Nordschleife Race Reports

[Fergy]

What a night, emotions running high.

Looking forward to reading the race reports here.

[Kalanur]

My Race report:

Start, sweating and aching muscles, end.

[vittorio]

What a race!
I love the Nordschleife and did alot of laps in the last year (on a different mod though). Every corner is burnt in my brain and i had high expectations for this race therefore.

Practice:
I couldnt practice that much last week because i had to work a lot but i already knew the track, so no prob.

Race day & strategy:
I slept very well the night before and was in a good condition for the race. My strategy was to not go too fast (~10 sec slower than fastest laps) to not risk an accident.

Quali:
8:38 -> 7th pos. Never did a faster lap before.

Race:
Usually i start very slow, but this time i tried to keep my position because overtaking is very difficult at Nordschleife. I didn't lose a position at start, everybody was very carefully.

I tried to follow Bryan even knowing he is much faster but couldnt, of course. But i did better than i expected. Giorgio was behind me and hunting me! We did very fast lap times and although i knew that everything i do is against my strategy i had to fight him. I did a slight mistake, i was hunting Giorgio and i thought what am i doing? This is way too fast! We fighted for 3 laps and Giorgio slowed down telling me i should overtake. I didnt wanted to overtake first because hunting is easier than being hunted. Probably Giorgio thought the same that we are way too fast
I overtook, Giorgio was going slower.

Did the planed pitstop, no problems.

After lap 6 everything got very strange. I didn't know anymore exactly what i was doing, still was driving fast but more subconsciously.
It felt like being on (an unknown) drug. But still everything was ok. I was in 5th place, Jason 40 sec in front, Everon 40 sec behind. I thought keeping that position is good enough. No risk.

But then after 70min racetime windows switched to desktop! I jumped on the brake. Tried to get back to rfactor2 but couldn't! I didn't try too much because my car could have been on the middle of the track and i killed the rfactor2 task. Race over

But still, this race was so awesome!!

[Fergy]

First of all great turn out, Well done SR4L

My race went well until my mistake. Drove very consistent, didn't feel the need to push while my pace was in the low 8:30's.
I played the waiting game will and worked my way up from 6th to 3rd. On laps 6 I lost concentration for a split second and it was all over, I was stuck off the track wedged on an embankment. Never been so disappointed about a sim race before like I was tonight.

Well done to Marcel, great win and a testament to your work ethic on track. Well done to all finishers, truly a remarkable effort.

[Lecram]

Just saw the replay of what happened to DjC, really tough luck mate, you could have made it so hard for me tonight

Qualify went great, all I did different from the days before was 1 notch lower front ARB and disabling my Motec-plugin... All week my best was at about 8:17 and I could barely hold on to DjC in those practice sessions. Dunno if the changes did it but the pole lap tonight was a massive pb but didn't feel that quick plus I had scraped the wall in my first flying lap so there was a little damage though hardly noticeable.
Never thought of getting pole with DjC in the room... Gorka proved to be speedy as well ;D

I got away good, both Gorka and DjC right behind me at T1 but I could pull a little gap thru the following corners. I kept a second gap with DjC till the last part of that lap where DjC started to close in. Unfortunately Gorka crashed into him after the looong backstraight and suddenly the gap was 8 secs. Then DjC and Gorka crashed again at the end of lap 2 and I saw David Coyne had passed them. Guess I was the luckiest man on earth at that moment.
I managed to keep a steady pace for the rest of the race, lapping a bit faster than my direct opponents but still without too many risks.
Lappers did a great job of letting me thru and so I won the race, something I had never expected and many others with me I think :-X : ;D

Thanks and till next race

[Big T]

Well my not so smart mistake.
With 30 seconds left, I slowed down on the long straight away to the finish line waiting for the time to run out in 10th place. I had been driving for the last two laps with front wheel damage and thought i would cross the finish line and stop. I was very tired of fighting the wiggling back and forth. After crossing the finish line and escaped to the monitor and found out that i was not through.
So I did not finish the race, needed to go one more lap.

