Rockingham results.

[top fuel]

So not too many suprises.

GTO class. Car Gap

1 Balfe/Derbyshire Mosler MT900R
2 Johnson/Lynch TVR T400R 20.080
3 Short/Herridge Mosler MT900R 37.171
4 Hartshorne/Mundy TVR T400R 1:01.143
5 Evans/Hyde TVR T400R 1 LAP
6 Blower/Shepherd Utima GTR 1 LAP


GT Cup class Car Gap

1 (7) Pearce/Griffin Porsche GT3 2 LAPS
2 (8) Halliday/Shrimpton Porsche GT3 Cup 2 LAPS
3 (9) Cunningham/Taylor Morgan Aero 8 3 LAPS
4 (10) Wells/Ahlers Morgan Aero 8 3 LAPS
5 (11) McWhirter/Simms Ferrari 360 4 LAPS
6 (12) Segatori/Colacino Lotus Elise 4 LAPS
7 (13) Edwards/Wyatt Marcos Mantis 4 LAPS

Also, Jay Shepard set outright fastest lap.

Glad to see the CDL car finish for once.

[Apache]

my first visit today and what a top venue, I hope the girl who flipped her F3 got a change of underwear tho, cos that must've been terrifying.

Oh and in the unlikely event that the braindead pencildick who blocked me with his Alfa 147 reads this, send me your details, I'd like to meet up

[Ballistic Banana]

Think it was Kathrine Legge, i was sitting right near it, it made my heart sunk, scarey sight but she walked away Fortunately.

BB

[PetrolTed]

top fuel said:

Glad to see the CDL car finish for once.

It was the new PH stickers on the doors ... SPEED MATTERS

[TUSCAN 29]

29

Just to keep the record straight, the shepard/blower ultima was the only full GT car on the grid, and under the existing rules and regs, was forced to take a two minute penalty stop at which time they were only allowed to re-fuel and change drivers. Any other work needed could only be done after the two minutes time penalty had been completed, so the slow right hand front pucture, which required a wheel change added another one and a half minutes delay, as the centre lock nut was heated fast, and the bugger just wouldn't budge!!!! Total time in the pits was three and a half mins, and we had a 25 sec lead over the number 33 mosler, which didn't need to re-fuel and took about 30 secs to change drivers. We still finished 6th overall but in real terms the car pissed over every thing else out there.........Mega drives from both Jay and colin, the latter,at the grand old age of 55,having to deal with cabin temps which matched his age, bloody hot.

[JonRB]

We were unfortunately only able to stay for the first few laps of the GT race before having to go, but Jay was looking good in the Ultima, had just got into the lead and was already stretching a gap.
Sorry to hear that you were denied a win.

>> Edited by JonRB on Sunday 3rd August 22:33

[Racefan_uk]

TUSCAN 29 said:

29 Just to keep the record straight, the shepard/blower ultima was the only full GT car on the grid, and under the existing rules and regs, was forced to take a two minute penalty stop at which time they were only allowed to re-fuel and change drivers. Any other work needed could only be done after the two minutes time penalty had been completed, so the slow right hand front pucture, which required a wheel change added another one and a half minutes delay, as the centre lock nut was heated fast, and the bugger just wouldn't budge!!!! Total time in the pits was three and a half mins, and we had a 25 sec lead over the number 33 mosler, which didn't need to re-fuel and took about 30 secs to change drivers. We still finished 6th overall but in real terms the car pissed over every thing else out there.........Mega drives from both Jay and colin, the latter,at the grand old age of 55,having to deal with cabin temps which matched his age, bloody hot.

With regards to setting the record straight. Had the Moslers, TVR's or anything else for that matter, had to have refuelled they would also had to wait for two minutes in the pits, just as the Ultima had to.

The Ultima had to change tyres? Well no-one else did, so it was using them harder than the others then? At the pace it was running, that's fair enough, and yes it was quicker than everything else out there, also fair enough, but them's the rules and the strategy by the number 33 car obviously paid off at the end of 75 minutes.

[Edt]

this isnt helping my overwhelming desire to own an Ultima one day..

