Sunday League Watkins Glen 1973 Porsche RSR Race Reports

[DJCruicky]

Post your Watkins Glen race reports here .

 

[J-P SImard]

Bravo Rikard for your victory and for the podium. Sorry for touching you twice, I'm happy to see that didn't stop you from winning.

I have a lot of difficulty concentrating these days, I had my worst race of the year and I believe it is time for me to end the season and go on vacation before I destroy for good this Porsche.

 

[DJCruicky]

 

[Hedlund]

QUALI Got pole with less than I tenth! I managed a few 1:59.9xx laps but I guess that was as fast I could go becuase I only improved with a few thousandth of a second each time. I must admit I was a bit sceptical about entering this race when I earlier this week joined the server and saw that the best laptime was a 2:00.5 something and I was 4 seconds off the pace

RACE 1 I had a really bad start. In T1 I had both Ed and DJC on the inside, so I had to take a wider line and also lost JPS. This was the first time racing with other cars around me for a loooong time, so I was a bit nervous and didn't want to get someone in trouble, so I braked too early for the chicane and lost another position to Ron (I think it was). I settled for P5 for a while until Ron and JPS had a clash into the chicane a few laps later, and I got past both of them. JPS had a run on me into "Chute" corner and we touched. I managed to keep my car on track and continue. With 3 or 4 laps left I catched DJC and we had a nice battle to the finish line. On the final lap I had two good runs on him. First on the back straight, but I backed off into the chicane, and then again I had a good run on the outside of him into the tight "Heel" corner. I braked a little to late which made me loose the rear in the corner entry... So we were going side by side with me drifting on the outside But I couldn't get past and got P3 in the end. Happy with that in my first race this season!




RACE 2 Started P3, got a much better start and a good run on both Ed and DJC coming out of T1. But with the cold tires I had big oversteer going through the long sweeping corners before the back straight. So instead I had JPS breathing down my neck and once again he dived on the inside of "Chute" corner. So we made contact again but I managed to keep the car steady, I think with these cars a little contact is OK, it's worse with the open wheelers Anyway, I lost a position to Ratus there and I continued to make some silly mistakes the following laps. But after a slow start I found the pace and catched Ratus and DJC battling. With them going side by side into the tight right-hander I just stayed on the outside and got past Ratus. Next lap I had a good run on DJC on the back straight and somehow managed to squeeze past him. Then I had a big gap to Ed who was leading the race, I think 5 seconds. But he made a mistake just a few laps later and I was on his tail again. First I didn't realise because I couldn't activate driver name tags for some reason (anyone else? I miss them). I thought it was a lapped car but then realise it was Ed. I got a nice run on him on the back straight and he left the inside for me so I took the chance and got past into the chicane! After that I could just keep up the pace for the remaining 4,5 laps and take the win!

Felt really good to be back and see that I have not lost my driving ability, just some consistency! After the races I was drenched in sweat, not used to this level of concentration anymore But it was great fun. I'll be back for the last round. See you there.

 

[DJCruicky]

Qually was very tight 3rd 4th and 5th, almost the same time. I managed to be the 4th on the grid.

Race 1:
Me and Ed had a great start, I jumped straight to 2nd and Ed in 1st. I could not put Ed under any pressure, I dropped back from him as I was fighting off Ratus behind me. He was putting in some very fast times trying to find a way passed me. A recovering Rik over took Ratus, but I could just manage to keep Rik behind me to finish in 2nd .

Race 2:
Good start again in 2nd. I had Ratus on my Arse for almost the whole race again . Just like the 1st race we had a recovering Rik wanting passed us both again. This time Rik was successful and overtook us both. Rik went off to pester Ed at the front .
I think I was making a train again, just like last week, had 3 or 4 cars on my tail all wanting a sniff of me. "Who this slow poke up front" .
Just few laps to go and Ratus putting more pressure on me. I'm having to drive off the racing line to make it hard for him to overtake.
Lap last, he manages to find a way passed just before the finish.
Finished 4th.
Ratus well deserved 3rd, well done. New name for you 'Last Lap Rat-Arse'

To JPS I'm sure next race you will have better one.

CU all at Japan.

 

[Ratus]

Short report of the Race Nr.2 from my view:

Like DJC wrote, most part of the race (1&2) i only saw his rear-end, which i have to admit is not so bad looking this RSR'73 .
Rik had a total different pace and just flew passed us. Behind were Ron and Dave making good laptimes and more and more pressure too.

Couldn't find a way pass DJC till the end part of last lap. Watching the replay i think it was probaly my nicest pass since over 10 years simracing. Fair & nice racing DJC, thanks!
In general, looking at those replays with those races with you guys is better than most movies for me, just love this kind and close racing!

I find this RSR73 have not so much Slipstream, so overtaking manouvers aren't easy and depend alot of late braking and curner speeds. But it keeps the grid a bit together, so thats ok .

Grats Rik & Ed, grats all finishers. Thanks for the great organisation.

Looking forward for suzuka

 

[Edvvc]

Watkins Glen served up another great race day, spiced up by the return of Rik who is always very quick. I was very glad to get so close in qualification but couldn't quite make pole. It's hard to remember what happened in which race, but at the start of one of them DJ and I were side by side into turn one and I hoped being on the outside would give me a better exit, but we were still side by side through the esses and I made an evasive slide to the left to avoid contact. Thankfully Rik had a bit of a slide too so didn't carry enough speed to overtake us.

In the second race I found myself leading for a fair amount of it but towards the end I got a bit lost and thought I was at the fast left handler which doesn't require braking, but alas it was the tight left hander so I went very wide and my comfortable 4.5 second lead over Rik reduced to about 2 seconds. I wasn't able to stop him overtaking into the right-left flick and he got a well deserved win while I finished in second.

Looking forward to Suzuka.

 

[Keeper]

My potential best qualy lap got killed by a slower car at the end when I had been half a second below my delta, so I was P7 on the grid. Had a good start. Went to overtake JPS at the bus stop on the second lap but he turned in a little too early and tapped my left rear so I couldn't turn in, spun in the grass. Clambered back to be P8 for race 2.

Race 2 was just awesome. Had the leader in sight the whole race, which is not expected for me, and I had the "best seat in the house" for DJC and Ratus. Got into the back of Ratus slightly in one corner. Never had a good opportunity to make a move that wasn't high risk though -- particularly as I kept missing the turn-in point for the left-hand part of the esses so would scrub off speed before the straight into the bus stop.

Toward the end the tyres would get hot so it became a cycle of easing off a bit then pushing hard and catching back up. The three of us crossed the line P3-4-5 within a quarter of a second. I saved that replay. If I can manage the disk space I might save a video of the whole thing from my cockpit view.

Unfortunately I have to work this Sunday so I will miss Suzuka.