[gorgias1976]

Overall the race was less demanding physically than I expected, maybe jogging training this year is helping on that but it felt more comforatable that I thought it could be.

Qualy
-------
Track was well rubbered and it proved, lots of traction coming out of corners.
Did two flying laps, first one a 8:14.1 brought me to a temporary pole position, tried to push harder in the second lap. I then was already a second faster in the second sector but run a little wide at the fast 4th gear curves after the steep downhill and lost all my advantage and couldn't improve my lap.

Race
------
Started pretty well and almost attempted to overtake Marcel at turn 1, we both were very carefull there and DjC took advantage of that and overtook me. In that first lap we three were driving very carefully. I decided to leave a 1+ sec gap to DjC to avoid being too close to him. When we approached the end of the lap I started pushing a little harder so I could give it a go in the long straight or in the finish line straight. I catched David's slipstream and reached a top speed of 269km/h but had to ease off as we approached the fast lefthander under the bridge. When we approached the heavy final braking I didn't expect David to brake early and almost run into him, moved to the left to avoid running into him but went through the grass losing control and crashing into the barriers and into David, slightly damaging the car. Sorry there DjC.

[YOUTUBE]moFuqFeCtvg[/YOUTUBE]

We lost some good seconds to Marcel then but at least it was not fully disaster. Lap two was a search on David, having a little battle with the damaged car, gap to him increased to 2+ seconds. We were approaching the end of the lap, the final two righthanders before the long straight, when I suddenly saw David's car crashed. We was in the outside line of the track and I crashed into him. At first I didn't understand how I could not avoid him as he was off the racing line, but when I watched the replay I realised the suspension bars of his car were laying in the middle of the trach. I hit them lifting the front of my car and being thrown straight into David. I stalled my car and heard what I guess it was David Coyne's car approaching, I really feared he hitting us, but somehow he was able to come out of there safely.

[YOUTUBE]hCe0hVfQFyU[/YOUTUBE]
[SIZE=11px]Note: So hard to see what's ahead when fully overcast due to wind deflector[/SIZE]

Car was significantly damaged and I had to come for repair which took around 70secs. I refueled and changed tires so I realised I had to make this set of tires last the remaining 8 laps. I decided to adapt my driving style to go as fast as posible but avoiding any kind of going sideways nor locking tires.

The next laps I got a nice pace in this saving tires driving style, taking some positions on track and others as people pitted. I reached David Coyne at the beginning of lap 7, couldn't find a way into him until he made a mistake and went a little wide in the curve before the second carrusel, I took second position then.

I continued my drive trying to put a little pressure on Marcel who was as far as 43 seconds, but in half a lap the gap had reduced to 39 seconds (hoping he had to drive faster and had more chances of a mistake). In that pushing I went a little wide to the grass and lost a big bunch of seconds, also in my recovery hit the left wall with my front left tire and damaged it.

Next two final laps were a constant battle with the wheel, turned 30º to the left to keep it straight and very unstable and wandering in fast sections and brakings. D Coyne was less than 6 seconds behind and feared he could catch me and take back his second position. Just before the beginning of the final lap he suddenly dropped to 20+ seconds so I felt more relieved and just concentrated on finishing the lap and ending the race in second place.

[giorgetto giaguaro]

Big kudos to all of them who crossed the finish line!

I qalified in 9th position. After a safe start i noticed that was having a nice going with Vittorio and i decided to stay behind him if possible.

After 3 laps i was in 6th position (a gold position for me). The only think i was thinkin was to not loose the concentration, but it was enough a fraction of second to have my car entrapped on the barriers... ;D



I Didn't managed to pull out of there my car and to continue the race. What a shame!

Really hard to keep the concentration on that level for the whole duration of the race.

A lot of fun, with this great league. Thank you guys!

[deecee52]

After 2 weeks of constant track pounding and heaven knows how many setup changes the big day finally arrived and I was as ready as I was ever going to be, bring it on .

