races counted to the championship in good ol'
> days of F1...I won five times in seven races so
> one victory becomes forgotten :/
I forgot that the points system worked like that in 1979
> As far as I remember, you wanted to avoid a
> tropical storm in Miami or something, while I
> hoped you wouldn't need an umbrella...
Judging by my performance on both wet and dry races, I'd rather preferred that it had rained on both of them. Maybe I could have won race 2, who knows...
Well, sadly, Miami is a thing of the past, 'cause I like to race in the USA. Now it's time to start the second half of the season, which last season was where I earned 48 of my (championship victory) 51 points.
@Rob
Good luck at Istanbul. I hope ur car doesn't brake down this time, and that u get ur first points of the season. If I may say, I guess that a finish within the points for u this weekend can be a good momentum change for you. Good luck
@Ferrari2007
How real can the game get, with Hill winning the Hungarian race for arrows? Anyway, pity that you had to retire. Wish u better luck for ur next race.
Cheers.
PS: Rob, I have just downloaded the Oschersleben track from your site, but the file didn't come with an MD file, would you mind send me one, please? Thanks
PS2: The last round of my season is set to be at the Korean track Hanghang Park, but I've been having difficulties find it, more precisely finding someone who has it. So, is there anyone of you who has this track, that can kindly send it to me? Thanks
My email is: paulo.mota.galante@gmail.com
Racer#73 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> @Ferrari2007
> How real can the game get, with Hill winning the
> Hungarian race for arrows? Anyway, pity that you
> had to retire. Wish u better luck for ur next
> race.
I'm using track specific performance files mate, so is that bit more realistic
I've been having some troubles in my game, but I'll do an update soon as I'm done with Spa
Races: 163 - Wins: 23 - Pole Positions: 24 - Fastest Laps: 22
Season 9: Constructors' Champions
-------------------------------------------------------
> @Ferrari2007
> How real can the game get, with Hill winning the
> Hungarian race for arrows? Anyway, pity that you
> had to retire. Wish u better luck for ur next
> race.
I'm using track specific performance files mate, so is that bit more realistic
I've been having some troubles in my game, but I'll do an update soon as I'm done with Spa
Races: 163 - Wins: 23 - Pole Positions: 24 - Fastest Laps: 22
Season 9: Constructors' Champions
Race 10 - Hockenheimring, German GP
I set another pole this season and was looking forward to the race.
I started it all very well as I kept the pole and new I was competitive and ready to win. Laffite was behind around 5 seconds after 4 laps. Then I lost traction in one of first corners ,spun off and hit the barriers, losing the right front wheel. I made it to the pt-lane and left it in 19th position. I managed to pass Rosberg but when I was aproaching Hunt and Giacomelli fighting for position, I lost traction again (mainly owing to their unpredictable manouvres) and hit the barriers one more time. This time I wasn't willing to continue the race and I retired. A surprise may be 5th position of Rene Arnoux who, unexpectedly, didn't have a car failure...while his teammate, Jabouille, had a transmission issue
The winner - Laffite, 2nd - Jones, 3rd - Andretti
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/10/2009 09:09PM by abdelkader.
I set another pole this season and was looking forward to the race.
I started it all very well as I kept the pole and new I was competitive and ready to win. Laffite was behind around 5 seconds after 4 laps. Then I lost traction in one of first corners ,spun off and hit the barriers, losing the right front wheel. I made it to the pt-lane and left it in 19th position. I managed to pass Rosberg but when I was aproaching Hunt and Giacomelli fighting for position, I lost traction again (mainly owing to their unpredictable manouvres) and hit the barriers one more time. This time I wasn't willing to continue the race and I retired. A surprise may be 5th position of Rene Arnoux who, unexpectedly, didn't have a car failure...while his teammate, Jabouille, had a transmission issue
The winner - Laffite, 2nd - Jones, 3rd - Andretti
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/10/2009 09:09PM by abdelkader.
Race 11 - Osterreichring, Austrian GP
Saturday qualifying session was a rainy one. I set 10th best lap and didn't know what to expect on Sunday. The pole for Watson. Luckily, the race day, was sunny and the tarmac was dry. I made a good start climbing up but while passing Villeneuve, he turned to the right and sent me to the barriers. I spun off, turned around and got hit by another car...it was enough. I retired after covering some 200 metres of the race. Laffite won again and I'm starting to be seriously anxious about the WDC table. My leadership has melted down dramatically during last two races.
