Abarth 131 VS Cobra 289 @ Lakeside Raceway - Tuesday May 4th

[Carlos Diaz]

Servername: RACEDEPARTMENT.COM
Class: Cobra 289 VS Fiat Abarth 131
Class Note: The Cobra 289 is the BLACK one (#873), not the green or blue one.
Track: Lakeside Raceway
Start Time: 19.00 GMT
Practice: 20 minutes
Qualification: 10 minutes (ONE TIMED LAP)
Race: 2 x 22 laps
Note1: Click here to read the password and golden rules!
Note2: Default skins only
Note3: You must choose a different make of car for each race. The order in which you drive them will be assigned based on the order of sign-ups. Starting with the Cobra for myself, and alternating onwards down the list.
Note4: I don't know if they will help or hinder, but here they are...My setups for both cars.

 

[Thord Jonsson]

I wanna be on the race also ...

 

[Carlos Diaz]

You're in :thumb:

Please choose the Abarth for race 1, thanks.

 

[Dana Ciul]

My electricity was out for three hours today due to a downslope wind storm (called a Chinook here along the Rocky Mtns). Wind gusts reached 60mph. There could be power interruptions so if my moving chicane disappears during a session you'll know why

 

[Tom Wilson]

Sorry lads - gotta drop out tonight. Work etc...........

Sorry!

 

[Carlos Diaz]

Sorry to here that Tom. It's going to be crazy tonight!

 

[Ondrej Kapal]

R1: never ever will be driving this car more... it was so stressful race, I was so ungry I though I will destroy everything in my side... then I was too fast in pit and then DQ because of ignored stop&go - I did it, but I though it will be like in race series, I forgot to stop.. jesus... so stress about this cobra I did everything like in practice and quali (where I did 1:02.230 I was so happy) and it still did whatever it wanted.. I hate it
see you in R2 (btw I was looking forward to drive that cobra I though I got it and it was fun but in race it was different in everything.. dont know if it was just stress or what)

 

[Carlos Diaz]

Cobra in known to bite Ondrej, it's not you.

I hope R2 is better for you mate.

 

[Dana Ciul]

Sorry I pooped out guys but I have been suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome for the last three months and I was so exhausted after the first race that I couldn't keep the 131 on the track during practice for the second race even though I have had good success offline with the car. I was REALLY looking forward to the races today. I'll see you all soon and may just limit it to one race per day for a while. Thanks all!

 

[Ondrej Kapal]

Shame to hear that Dana, I hope you are ok, see you next event arty:

about R2:
I had battle with Hans all the practice, quali and for first part of 3rd race (lol), I did well and I didnt any fault which got me to 4th position, but then some cobras passed us with my Fiat tail which slowed me down and Rickard passed me... I was behind him for a while then in right turn he was slower, so I tried to pass him but he closed my doors quickly and I wasnt on brakes so fast and pulled him to last positions... but I remembered the same situation with somebody else before in race series event, and I remembered golden rules so I waited for him which let me to the last position of the whole grid... but I was able to get 11th position and stay there to the end
I enjoyed it so much thanks Carlos, repaired me my mood from the race before! and sorry Rickard ray:

 

[Senad Subasic]

Race 1, Cobra
Qualified mid pack, wow. Messed up the start, caused some mayhem behind, sorry guys. After that, a clean race, I almost started liking the Cobra.
Then Hans went off in front of me and Avi, I think. Avi overtook him, and I hoped to do the same while he was recovering. He got up to speed for the next corner, I was late on brakes, and tapped his back right and spun him out. Sorry again for that... In the end, finished in 10th, I think.

Race 2, Abarth
Now I realized why I qualified well in Race 1, most good drivers were in the Abarth . The car is a second or so slower, I think.

Two restarts, one was my fault. Got random pole, but at the start, had no throttle. I guess the cable got loose, I jiggled it a bit, and it worked. Thanks for the restart, it wasn't necessary really, since there was one earlier. Apologies to everyone, especially to Amir and Avi, it's past midnight there...

