GP3 Career Thread

My next season will be IRL 2007 in which I'll start under my own name. Of course, as most may expect, I've chosen Andretti Green Racing team...yes...only to have Danica Patrick alongside as a teammate :P However, first I have to complete the tracks. I still don't have some of them. If I don't complete the whole set of tracks I'll have to reconsider my joining Indy Car series.

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Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 12/22/2009 09:04PM by abdelkader.

@abdelkaber: what tracks do you miss at the moment? and what tracks are you working on? Maybe i can help you with some stuff. Let me know.

I've already mentioned those in 'tracks needed' thread. They are:

- Iowa Speedway
- Richmond International Raceway
- Nashville Superspeedway
- Edmonton, Blatchford Field Airport (for my future Champ Car 2007 campaign)

I was told that those tracks don't exist so I don't have much hope of having them in the near future. They are the only tracks I don't have


Actually, I'm not working on the tracks. I have got a priceless track supplier - Dirk Holemans, who has sent me lots of various tracks I needed. Thanks to him I have learnt how to convert HW tracks to SW. If any of you guys can find SW versions of the tracks I mentioned above, it's great but if you find HW versions - it's not a problem. I can convert them myself. In most cases I succeed in it.

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Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 12/24/2009 04:33PM by abdelkader.

wow abdelkader, ive just finished reading the english version of Alex Zanardi's biography and im really interested in youre American campaign.

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"If in doubt, Flat out."

Glad to hear that. I hope to start it up soon.


I have to admit that the choice of my next campaign was subconsciously determined by Alex Zanardi. He was my teammate in BMW Italy-Spain WTCC team. I cannot say that I didn't think of his career recently. This may be why I decided to go to the USA and try their racing style :P

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Me too guys! I read the italian and then the english version of Alex Zanardy's biography, and started a Cart season (2001, in Mo Nunn Team, of course) and now i'll start the 1998 season.
And learnt that driving on a oval could be a bit boring, but it's not easy at all: you have to be fast and precise every single lap, a little mistake can make you lose 3-4 positions at the time, you have to drive in the traffic with a lot of cars no your side, behind, in front...so at the end you just don't have time to get bored.

@abdelkader: ok, i have read the thread you mentioned. At the moment we don't have those tracks. If you are interested, i did an update of these ovals:
- chicago (1 mile oval used in the early 2000s)
- texas
- atlanta (made by Rob Scandura)
- pocono (made by Rob Scandura)
- motegi

Unfortunately, we miss the "modern" ovals.
Le me know.
Bye

I can recommend to replace one of the ovals with Sutton Park Oval made by, of course, Roberto Scandura. Great oval track, I used it in my IRL season. I was not a 100% after accuracy in that season though and didn't mind if not everything was as real as possible.

savinaclaudio Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Me too guys! I read the italian and then the
> english version of Alex Zanardy's biography, and
> started a Cart season (2001, in Mo Nunn Team, of
> course) and now i'll start the 1998 season.
> And learnt that driving on a oval could be a bit
> boring, but it's not easy at all: you have to be
> fast and precise every single lap, a little
> mistake can make you lose 3-4 positions at the
> time, you have to drive in the traffic with a lot
> of cars no your side, behind, in front...so at the
> end you just don't have time to get bored.
>
> @abdelkader: ok, i have read the thread you
> mentioned. At the moment we don't have those
> tracks. If you are interested, i did an update of
> these ovals:
> - chicago (1 mile oval used in the early 2000s)
> - texas
> - atlanta (made by Rob Scandura)
> - pocono (made by Rob Scandura)
> - motegi
>
> Unfortunately, we miss the "modern" ovals.
> Le me know.
> Bye

Out of the tracks you mentioned I don't have only Pocono ( I can download Scandura's version but if you say you have the updated version, I'll gladly have yours). I'll probably do what you guys say - I'll replace some tracks with others. There's no other way. Though, it'll be the first time I'll be doing a not 100% real season.

