RaceDepartment Historic Grand Prix Season 8 Round 3
Welcome back to Round 3 of the RDHGP S8. Round 2 followed Round 1 by being extremely close in times right across the grid again, with lots of car types again in the mix right through the field. The track itself performed very well as a League venue for these cars, having a very good flow to it, even if the technical elements gave it a high tariff of difficulty. I’m glad I chose not to enforce the Esses kerbs/cut-through section, as that would have probably been a bit of an unbalancing factor, for both car handling, and overall track times.
Despite some reservations before the race, there were multiple overtaking opportunities, attempts and successes, which is again testament to the controllability of this selection of cars. The TC65’s always allow us to really race, without us hanging on to the cars by our fingernails. This will definitely be a bonus for Round 3.
The track for Round 3 is complex, and just like Round 2 it is a fantasy track, and takes us 4,300 miles South West from Dresden to Lexington Kentucky in the US, and the North Point GP Circuit.
Circuit Notes
Lexington is located in central Kentucky, and is 300 square miles of gently rolling plateau, with the circuit situated on the North Point of the city in Coldstream Park. It is the very centre of the US Bluegrass region, the music genre being named after the local strain of grass.
Unlike Vayline, North Point cannot be said to be giving out any false impressions when you look at the track plan. It is a complex track layout, having as many corners as the 2 previous tracks combined. As I mentioned in the Vayline briefing, it is very easy for designers – not constrained by the realities of recreating a real world track – to get carried away and throw the kitchen sink at it. North Point, if it has one failing, is that the designer fell in love with blind crested entries into corners. But – as they are probably the most exciting type of turn – I’m sure that we will be having a whale of a time once we get to know the layout enough to attack those leaps of faith.
North Point GP is also easily the longest track we’ve driven so far this season, so we have a lower lap count, but lots of medium-tight corners mean a lower average speed, so this could be a long race.
The GP circuit has a decent length S/F straight, climbing through T1aR & T1bL, the opening Esses. These Esses are shallow and don’t present a problem in and of themselves, but caution is still warranted because of what comes next. The exit of light T1bL is both unsighted and the braking zone for T2R, a medium tight turn, protected on the outside by a car grabbing sand pit followed by slippery grass and hard barriers. All of these await the driver not giving the T1 Esses enough respect. The turn itself has no gradient, so carry as much speed as you can through here, down the following short straight.
With that squeeze of acceleration, you need to be mindful of braking for the blind crested T3R turn, guarded on the inside by a high kerb, and opening out into a wider radiused second apex, gently downhill getting some good drive before the approach of T4L. There isn’t enough time between the exit of T3R and the entry of T4L to call it a linking straight. This is another medium speed corner, the inside kerb rising up further through the corner to prevent too aggressive exits. The turn exits up hill and under the footbridge, into another blind crested section.
T5R is a slower, tighter corner, again the inside protected by unsettling kerbs, with the exit opening invitingly onto a downhill stretch of track.
Hard acceleration down the hill, over the little hump and into a higher speed bend, T6R, taken with a breathe of throttle, another high kerb on the inner apex preventing any illegal lines, taking care not to drift out left onto the exit kerb and sandstrip.
The track then curves left, and you will see the orange turn barriers in the distance indicating the very tight T7L. Those barriers are very hard, and you need to avoid them, so going in too hot is a definite no-no. Get as clean a turn in as possible through and floor it along the short straight.
You can see the entry of T8L ahead, uphill and left, medium pace, making sure the gradient doesn’t affect your line, still climbing after you exit the turn and over the crest down the following straight. As you pass the tyre protected Marshall’s station on the left you begin to see the braking marks for T9R, a medium speed 90, no gradient, opening out on to another very short straight.
At the end of the straight, you can see the entry for T10R, a sharp, blind entry, diving turn, that bottoms out on exit and flattens into a straight. Again you can see the approach for the next corner immediately ahead, a medium speed climbing left hander, T11L.
This is the classic sucker punch corner, it is not particularly tight, and so it is very easy to attack it too aggressively, but if you do, you will find yourself in a load of trouble as T12R begins immediately, a much tighter switchback and downhill diving turn.