The winner - Laffite, 2nd - Villeneuve, 3rd - Jones
Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 04/10/2009 11:28PM by abdelkader.
Saturday qualifying session was a rainy one. I set 10th best lap and didn't know what to expect on Sunday. The pole for Watson. Luckily, the race day, was sunny and the tarmac was dry. I made a good start climbing up but while passing Villeneuve, he turned to the right and sent me to the barriers. I spun off, turned around and got hit by another car...it was enough. I retired after covering some 200 metres of the race. Laffite won again and I'm starting to be seriously anxious about the WDC table. My leadership has melted down dramatically during last two races.
The winner - Laffite, 2nd - Villeneuve, 3rd - Jones
Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 04/10/2009 11:28PM by abdelkader.
Racer#73 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
PS: Rob, I have just downloaded the Oschersleben track from your site, but the file didn't come with an MD file, would you mind send me one, please? Thanks
the track contains a md installed, you only need to extract it with cmagici here is one for the 2007 configuration but it's a little random. you need to fix it: [rapidshare.com]
-------------------------------
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/10/2009 09:35PM by R_Scandura.
-------------------------------------------------------
PS: Rob, I have just downloaded the Oschersleben track from your site, but the file didn't come with an MD file, would you mind send me one, please? Thanks
the track contains a md installed, you only need to extract it with cmagici here is one for the 2007 configuration but it's a little random. you need to fix it: [rapidshare.com]
-------------------------------
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/10/2009 09:35PM by R_Scandura.
Race 12 - Zandvoort, Dutch GP
I turned out to be the fastest in the qualifyings and had great expectations about the upcoming race. The start was a smooth one - I kept the position and have build a reasonable margin over first 6 laps. In lap 7 I made something which made my blood freeze in my veins. I made a hard turn and hit the kerb too hard. I spun off, made a couple of circles on the track. Luckily, there was nobody behind me and I didn't get hit by someone else. From now on, my advantage was constantly rising. After second pit-stop I was 50 sec ahead of Laffite. I wasn't happy to see hi9m behind. Even if I'd won, he'd have got another good position. A couple of laps later I saw him retire on the final straight which made my heart sing. I was already 1 lap ahead of 2nd Scheckter and 3rd Jones. They retired shortly before the end of the race. I made another victory which now set me extremely close to the championship.
The winner - Lauda, 2nd - Villeneuve, 3rd - Andretti
I turned out to be the fastest in the qualifyings and had great expectations about the upcoming race. The start was a smooth one - I kept the position and have build a reasonable margin over first 6 laps. In lap 7 I made something which made my blood freeze in my veins. I made a hard turn and hit the kerb too hard. I spun off, made a couple of circles on the track. Luckily, there was nobody behind me and I didn't get hit by someone else. From now on, my advantage was constantly rising. After second pit-stop I was 50 sec ahead of Laffite. I wasn't happy to see hi9m behind. Even if I'd won, he'd have got another good position. A couple of laps later I saw him retire on the final straight which made my heart sing
. I was already 1 lap ahead of 2nd Scheckter and 3rd Jones. They retired shortly before the end of the race. I made another victory which now set me extremely close to the championship.The winner - Lauda, 2nd - Villeneuve, 3rd - Andretti
Race 13 - Monza, Italian GP
The qualifying day was so perfectly Italian - sunny, hot and cloudless...so different from the race, but we'll get to this in just a little bit.
Anyway, I made another pole position outperforming everyone however finding it hard to keep regular pace on the racetrack. 2nd position for Scheckter while 3rd for Arnoux.
The race started as an epic nightmare. It was awfully wet, awfully slippery, awfully cloudy, name it.
