GP3 Career Thread
Posted by Diax F1
Race 8 - Silverstone, GP of Britain
I managed to set the third fastest time in the qualifyings right behind Zuber and Filippi and having Senna just on my back. At the start I quickly passed the rivals and took the lead but the race wasn't an easy one. While doing my first and the last pit-stop that day I was only 1.7 sec ahead of Zuber. I got back to the race in 5th place but soon got third but here I had Senna around 4 seconds ahead battling Zuber for the leadership. Suddenly, Senna made a mistake and I easily passed him becoming the vice-leader. I had already come to terms with taking 2nd place while it turned out that my rivals went for two-stop strategy while I took one-stop one. I took the lead having 25.4 sec advantage over Glock who passed Zuber in the middle of the race. He kept tightening the gap but around 4 laps from finish I was still 11 seconds ahead. I won the race easily and got 10 points.
The winner - Pantano, 2nd - Glock, 3rd - Zuber
Race 9(sprint) - It finished as quickly as it started. I managed to climb back from 8th to second but here, in the first corner, I bounced off di Grassi and we both spun off the track hitting the barrier and saying goodbye to the race. Pastor Maldonado earned one point for setting the fastest lap.
The winner - Senna, 2nd - Garcia, 3rd - Zuber
I managed to set the third fastest time in the qualifyings right behind Zuber and Filippi and having Senna just on my back. At the start I quickly passed the rivals and took the lead but the race wasn't an easy one. While doing my first and the last pit-stop that day I was only 1.7 sec ahead of Zuber. I got back to the race in 5th place but soon got third but here I had Senna around 4 seconds ahead battling Zuber for the leadership. Suddenly, Senna made a mistake and I easily passed him becoming the vice-leader. I had already come to terms with taking 2nd place while it turned out that my rivals went for two-stop strategy while I took one-stop one. I took the lead having 25.4 sec advantage over Glock who passed Zuber in the middle of the race. He kept tightening the gap but around 4 laps from finish I was still 11 seconds ahead. I won the race easily and got 10 points.
The winner - Pantano, 2nd - Glock, 3rd - Zuber
Race 9(sprint) - It finished as quickly as it started. I managed to climb back from 8th to second but here, in the first corner, I bounced off di Grassi and we both spun off the track hitting the barrier and saying goodbye to the race. Pastor Maldonado earned one point for setting the fastest lap.
The winner - Senna, 2nd - Garcia, 3rd - Zuber
Race 10 - Nurburgring, GP of Germany
I was not a fast one during the qualifyings and endedup in 21st position being faster only than Tahinci. For the race, I changed my setup a bit. Pole position went to Zuber, 2nd for Senna while third to di Grassi. At the start of the race I made quite an impressive effort and managed to reach 10th position with a good prospect to climb even higher. In lap 2, however I got terribly unlucky as I crashed into di Grassi who had a racing incident with Senna who dropped to 5th from his good 2nd place. I lost my front wing and made it to the pits. This was when I decided to switch from my two-stop to one-stop strategy and replaced the front wing. From now on, I had nobody in front of me and was running in 15th position. I managed to pass many drivers as a result of the fact that I was quite fast with my improved setup and that they went for their second stop while I was still on the track. I was 8th and in the third lap from the end I passed Yamamoto. This way I finished the race as the 7th driver. Quite a nice progress from 21st.
The winner - Zuber, 2nd - Glock, 3rd - Conway
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/25/2009 01:16PM by abdelkader.
I was not a fast one during the qualifyings and endedup in 21st position being faster only than Tahinci. For the race, I changed my setup a bit. Pole position went to Zuber, 2nd for Senna while third to di Grassi. At the start of the race I made quite an impressive effort and managed to reach 10th position with a good prospect to climb even higher. In lap 2, however I got terribly unlucky as I crashed into di Grassi who had a racing incident with Senna who dropped to 5th from his good 2nd place. I lost my front wing and made it to the pits. This was when I decided to switch from my two-stop to one-stop strategy and replaced the front wing. From now on, I had nobody in front of me and was running in 15th position. I managed to pass many drivers as a result of the fact that I was quite fast with my improved setup and that they went for their second stop while I was still on the track. I was 8th and in the third lap from the end I passed Yamamoto. This way I finished the race as the 7th driver. Quite a nice progress from 21st.
The winner - Zuber, 2nd - Glock, 3rd - Conway
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/25/2009 01:16PM by abdelkader.
Race 11(sprint)
You're not gonna believe my words which will be written below. What happened to me in the sprint was EPIC!!!
