RaceDepartment Historic Grand Prix Season 7 – Round 2
Welcome to back to Round 2 of RDHGP S7. Round 1 seemed to be pretty well received by most drivers, although I was a little disappointed the recklessness being shown by some drivers, especially after I take the time to write these briefings with these points specifically in mind, broken down into easy to understand (possibly also easy to ignore) bullet points. I will be requiring a “Like” on this briefing, and that “Like” will be taken as you having read the Race Director points.
Some people are mentioning the Muscle Cars as being dominant at Fuji, and that indeed was the case. But - while I hope and expect things to be closer elsewhere, what I would say is that those vehicles were available to everyone, and no guns were held to heads in regard to choices. We also have some of our fastest drivers in the Muscle Cars, and they have the skill to make the most of those cars, which can exaggerate the gaps as well.
There were also a couple of “No-Show” infractions, which will be detailed below, and so those 2 drivers need to think about their attendance for Round 2.
Round 2 takes us over 5,000 miles west to the Middle East, specifically to Sakhir in Bahrain, and the Bahrain International Circuit, in it’s Grand Prix Layout/Configuration.
Circuit Notes
Opened in 2004, this was a national objective for Bahrain, initiated by Crown Prince Shaik Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa. The track hosted the Bahrain Grand Prix in 2004 despite not being 100% completed, but the work carried on and in 2007, the BIC became the first Grand Prix circuit to be awarded FIA Institute Centre of Excellence status.
The Circuit has 6 separate circuit racing layouts (7 if you count the 1.2km drag strip section), ranging from the 2.0km flat oval to the 6.3km Endurance Circuit. This multitude of scalability means that BIC can host multiple series or classes. In it’s relatively short history, it has hosted F1, V8, GP2, Chevy Lumina, Speedcar, Thunder Arabia, Radicals, FIA GT, F3 & Formula BMW.
We will be using the 5.4km Grand Prix Circuit in our Historic GTs.
A lap of Sakhir begins on the decent length and rather wide S/F straight, and into T1R / T2L / T3R, a tight right/tight left/widening right complex, very reminiscent of Fuji’s T10R/T11L/T12R section in the previous round. There will be some very heavy braking going on into here after the preceding Straight. The cars are vastly different in their relative top speed, weight and braking performances, so all drivers should be prepared and aware for early braking, late braking and overtake attempts here. There are generous run off areas on the outside of T1R, but they are just that - run-offs. Abuse of those areas, ie using them to try and keep a position while under pressure, will be punished. The section dips down slightly through T1R, flattens through the T2L and then climbs through the exit of T3R and onto a shortish uphill straight.
The uphill straight ends with another hard braking section and T4R, another tight, and slightly crested, right hander. The subsequent straight starts a gentle downhill run, and you come across the shallow T5L, which invites attack at first glance, but actually needs caution as it immediately turns back on itself for T6R, and then back yet again through the shallow T7L.
T7L can be attacked onto the short downhill straight, but it again is ended with a severe braking zone, into the downhill T8R hairpin. Caution is required through here, as you will want to get the hammer down for the following burst, but over eager application of the accelerator will cause spins.
The short burst of acceleration heads us downhill and into T9L & T10L, a technical pair of lefthanders, T9L going downhill and quite shallow, but where the exit of T9L would be on most tracks, at Sakhir, you get the much tighter T10L.
Blasting out of T10L, there’s a decent length straight that gently rises and up to T11L, a medium speed Lefthander, followed immediately by T12L a crested left that feeds to T13R, a wide right hander that again tests patience on the throttle, and eventually opens out onto a short uphill straight, finished again with a relatively tight right – T14R.
T14R opens on a gently downhill straight , and then one last piece of hard stab-and-release braking to try and carry as much speed as possible through the final corner T15R. This leads onto the S/F straight, and across the line for another lap of Sakhir, begun by that fiendish braking zone for the T1/2/3 complex.
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.
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.
Regain the track safely - If you leave the track, you must rejoin the track safely. If that means losing another couple of places – so be it.
T1R/T2L/T3R – 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. I am really tempted to put a “no-pass” rule in place for this corner on Lap1, but I will give the benefit of the doubt to you all. Do not make me regret my decision. Be aware, however, that any incidents caused by reckless or over aggressive driving in Turn 1 during the first lap will be dealt with severely, probably with a “no quali” penalty for Round 3.
T8R – As mentioned in the Circuit Notes, this is a tight turn with some adverse camber, and the need for some acceleration out of it. Be aware of people possibly losing control under acceleration here.
T9L & T10L – These complex, reducing-radius, effectively double-apexed turns can cause issues by peoples lines and relative grip levels, so you will need to be aware of the differences in relative grip and manoueverability of the cars around you as you go in. As mentioned in the Circuit Notes, be aware of what’s around you.
T13R – Drivers will be eager to get on the accelerator as soon as possible, so be aware of possible spins under power due to overexuberance. Selfishness and overeagerness here could well ruin more than one person’s race, so exercise prudence through this section.
All points on the track – General Items
No lights are to be flashed at any stage, under any circumstances, during the race.
No Chat during the Quali or Race except by Race Control for information.
Car damage must be assessed realistically to know if it is possible to make the pits or not.
Incidents, Investigations and Penalties
There were no reported (or viably punishable) incident reports arising from Round1.