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Claudio send me a copy of Atlanta and Pocono, so i'll extract them from the pack

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<<<<<<<<<<<<<< INDY RACING LEAGUE 2007 season >>>>>>>>>>>>>

Round 1 - Homestead Speedway Miami, FL

Homestead was the first venue at which I had an opportunity to test for Andretti Green Racing when I joined them before the season. At the same time I well remembered how hard it was for me to stay on the perfect line and therefore I was anxious before the qualifying session. The problems started at the very beginning of my formation lap as I saw Meira charging from behind, I made a gap on the right to let him pass me. He did, but then unexpectedly turned to the left and deccelerated which made me get back to the pits to get the nosecone replaced. Then I managed to make one full lap but it was far worse than the others'. I was trying to improve but lost traction and finished on the barriers without the right front wheel. It was the end of the qualifying session for me. I was 22nd and knew that the race was going to be a demanding one. The fact that I have never raced on oval tracks wasn't cheering me up either.
P1 for Sharp, 2nd for Hunter-Reay and third for Marty Roth. The start of the race was a promising one. I kept passing the rivals until I got stuck in 6th position after Dixon. Unfortunately, I was pushing too hard and on one of the bends I lost traction and smashed against the banks. I would have made it to the pits and got my car repaired hadn't it been for Franchitti going right behind me who hit me in the back which ended the race for both of us. I have mixed feelings about the race because during those 7 laps which I managed to cover I set the fastest lap time which remained unbeaten until the end of the race. This way I was the fastest on the track but finished last.
Now the series goes to St. Petersburg which, I suppose, I can expect more from as it's a road track - something which I'm familiar with better than anyone else in the series.

The winner - Roth, 2nd - Sharp, 3rd - Hunter-Reay

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Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 12/25/2009 05:02PM by abdelkader.

F1 1993: this is the dituation before the last venue


at Hungaroring retired by transmission while in 2nd place
at Spa had to pit by electrical problem while 3rd
at Estoril retired at last lap by electrical problem while 5th, still classified
at Suzuka I retired by electical problem while in 2nd place



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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/25/2009 03:17PM by R_Scandura.

I see it's going to be another Senna-Prost duel at Adelaide.




Round 2 - Streets of St. Petersburg, FL

This time I was more competitive in the qualifying session and finally reached 8th position. P1 for Andretti, 2nd for Danica, 3rd for Hornish Jr.
At the start of the race I gained a few positions but this time Danica Patrick turned out to be really hard to pass. I was battling her for third and lost it losing position to Hornish. Then, I passed Hornish and battled Danica again. I was about to pass her in the main straight but she withstood my attack and once again I lost a bit of traction due to slipstreaming and got passed by Dan Wheldon. Luckily for me, he crashed out a while later and now I was running 3rd. As I felt faster than Danica I decided to put all the eggs to one basket and went for it. I managed to pass her in lap 7. Meanwhile, Andretti - the race leader had already pulled away and I knew that if I kept my pace I might be able to pass him in the pits. Unexpectedly, Andretti missed braking point in one of the corners and went wide which helped me catch him and led to my subsequent taking the lead. I kept increasing the gap until it reached enormous 59 seconds in lap 55. My race could have been over if I hadn't deccelerated and passed Danica Patrick who had a spin and whom I noticed only when exiting one of the corners. Her car was only a couple of meters in front of me. I was so lucky in this situation. the race continued with my absolute dominance over the rest of the grid. Finally, I passed Marco Andretti, the race vice leader to have one lap advantage over the rest. The race was a boring one to me from this point as nobody could threaten my leadership. The situation in lower positions was constantly changing. All in all, I won my first race in IRL in a dominant race. What's more me and Danica made a 1-2 finish. If it hadn't been for Marco Andretti's loss of pace in the latter phase of the race, there would have been a 1-2-3 finish for Andretti GR team.

The winner - Kosewski, 2nd - Patrick, 3rd - Hornish Jr.

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Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 01/05/2010 11:24PM by abdelkader.

Congratulations, great job! Cant wait till i have my hands on my normal computer again (have to wait till march. ouch.) before i can play GP3 again. Then i really want dto do 100%race's aswell. And i will post my achievements or non achievements here

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"If in doubt, Flat out."

I am almost ready to finally kick off my 1984 season thanks that Zieli has now made a driveable version of Dijon available to download. After winter testing Jacques Laffite has been dumped by Williams so I will be teaming up with my idol Keke Rosberg, but the Honda engine is nowhere near a match for the TAG, Ferrari, BMW and Renault engines of the front runners so any points, especially on the faster tracks, will be a bonus. Williams cars retired from 21 of the 32 starts in the real 1984 season so I am hoping that reliability is improved second time around.