Finishing 7th in last race I earned myself 2nd starting position for the sprint. I quickly passed Luca Filippi and started increasing the lead. Filippi retired in lap 3. Contrary to the majority of the rivals, I decided to go for one-stop strategy. Everything was going according to the plan as after my first pit-stop I was third right behind Senna and Chandhok who were about to pit within few following laps. When Senna pitted I earned 2nd position and I had only Chandhok in front. He made it to the pits and I took the lead but my happiness did not last long as only two corners later I rammed into Ho Pin-Tung who had a major spin on the track. Again, as in the feature race, I lost my front wing but this time I decided to do an insane thing. Having only few laps to finish I decided to keep driving WITHOUT the front wing. It was like racing an old 70's style F-1 car with a deficiency of downforce at front wheels. In the final lap Andreas Zuber was driving faster and faster and found himself right on my back with just one CORNER(!!!) from finish. I knew that if I kept it cool I'd win but Aif I didn't - he'd win his second race this weekend. Luckily, he was the one who wasn't coldblooded - he bounced off my rear right while desperately trying to pass me and flew straight onto the barriers, crashing out of the race one corner from the black and white flag, losing the chance to get a great 2nd place.
The winner - Pantano, 2nd - Nakajima, 3rd - Chandhok
As for the standings:
1. Glock - 57
2. Zuber - 49
3. Pantano - 41
4. Conway - 33
5. di Grassi - 32
6. Senna - 28
7. Pizzonia - 24
8. Nakajima - 21
Edited 5 time(s). Last edit at 07/25/2009 02:35PM by abdelkader.
You're not gonna believe my words which will be written below. What happened to me in the sprint was EPIC!!!
Finishing 7th in last race I earned myself 2nd starting position for the sprint. I quickly passed Luca Filippi and started increasing the lead. Filippi retired in lap 3. Contrary to the majority of the rivals, I decided to go for one-stop strategy. Everything was going according to the plan as after my first pit-stop I was third right behind Senna and Chandhok who were about to pit within few following laps. When Senna pitted I earned 2nd position and I had only Chandhok in front. He made it to the pits and I took the lead but my happiness did not last long as only two corners later I rammed into Ho Pin-Tung who had a major spin on the track. Again, as in the feature race, I lost my front wing but this time I decided to do an insane thing. Having only few laps to finish I decided to keep driving WITHOUT the front wing. It was like racing an old 70's style F-1 car with a deficiency of downforce at front wheels. In the final lap Andreas Zuber was driving faster and faster and found himself right on my back with just one CORNER(!!!) from finish. I knew that if I kept it cool I'd win but Aif I didn't - he'd win his second race this weekend. Luckily, he was the one who wasn't coldblooded - he bounced off my rear right while desperately trying to pass me and flew straight onto the barriers, crashing out of the race one corner from the black and white flag, losing the chance to get a great 2nd place.
The winner - Pantano, 2nd - Nakajima, 3rd - Chandhok
As for the standings:
1. Glock - 57
2. Zuber - 49
3. Pantano - 41
4. Conway - 33
5. di Grassi - 32
6. Senna - 28
7. Pizzonia - 24
8. Nakajima - 21
Edited 5 time(s). Last edit at 07/25/2009 02:35PM by abdelkader.
Race 12 - Hungaroring, GP of Hungary
Hungaroring is one of my favourite venues but I didn't perform well in the qualy. To be honest, I performed terribly. The weather was awful as there was torrential rain. I was the slowest in the grid and ended up in 22nd. Pole position for Bruno Senna in front of di Grassi and Nakajima.
Luckily, the race day was sunny. From the very beginning I kept climbing being the fastest on the track. After 15 laps I managed to take the lead. From that point I kept increasing the gap by1,5-2 seconds per lap. At the end of the race I was over 1 minute in front of Maldonado. Of course, I won the race hands down and I expect the same during the sprint race.
The winner - Pantano, 2nd - Maldonado, 3rd - Ammermuller
Race 13(sprint) - Well...If something may go wrong, it surely will. This is the sentence which sums up this race best. It's all because of the weather. Remembering my performance from the pre-feature race qualifyings, I chose monsoons for upcoming rain. The race started on dry surface and my tyres had deteriorated by the time it started raining around lap 10. I could already see Zuber - the race leader in the mirrors. I let him pass me and a few laps later I lost control and got caught in the gravel trap. I would have won hadn't it rained :/
The winner - Glock, 2nd - Pizzonia, 3rd - Filippi
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/25/2009 09:48PM by abdelkader.
Hungaroring is one of my favourite venues but I didn't perform well in the qualy. To be honest, I performed terribly. The weather was awful as there was torrential rain. I was the slowest in the grid and ended up in 22nd. Pole position for Bruno Senna in front of di Grassi and Nakajima.