I immediately lost my position struggling to keep my car on the track and with the rear wheels coming off sidewards. I hit the barriers but didn't lose any body parts. However, I got passed by Scheckter, Arnoux and Villeneuve. I completed lap 1 in 4th position but it didn't last long. I spun off at Parabolica and before I made it back to the track I was already the last driver on the field. I just couldn't stand it. With my car acting like a small boat on stormy sea-waves, completely paceless...I just stopped my car and retired. :/ Luckily I have lotta points in the bag. The rest of the race distance was lead by Villeneuve who kept it to the end after transmission failure at Arnoux's car and Scheckter's retirement. He won the race for the first time this season. Reutemann surprised me a lot here. While having impressive start of the season he was rather average in the middle of it. Now he seems to have got back to his former shape. Jones still seems to be one of the most consistent drivers of the grid. Even though he doesn't win, he is always there in the group of the top ones.
The winner - Villeneuve, 2nd - Reutemann, 3rd - Jones
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/11/2009 12:54PM by abdelkader.
The qualifying day was so perfectly Italian - sunny, hot and cloudless...so different from the race, but we'll get to this in just a little bit.
Anyway, I made another pole position outperforming everyone however finding it hard to keep regular pace on the racetrack. 2nd position for Scheckter while 3rd for Arnoux.
The race started as an epic nightmare. It was awfully wet, awfully slippery, awfully cloudy, name it.
I immediately lost my position struggling to keep my car on the track and with the rear wheels coming off sidewards. I hit the barriers but didn't lose any body parts. However, I got passed by Scheckter, Arnoux and Villeneuve. I completed lap 1 in 4th position but it didn't last long. I spun off at Parabolica and before I made it back to the track I was already the last driver on the field. I just couldn't stand it. With my car acting like a small boat on stormy sea-waves, completely paceless...I just stopped my car and retired. :/ Luckily I have lotta points in the bag. The rest of the race distance was lead by Villeneuve who kept it to the end after transmission failure at Arnoux's car and Scheckter's retirement. He won the race for the first time this season. Reutemann surprised me a lot here. While having impressive start of the season he was rather average in the middle of it. Now he seems to have got back to his former shape. Jones still seems to be one of the most consistent drivers of the grid. Even though he doesn't win, he is always there in the group of the top ones.
The winner - Villeneuve, 2nd - Reutemann, 3rd - Jones
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/11/2009 12:54PM by abdelkader.
Race 14 - Montreal, Canadian GP
I hate it when the qualifying day is different from the race day. It was the case again, just like at Monza.
Saturday was rainy but I managed to get pole position with quite a good lap time so I was looking forward to the race which looke as if dominated by the French as 2nd place was for Depailler ,3rd for Laffite and 4th for Jabouille.
The race istself took place in clear conditions and tarmac dry. I kept the pole in a very hectic start in which both Ligiers crashed out. Unluckily, I showed my inconsistency once more spinning off at turn 1 of lap 2, losing a tyre and gettin hit by Arnoux who retired, too. Now it was Villeneuve again who took the lead and kept it till the flag. Jabouille retired in the middle of the race after transmission problems. Alan Jones showed off again finishing 2nd starting from 10th position. We should give credit to Andretti, too as he completed the podium starting from 12th position. Scheckter and Reutemann were rather invisible and played the role of pacemakers for the mid of the grid.
Only one race to go...I hope to end it all up with dignity after last couple of unfruitful races. Watkins Glen - I'M COMING! )
The winner - Villeneuve, 2nd - Jones, 3rd - Andretti
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/11/2009 01:30PM by abdelkader.
I hate it when the qualifying day is different from the race day. It was the case again, just like at Monza.
Saturday was rainy but I managed to get pole position with quite a good lap time so I was looking forward to the race which looke as if dominated by the French as 2nd place was for Depailler ,3rd for Laffite and 4th for Jabouille.
The race istself took place in clear conditions and tarmac dry. I kept the pole in a very hectic start in which both Ligiers crashed out. Unluckily, I showed my inconsistency once more spinning off at turn 1 of lap 2, losing a tyre and gettin hit by Arnoux who retired, too. Now it was Villeneuve again who took the lead and kept it till the flag. Jabouille retired in the middle of the race after transmission problems. Alan Jones showed off again finishing 2nd starting from 10th position. We should give credit to Andretti, too as he completed the podium starting from 12th position. Scheckter and Reutemann were rather invisible and played the role of pacemakers for the mid of the grid.
Only one race to go...I hope to end it all up with dignity after last couple of unfruitful races. Watkins Glen - I'M COMING! )
The winner - Villeneuve, 2nd - Jones, 3rd - Andretti
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/11/2009 01:30PM by abdelkader.
