Silverstone GP Sprint

Finally had some bad luck on R2P. Got punted on lap 2 and lost my rear wing.

Sorry for clipping someone when I rejoined. I didn't see or hear anyone, or notice my wing was gone until it was too late. :(

Aubrey, man I am very sorry for that punt. Caught me off guard and I was doing all I could not to hit you. On my end I succeeded... got past without contact... but it was obvious that your end said differently.

I felt like I just walked into a final exam with no studying...inbetween studying for an actual final exam, I decided to join this race (after unregistering for the main event earlier). I was too busy to practice all day, and I have very little experience in these cars. After not taking part in the final, I was gridded almost last place in P18.

Tim was nice enough to send me a setup that almost cured the instability of the base setup, and then I just did a wholesale correction with wing to take it out for the race. I still didn't feel comfortable in the car, but it felt pretty safe to drive in. The start was okay, making up a few positions, but not being agressvie in any sense of the word because I wanted the feild to streach out before I attacked due to my inexperience. Sadly, I hit a guy in the rear just barely in the esses. VERY VERY sorry to whoever you are :(.

So after spinning, I got on with my race. Passed a few people mostly after they lost momentum from their own mistakes. I made it up to 8th place, and got more confidence and a better feel for the car as the race went on, but based on my position and the race distance, there was no point in pushing, so I just continued to do safe laps.

However, fatigued from my upsetting start and another day of studying, I gave up two positions in one lap!!..the last one! The first one was due to a spin after I thought gee, end of the race, dont **** up now. The second was after losing momentum in Abby. I would have just cut to maintane some sort of momentum, but I already got a warning for doing it alone after a bobble earlier in the race. Going into Bridge, I took the inside and he took the outside. I probably should have made that the other way around, cuz he just powered through the outside and there wasnt much I could do into the next tight section of the course, which I'm not so quick in. I actually think I could have attacked and gotten the place back, but I slid the front end in the 2nd to last corner. Got a good launch off the final corner after pulling him in a bit, but he was probably just cruising to the finish anyway.

All in all, I guess I'm happy to get a top ten, and it was nice to take part in another quality race, where the only instance of dirty driving was on my part for bumping the guy at the start :(

Sorry again to whoever you are!

Craaaazy start in this one. The first 3/4s of the first lap was very exciting with very everybody flying around. Then entering the 3rd sector on the first left hander, i was tagged from behind and spun out. Then Darin came around the corner while i was still spinning out and slammed into me....just an unfortunate incident. The suspension was slightly tweaked after that but it was still drivable, even at high speeds. So, after a few other spins, i finally finished in 11th :(. Not how I would have liked to finished the season but at least I finished :).

BTW, sorry to Dave Henrie i believe.....coming out of the first corner my car got a little squirrely out on that little straight and slammed into you and I saw you fly across the track. Very sorry for that, didn't mean to do it :(.

At the start of this second race I quickly thought it would be a re-hash of the first--loops-ville.

Lap 1 I pushed a bit too hard into the sharp left and got sideways--giving someone a bit of a nudge, but they managed to press on. Lap 2 I looped it again. A couple laps later while challenging someone for a position I looped it yet again....

And then suddenly I guess I managed to pull my head out and the rest of the race went wonderfully. I made up a few good positions, and ran the last 4 or 5 laps of the race locked in a great battle with Sean.

He put the pressure on every lap--never more than a second behind me. Excellent racing, mate. On lap 9, I think, he got a bit loose just before the bridge which gave me some relief.

I managed a 12th place finish. Three spots better than the main event and certainly a much better display of driving overall....

Well done, everyone....

More great fun. Great to see the big turn out, these things are a even bigger blast with a 20 car grid.

Between races, managed to sneak into Tim's pits, slipped his crew chief a couple benjamins, and stole Tim's setup. Like night and day from the feature race, I could actually turn the bastard.