T12R is protected by an inner kerb that almost rises to be a short wall, so anyone who just throws their car at the inside line after a ragged T11L will be punished.
Exiting onto the downhill straight it’s a short blast before T13L, a medium fast corner, one that almost dares you to be aggressive. It is probably the most standard corner on the track, so treat it in the normal “out-in-out” line, but again always have care because of the sand on the outside for the overeager right foot.
A short straight follows, with the red bollards on the right indicating the pitlane entry and the final turn, T14R. Drift out left, lift off or brake to get the nose in, and floor it through the exit, onto the S/F straight, for an exhilarating finish to a lap of North Point GP.
The Race Director has some notes for drivers. Please see the track map above for location of Race Direction note:-
All Corners Without Exception – The kerbs are not deemed as track, therefore 2 wheels must be within the white lines, on the tarmac, At All Times. Again, there are NO exceptions to this rule at any point on the circuit. Any exception to this rule is deemed illegal, any advantage gained by this method must be ceded immediately. Report people deliberately and excessively cutting. The worst offenders from previous seasons have not signed up, so I hope that this will be a non-issue this season.
Racing Room must be given to all drivers – and this works both ways. Divebombing into and across a corner denies people the chance to make the corner correctly just as much as someone obliviously (or deliberately) cutting the nose off of another driver who has achieved partial overlap fairly.
T2R – Especially on Lap 1. Be aware of people as you turn in here, it has the possibility to cause huge problems if drivers don’t respect each other. Be aware that any incidents caused by reckless or over aggressive driving in Turn 2 during the first lap will be dealt with severely, probably with a “no quali” penalty for Round 4.
T7L – As mentioned in the Circuit Notes, there are potentially car-killing barriers across the track for this tight turn. Some people are going to need to brake earlier than others to avoid mangling their cars. You need to be aware of who and what is around you.
T12R – That high inside kerb will throw you across the track, not even the soft riding Jag can accommodate the height, so be aware of people in front hitting it, and try to avoid it yourself.
All points on the track – General Items
Drivers may put on their lights (and keep them on) during a timed qualification lap, so other drivers know to get out of the way when safe to do so.
No lights are to be flashed at any stage, under any circumstances, during the Race Session.
No Chat during the Quali or Race except by Race Control for information.
The Track must be re-entered safely so as not to ruin other peoples races.
Car damage must be assessed realistically to know if it is possible to make the pits or not.
Incidents, Investigations and Penalties
No incidents or no-shows arising from Round 2
Ondrej Kapal attended Round 2 and so his no-show from Round 1 is removed
As last season, 2 consecutive no-shows will mean removal from the League.
Please remember, the League staff will only review incidents if they are reported to them.
No report = no review.
Please try and remember the incident reporting guidelines: review, cool off, review again. Only after following the above process, and if you are convinced you still need to report it, should you let the League staff know. Please give as much information as possible during the report (time of incident, drivers involved etc.) Accident reports made within 24 hours of race completion will be ignored.
Any accusations or complaints aired in the Chat during or after a race will mean a penalty levied on the person complaining or making the accusations, even if a subsequent official complaint gets found in their favour. I simply will NOT tolerate any post race finger pointing.
Liveries
You have chosen your car and livery already, and you must only drive your chosen car at any time during an RDHGP event. Every driver has a unique livery in this season of RDHGP.
Scoring System
Points are scored down to P20 (75% distance completion required) so people can fight for some points no matter where they are on the track, and hopefully have a season long battle with people around them in the League.
The Distribution is as follows for 100km events :
P1 - 25 pts
P2 - 22
P3 - 20
P4 - 18
P5 - 16
P6 - 15
P7 - 14
P8 - 13
P9 - 12
P10 - 11
P11 - 10
P12 - 9
P13 - 8
P14 - 7
P15 - 6
P16 - 5
P17 - 4
P18 - 3
P19 - 2
P20 - 1
1 point for fastest race lap
1 point for qualifying on Pole
Welcome back to Round 3 of the RDHGP S8. Round 2 followed Round 1 by being extremely close in times right across the grid again, with lots of car types again in the mix right through the field. The track itself performed very well as a League venue for these cars, having a very good flow to it, even if the technical elements gave it a high tariff of difficulty. I’m glad I chose not to enforce the Esses kerbs/cut-through section, as that would have probably been a bit of an unbalancing factor, for both car handling, and overall track times.