Race 15 - Watkins Glen, The US GP
I entered the race with a spark in my eye. I easily set the fastest lap in the qualifyings in fornt of Scheckter, Laffite and Villeneuve and I was waiting for the race's outcome. At the start, I kept the position hands down and went on making margin, which wasn't as easy as before because after 10 laps I was only 4 seconds ahead of Scheckter. I tried to push harder and it did pay off as the margin had risen to 8 seconds after another 10 laps. In lap 23 I got an engine failure and pitted to have it repaired. When I left the pit-lane I was 5th. I managed to pass Jones and there was Laffite in front right now. I succeded in passing him too but he paid back so bitterly that I can't even describe it. Right after my passing him, he pushed on harder. I noticed this and made it to the right side of the track before a slow right hander. When I slowed down and turned to the right he smashed me in the right side of the car blocking me just as if he had seen a gap which wasn't there...I think it was something similar to famous Senna-Prost issue at Suzuka in 1989. Laffite rejoined the race while I was left without one tyre. I retired as after an engine failure and another forced pit-stop in prospect I stood no chance of scoring.
The winner - Scheckter, 2nd - Jones, 3rd - Villeneuve
Anyway, I became the F-1 World Champion, something I didn't expect when starting this season. I thouht it'd be something similar to the situation I was in while racing with Ratzenberger at Simtek in 1994. I quickly became the most competitive driver of the grid which surprised me a lot, especially when combined with suspiciously low performance of Gilles Villeneuve and relatively average pace of Jody Scheckter. Ligiers seemed to be the most powerful cars of the grid but Laffite and Depailler often lacked good luck. Reutemann who seemed to be the most consistent one at the beginning, disappointed a lot in the later part of the season. I really feel sorry for Alan Jones. He was struggling so hard, he had always been there but got passed by Laffite due to the 1979 points scoring system, in spite of the fact he earned more points in race-to-race statistics.
To give you a better picture of all I got through, here are the pictures
BTW. Roberto, thank you for Race Manager Some time ago when I knew nothing about GP3 and this kind of stuff I was thinking about a utility of exactly this kind. It's great to have all the info stored in one place like RM.
Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 04/11/2009 03:21PM by abdelkader.
I entered the race with a spark in my eye. I easily set the fastest lap in the qualifyings in fornt of Scheckter, Laffite and Villeneuve and I was waiting for the race's outcome. At the start, I kept the position hands down and went on making margin, which wasn't as easy as before because after 10 laps I was only 4 seconds ahead of Scheckter. I tried to push harder and it did pay off as the margin had risen to 8 seconds after another 10 laps. In lap 23 I got an engine failure and pitted to have it repaired. When I left the pit-lane I was 5th. I managed to pass Jones and there was Laffite in front right now. I succeded in passing him too but he paid back so bitterly that I can't even describe it. Right after my passing him, he pushed on harder. I noticed this and made it to the right side of the track before a slow right hander. When I slowed down and turned to the right he smashed me in the right side of the car blocking me just as if he had seen a gap which wasn't there...I think it was something similar to famous Senna-Prost issue at Suzuka in 1989. Laffite rejoined the race while I was left without one tyre. I retired as after an engine failure and another forced pit-stop in prospect I stood no chance of scoring.
The winner - Scheckter, 2nd - Jones, 3rd - Villeneuve
Anyway, I became the F-1 World Champion, something I didn't expect when starting this season. I thouht it'd be something similar to the situation I was in while racing with Ratzenberger at Simtek in 1994. I quickly became the most competitive driver of the grid which surprised me a lot, especially when combined with suspiciously low performance of Gilles Villeneuve and relatively average pace of Jody Scheckter. Ligiers seemed to be the most powerful cars of the grid but Laffite and Depailler often lacked good luck. Reutemann who seemed to be the most consistent one at the beginning, disappointed a lot in the later part of the season. I really feel sorry for Alan Jones. He was struggling so hard, he had always been there but got passed by Laffite due to the 1979 points scoring system, in spite of the fact he earned more points in race-to-race statistics.