Luckily, the race day was sunny. From the very beginning I kept climbing being the fastest on the track. After 15 laps I managed to take the lead. From that point I kept increasing the gap by1,5-2 seconds per lap. At the end of the race I was over 1 minute in front of Maldonado. Of course, I won the race hands down and I expect the same during the sprint race.
The winner - Pantano, 2nd - Maldonado, 3rd - Ammermuller
Race 13(sprint) - Well...If something may go wrong, it surely will. This is the sentence which sums up this race best. It's all because of the weather. Remembering my performance from the pre-feature race qualifyings, I chose monsoons for upcoming rain. The race started on dry surface and my tyres had deteriorated by the time it started raining around lap 10. I could already see Zuber - the race leader in the mirrors. I let him pass me and a few laps later I lost control and got caught in the gravel trap. I would have won hadn't it rained :/
The winner - Glock, 2nd - Pizzonia, 3rd - Filippi
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/25/2009 09:48PM by abdelkader.
Race 14 - Istanbul Park, GP of Turkey
This is the track I think I hate most. I have never found the right driving line on it. In drizzling rain I managed to get only 20th position. Pole for Zuber having Chandhok and Lapierre behind.
The race day was similarly wet as the qualifying session. I took intermediate tyres and went for the race. Around 5th lap, when it became really wet, everyone but me stopped for wet tyres. At this point I was the race leader but it didn't last long. As I wasn't competitive at this circuit, everyone kept passing me hands down. Finally, I retired with no chance to earn points. I think I'd need lots of practice laps around this circuit. Surely, I'd be puking while doing this but there's no other way. If there's a reason for which I could kill a man it's Hermann Tilke for designing this Istanbul's crap. Now sprint race...
The winner - Zuber, 2nd - di Grassi, 3rd - Nakajima
Race 15(sprint) - This time the weather was merciful. The day was sunny and I was in 22nd. Having my dry setup, I was much faster and started climbing from the beginning. I felt quite comfortable there and knew I'd be in top ten if I did my best, however I got pushed off by Yamamoto and had to go wide straight onto the run off area. When I was about to get back to the tarmac, I got hit by Hirate and we both retired from the race in lap 2.
The winner - Zuber, 2nd - di Grassi, 3rd - Filippi
Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 07/26/2009 02:29AM by abdelkader.
This is the track I think I hate most. I have never found the right driving line on it. In drizzling rain I managed to get only 20th position. Pole for Zuber having Chandhok and Lapierre behind.
The race day was similarly wet as the qualifying session. I took intermediate tyres and went for the race. Around 5th lap, when it became really wet, everyone but me stopped for wet tyres. At this point I was the race leader but it didn't last long. As I wasn't competitive at this circuit, everyone kept passing me hands down. Finally, I retired with no chance to earn points. I think I'd need lots of practice laps around this circuit. Surely, I'd be puking while doing this but there's no other way. If there's a reason for which I could kill a man it's Hermann Tilke for designing this Istanbul's crap. Now sprint race...
The winner - Zuber, 2nd - di Grassi, 3rd - Nakajima
Race 15(sprint) - This time the weather was merciful. The day was sunny and I was in 22nd. Having my dry setup, I was much faster and started climbing from the beginning. I felt quite comfortable there and knew I'd be in top ten if I did my best, however I got pushed off by Yamamoto and had to go wide straight onto the run off area. When I was about to get back to the tarmac, I got hit by Hirate and we both retired from the race in lap 2.
The winner - Zuber, 2nd - di Grassi, 3rd - Filippi
Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 07/26/2009 02:29AM by abdelkader.
Race 16 - Monza, GP of Italy
I really don't know what happened to me. I entered the qualifying session hoping for a good result as Monza had always been the venue at which I felt confident. This time it was not the case. My fastest lap let me reach only 20th place in the qualifiers. Pole sitter was Zuber with Filippi and Glock behind. What is worse, the race day turned out to be wet. I had problems with traction on dry surface and didn't want to think what was awaiting me here, on water. My anxiety turned out to be justified. I had no traction and couldn't stay on the track. I retired after three laps. :/ I really don't know what's wrong. I keep losing pace...
The winner - Glock, 2nd - Ammermuller, 3rd - Zuber
Race 17(sprint) This time I didn't complete even one lap. What's more, I didn't even eneter the first corner as I bounced off Negrao and landed on the track upside down. It's another nightmare race for me. I have dropped to 4th position in the standings and it's all looking more and more bad.
The winner - di Grassi, 2nd - Zaugg, 3rd - Maldonado
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/26/2009 12:55PM by abdelkader.