Wish me luck as I head for Brazil

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The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in the mind at the same time, and still retain the ability to function. -- F.Scott Fitzgerald

Good luck. Before starting my Indy Car season I was hesitating whether I should do some Indy season or F-1 1984. It's good you chose it That's gonna be nice to read about it.

My Indy Car season had to be put to a halt...My university deadlines are charging from behind while a lot of procrastination in the pit-lane didn't help much...unortunately I am now running University 2010 season...and want to win the championship. That's the final 6 months and I want to "bring it on home"

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Brazilian Grand Prix – Jacarepagua


Friday Free Practise
The winter break is over and the teams reconvene at the Jacarepagua circuit on the outskirts of Rio. World Champion Nelson Piquet is joined by a new team-mate as Teo Fabi takes over from the Alfa-bound Riccardo Patrese. But Piquet’s Brabham BMW is blown into the dust along with twenty other cars as McLaren roll out their 1984 contender and Alain Prost laps more than half a second faster than anyone else. There is little to report from the first practise session other than the Lotus team appear to have taken a big step forward over the winter, and Johnny Cecotto is the first driver to blow and engine in the new season.
Comments: I was surprised that I was on the pace and able to find a strong setup early in the session. Spent most of the morning testing the two compounds of tyre and have decided the more durable hard tyre will be best for the weekend.




Saturday Free Practise
The teams continue to fine tune their setups in preparation for this afternoon’s qualifying session, and Prost once again sets the pace in the TAG-Porsche powered McLaren. However, Michele Alboreto has closed the gap considerably as he impresses in his first drive for Ferrari while Piquet drops back to third after gremlins in his gearbox. Further down the field Patrese sees his Alfa Romeo power plant go pop but tries to nurse his car back to the pits, spreading a slick of oil around three quarters of the track. This means the second half of the session sees no improvements at the top of the order. Meanwhile Keke Rosberg vents his frustration at François Hesnault after the Frenchman holds up the flying Finn on a fast lap. Hesnault is reprimanded by the stewards but there is no further action.
Comments: I intended to use this session to get some good miles under my belt and began to test with a heavy fuel load. Unfortunately a brake problem after seven laps meant I was stuck in the pits until the final ten minutes. My best lap time was set on worn tyres and low fuel in the last moments of the session as I tested a new anti-roll bar combination.




Qualifying
Teo Fabi was the headline maker in the opening qualifying session of the new season as he twice baulked Patrick Tambay before eventually throwing his Brabham into the Armco at turn three. It was business as usual at the front with Alain Prost continuing to look dominant, but Alan Reidy surprised many onlookers with a superb second place on the grid. The Williams newcomer will hope that his team has improved their chronic reliability issues, while team-mate Keke Rosberg will be happy just to find some pace in his vehicle. Tambay is joined by Elio de Angeles on the second row, the Roman continuing to show good pace throughout the weekend. The two Alfas of Riccardo Patrese and Eddie Cheever were the only pair to improve their best laps of the weekend during the qualifying session as the Jacarepagua track shows signs of deteriorating.
Comments: I almost made a perfect lap but lost a tenth in the penultimate corner. It looks like Prost is heading off into the distance so the battle will be for second place. Due to lack of running this morning I am still unsure of my race pace but don’t think I will be fighting for a podium place after 61 laps.





Race
Prost wins as both Williams fail
All in all it was a processional and predictable season opening Grand Prix as Alain Prost romped home more than half a minute ahead of Elio de Angelis. But Alan Reidy will feel he deserved more only for lady luck to spit in his face just 17 laps from home. Reidy had made a lightening start and raced into a comfortable lead before the scheduled pit stops. Reigning champion Nelson Piquet had a day to forget as he suffered a suspension failure on lap 24, and Niki Lauda was out soon afterwards when he blew an engine. Reidy made his scheduled stop on lap 30 but a loose wire saw the car roll to a halt 14 laps later, leaving Prost to cruise to his first victory for McLaren. Reidy picked up the fastest lap at 1m 31.766s on lap 26 but that will be of little consolation.
Comments: Simply put I was shocked at how much of an advantage I had over the McLarens and everything was going fine until I entered the back straight. It’s a disappointing end to the weekend but the there are still 15 races to go…





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The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in the mind at the same time, and still retain the ability to function. -- F.Scott Fitzgerald



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/06/2010 01:27PM by St.Hubbins.

Great reading good job. shame of the mechanical failure.