Checking the fast laps page on the league site I could see that there was no way I could ever win it unless DJ , MW and Gorka all fell off those guys were a class above me , but Bryan , Jason and me were close on times so these guys and 4th place were my realistic target.
I had decided my approach to this race had to be one of controlled aggression , I am a weak wheel to wheel racer so I didn’t want to get into a scrap especially on this track where its so easy to make mistakes , I spent a lot of practice time going out on cold tyres and pushing hard to find out where I was going to have problems and where the grip was going to be missing, I was hoping that my first 2 laps would gain me space to concentrate on the beating just the track itself .

Quall

Went out early as I knew back markers would spoil lap times here , chased DJ hoping he would drag me along , managed to get into the 29s but then hit traffic , I decided to settle for that in the hope that traffic would hold back Jason and Bryan who had gone out after me , luck was with me I got 4th which was my target .

Race

Got a good start with no drama’s and chased after the top 3 , could see Jason and Bryan were the guys behind me so got my head down and drove as hard as I dared , the top 3 were pulling away as I expected so I could choose my own lines and braking points which allowed me to slowly pull away from Jason , at the end of lap one I suddenly caught up to DJ and Gorka so I new they were fighting hard , they started to pull away again so I breathed a sigh of relief as I didn’t want to get involved in their tussle , I had a 6 second barrier between me and Jason and was just beginning to feel comfortable , lap 2 and my tyres were great so I expected now would be the time for Jason to push and have a go at me as he would be in the same condition , so I went into qualy mode and pushed hard , I think that was the best lap I have driven , it certainly felt it until I came upon Gorka across the track , fortunately I could see their tabs above the hedge so I had a warning and slowed for the corner and managed to negotiate the wreckage , I was watching the times between me and Jason constantly and on I think lap 3 it suddenly went up to 20 something seconds so I knew he had gone off somewhere , this allowed me to breath easier and back off slightly , I pitted on lap 6 and all went ok
On lap 7 Gorka appeared in my mirrors and I made a mistake and hooked a kerb which made me slow up , so he pounced and was away , I thought it was pointless me chasing him as he is the faster driver but then I noticed he was not pulling away from me and I suspected he was carrying damage , so I started to drive harder to catch him , this made me make another mistake which fortunately resulted in no damage , at that point I decided not to be greedy and settle for an unexpected third place , so I just drove for a finish .

I did it I actually finished in one piece , soaking wet , totally knackered with mega wrist ache but I beat the green hell- YAHOOOOOOOOOO

By the way thank you to all the backmarkers who drove very well and moved over and caused no dramas for me .

That was a very intense and fun race , but thank God we only do it once

[~IsR~ Jason]

Phew, what a race.

Qualified in 5th and lined up behind Marcel, Gorka and the two Davids.
Got a decent start and settled in trying to give Mr Coyne something to think about. Was staying with him quite well, and opening a gap to Bryan behind me.

Driving solidly, 2 laps went by in the blink of an eye. On lap 3 had a massive scare! Was half way round the sweeping right hander that leads into the long straight only to find DJC limping along on the inside of the bend. I was just about to open it up into 4th gear as the exit appeared. He was keeping well over but the surprise and the lack of road at the speed I was going caused some spirited improvisation on my part! Drifted round him and just clipped the hedge as the road straightened.
Breathed a huge sigh of relief and caned it down the straight at 160mph passing Gorka who I assumed had picked up damage in the same incident as DJC.

In 3rd place now, about 6 seconds behind Mr Coyne in 2nd and very relaxed. Too relaxed as it turned out! I lost control of the weight transfer going through the second set of S's (a favourite section of mine, ironically) and went straight on over the big curb, and into the barrier at speed. Bad damage. Couldn't even drive in a straight line. Thankfully, I only had a few more turns til the long straight but it was looking grim. Bryan passed me as I limped along the straight. I was weaving slightly and going pretty slow, it was tricky to keep over as he passed.

