Sebring Post Race

[Ced Collins]

Well another great season has come and gone and I thank all of you for making it so. I wanted to have the Pug get a good run (especially since they defeated the Audi ;D ). Car was good and I qualled with my race setup so I knew I was probably a second slower than race trim for Sandy, Justin and Paul. Started in 12th and started working my way forward. Caught up to Alex who was running 9th at the time and tried being patient. As I saw the group in front of him inching away I backed it into the wall after the chicane entering the back straight. That kind of killed my charge so I had to start a new charge and goal and just see how high I could finish. Other than that screw up, It was a good drive for the LSR Peugeot.

[justin lee]

I am suffering a bit of sore loserness Qualifying went better than I thought as I thought as my car was ultra loose and once again I stunk on a start. Kept it clean, had one or two offs but was still where I wanted knowing my strategy. Come first pit stop I think I was 6 seconds behind Sandy who went one lap longer than me, good job for him for saving a lot of fuel and going the distance. Contrary to what many people felt with their car, I was really good on tires, like I would have felt good triple stinting mine if it went that long. Came out infront of Sandy by 13ish seconds, held it for a few laps...then I don't know, I was coming down into turn 1 and I mean I guess this guy was getting out of the way...but on replay jamming on the brakes on the racing line, like not even normally hitting the brakes that hard there? Well my race was over after that, just coasted around until the end. Most people would be happy with a second and I would have been satisfied if it was through a straight fight with Sandy but the way things played out I was kinda dissapointed. I don't want to accuse anyone of a brake check but man it seemed awfully a lot like one. I might return for DTM but I am not a fan of the grand am cars so I don't know.

[blackcat77]

(Moved this from the other thread I mistakenly started)

After my encounter with the robotic racing overloads on Saturday evening, I figured just about anything had to be better. At least I was in the ballpark this evening though the Audi and the Pescarolo clearly had the right combination of handling and speed -- and as it worked out, the Audi had the mileage as well...

Seemed like my potential was just about 1:53 plus or minus a couple tenths and no amount of fiddling around made much difference. So, if all things are equal, better to go with more wing and more stability. Turned out that my setup was exactly the equal to Gary's Spyder. The only things that separated us the whole race was whether or not one of us changed tires -- he did on the first stop, I did on the second -- and mistakes, which I cooperated to the tune of about ten seconds total in a couple offs.

I encountered very little traffic over the course of the race, which is surprising considering the extended length, but maybe the rough track was an equalizer as were the extra pitstops. I was, however, VERY shocked to be lapped by Sandy in the closing stages of the event after he managed to get away with only a single stop. I was never even close and wouldn't have been running boost 1, which would have cost me a second a lap. As it was, I used between 53 and 54 gallons. I guess I need to get an oil-burner for next season...

When all was said and done, I finished 4th overall and 3rd in class, which is just fine with me on such a difficult track.

This marks my first-ever overall championship, and I would like to dedicate it to our late Miskatonic teammate W. Gregg LaMar, who raced with Greg and I in the TPTCC series. He was the master of MOTEC, which was nothing but a bunch of squiggles to me, but his efforts and knowledge are still serving me today. I'm sure that he's taken a break from his contests with Senna and Earnhardt and Ascari and all the rest to share my happiness tonight.

Thanks to Greg for his help and inspiration throughout the season. Thanks to Ced for another terrific year. And thanks to everybody for making PORRS the most friendly league anywhere. I already got a list of tracks from Ced to start testing and we'll do everything we can to provide a series of tracks that will be entertaining, challenging and balanced so that both the P1s and P2s will have opportunities to do well.

[Ced Collins]

Paul, Very Cool. I didn't know Greg had passed away. I remember racing against him as well. All the more fitting for the Miskatonic Victory

[blackcat77]

He missed a race so I wrote him and he said that he'd had a relapse of cancer. I didn't hear any more from him for a month or so and I didn't want to pry but I had sort of a bad feeling and googled his name and found his obit in the Evansville paper. That was a very tough night for me... At the closing race of that season at Willow Springs, Greg and I both ran in cars with Gregg's characteristic blue and yellow livery and we led a ceremonial pace lap where everybody had their lights on. It was very moving...