Second restart, random pole again, but this time I moved out of the way, and was on last. Was a nice race, had some pace even, but no confidence to fight. I let Rickard past me, and then I realized I was maybe even faster than him. We were within 0.5 seconds for quite a few laps. I got on the grass, and Philip, who was lurking immediately behind us, took over in harassing Rickard. After that I couldn't keep up, ended 5 or 6 seconds behind them. The car is easy to drive, no major mistakes, and that was that.

 

[Knut Omdal Tveito]

Cobra:
Qualified 1st and got off to a good start. I'm not sure what happened in the start but I had a good gap after T1 I think. I managed to keep 1st but I had to push hard to keep Rickard behind me. The Cobra was simply a gorgeous car around this track and I enjoyed every second of it.

Abarth:
In the actual qualifying I was 6th I think but after the restart I moved up one position. In the start I bogged down to avoid hitting the cobra in front and to go around Senad. In the first corner there was some collisions and I managed to sneak up to 2nd position. It didn't take long until Amir was past again though. For the following laps I tried really hard to keep up but Team Israel disappeared in front of me. I was a bit tired at this point and went off in T1 on two occasions. Now Carlos was in my mirrors and with a greater pace than me. Somehow I managed to keep him behind, but it was really close the last laps.

This was a great combo Carlos. If the gearing was a little higher on the 131 it would be even closer I think.

Thanks Carlos, RD and all that showed up for a great race

 

[Philip Brown]

Well that was a very interesting and entertaining, however I started to fade a bit also as there is no where to hide!

Race 1, Abarth...did not qualify well, but with 22 laps, and a very drivable car, I just had to stay out of trouble. my strategy worked as was up to 8th after lap 1. By the end of lap 8 or so, up to 5th with Bob H. right behind keeping me honest. We where doing some pretty consistent lap times when came up behind Dana at the exit to turn 2. Dana was doing a good job of holding his line and I got bottled up behind him and both Bob and Carlos pounced. Now I was chasing Bob but could not come back against him. Eventually Amir started pushing and I had nothing to defend with, so let him go by as Bob was getting away . In the end managed to hang on for 7th.

Also, thanks to Jack Smith for considerate drive and my apologies for the bump late in the race.

Race 2...Cobra... not sure what happened at the start, had a "please wait" screen, and then it showed I was DQd, anyway, thanks very much for the restart! While I qualified better in the Cobra, it was never going to be as drivable as the 131 for me. Around lap3, slipped ahead of Carlos and Stu who had run wide in Turn 2, Stu re-passed at the start of lap 5 with nice move up the inside at turn 2 again. ( hes been stuck behind me before!). later in the lap ran wide and Roman got through, down to 9th I think. Eventually came upon Senad and Rickard in a pair of 131s

I did hang back like a snake in the grass, and eventually got an extra spot for 8th, although Senad came storming back the last lap after I ran wide at...thats right, Turn2!

Thank you Carlos again for the restart and well managed event! Thanks to everyone who came out, great racing and congrats to Knut and Avi and podium

 

[Rickard Norgren]

GTL is pure fun

Race1
Started 3rd on the grid in the Cobra, could gain 2nd after T1, then 22 laps of following Knut around the track, could gain little sometimes.... when we had traffic to pass, but he was just little faster then me, Grats for the win Knut and the same goes to Carlos for 3rd.

Race2
Was booted from session with a few minutes left of Q, lucky enough did I had two timed laps, got 7 or 8 on the grid.
Dont remember so much from the race....- except I was pushed off when going as first Abarth in the race, was 2nd last after the hit, Thanks for waiting
could drove me back to a 7th overall position.

Thanks for a good evening R-D, Carlos and all who showed up,

and please take it cool in pitlane guys, was smashed in there a coupple of times during the event, it feels very noob behavour from some overheated drivers.

 

[Roman Kruszewski]

First sorry Carlos and Stu for hitting you both in T2

Second big thanks to Carlos for such a nice Combo!