2 drivers incurred “No-Show” infractions:
· Chris Hartmann
· Ryan Walker
Similar to 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 to back to Round 2 of RDHGP S7. Round 1 seemed to be pretty well received by most drivers, although I was a little disappointed the recklessness being shown by some drivers, especially after I take the time to write these briefings with these points specifically in mind, broken down into easy to understand (possibly also easy to ignore) bullet points. I will be requiring a “Like” on this briefing, and that “Like” will be taken as you having read the Race Director points.
Some people are mentioning the Muscle Cars as being dominant at Fuji, and that indeed was the case. But - while I hope and expect things to be closer elsewhere, what I would say is that those vehicles were available to everyone, and no guns were held to heads in regard to choices. We also have some of our fastest drivers in the Muscle Cars, and they have the skill to make the most of those cars, which can exaggerate the gaps as well.
There were also a couple of “No-Show” infractions, which will be detailed below, and so those 2 drivers need to think about their attendance for Round 2.
Round 2 takes us over 5,000 miles west to the Middle East, specifically to Sakhir in Bahrain, and the Bahrain International Circuit, in it’s Grand Prix Layout/Configuration.
Circuit Notes
Opened in 2004, this was a national objective for Bahrain, initiated by Crown Prince Shaik Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa. The track hosted the Bahrain Grand Prix in 2004 despite not being 100% completed, but the work carried on and in 2007, the BIC became the first Grand Prix circuit to be awarded FIA Institute Centre of Excellence status.
The Circuit has 6 separate circuit racing layouts (7 if you count the 1.2km drag strip section), ranging from the 2.0km flat oval to the 6.3km Endurance Circuit. This multitude of scalability means that BIC can host multiple series or classes. In it’s relatively short history, it has hosted F1, V8, GP2, Chevy Lumina, Speedcar, Thunder Arabia, Radicals, FIA GT, F3 & Formula BMW.
We will be using the 5.4km Grand Prix Circuit in our Historic GTs.
A lap of Sakhir begins on the decent length and rather wide S/F straight, and into T1R / T2L / T3R, a tight right/tight left/widening right complex, very reminiscent of Fuji’s T10R/T11L/T12R section in the previous round. There will be some very heavy braking going on into here after the preceding Straight. The cars are vastly different in their relative top speed, weight and braking performances, so all drivers should be prepared and aware for early braking, late braking and overtake attempts here. There are generous run off areas on the outside of T1R, but they are just that - run-offs. Abuse of those areas, ie using them to try and keep a position while under pressure, will be punished. The section dips down slightly through T1R, flattens through the T2L and then climbs through the exit of T3R and onto a shortish uphill straight.
The uphill straight ends with another hard braking section and T4R, another tight, and slightly crested, right hander. The subsequent straight starts a gentle downhill run, and you come across the shallow T5L, which invites attack at first glance, but actually needs caution as it immediately turns back on itself for T6R, and then back yet again through the shallow T7L.
T7L can be attacked onto the short downhill straight, but it again is ended with a severe braking zone, into the downhill T8R hairpin. Caution is required through here, as you will want to get the hammer down for the following burst, but over eager application of the accelerator will cause spins.
The short burst of acceleration heads us downhill and into T9L & T10L, a technical pair of lefthanders, T9L going downhill and quite shallow, but where the exit of T9L would be on most tracks, at Sakhir, you get the much tighter T10L.
Blasting out of T10L, there’s a decent length straight that gently rises and up to T11L, a medium speed Lefthander, followed immediately by T12L a crested left that feeds to T13R, a wide right hander that again tests patience on the throttle, and eventually opens out onto a short uphill straight, finished again with a relatively tight right – T14R.
T14R opens on a gently downhill straight , and then one last piece of hard stab-and-release braking to try and carry as much speed as possible through the final corner T15R. This leads onto the S/F straight, and across the line for another lap of Sakhir, begun by that fiendish braking zone for the T1/2/3 complex.
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.
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.
Regain the track safely - If you leave the track, you must rejoin the track safely. If that means losing another couple of places – so be it.
T1R/T2L/T3R – 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. I am really tempted to put a “no-pass” rule in place for this corner on Lap1, but I will give the benefit of the doubt to you all. Do not make me regret my decision. Be aware, however, that any incidents caused by reckless or over aggressive driving in Turn 1 during the first lap will be dealt with severely, probably with a “no quali” penalty for Round 3.
T8R – As mentioned in the Circuit Notes, this is a tight turn with some adverse camber, and the need for some acceleration out of it. Be aware of people possibly losing control under acceleration here.
T9L & T10L – These complex, reducing-radius, effectively double-apexed turns can cause issues by peoples lines and relative grip levels, so you will need to be aware of the differences in relative grip and manoueverability of the cars around you as you go in. As mentioned in the Circuit Notes, be aware of what’s around you.
T13R – Drivers will be eager to get on the accelerator as soon as possible, so be aware of possible spins under power due to overexuberance. Selfishness and overeagerness here could well ruin more than one person’s race, so exercise prudence through this section.
All points on the track – General Items
No lights are to be flashed at any stage, under any circumstances, during the race.
No Chat during the Quali or Race except by Race Control for information.
Car damage must be assessed realistically to know if it is possible to make the pits or not.
Incidents, Investigations and Penalties
There were no reported (or viably punishable) incident reports arising from Round1.
2 drivers incurred “No-Show” infractions:
· Chris Hartmann
· Ryan Walker
Similar to 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
.
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