Despite some reservations before the race, there were multiple overtaking opportunities, attempts and successes, which is again testament to the controllability of this selection of cars. The TC65’s always allow us to really race, without us hanging on to the cars by our fingernails. This will definitely be a bonus for Round 3.
The track for Round 3 is complex, and just like Round 2 it is a fantasy track, and takes us 4,300 miles South West from Dresden to Lexington Kentucky in the US, and the North Point GP Circuit.
Circuit Notes
Lexington is located in central Kentucky, and is 300 square miles of gently rolling plateau, with the circuit situated on the North Point of the city in Coldstream Park. It is the very centre of the US Bluegrass region, the music genre being named after the local strain of grass.
Unlike Vayline, North Point cannot be said to be giving out any false impressions when you look at the track plan. It is a complex track layout, having as many corners as the 2 previous tracks combined. As I mentioned in the Vayline briefing, it is very easy for designers – not constrained by the realities of recreating a real world track – to get carried away and throw the kitchen sink at it. North Point, if it has one failing, is that the designer fell in love with blind crested entries into corners. But – as they are probably the most exciting type of turn – I’m sure that we will be having a whale of a time once we get to know the layout enough to attack those leaps of faith.
North Point GP is also easily the longest track we’ve driven so far this season, so we have a lower lap count, but lots of medium-tight corners mean a lower average speed, so this could be a long race.
The GP circuit has a decent length S/F straight, climbing through T1aR & T1bL, the opening Esses. These Esses are shallow and don’t present a problem in and of themselves, but caution is still warranted because of what comes next. The exit of light T1bL is both unsighted and the braking zone for T2R, a medium tight turn, protected on the outside by a car grabbing sand pit followed by slippery grass and hard barriers. All of these await the driver not giving the T1 Esses enough respect. The turn itself has no gradient, so carry as much speed as you can through here, down the following short straight.
With that squeeze of acceleration, you need to be mindful of braking for the blind crested T3R turn, guarded on the inside by a high kerb, and opening out into a wider radiused second apex, gently downhill getting some good drive before the approach of T4L. There isn’t enough time between the exit of T3R and the entry of T4L to call it a linking straight. This is another medium speed corner, the inside kerb rising up further through the corner to prevent too aggressive exits. The turn exits up hill and under the footbridge, into another blind crested section.
T5R is a slower, tighter corner, again the inside protected by unsettling kerbs, with the exit opening invitingly onto a downhill stretch of track.
Hard acceleration down the hill, over the little hump and into a higher speed bend, T6R, taken with a breathe of throttle, another high kerb on the inner apex preventing any illegal lines, taking care not to drift out left onto the exit kerb and sandstrip.
The track then curves left, and you will see the orange turn barriers in the distance indicating the very tight T7L. Those barriers are very hard, and you need to avoid them, so going in too hot is a definite no-no. Get as clean a turn in as possible through and floor it along the short straight.
You can see the entry of T8L ahead, uphill and left, medium pace, making sure the gradient doesn’t affect your line, still climbing after you exit the turn and over the crest down the following straight. As you pass the tyre protected Marshall’s station on the left you begin to see the braking marks for T9R, a medium speed 90, no gradient, opening out on to another very short straight.
At the end of the straight, you can see the entry for T10R, a sharp, blind entry, diving turn, that bottoms out on exit and flattens into a straight. Again you can see the approach for the next corner immediately ahead, a medium speed climbing left hander, T11L.
This is the classic sucker punch corner, it is not particularly tight, and so it is very easy to attack it too aggressively, but if you do, you will find yourself in a load of trouble as T12R begins immediately, a much tighter switchback and downhill diving turn.