Ed

[Ballistic Banana]

Edt said:

this isnt helping my overwhelming desire to own an Ultima one day.. Ed

Ditto ,lurverly arnt they

[jeremyc]

Given that the number 5 Ultima was the only GT car on the grid (and hence was able to run with more power), and also had the opportunity to refuel during the pit stop (because of the enforced 2 minute wait) and therefore carry a lighter fuel load, it certainly should have been the fastest thing out there!

Jay & Colin undoubtedly drove well, but I reckon they needed to have pulled out a 1:15-1:30 lead prior to the stop to be able to win.

So we shouldn't be surprised that the Ultima stormed away, nor that the commentary team didn't pick up and explain why this was the case.

[d_drinks]

Racefan_uk said:

The Ultima had to change tyres? Well no-one else did, so it was using them harder than the others then? At the pace it was running,

Racefan if you had read Tuscan 29's post he included the words 'so the slow right hand front pucture' the reason the tyre had to be changed was because of a puncture not being harder on the tyres !!!!!

Yes the fuel stop is mandatory at 2mins for all cars, so if you need fuel you need to get a bigger gap or risk losing the lead/places. The cars run a power to weight ratio scheme so the Ultima was having to fit in with the same regs as the othres out there...... yeah I know power to weight is not the ultimate (or should the be Ultima ) leveller but it does mean the the pace Jay and co could run at was impressive - well I thought so even from the ISL pit - poor Marcos bloody first corner incident !!!

[Machin]

Jeremy,
I think you'll find that the Ultima HAD to stop for fuel, -all that extra power means it burns fuel quicker that the GTO's and that's why they had to come in for fuel, -the rules state that any fuel stop must last 2 minutes, (with only driver change allowed at the same time). So at the beginning of the race it would've been filled with a full tank.

At a longer race (say 2 hours) you'd probably find they could lean it out and do the same number of stops as a GTO car (i.e one).

Machin

[jeremyc]

Machin said:

Jeremy, I think you'll find that the Ultima HAD to stop for fuel, -all that extra power means it burns fuel quicker that the GTO's and that's why they had to come in for fuel, -the rules state that any fuel stop must last 2 minutes, (with only driver change allowed at the same time). So at the beginning of the race it would've been filled with a full tank.

Nope, don't think so. The GT cars this season (only this Ultima and the 'Girl Power' Viper that I can recall) have been subject to a mandatory 2 minute pit stop to try and even up their performance with the GTO class.

Knowing that they had to make a 2 minute stop (and could refuel in this time) I suspect that the Ultima team took full advantage by running as low a fuel level as possible for the two halves of the race. I'm also sure that the Ultima consumes fuel at a prodigeous rate and so this may have required full tanks anyway.

[jeremyc]

From the Regulations (PDF file):

BRDC said:

In addition GT cars may be required to make an additional stop/s. The time and duration of the stop/s will be at the discretion of the organisers and will vary according to the race distances and the relative performance of the particular GT car. At these additional stop/s it in not permissible to change driver but refuelling and other work is permitted.

[Rowenac]

Missed this one. Shame really as I think Rockingham is very much a spectators circuit (if not particularly exciting for the drivers!). Have heard good things from those who were there and look forward to the coverage on Ch4.

[viperman]

yes, i was in the turn 1 grand stand when catherine flipped over it was shocking, and the SEAT had ahuge crash, im suprised to they didnt put the barrier back in. Im sorry but i really felt the GT race at rockingham was very very disapointing, the worst british GT race ive ever seen. Also giving the lovely looking and sounding ultima a 2minute pit stop, its crazy. The only really battle was the Morgan and Golf.

I really hope the grid can increase and the racing start again. oulton park was a brilliant race, lots going on, but we lost several cars from the rockingham round from the oulton round, i.e No 360 NGT, 2 elises mising, the F40 and the 2 GT spec porkers.

Anyway, glad to see CDL get a good finish, god driving by all the drivers of the cars, no one did anyhting stupid.

[PeterC]

I also was at Rockingham - my first visit on a free ticket - only live 4 miles away? Tight or what?

Highlight for me was definitely the Tuscan races, sitting in the main stand listening to the howl as they went by was tremendous. My 4.5 Chimeara sounds nothing like that, mores the pity.

What I did not like? Driving into the fields in the boondocks and having to hike back or use the courtesy buses. This does not happen at Daytona?

