Pacific G2: Imola

Wow guys! That was an intense race. This was the first race that I'd managed to qual in the top 10, and I even managed to gain 2 spots.

What happened in T1? I had a crappy start and was about 2 seconds behind when there are cars all over the gravel pit.

In any case, good race, it surprised me how spread-out the field was, but I had a few good dances throughout the race.

Hope everyone had a good one--cya at..um..whatever's next!

That was mega....

A proper launch at the start had me side by side with Kent into 1. We braked at similar points and I moved outside at the start of Tamburello to make sure he and I didn't make contact... instead, that last instance was taken care of for us.

After recovering from the gravel trap, us frenchie Porsches found ourselves near the very rear of the pack. I got right back into the swing of things, and worked up gradually as the first ten laps rolled through. The top step was in sight at the end of the first stint. But, damage repair in the pits!! Argh! And one axle's worth of tires is better than two (note to self).

Kent won through superior strategy, but there is no denying you are blindingly quick too, Kent. I was closing on him at a good pace near the end, but no doubt he was preserving his vehicle so as to secure his eleven billionth win. Well done, Baron von Welkerstein ;-)

Great race by everyone else otherwise, some battles were truly intense.

Well done Vince, his first race with this car at this track with these highly classed drivers! Eagle in the hizzOUSE.

After my usual qualy, I had a pretty good start wound up in 3rd after the debacle at T1. There were some lag issues at the start. I couldn't see anybody except the two cars that qualy'd right in front of me. I thought I had magically qualy'd 3rd! After 2-3 seconds, the front group started randomly appearing and one of the illusion artist (Barry maybe?) came back in/on someone and cars went everywhere.
Anyways, my 3rd didn't last long and I quickly shuffled back to around 5th. I stayed there for awhile trying to hold off the guys that were making thier way back through the field. Of course THAT didn't last long either!
I ran med's all around and they lasted until halfway. I entered the pits and the automatic "grab me and go here only" robot slung my car so hard it put me through the emergency vehicle exit on the front straight! I reversed in and made my way to my box. My poor team manager was standing there saying to himself "WTF?". The crew decide that I had actually left and went back on the track as they were having tea. I made another circuit and pitted. I used softs all around for my two stops.
Well, this didn't help my race at all (the botched pitstop, not the tires). I exited my first pitstop in 9th and worked my way to 6th. That's where I wound up at the end as the second stop went as planned.

Congrats to Kent and the other podium finishers! Kent, I raced you as long as I could and decided it was going to be futile. I hope I played fair with you on my tail!

Qualy'ed 15, moved to 8th after weaving through a couple messes. Swapped places quite a few times, finally pitting at 22 minutes or so, the pit stop went fine until - a second after pulling out of my space I felt a huge hit at the rear-end, thought someone rear-ended me. That spun my car around, I hit the wall and broke my suspension. The Seat was in the space next to my now turned car, I bumped into it a couple times, very lightly, as I got my car turned around. I don't think any harm was done to the Seat, no ill intent intended, my apologies to the driver. I got out and on the track but my steering wheel was 1/8 of a turn out of alignment. I pitted again to get the car fixed but it just wasn't good after that. After trying to make up the much lost time I just wanted to finish. What started out fine ended up crap. I viewed the replay a dozen times looking at that pitstop, no one was there! Weird, my car suddenly went sideways, hit the corner of the Seat, and then the wall. I don't understand what happened, there was definitely a jolt of some kind though.

I need to give a HUGE APOLOGY to everyone (Especially Kent and Tristan) in this race, for my total loss of left side, right side, head to hand to foot wire crossing when I went into turn 1 with my left foot still on the F@#%$@&n clutch on this new 3 PEDAL G25 thinking I was pushing on the brake and before my dumb butt realized what was going on it was wayyyyyy toooooo late. I hit esc as quick as I could and totally deserve this DNF!

Hope I didn't kill anyones race for this DUMBUTT mistake.