T12R is protected by an inner kerb that almost rises to be a short wall, so anyone who just throws their car at the inside line after a ragged T11L will be punished.
Exiting onto the downhill straight it’s a short blast before T13L, a medium fast corner, one that almost dares you to be aggressive. It is probably the most standard corner on the track, so treat it in the normal “out-in-out” line, but again always have care because of the sand on the outside for the overeager right foot.
A short straight follows, with the red bollards on the right indicating the pitlane entry and the final turn, T14R. Drift out left, lift off or brake to get the nose in, and floor it through the exit, onto the S/F straight, for an exhilarating finish to a lap of North Point GP.
The Race Director has some notes for drivers. Please see the track map above for location of Race Direction note:-
All Corners Without Exception – The kerbs are not deemed as track, therefore 2 wheels must be within the white lines, on the tarmac, At All Times. Again, there are NO exceptions to this rule at any point on the circuit. Any exception to this rule is deemed illegal, any advantage gained by this method must be ceded immediately. Report people deliberately and excessively cutting. The worst offenders from previous seasons have not signed up, so I hope that this will be a non-issue this season.
Racing Room must be given to all drivers – and this works both ways. Divebombing into and across a corner denies people the chance to make the corner correctly just as much as someone obliviously (or deliberately) cutting the nose off of another driver who has achieved partial overlap fairly.
T2R – Especially on Lap 1. Be aware of people as you turn in here, it has the possibility to cause huge problems if drivers don’t respect each other. Be aware that any incidents caused by reckless or over aggressive driving in Turn 2 during the first lap will be dealt with severely, probably with a “no quali” penalty for Round 4.
T7L – As mentioned in the Circuit Notes, there are potentially car-killing barriers across the track for this tight turn. Some people are going to need to brake earlier than others to avoid mangling their cars. You need to be aware of who and what is around you.
T12R – That high inside kerb will throw you across the track, not even the soft riding Jag can accommodate the height, so be aware of people in front hitting it, and try to avoid it yourself.
All points on the track – General Items
Drivers may put on their lights (and keep them on) during a timed qualification lap, so other drivers know to get out of the way when safe to do so.
No lights are to be flashed at any stage, under any circumstances, during the Race Session.
No Chat during the Quali or Race except by Race Control for information.
The Track must be re-entered safely so as not to ruin other peoples races.
Car damage must be assessed realistically to know if it is possible to make the pits or not.
Incidents, Investigations and Penalties
No incidents or no-shows arising from Round 2
Ondrej Kapal attended Round 2 and so his no-show from Round 1 is removed
As last season, 2 consecutive no-shows will mean removal from the League.
Please remember, the League staff will only review incidents if they are reported to them.
No report = no review.
Please try and remember the incident reporting guidelines: review, cool off, review again. Only after following the above process, and if you are convinced you still need to report it, should you let the League staff know. Please give as much information as possible during the report (time of incident, drivers involved etc.) Accident reports made within 24 hours of race completion will be ignored.
Any accusations or complaints aired in the Chat during or after a race will mean a penalty levied on the person complaining or making the accusations, even if a subsequent official complaint gets found in their favour. I simply will NOT tolerate any post race finger pointing.
Liveries
You have chosen your car and livery already, and you must only drive your chosen car at any time during an RDHGP event. Every driver has a unique livery in this season of RDHGP.
Scoring System
Points are scored down to P20 (75% distance completion required) so people can fight for some points no matter where they are on the track, and hopefully have a season long battle with people around them in the League.
The Distribution is as follows for 100km events :
P1 - 25 pts
P2 - 22
P3 - 20
P4 - 18
P5 - 16
P6 - 15
P7 - 14
P8 - 13
P9 - 12
P10 - 11
P11 - 10
P12 - 9
P13 - 8
P14 - 7
P15 - 6
P16 - 5
P17 - 4
P18 - 3
P19 - 2
P20 - 1
1 point for fastest race lap
1 point for qualifying on Pole
. Unless I got another one, but I didn't see anything, and I don't think I was cutting that much anyway.