I really don't know what happened to me. I entered the qualifying session hoping for a good result as Monza had always been the venue at which I felt confident. This time it was not the case. My fastest lap let me reach only 20th place in the qualifiers. Pole sitter was Zuber with Filippi and Glock behind. What is worse, the race day turned out to be wet. I had problems with traction on dry surface and didn't want to think what was awaiting me here, on water. My anxiety turned out to be justified. I had no traction and couldn't stay on the track. I retired after three laps. :/ I really don't know what's wrong. I keep losing pace...
The winner - Glock, 2nd - Ammermuller, 3rd - Zuber
Race 17(sprint) This time I didn't complete even one lap. What's more, I didn't even eneter the first corner as I bounced off Negrao and landed on the track upside down. It's another nightmare race for me. I have dropped to 4th position in the standings and it's all looking more and more bad.
The winner - di Grassi, 2nd - Zaugg, 3rd - Maldonado
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/26/2009 12:55PM by abdelkader.
Thanks. I see you're also having more downs than ups this year. Good luck. Both of us will need it. I've already said "goodbye" to the GP2 title and just want to perform well.
Race 18 - Spa-Francorchamps, GP of Belgium
The qualifiers were quite promising as I was 4th and felt quite fine about the race. Pole for Glock, then Zuber, Lapierre and me.
The race day was wet again and I chose intermediates as the track, according to the weather forecast, was supposed to keep gradually drying throughout the race. I kept losing pace and dropped to 6th until in lap 14 I got pushed off by di Grassi charging from behind. As a result I hit the barriers and retired. Now I really have buried my chances of winning the season. Maybe somehow I'll end up on the podium. Unfortunately, Senna, Pizzonia and Conway are tightening the gap in the standings and the remaining three races will be tough as never before.
The winner - Glock, 2nd - Lapierre, 3rd - Pizzonia
GP2 2007 (after 18 races)
1. Glock 85
2. Zuber 75
3. di Grassi 60
4. Pantano 52
5. Senna 41
5. Pizzonia 40
6. Conway 39
Race 19(sprint) Starting from 14th position I climbed up to 2nd position being right after my teammate from Campos - Vitaly Petrov. In lap 4 I managed to pass him and took the lead. After first round of pit-stops I remained the leader but here I made a mistake. Namely, I chose two-stop strategy. When I rejoined the race it turned out that the three drivers who were ahead chose one-stop strategy. For the remaining 7 laps I was battling Nakajima for the lowest place on the podium and I was close to pass him but Eau Rouge was too short
. I would have earned one point more having the fastest lap...until the final lap in which Mike Conway got faster. All in all, I finally earned some points. The bad thing is that Senna won this sprint which means he tightened the gap and now my position in the championship is even more endangered.
The winner - Senna, 2nd - Negrao, 3rd - Nakajima
Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 07/27/2009 03:55PM by abdelkader.
The qualifiers were quite promising as I was 4th and felt quite fine about the race. Pole for Glock, then Zuber, Lapierre and me.
The race day was wet again and I chose intermediates as the track, according to the weather forecast, was supposed to keep gradually drying throughout the race. I kept losing pace and dropped to 6th until in lap 14 I got pushed off by di Grassi charging from behind. As a result I hit the barriers and retired. Now I really have buried my chances of winning the season. Maybe somehow I'll end up on the podium. Unfortunately, Senna, Pizzonia and Conway are tightening the gap in the standings and the remaining three races will be tough as never before.
The winner - Glock, 2nd - Lapierre, 3rd - Pizzonia
GP2 2007 (after 18 races)
1. Glock 85
2. Zuber 75
3. di Grassi 60
4. Pantano 52
5. Senna 41
5. Pizzonia 40
6. Conway 39
Race 19(sprint) Starting from 14th position I climbed up to 2nd position being right after my teammate from Campos - Vitaly Petrov. In lap 4 I managed to pass him and took the lead. After first round of pit-stops I remained the leader but here I made a mistake. Namely, I chose two-stop strategy. When I rejoined the race it turned out that the three drivers who were ahead chose one-stop strategy. For the remaining 7 laps I was battling Nakajima for the lowest place on the podium and I was close to pass him but Eau Rouge was too short
. I would have earned one point more having the fastest lap...until the final lap in which Mike Conway got faster. All in all, I finally earned some points. The bad thing is that Senna won this sprint which means he tightened the gap and now my position in the championship is even more endangered.The winner - Senna, 2nd - Negrao, 3rd - Nakajima
Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 07/27/2009 03:55PM by abdelkader.