I thought Abarth will suite me better, but to my surprise I found Cobra lot better

R1 - Abarth - Qualified somewhere around 8/9 got good get-off but there was a little bit of action in T1 and I got pushed off the track making half-spin. Then I kept pushing having Bob and Phil in my sight, but I couldn't find good rhythm and also I was defending hard from Carlos, but then I got scared by two Cobras and Carlos got me, after this Amir caught me and took my place. Finally when I found my rhythm in lap 16/17 I pushed to get Bob and Phil. When I was something like 1.5 sec behind, turning in T1 my finger slipped from wheel and down geared to 1st what cause immediately a spin which cost me 5 sec and I finished 9th.

R2 - Cobra - Qualified 3th and at every restart I was 3rd my luck. Start I got quite going with Senad pulling to left leaving me thru - THX Senad. Got to T2 behind Carlos I saw him sliding a little to outside and my Cobra smelled blood I wanted to make a move using inside, but my snake bite me first, taking me to a little slide, then Carlos because I hit him and made him running wide I lifted up throttle to let Carlos drive in front of me. We started the chase behind field - after my mistake we were somewhere around 13th spot.
As our Cobras were a little faster we were making up ground, until we got to Stu. Here my second apologies, I tried to keep up with Stu approaching T2 thinking that I can accelerate better from T2 and us power of my Cobra. But it all went wrong. I knew Stu will brake a lot later so I drove direct behind him but I ran wide at T1 this left hander direct behind SF line and got on grass with right wheels. The poor braking of Cobra gone to nightmare, Stu wanted to defend inside and I hit him on the braking and he ran wide Again I let him drive first but then I had a chance and took his place and we had a nice fight with Stu pushing very very hard in his Abarth! Finished 5th.

Thanks Carlos and R-D!

I agree with Rickard - PLEASE USE A LIMITER IN PITS!!! - two times I had a car flying past me by with full speed.

 

[Senad Subasic]

I agree with Rickard - PLEASE USE A LIMITER IN PITS!!! - two times I had a car flying past me by with full speed.

Thirded . I almost decided not to use it, because a couple of people had to swerve when they caught up with me, and almost crashed on pit exit.

GTL is pure fun

Agreed! I started here a few weeks ago with only Race 07 installed, did a couple of Mini events. Then I got GTL from ebay, and now I can't even remember when I last joined a Race 07 event .
Brilliant game, best 3 pounds I ever spent.

 

[Carlos Diaz]

First let me apologize...I am guilty of not using the pit limiter. I always forget and Stu is always reminding me in his events.:frown:
I tend to create habits very fast and since I don't use the limiter offline I have the horrible habit of not using it online either. You all are more than welcome to remind me or anyone else not using it during an event. You don't have to be an admin to remind someone and you won't be stepping over any boundaries. You will find yourself mostly reminding me and I will thank you for it. Of course, I will start using the limiter offline from now on in hopes of creating the GOOD habit of using it. :thumb:

Also, I am really happy that these cars turned out to be pretty close on this track. But as Knut (I think it was Knut) mentioned in chat...The Abarth needs longer gears. Look below...If you take away my fluke lap, the Cobras pretty much own the pace.

I am going to contact the mod creator and see if he will allow us to give the Abarth more adjustability with the gearing. This car handles great and it has enough power to be competitive in GTC-65, but with its short gearing it could only compete in tracks where the straights are short.


Now on to the race report...

Have you guys noticed how every time I am lucky enough to have the fastest lap during practice, Mr. Tveito comes and steels my thunder? Damn you Knut!:wink:
Just kidding buddy, I am more than happy (shocked really) to be second to you... or Gary, or Sam, or Ryan, or Amir, or Warren (I am sure I am forgetting a few more)...You freakin Aliens! All of you! LOL

Anyway, back to the report...