So, pitstop a lap early, damage repaired and emerged in 6th. Spent the next few laps passing backmarkers, praying we were both on the same wavelength when it came to choosing passing places. Big credit here to these slower guys, impeccable driving, use of mirrors and car placement.

With 3 laps left I was in 4th, due to other people pitting and, of course, the odd incident. The gap between me and Mr Coyne in 3rd was about the same time as I lost while limping along the last sector and having repairs after my dumb incident on lap 4. No chance of closing that gap, and I was a long way ahead of 5th so I went into cruise control and made sure of the points.

Great race, great experience and a satisfactory result.

[yerkeee]

Lost my wheel connection during qualifying in the first flying lap, so went into the wall, wheel completely bend so back of the grid for me. Luckily I had a perfect start and gained up to 12th position. First lap a driver span in front of me, but i couldn't avoid contact, bent wheel. Went into pits for repairs and decided to fuel up and do the tyre change.

Braking became much harder later in the race, many lockups which degraded my tyres even further. Scraped the wall many times so was lucky I didn't crash it. Went for a fix in the pits and hoping getting out in time, lost one position to Nikos but gained up on him, had a good fight and passed him.

Lap before last I thought I was home free but DjC was sneaking up on me. Front wheels locked up when braking downhill, span out, now DjC was right behind me at the straight. Couldn't hold him in the end, car damaged already and he was faster ofcourse. Scraped the wall again so let him pass, the last lap I had really bad tyres and was controlling the drift all the way. I finished 7th, so after all I'm a happy Darth Faber.

Good racing everybody, grats to those who crossed the finish line.

[1959nikos]

Last Monday I received a firm PM from boss, stating that if I didnt bring some good points to the team I would have to search for a new one. This was my last chance he said, better not show up with team colors at next race if I dont finish at Nurburgring.

As situation in my country is dire as you all know, my sponsor has lost all his money, so no hope him rescuing me, I had to do all I could to finish at Nurbs.

I practised all week and on Sunday, at Practise time, I realized that I had a good chance of making it, I could remember all track, I even got me an 8:59:999!!

At quali, I had a nice lap at midfield, mainly because a lot of faster people didnt get a full lap.

So, at start of race, I let them pass, knowing it would be a huge mistake racing them here.
I settled in a good pace, I had Alex behind and I was astonished he didnt come closer.

I pitted at end of 4th lap, exiting I saw John behind, 35 sec difference, I was sure he would gulp me eventually.
To my surprise our difference was the same after this lap, so I tried to stop worrying, but then Yerke had passed John so I started pressing myself so I stay in front.
Pressing and looking at time difference is a bad thing, I did mistakes and soon Yerke was in front.
No damage yet, but suddenly DJs name started appearing behind me and John.
At first I didnt worry as our difference was really big, but suddenly I remembered that the guy was 1 full minute faster than me on a lap!!
So, back to watching difference, he was gulping it steadily, first he ate John and before he ate me, I went straight on a barrier, boom!!
Steering was bent, luckilly it was drivable, petrol was my second concern as race was longer than I calculated, so I slowed down, waiting for Marcel to lap me so I do a lap less.

All went well, I finished race sweating all over, I couldnt believe I did it and into points as well!!


Fantastic race, special mention to Gorka's and DJs comebacks!!

btw, I too saw boss stuck in a barrier.

Well boss, tables just turned, Im very dissapointed of you, once you go swim in Monaco harbour, next you go Nurbs picknicking, better shape up and bring sone good points to the team, or Ill ask Neela to come and help and you will be sent to dishes department forever 8)

[Lecram]

Well boss, tables just turned, Im very dissapointed of you, once you go swim in Monaco harbour, next you go Nurbs picknicking, better shape up and bring sone good points to the team, or Ill ask Neela to come and help and you will be sent to dishes department forever 8)

LOL ;D

[gorgias1976]

Looks as Niko this time you won't be banish and sent to live in one of those many isolated greek islands.