Race 20 - Valencia Streets, GP of Spain
I entered the qualifying session with a lot of anxiety as I didn't have a proper car setup and haven't raced much at Valencia. Once again I blew it away earning 20th position. The pole position went for Bruno Senna, 2nd place for Filippi and 3rd for di Grassi. I started making quite a promising progress - I soon reached 5th position. However, I was unable to pull away and keep the tempo of the top four. Instead, looking in the mirrors I noticed a huge tail right behind me. All the other cars wanted to pass me. Only due to my driving style I managed to keep position. It all ended up while entering the pit-lane for my first of the two planned stops. Out of my stupidity, I damaged the front right wheel and my front wing. All the cars passed me and of course, I had to stay a little bit longer in the pit-lane. I covered a few more laps to see whether I'm a little bit more competitive...I wasn't and I retired and got classified 21st. Bruno Senna won the race which means I dropped in the standings before the final race of the season. Now I'm 5th
The winner - Senna, 2nd - di Grassi, 3rd - Filippi
Race 21(sprint) The final showdown introduced itself with heavy rain over the streets of Valencia. I made a quick progress avoiding involvement in a massive shunt in front of me. I was 7th but soon got passed by di Grassi. I kept my 8th position for 6 laps but it was when I made a mistake and got overtaken by a group of drivers who gathered behind me during the initial laps. I started suffering from aquaplanning as my soft wets were deteriorating drastically. I lost my pace and retired being completely unable to stay on track.
The winner - Glock, 2nd - Pizzonia, 3rd - Senna
Another season is over. Time to sum things up
I somehow managed to keep 5th position in the standings though I admit I was aiming for something more in the half of the season. I won as many races as the champion - Timo Glock though I wasn't consistent throughout the other races. Once again I have to admit I have to work on driving at street circuits. I thought I was capable of achieving something more than 5th place. However, driving the same car as the other drivers really is more difficult than other motorsports and I suppose it was one of the reasons of my underperformance in the latter part of the year. I'm really sorry for my Public Menace Award (it's my second Public Menace Award in my "career". I'm also sorry for the team who got the Worst Team Award. Next season has to be a better one for me. Anyway, I'll do my best to avenge this year's humiliation.
Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 07/28/2009 03:03PM by abdelkader.
I entered the qualifying session with a lot of anxiety as I didn't have a proper car setup and haven't raced much at Valencia. Once again I blew it away earning 20th position. The pole position went for Bruno Senna, 2nd place for Filippi and 3rd for di Grassi. I started making quite a promising progress - I soon reached 5th position. However, I was unable to pull away and keep the tempo of the top four. Instead, looking in the mirrors I noticed a huge tail right behind me. All the other cars wanted to pass me. Only due to my driving style I managed to keep position. It all ended up while entering the pit-lane for my first of the two planned stops. Out of my stupidity, I damaged the front right wheel and my front wing. All the cars passed me and of course, I had to stay a little bit longer in the pit-lane. I covered a few more laps to see whether I'm a little bit more competitive...I wasn't and I retired and got classified 21st. Bruno Senna won the race which means I dropped in the standings before the final race of the season. Now I'm 5th
The winner - Senna, 2nd - di Grassi, 3rd - Filippi
Race 21(sprint) The final showdown introduced itself with heavy rain over the streets of Valencia. I made a quick progress avoiding involvement in a massive shunt in front of me. I was 7th but soon got passed by di Grassi. I kept my 8th position for 6 laps but it was when I made a mistake and got overtaken by a group of drivers who gathered behind me during the initial laps. I started suffering from aquaplanning as my soft wets were deteriorating drastically. I lost my pace and retired being completely unable to stay on track.
The winner - Glock, 2nd - Pizzonia, 3rd - Senna
Another season is over. Time to sum things up
I somehow managed to keep 5th position in the standings though I admit I was aiming for something more in the half of the season. I won as many races as the champion - Timo Glock though I wasn't consistent throughout the other races. Once again I have to admit I have to work on driving at street circuits. I thought I was capable of achieving something more than 5th place. However, driving the same car as the other drivers really is more difficult than other motorsports and I suppose it was one of the reasons of my underperformance in the latter part of the year. I'm really sorry for my Public Menace Award (it's my second Public Menace Award in my "career"
. I'm also sorry for the team who got the Worst Team Award. Next season has to be a better one for me. Anyway, I'll do my best to avenge this year's humiliation.Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 07/28/2009 03:03PM by abdelkader.
I have just decided that the next season I will re-enact will be F-1 1967 campaign. The driver I chose is John Surtees from Honda.
O.K. Let's begin...
Race 1 - Kyalami, South African GP
The qualifying day was a promising one. I had a fast car and set a really fast lap which gave me the leadership up until 4 minutes from the end of the session when Jack Brabham and Chris Amon got faster times.