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"If in doubt, Flat out."

I've finished my season in the meantime. The final weekend started very well for Hülkenberg, who took pole and with that 2 points. So he was Maldonado's closest challenger now, being 6 points behind. Maldonado qualified 4th, Montagny 7th. Piquet was 5th, while my own chances were effectively over after qualy as I was only 16th. Piquet and Montagny were next out of the hunt when both of them retired from the Feature race with mechanical problems. That made it a two-way between Maldonado and Hülkenberg. Hülkenberg easily won the Feature, with Maldonado finishing 4th. Only one point separated the two at the top of the standings, but the Venezuelan had the better grid position for race 2. However, his opponent had a beauty of a start and ran fourth by the end of lap one, while Maldonado dropped to eighth. Both drivers made up some more positions during the race, but as Hülkenberg finished 2nd, he won the title eventually.

Now I will take a break from this fictional season, I am thinking about doing a historic F1 season instead or play another game for a while.

South African Grand Prix – Kyalami

Friday Free Practise
The first free opractice session at Kyalami passed without incident other than Thierry Boutsen ripping off a front right wheel against the pitwall. Reigning champion Nelson Piquet was in fine form and headed the leader board and Alain Prost edged out the impressive Elio de Angelis for second. The Lotus driver seemed to have the fastest package but was unable to hook up a clean lap, while teammate Nigel Mansell was well up in sixth place, posting an identical time to compatriot Alan Reidy in the Williams.
Comments: With the top ten separated by less than a second the qualifying will be very tight. I am feeling confident though and have only used the hard tyre so far, and should be able to get another couple of tenths on the softer compound..




Saturday Free Practise
Nelson Piquet continued to top the time sheets and had marginally extended his advantage over Alain Prost and Elio de Angelis as the BMW powered Brabham benefited from the long straights and high altitude. The Ferraris continued to struggle and René Arnoux could only manage a time good enough for 13th, but there was better news for Niki Lauda as the Austrian veteran showed a welcome return to form. The Ossela pairing once again brought up the rear and Johnny Cecotto was fortunate to escape unharmed when his Toleman shed a wheel at high speed.
Comments: Technical issues meant limited time on the track in this session and I was only able to complete once extended qualifying test. Overall pace is good but a shortage of power means the optimum setup is an uncomfortable compromise.




Qualifying
Despite an early altercation with Eddie Cheever at Crowthorne Corner Niki Lauda was still able to set the early pace, but Nelson Piquet soon took over pole position in his Branham. Alan Reidy then grabbed provisional pole but seconds later Elio de Angelis delivered a stunning lap that left the rest of the pack reeling in his wake. The Lotus driver will start the race as a red hot favourite to claim his second career victory but fierce rivals Piquet and Alain Prost will be keen to pick up on any scraps. Derek Warwick could have qualified higher than seventh but found himself in a Ligier sandwich on his final run.
Comments: From three four-lap runs I was only able to put in one clean flying lap but I don’t think I would have been able to qualify any higher regardless. It is still very close between the front runners so I will just keep things clean and hope to gather some valuable points.





Race
Super Elio dominates on the Veldt
Elio de Angelis romped to a comprehensive victory at Kyalami, leading from start to finish and ultimately taking a shared lead in the World Drivers’ Championship. The Lotus driver beat Nelson Piquet off the line and quickly opened up a comfortable lead before Piquet spun out following a delaminated tyre. Williams driver Alan Reidy moved into second by dispatching Michele Alboreto, and Alain Prost was also soon ahead of the Ferrari driver. The pit stops saw Prost edge into second and Reidy retired on lap 44 for the second race in succession when his engine expired. This left de Angelis comfortably ahead of Prost and McLaren teammate Niki Lauda, and Nigel Mansell rounded off a fine day for the Lotus team by taking three points after Alboreto crashed out at the Esses late on.
Comments: It was a disappointing end to a tough weekend. I was looking forward to battling with the McLarens in the closing stages and certainly had a podium finish in my grasp. Hopefully I can get past lap 44 in Belgium!





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The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in the mind at the same time, and still retain the ability to function. -- F.Scott Fitzgerald



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 01/10/2010 01:44PM by St.Hubbins.

Another mechanical issue...I had the same while at McLaren with Mika Hakkinen in 1995. Luckily, I managed to swim despite constant sinking throughout the season. I wish you the same

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