I, like a lot of other keen(?) fans arrived early and got shunted out down lanes into the fields. All those who got up late and arrived around lunchtime got to park behind the main stand. This did not seem fair to me, penalising the supporters & real fans in this way.

Overall, I thought that Rockingham as a spectator venue was excellent and for a family a good day out.

[TUSCAN 29]

[quote=viperman]. Im sorry but i really felt the GT race at rockingham was very very disapointing, the worst british GT race ive ever seen. Also giving the lovely looking and sounding ultima a 2minute pit stop, its crazy. The only really battle was the Morgan and Golf.

29

I tend to agree, and this is what we told the "officials" would happen if the Ultima had to spend more then 2 mins in the pits. We worked out that if we kept things steady and lapped at about 1:40, dispite being able to do 1:36/1:37's, we would be say 25 secs ahead on the driver change, but a slow pucture forced an premature stop. Had we been able to change the wheel during the two mins, then we could have come out in say 6th place, and provided 40,000 motorsport fans with a lap by lap chase, which we would have won in the final minutes,giving the series a much needed boost in the eyes of most fans, and a gentle reminder to those who should care that the paying fans must be entertained if you want them to keep coming back.....Doh!!!!!

As they didn't agree to change things, we put Jay in for the first and longer stint, originally Colin was going to do it hence the plan to run at 1:40 rate, Jay would then have gone out in hunting mode @ 1:36/1:37 rate and would have been catching up at 4/5 secs a lap........I think it would have been great to watch that, still...it didn't happen, so that's that.

>> Edited by TUSCAN 29 on Monday 4th August 18:39

[Dunc B]

I was also at turn 1,best place to be unless it's raining.
GT's could have done with more entrants really,not enough going on.Ultima sounded gorgeous especially on the downchanges.According to the commentators Steve Hyde's main problem was trying to get in the cockpit with his enormous helmet!Hope Charlie Dimmock doesn't start racing she'll no doubt have problems with her wheel nuts
They say F3 is the lead up to F1 ,they may be right it was a bit of a procession.good to see her walk away from the one that flipped!
SEAT's were surprisingly good.
Tuscan's were excellent,not quite back to before Shorty,BVR,JCW etc left for GT's or "The Boss" would not be running so high up the order!
Good stuff anyway.

[Ahonen]

TUSCAN 29 said:

I tend to agree, and this is what we told the "officials" would happen if the Ultima had to spend more then 2 mins in the pits. We worked out that if we kept things steady and lapped at about 1:40, dispite being able to do 1:36/1:37's, we would be say 25 secs ahead on the driver change, but a slow pucture forced an premature stop. Had we been able to change the wheel during the two mins, then we could have come out in say 6th place, and provided 40,000 motorsport fans with a lap by lap chase, which we would have won in the final minutes,giving the series a much needed boost in the eyes of most fans, and a gentle reminder to those who should care that the paying fans must be entertained if you want them to keep coming back.....Doh!!!!! As they didn't agree to change things, we put Jay in for the first and longer stint, originally Colin was going to do it hence the plan to run at 1:40 rate, Jay would then have gone out in hunting mode @ 1:36/1:37 rate and would have been catching up at 4/5 secs a lap........I think it would have been great to watch that, still...it didn't happen, so that's that. >> Edited by TUSCAN 29 on Monday 4th August 18:39

Tuscan 29,

Difficult one, this. I see your point entirely about improving what was a dull race, but GT entrants have been scoring points in the GTO class this year, so your car could have taken points away from us or Shorty had you beaten us on the track.

Any car that enters the series is automatically eligible for points, so the Championship battle might have been artificially altered. I think the rule was introduced 'just in case' a Saleen entered, but it does seem strange now that the few GT class cars left are much closer to our pace. Penalising the Viper, for instance, wasn't really necessary.

As you said, you would have been much, much closer at the finish had you not suffered a slow puncture. It would have been difficult to sustain '37s in that heat, but I don't doubt your lead after 45 mins would have been considerable, before the driver change/fuel stop. Of course, you could still have put Colin out first, who could have run in the '40s and made his escape for 30 mins before handing over to the faster driver for the last 45 - like the rest of us did!

Enough rambling. Will we see you at Thruxton or Brands?

Steve @ Eclipse.