I started the race well, passing Amon and Brabham while good job was done also by Jim Clark and Dan Gurney as they progressed a lot. For one lap I was the race leader but I soon got convinced that my third position in the qualifyings was the best I could get. Clark passed me quite easily at the main straight. I also got overtaken by Gurney and Amon but the latter retired soon afterwards. Bandini, Brabham, Spence and McLaren suffered the same fate. I was going in 3rd position when I got a loose wheel and had to pit. When I rejoined the race I was in 15th but after a few following laps I managed to pass Rees and Courage who both spun off right afterwards (I saw it in the mirrors). Then I overtaken Solana who tried to fight back, with no success though. I managed to pass a few other drivers to find myself back in 4th position. After first round of pit-stops I needed three laps to regain my 4th place by overtaking Pedro Rodriguez but since then I had made a huge gap. I thought that I'd be 4th but then Dennis Hulme blew the engine and retired. This way I got on the podium and knew it wouldn't be worse than this. In the final lap I was struck by another great surprise - the vice-leader, Dan Gurney, had some problems with his car and I manage to pass him. After this it was me who took vice-leadership. Gurney was classified 4th eventually.
The winner - Clark, 2nd - Surtees, 3rd - Rodriguez
I guess that mechanical reliability is going to be the key to success this season. Luckily my Honda seems to be the most reliable in the statistics...it means nothing, though.
Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 07/29/2009 06:10PM by abdelkader.
Race 1 - Kyalami, South African GP
The qualifying day was a promising one. I had a fast car and set a really fast lap which gave me the leadership up until 4 minutes from the end of the session when Jack Brabham and Chris Amon got faster times.
I started the race well, passing Amon and Brabham while good job was done also by Jim Clark and Dan Gurney as they progressed a lot. For one lap I was the race leader but I soon got convinced that my third position in the qualifyings was the best I could get. Clark passed me quite easily at the main straight. I also got overtaken by Gurney and Amon but the latter retired soon afterwards. Bandini, Brabham, Spence and McLaren suffered the same fate. I was going in 3rd position when I got a loose wheel and had to pit. When I rejoined the race I was in 15th but after a few following laps I managed to pass Rees and Courage who both spun off right afterwards (I saw it in the mirrors). Then I overtaken Solana who tried to fight back, with no success though. I managed to pass a few other drivers to find myself back in 4th position. After first round of pit-stops I needed three laps to regain my 4th place by overtaking Pedro Rodriguez but since then I had made a huge gap. I thought that I'd be 4th but then Dennis Hulme blew the engine and retired. This way I got on the podium and knew it wouldn't be worse than this. In the final lap I was struck by another great surprise - the vice-leader, Dan Gurney, had some problems with his car and I manage to pass him. After this it was me who took vice-leadership. Gurney was classified 4th eventually.
The winner - Clark, 2nd - Surtees, 3rd - Rodriguez
I guess that mechanical reliability is going to be the key to success this season. Luckily my Honda seems to be the most reliable in the statistics...it means nothing, though.
Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 07/29/2009 06:10PM by abdelkader.
Race 2 - Monte Carlo, Monaco GP
I had problems in the qualifying session. Mainly because I was, I think for the first time, really scared while driving. I managed to get 4th best time but every time I passed Nouvelle Chicane my heart was in my throat. It was one of those Russian roulette feelings - you either win or die. Pole for Brabham, 2nd his teammate - Hulme, 3rd - Bandini.
I made a great start passing Bandini and both Brabham-Repco drivers. I kept setting faster and faster laps (having the heart in the throat passing Nouvelle Chicane). After 10 laps I was already 6 seconds ahead of Brabham. In lap 11 my nightmare came true - I didn't enter Nouvelle Chicane in the proper way and crashed heavily losing both front wheels. I retired from the race which was a painful thing as it turned out I had the fastest lap in the race. I would have won hands down hadn't I made that fateful mistake.
The winner - Hill, 2nd - Rodriguez, 3rd - Siffert
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/29/2009 08:40PM by abdelkader.
I had problems in the qualifying session. Mainly because I was, I think for the first time, really scared while driving. I managed to get 4th best time but every time I passed Nouvelle Chicane my heart was in my throat. It was one of those Russian roulette feelings - you either win or die. Pole for Brabham, 2nd his teammate - Hulme, 3rd - Bandini.
I made a great start passing Bandini and both Brabham-Repco drivers. I kept setting faster and faster laps (having the heart in the throat passing Nouvelle Chicane). After 10 laps I was already 6 seconds ahead of Brabham. In lap 11 my nightmare came true - I didn't enter Nouvelle Chicane in the proper way and crashed heavily losing both front wheels. I retired from the race which was a painful thing as it turned out I had the fastest lap in the race. I would have won hands down hadn't I made that fateful mistake.