He was a great guy and really enjoyed racing and I still think of him whenever I can't figure out a setup. I could always send him a replay and he'd MOTEC the thing and send me something that was a second faster and got better tire wear -- he had a real gift.

[justin lee]

err maybe not so much of a brake check but still the abrupt braking at the location threw me off big time

[forddude]

Congratulations to Paul Hamilton on his overall PORRS championship! Great job, my friend. Congratulations also to my SBN teammate Sandy Robinson and Gary Redshaw for the LMP 1 and LMP 2 crowns. A job well done by everyone.

Thanks to Ced for once again running this gig and thanks to all of you who make it so much fun to participate in. See y'all at some of the summer races.

Tom

[greds04]

First off congrats to Paul for a very solid overall championship win, sorry to hear about your team driver, I'm sure he'd be chuffed as chips about your victory.

If Terry didn't have travel problems with Karjala, or Aardvark then it would be me chasing him for LMP-2 most likely, he's certainly been hard charging the whole time, and had some unbelievable setups (goodwood springs to mind, and Paul Ricard).

Sebring was a blast, I knew the bumps would be a factor in the cars setup, I had the car set to a point where it could ride the bumps pretty well without bottoming out or getting air and losing grip, and it could take the corners at a decent amount of speed, somehow I pulled a 1.50 in qualifying that put me second on the grid.

As soon as the light went green Sandy shot past me, and I likewise was able to get past Justin for most of the lap until the back straight. Paul was hounding me not long after that, we were pretty evenly matched, but eventually I was pulling out a little gap of a few seconds, pulled a couple of mid 1.52's which is the best I have had the car do in race trim.

When we got to the first stop I took new tires and a full tank of gas, Paul just took a splash and dash and was on his way out ahead of me, I was slowly chasing him down making a couple of little mistakes that would cost a second or two, but I was still slowly gaining ground, to the point he would enter the next section as I was exiting the previous one.

Then I took my second stop the following lap after Paul took fresh tires and a tank of gas, I just took gas and stormed out of the pits behind the gaggle of cars fighting over 3rd to 5th I think, but ahead of Paul by a couple of seconds, Terry had a spin at the second left hand turn before his stop. The remaining cars in front of me made their final stops and I was back into third for the remainder of the race and over a minute behind Sandy who was not far from lapping me.

Probably the most consistent run I have had so far since Bathurst, did have a close call when I encountered Jim trying to get the car pointing the right direction in the right left section after the hairpin (I almost pulled the wheel clean off the desk with a knee jerk reaction).

Overall I'm very pleased with my podium spot, didn't expect the Spyder to be that competitive against the P1 field of cars, the car handled really well, although it seemed to have a problem trying to negotiate the hairpin.

It was a shame to lose the Weasel team to the Comcast gremlins (I know who their sponsor won't be next season ), would have looked even more impressive with the two Weasels bringing the field up to (I think) 17 cars flying towards the first corner.

Big thanks to Ced for running a great league before I had even joined in the last season of GTP 2006, great bunch of drivers that are always fun to race with, doesn't feel like almost 4 years .

[Greg 'GP' Haley]

race in a nutshell 1 stop in p1 lola--was too slow & 2 stop with extra boost, big pitlane and extra stop negated not taking rubber and any quicker laps.
had a fun early battle with brent for 5th which i lost when my brake markers disappeared into the 'classic' hairpin. someone must've nailed them the previous lap and i had to straightline the corner (note to self: reference some immovable trackside object next time). never really run sebring that well in any series and the added intensity of this versions bumps really kept me on my toes.
great job to both sandy and gary on their race wins and to the head miska on the season overall championship. look forward to a new look ilms or...enduracer mod season.

cheers,
greg #78 miska

[BCurtis]

Wow had an awesome battle with Greg early on...lots of fun. Had a bit of damage at my pitstop and decided to fix it...33 seconds worth. Wish it would tell you before hand how long it would take...or at least some kind of estimate. Anyway I got booted later on anyway.
Had a rough season with my connection and stuff hopefully will be fixed up for the summer.

Thanks to everone for the past season of great racing.
Looking forward to the GS mod.