[Neela]

Last Monday I received a firm PM from boss, stating that if I didnt bring some good points to the team I would have to search for a new one. This was my last chance he said, better not show up with team colors at next race if I dont finish at Nurburgring.

As situation in my country is dire as you all know, my sponsor has lost all his money, so no hope him rescuing me, I had to do all I could to finish at Nurbs.


Well boss, tables just turned, Im very dissapointed of you, once you go swim in Monaco harbour, next you go Nurbs picknicking, better shape up and bring sone good points to the team, or Ill ask Neela to come and help and you will be sent to dishes department forever 8)

LOL Niko great race report I didn't know your boss put you under so much pressure But you do get paid the big bucks
As for Bryan I havn't seen him for 24 hours. I think he is still walking up and down the streets looking for answers.....

Congrats to your fantasic race and all who finished. And a special congrats to my teammie Marcel!!
Unfortunately I didn't finished but it was a great event!
And LOWLAND RACING TEAM is the BEST!!! :-*

[1959nikos]

As for Bryan I havn't seen him for 24 hours. I think he is still walking up and down the streets looking for answers.....

Let him stew, he deserves it...

[DJCruicky]

Well done to MW for win, and the rest that finished.
gorgias1976 showing me driving a 3 wheeled tricycle on his video . I managed to haul it back to the pits, stuck there for 320 seconds, filled my fuel tank to the top too. Then the race was back on, took a long time to caught anyone but when i did, they just let me passed, thank you for that.
Only person I needed to fight was yerkeee. As we started the last lap saw 1 or two people slowing down they thinking the race was finished. As we screamed passed them, me thinking numpties , I was then worried incase yerkeee was going to slow down too, but luckily he didn't. A few corners later I was lucky for yerkeee to make a mistake under my pressure on him to give me his 6th place, cheers .

Nordschleife done, bring on Targa Florio

[1959nikos]

Nordschleife done, bring on Targa Florio

Amen, and an ambulance outside my house too...

[deecee52]

Nordschleife done, bring on Targa Florio

Hmm Targa Florio , mille milia now they would be intresting

[alpha-bravo]

Race Report Nordschleife

Last Monday I received a firm PM from boss, stating that if I didnt bring some good points to the team I would have to search for a new one. This was my last chance he said, better not show up with team colors at next race if I dont finish at Nurburgring.

As situation in my country is dire as you all know, my sponsor has lost all his money, so no hope him rescuing me, I had to do all I could to finish at Nurbs.


Well boss, tables just turned, Im very dissapointed of you, once you go swim in Monaco harbour, next you go Nurbs picknicking, better shape up and bring sone good points to the team, or Ill ask Neela to come and help and you will be sent to dishes department forever 8)

LOL Niko great race report I didn't know your boss put you under so much pressure But you do get paid the big bucks
As for Bryan I havn't seen him for 24 hours. I think he is still walking up and down the streets looking for answers.....

;D ;D ;D

@ Nikos things can change very quick ;D
@ Bryan I can understand this fully

My (this time really short ) report:

I start this race without any hope that I'm able to finish because in the past private und public practice sessions I was not able to finish 2 laps without a mistake and damage my car.
But I think in the real racing world drivers has also prefered tracks and some that they are not like.
All happend as expected 2nd lap mistake suspension damaged -> pitstop arround 50 sec. but then I was really surprised I was able to drive some laps (not very quick) without
damaging my car and suddenly I had the feeling there is a little chance to finish the race and get some points
After a second (very long 157 sec) pitstop (I damaged the car again) my focus was only to finish no matter on which position :
The last 2 laps was very very very dramatic and hard for me because my car was (surprise) damaged again and I was how some other drivers too confused about the message 00:00 time remain
not sure what I've to do I stopped my car. After realizing that the race is still on I was completly "finished" because my brain was tired my car was damaged and behind me (now really short) was mel fisk.
The last lap was a unbeliveable fight with my car and against mel fisk because he reduced the spacing between us very quickly but I finished (very short) before him.

race finished with a mushy brain but not unsatisfied with the result.