The winner - Hill, 2nd - Rodriguez, 3rd - Siffert
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/29/2009 08:40PM by abdelkader.
Race 3 - Zandvoort, Dutch GP
This was supposed to be a good race as everything was looking O.K. from the very beginning. I qualified 1st having a considerable advantage of 1.6 sec over Clark and Hulme.
From the very start I was increasing the gap. After 11 laps I was around 8 seconds ahead of Clark who couldn't find the right pace. I had a minor adventure when I run slightly wide and lost a couple of seconds. Meanwhile Clark blew his engine and retired. Second position was taken by Hulme followed by Gurney. The latter retired shortly after. Pedro Rodriguez has made another great effort climbing from 16th up to 6th position due to retirements of the other drivers and he was still charging. The situation wasn't changing if we omit the fact that most of the drivers had retired before second round of stops. After my both stops I was 40 seconds ahead of Hulme. He ,however, retired as well. Meanwhile Jackie Stewart started charging pretty hard and grabbed himself 5th place...only to spin off and retire after that. I won the race having over three laps of advantage over the second driver. Fourth position was taken by Beltoise - my teammate which I find fantastic...The only thing is that Pedro Rodriguez is starting to get on my nerves. He shows nothing during the qualifyings/races but he somehow manages to crawl to the finish line claiming good positions. Jack Brabham, Dan Gurney and Dennis Hulme, for instance, deserve those points more.
The winner - Surtees, 2nd - McLaren, 3rd - Rodriguez.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/30/2009 03:42PM by abdelkader.
This was supposed to be a good race as everything was looking O.K. from the very beginning. I qualified 1st having a considerable advantage of 1.6 sec over Clark and Hulme.
From the very start I was increasing the gap. After 11 laps I was around 8 seconds ahead of Clark who couldn't find the right pace. I had a minor adventure when I run slightly wide and lost a couple of seconds. Meanwhile Clark blew his engine and retired. Second position was taken by Hulme followed by Gurney. The latter retired shortly after. Pedro Rodriguez has made another great effort climbing from 16th up to 6th position due to retirements of the other drivers and he was still charging. The situation wasn't changing if we omit the fact that most of the drivers had retired before second round of stops. After my both stops I was 40 seconds ahead of Hulme. He ,however, retired as well. Meanwhile Jackie Stewart started charging pretty hard and grabbed himself 5th place...only to spin off and retire after that. I won the race having over three laps of advantage over the second driver. Fourth position was taken by Beltoise - my teammate which I find fantastic...The only thing is that Pedro Rodriguez is starting to get on my nerves. He shows nothing during the qualifyings/races but he somehow manages to crawl to the finish line claiming good positions. Jack Brabham, Dan Gurney and Dennis Hulme, for instance, deserve those points more.
The winner - Surtees, 2nd - McLaren, 3rd - Rodriguez.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/30/2009 03:42PM by abdelkader.
Nice to read about an older carset. Rlly like it./ Ill do a vintage season aswell ;p
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"If in doubt, Flat out."
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"If in doubt, Flat out."
I agree. I also feel...er...somehow different while racing with the vintage cars, tracks and drivers. There's something epic in it.
Anyway...
Race 4 - Spa-Francorchamps, Belgian GP
The qualifying stage was a horrific and a happy-ending one. I had to be concentrated throughout the whole lap. One mistake and I'd fly off the track (I love that vintage Spa layout anyway). All in all, I claimed pole position being faster by 3 seconds than Hulme and Brabham.
I kept pole position at the start making a margin constantly lap by lap. After the pit-stops the order didn't change. Of course, lots of drivers had mechanical issues and most of them retired by the end of the race. Pit-stops were really interesting during this race. In lap 17 I damaged the front part of my car and had to repair it. Luckily Hulme and Brabham also had to pit for fuel and I managed to keep leadership. Later on I had to pit once again as the fuel consumption of my car was enormously huge. Even in spite of all those problems my leadership wasn't in danger even for a short while. A typical from-start-to-finish flawless victory. My teammate, Beltoise, scored again as he finished in 6th place. Finally Brabhams finished the race making 2-3 podium. Ferrari cars once again turned out to be fragile and unable to endure a whole race distance. Only Chris Amon finished the race (4th). Scarfiotti, Parkes and Bandini all retired from the race. This time Rodriguez didn't finish the race which busts the theory of his divinity
The winner - Surtees, 2nd - Hulme, 3rd - Brabham
Anyway...
Race 4 - Spa-Francorchamps, Belgian GP
The qualifying stage was a horrific and a happy-ending one. I had to be concentrated throughout the whole lap. One mistake and I'd fly off the track (I love that vintage Spa layout anyway). All in all, I claimed pole position being faster by 3 seconds than Hulme and Brabham.