I managed to get through the first half lap and was having a great race running in 6th when again the game froze completely. Had to manualy shut down the pc and at the restart it did a complete chkdsk. This is NOT what I set the alarm for. :-( Like we say here .... Mooie shitzooi!

Congrats Kent, Tristan and Garry.

I seem to have a problem with GTR2. I qualified 6th tonight and with the talent in this race to me its like a win. But, it just doesn't matter because someone is going to hit me in the first lap and boot me to last! At least 3 out of 4 races turn out that way and tonight was no exception. I am mad but, not at that because contact happens. I am mad because I let myself get frustraited and I exited the game. so I am pissed at myself and it won't happen again.....

Yes was quite an adventure LOL

Qual was pretty decent for me, with the 2x wear I felt like I was a little slow but JUST good enough for pole.

Race lights went green and I abruptly stalled it but luckily was quick with my trigger finger and managed to keep Tristan from passing me before T1. Knowing my setup was seriously lacking grip for lap 1 I braked cautiously and I saw Tristan also braked a bit early. So here I am thinking, "cool, I got away with that bad start" and WHAMMO, out of knowhere I am spinning and flying into the trap. Luckily I ended up facing the correct way and immediately got back on the throttle, rejoining in about 11th.

Naturally I am a bit rattled now and a LOT surprised by where the guy ahead of me are braking. So into Tosa lap 1 2 Beemers ahead are real early on the brakes and Tristan gets me on the inside! Never saw him, but I take off after him. By the end of lap 1 I am back to 8th and again into Tosa, this time I have Vince in front of me and the 2 Beeners right behind. I got a good run on Vince and he was on the inside into Tosa so I thought he was gaurding the inside so I went outside....well I thought wrong and when Vince came back to the right and braked I tapped him into a spin. SORRY VINCE totally my fault!

Well after I recovered again I was back to 10th again. It took me a long time to get back to 5th and George Pol and another couple laps to find a way past him into Alta Variente. Soon I was up to Didick in 4th but this pass took much longer, I kept getting position but he kept coming over into my line and I had to back off several times. Finally after some side by side battling I got inside of him at Villeneuve and he slid wide.

I can't remember if I was 3rd or 4th when I pitted the first time, but I rejoined in 7th after taking 4 tires. Soon I found my self in 3rd after everyone else pitted. Had an embarrasing moment with Jeff Sibling who was in 2nd, he came out of the pit with me on his butt into T1 and again was shocked by his braking and I whacked him a good one. Fortunately it wasn't too bad and I waited for him to get going again and was shocked again when he gave me the free pass?

Came later in the 2nd stint that I passed Tristan as he pitted and I had about a 7 second lead on him but I still had another stop to make. On lap 21 I signaled my crew my intentions and they ignored me. Seriously I hit that pit in button about 30 times in 2 laps and never a peep from my crew. So finally I pitted and knowing it would be slow without them being ready, but it was worse, another car was in my stall! Damn!

Rejoined in 3rd and when 2nd pitted I was 44 seconds behind Tristan again. Had another moment with Chip heading down to Aqua Mineral when I went for another outside pass, but Chip decided he was going to move over for me, WHAM again and another 2-3 seconds lost. So now I am really convinced I lost this race after losing about 7 seconds in 2 incedents and 35 seconds behind.

Somehow Tristan emerged from his second stop 7-8 seconds behind me and I after seeing another Porka blow up I just cruised the last 3-4 laps.

Overall a pleasing result but I feel bad about the contacts I had, usually I have much cleaner races so my apologies to those I mentioned above.

Kent said "Had another moment with Chip heading down to Aqua Mineral when I went for another outside pass, but Chip decided he was going to move over for me, WHAM again and another 2-3 seconds lost."

Yeah, sorry about that Kent. That was after the weird pit stop and my car was messed up, I saw you in my mirror coming up, I got a blue flag, so I was just trying to get out of your way. But it just didn't want to respond like it should've, my apologies.

It's cool Chip, like I said, not a very clean race on my part tonight.