Race 1:Abarth) I Qed 2nd. When entering T2 I get a small tap from Avi in my right rear but these cars are too light and we both go offroading (thanks for waiting Avi, I was going to tell you to go cuz I was pointing in the wrong direction and I had to wait for the entire field to pass before I could re-enter, and I didn't want you to wait that long, but I suck at chatting during the race, I don't have the quickchats assigned.)
So I start from last. The next 21 laps would be the most aggressive driving I have ever done. I was trying my best to make up the lost spots. A lot of the places I gained along the way were gifted to me by spinning cars. But not Roman...
I would like to present this little award to Roman :trophy:. If you had a microscope, and you could read the tiny inscription written on it, you would read: "Hardest man to pass" LOL.
This is not a complaint, but a compliment, Roman. I am not very good at passing, and you are VERY good at defending. Remember the race at Limerock Mtn? I wanted to die lol!
Luckily those Cobras distracted you and I was able to get by.
After (finally) getting by Roman I am able to make it to 4th. I pretty much thought I was done making up places cuz I could see no one in front of me, I was all alone. But then see a small spec in the distance...Stu in the Cobra, and I start driving hard again hoping to maybe steel 3rd place from my buddy, he has enough podiums already :tongue:.
I think Stu's tires must have been a little worn, and I was able to close the gap and then when I thought we would get into a small battle the snake bites him twice. He goes wide in two consecutive turns and hands me 3rd place.

Race 2:Cobra) I forgot where I originally Qed, but because of the random grid I ended up 2nd again. Then T2 bites again and I start from 10th. (Thanks for waiting Roman:thumb
Pretty much the same as race1, almost all (if not all) the places I made up were gifted to me by spinning cars or pairs of cars crashing into each other. That lands me in 4th. And just like race 1 I was all alone for a long while. The gap to Knut (in 3rd) is very slowly decreasing though and there is a small hope that I might be able to steel 3rd once again from another guy that has too many podiums lol. But Knut is not a generous Alien :tongue:! He fought me til the very end. There was a spot where I managed to pass him in lap 21 or 22 (thanks to the power and top speed of the snake) but I went a little wide and he regained position. He managed to keep me behind and I came in 4th. Nice driving Knut, I wasn't really expecting to pass you, but I was definitely hoping lol.

Avi and Roman, don't worry about the taps in T2, I had a crap load of fun trying to make up the lost places. I pretty much end up having fun either way, whether I am last, middle, or first. I guess you can say that I am easily amused.:tongue:

I hope everyone found this track as fun and awesomely flowing as I did.

Thanks to everyone that showed up for the fun!
Thanks to all that helped me decide which car to go with through the PMs.

I saw some new faces tonight, you know who you are. Welcome to the GTL club boys. Glad you decided to give us a shot and I hope to see you again sometime. :thumb:

 

[Hans Sneep]

Lakeside:Cobra vers.Fiat 131?

I thought Carlos must be ..... but after some training laps I now better, I have al ways avoid the Cobra, it deserves a better place.
I have learnt a few sings : don't brake to hard ,don't shift back to hard, don't go to fast on the throttle,don't go to wide in a corner,if you don't do one of these things your OK but..... your off.

I Quali in fifth place to my big surprise...


Race Start was good,

on the inside of Rickard ,give me a little tap an on the grass an back Amir go by p4,

Lost the car a bit back to p6

a tap from Senad ,spin an Philip an Bob go by

Carlos an Roman go by Senad waiting on me :thumb:
back to p 10

Stranded Cobra's Dana an Ondrej

P11 an Senad not fare behind..p12

Jack nice to the outside an me off to the grass

Senad an Tim passing back to p 13

Take my place back from Tim in the last corner p12 because Stuart was swerving some where I finn. on place 11,an had a great time I no already that it would be difficult to keep the car on track for the whole race .

O an this must be car Heaven or something like that lol

An the Fiat 131 ? not much to tell I can't go on pace in the car Quali in 11 spot an Finn on 12 spot, in chat I did say something like it is like a demolition darby lol.

Thanks Carlos the Cobra's where great,an thanks guys for racing in a "great" field

btw I am off to do some test laps on the ISO ( Carlos must have lost his......) lol