I kept pole position at the start making a margin constantly lap by lap. After the pit-stops the order didn't change. Of course, lots of drivers had mechanical issues and most of them retired by the end of the race. Pit-stops were really interesting during this race. In lap 17 I damaged the front part of my car and had to repair it. Luckily Hulme and Brabham also had to pit for fuel and I managed to keep leadership. Later on I had to pit once again as the fuel consumption of my car was enormously huge. Even in spite of all those problems my leadership wasn't in danger even for a short while. A typical from-start-to-finish flawless victory. My teammate, Beltoise, scored again as he finished in 6th place. Finally Brabhams finished the race making 2-3 podium. Ferrari cars once again turned out to be fragile and unable to endure a whole race distance. Only Chris Amon finished the race (4th). Scarfiotti, Parkes and Bandini all retired from the race. This time Rodriguez didn't finish the race which busts the theory of his divinity
The winner - Surtees, 2nd - Hulme, 3rd - Brabham
i cant stop loving it. hail the 50's, 60's and 70's :p
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"If in doubt, Flat out."
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"If in doubt, Flat out."
Thanks for the feedbakc, guys 
Race 5 - Le Mans Bugatti, French GP
I was quite fast in the qualifying session. However, it was won by Jack Brabham and Graham Hill. I was third. At the start of the race I passed both of them but for a few following laps I was completely unable to pull away. Brabham was right on my back followed by Hill. After 6 laps I managed somehow to make a 2.5 sec advantage and then I saw the most beautiful information - Jack Brabham was out of the race. In the next lap I saw another great information - Graham Hill was out, too. In theory, I was the fastest driver on the track and it really was the case. Now I really started to pull away. Mike Parkes driving in 2nd was slower by 1.5-2 sec per lap. After first pit-stop I was around 35 seconds ahead. After that I had a small racing incident with Jacky Ickx who, right before my lapping him, run wide, got back on the track and nearly crashed into me. Luckily, there was a plenty of space I could use to avoid collision. Meanwhile, Parkes got passed by Clark and now the real fight begun. I was already 45 seconds ahead but saw that Clark was slowly tightening the gap. After my second stop I was 30 seconds ahead but Clark was still charging. It was a great rivalry between me and him. I set the fastest lap only to be outperformed by Clark setting even a faster lap. Then I managed to set the fastest lap again. My tyres were deteriorating rapidly and I had only a 20-sec advantage over Clark who, once again, set the fastest lap in the race (this time I didn't manage to fight back and be faster than him). Luckily there were only about 10 laps to finish and I managed to win the race but had there been 20 or more laps remaining the race results would have been totally different. It's another time when Pedro Rodriguez, starting from 13th position, earned himself the podium.
The winner - Surtees, 2nd - Clark, 3rd - Rodriguez
Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 07/31/2009 05:29PM by abdelkader.
Race 5 - Le Mans Bugatti, French GP
I was quite fast in the qualifying session. However, it was won by Jack Brabham and Graham Hill. I was third. At the start of the race I passed both of them but for a few following laps I was completely unable to pull away. Brabham was right on my back followed by Hill. After 6 laps I managed somehow to make a 2.5 sec advantage and then I saw the most beautiful information - Jack Brabham was out of the race. In the next lap I saw another great information - Graham Hill was out, too. In theory, I was the fastest driver on the track and it really was the case. Now I really started to pull away. Mike Parkes driving in 2nd was slower by 1.5-2 sec per lap. After first pit-stop I was around 35 seconds ahead. After that I had a small racing incident with Jacky Ickx who, right before my lapping him, run wide, got back on the track and nearly crashed into me. Luckily, there was a plenty of space I could use to avoid collision. Meanwhile, Parkes got passed by Clark and now the real fight begun. I was already 45 seconds ahead but saw that Clark was slowly tightening the gap. After my second stop I was 30 seconds ahead but Clark was still charging. It was a great rivalry between me and him. I set the fastest lap only to be outperformed by Clark setting even a faster lap. Then I managed to set the fastest lap again. My tyres were deteriorating rapidly and I had only a 20-sec advantage over Clark who, once again, set the fastest lap in the race (this time I didn't manage to fight back and be faster than him). Luckily there were only about 10 laps to finish and I managed to win the race but had there been 20 or more laps remaining the race results would have been totally different. It's another time when Pedro Rodriguez, starting from 13th position, earned himself the podium.
The winner - Surtees, 2nd - Clark, 3rd - Rodriguez
Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 07/31/2009 05:29PM by abdelkader.
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