To give you a better picture of all I got through, here are the pictures
BTW. Roberto, thank you for Race Manager
Some time ago when I knew nothing about GP3 and this kind of stuff I was thinking about a utility of exactly this kind. It's great to have all the info stored in one place like RM.Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 04/11/2009 03:21PM by abdelkader.
Congrats on the Championship win mate, I've finished Spa and Monza now, only a few races left to go
Spa for me was a disappointment as I had another failure
My race ending just after Eau Rouge
It was a Schumacher victory but Fisi was the man of the race leading until he crashed out with 3 laps remaining, while Herbert finished a brilliant 2nd with Morbidelli 4th, so a great race for Sauber
The Williams guys struggled in the rain and finished 5th and 6th, Frentzen could of finished 2nd had he not been taken out by Villeneuve as he entered the pits and Couthard got his 1st podium of the season with 3rd, continuing Mclarens run of podium finishes
Now Monza was much better with me getting my first win of the season, I was worried I was gonna be hit by another failure or that I would make a mistake but I held on to win
Fisi led early on but after our stops I made it past him with Coulthard having another strong race in 3rd, I think he would of won had I been doing a 100% distance
Schumi and Villeneuve finished 9th and 10th after a scrappy race, both damaged their cars when Ralf crashed in Ascari on the first lap and where handicapped from there on
Morbidelli finished 4th again with Frentzen 5th and Irvine 6th, his first point since Monaco so atleast Williams and Ferrari added some points to the board
In the drivers championship Schumi leads 63 points to Villeneuve's 52, however the next two races are likely to be strong for Williams
In the Constructors Williams are on 83 points with Ferrari on 69 and I don't see Ferrari being able to catch Williams now
Benetton are still 3rd with 47 points but Mclaren are very close behind on 42 and Jordan have dropped behind now in a fight with Sauber
Races: 163 - Wins: 23 - Pole Positions: 24 - Fastest Laps: 22
Season 9: Constructors' Champions
Spa for me was a disappointment as I had another failure
My race ending just after Eau RougeIt was a Schumacher victory but Fisi was the man of the race leading until he crashed out with 3 laps remaining, while Herbert finished a brilliant 2nd with Morbidelli 4th, so a great race for Sauber
The Williams guys struggled in the rain and finished 5th and 6th, Frentzen could of finished 2nd had he not been taken out by Villeneuve as he entered the pits and Couthard got his 1st podium of the season with 3rd, continuing Mclarens run of podium finishes
Now Monza was much better with me getting my first win of the season, I was worried I was gonna be hit by another failure or that I would make a mistake but I held on to win
Fisi led early on but after our stops I made it past him with Coulthard having another strong race in 3rd, I think he would of won had I been doing a 100% distance
Schumi and Villeneuve finished 9th and 10th after a scrappy race, both damaged their cars when Ralf crashed in Ascari on the first lap and where handicapped from there on
Morbidelli finished 4th again with Frentzen 5th and Irvine 6th, his first point since Monaco so atleast Williams and Ferrari added some points to the board
In the drivers championship Schumi leads 63 points to Villeneuve's 52, however the next two races are likely to be strong for Williams
In the Constructors Williams are on 83 points with Ferrari on 69 and I don't see Ferrari being able to catch Williams now
Benetton are still 3rd with 47 points but Mclaren are very close behind on 42 and Jordan have dropped behind now in a fight with Sauber
Races: 163 - Wins: 23 - Pole Positions: 24 - Fastest Laps: 22
Season 9: Constructors' Champions
abdelkader, congrats on your championship win 
what'll be your next season?
_____________________________________________________________________
Bring back the racing
what'll be your next season?
_____________________________________________________________________
Bring back the racing
Thanks for your congrats. My next season? Er...I'm thinking about F-1 1995 or F-1 2001 or something from the 1960's. I haven't decided yet. I still have to cool off after this season which ended so well, so unexpectedly well
<<EDIT>>
Breaking news: I have made the decision. The next season I'm going to play is F-1 1995 with Mika Hakkinen at McLaren But first I'll take some time off
Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 04/12/2009 07:12PM by abdelkader.
<<EDIT>>
Breaking news: I have made the decision. The next season I'm going to play is F-1 1995 with Mika Hakkinen at McLaren
But first I'll take some time offEdited 2 time(s). Last edit at 04/12/2009 07:12PM by abdelkader.
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