First lap, everything was going great, until Aubrey got tagged and spun across the track, and everyone slips by except me, who saw nothing but white smoke and BAM! T-bone right into Audrey's side pod.

Somehow, the wing stayed on, and got on with it. Followed Chris around, the splits went back and forth. Chris would pull out 1.5 lead, then I'd get it back the next lap. Back and forth. Seemed I was faster in sector 1 and the last 2 hairpins. But Chris was much better in sector 2. Got it down to within shouting distance on the last lap, got awesome launch out of turn 1, only to see Chris clip too much curb and spin it.

No worries Connor, if you are gonna be punted, it's better to be punted by the BEST eh?

Oh man was my sprint race a hoot! Since I decided to stuff my car into the wall during the feature race I was lucky ehough to get to start in the rear of this large field (16, not last but close enough). I used the same exact setup I used for the feature race, minus some fuel, and ran exactly one practice lap (and even that was only to practice a start). I was a bit concerned about being "cold" having given myself no practice since crashing. After the back half of the field FINALLY got gridded up (why were we about 10+ seconds behind the front half of the field, there was a very distinct HUGE gap between the two halves) I got to settle my nerves by concentrating on the start lights. At the sight of green I dropped the clutch (released the button) and launched. By the exit of turn one I had gone from 16th to 10th! Who says you can't win a race in turn one? When we got to Priory (left just after the bridge) I, just, managed to avoid the spinning Conor AND pass Joseph at the same time...thus moving me to 8th on the first lap.

From there it was kind of down hill. On lap 2 I picked up two spots due to others misfortune (Sean and Aubrey). Lap 3 had me spin between Priory and Brooklands (two lefts before the long right leading to the S/F) and losing only a second or two, and no spots. Looked neat, I'm sure, but not the fastest way around the track ;) In an effort to make up for lost time, and ground, I tried an overly optimistic move on Jeff Stibling into the sharp left just after Stowe. I hit him and spun, he did not. I am sorry Jeff, thought I had room but I was wrong. This cost me a spot to Joseph. On lap 7 I out braked myself into Brooklands and bumped sidepods with Joseph but we both continued with no damage (or so it seems) and little time lost. On lap 8 I was able to sneak past him on the run from Stowe to Club Corner.

At that point I noticed I was closing at a decent rate on Jeff Stibling and David Fish, but didn't know if I'd be able to catch them (about a 5 second gap...in just over two laps). On lap 10 I was on top of the two of them by the time we go to Abbey (left/right just before the bridge). I couldn't think of how I'd get around one, or ideally both, of them in just a half a lap. I resorted to my old stand by method....I almost spun between Priory and Brooklands AGAIN. I saved it and made a short trip through the grass.

16th to 6th in 10 laps was fun, especially when I look back at my many....MANY mistakes and think of how it could easily have been a top 3 (I did have 3rd in sight on lap 5). I was using the setup Tim sent before the feature race but it seemed to have too much drag. It was fast enough, but I couldn't pass anyone on Hanger Straight and that makes passing harder....could you work on that next time Tim ;) I'm really just glad to see my F3 races are starting to look more like I expect them to.

Jason

SPRINT RACE,

I had a much better start and the racing was intense for the 1st lap with rF3’s all around and all drivers applying the pressure.

Like Scott Juliano, I had a few spins, again without any damage and as Scott mentioned in his race report, we had some great racing up the back during the last 5 or 6 laps, Just a reminder that you don’t have to win or even come close to Enjoy a good race, It’s the battles on the track which make it exciting, although being on the podium is the icing on the cake.

Anyway finished 13th and enjoyed every lap.

I’ve informed R.M. (race manager) to keep me informed of any future opportunities to race with the R2P Organisation.

Odd thing about the scoring. In the first race, Jason Quinn gets a DNF and is listed with Team SMO. THen in the 2nd race he moves from 16th to 6th and has NO team affiliation.
odd that.

dave henrie