Bakku-shan Pageant

Returning to SRO for the Sports 2000 series. From the SRO Forum:

Sports 2000 is a restricted-rules class of two-seat, mid-engined, open-cockpit, full-bodied sports-prototype racecar used largely in amateur road racing. Sometimes known as S2000 or S2, the class was developed by John Webb, then of the Brands Hatch racing circuit in England, as an affordable form of sports car racing, essentially a sports car version of Formula Ford 2000. The key attributes of the class were a body design reminiscent of two-liter Group 6 sports racing cars like the Chevron B21 and Lola T-212 but with an ultra-reliable and inexpensive drivetrain comprising a two-liter "Pinto" overhead camshaft engine with very limited allowed modifications and the well-proven, VW-based Hewland Mk 9 transaxle. S2000 aerodynamics continued to evolve beyond their 1970s Group 6 roots, with very 'slippery' cars featuring spats over the wheels becoming the norm.

I like the car, it feels like a classic LMP. Setup parameters are limited and I am still trying to tame the back end, but I have been able to put in some decent laps. Nobody else has tested on the server so I don't know where I am on the grid. Only six drivers registered so far for this series.

As for OEC Season 1, I was able to get 3rd place in the opening round at Daytona Road Course. Next up, Sebring. No track download or practice server yet, so right now it is just the waiting game.
(pic from OEC)

Diehard Returns

Virtual Open Wheel Series - Season 5 - Review

The fight was close all season long, and Jakub Kalbarczyk takes the Driver's Championship from Max Reichel, 4 wins to 3. Szymon Kuczyk finishes third in the standings, no wins but several podiums and scoring points in every race. Massimiliano Ribolli was one of the fastest, taking some pole positions and taking points in every race he participated. Peter Jones and Edijs Batars were both  frontrunners and got 1 win each. Super reserves Justin Meister (2 wins from 3 races) and Jacob Reid (1 win from 2 races) were both outstanding as substitute drivers. Joe Gillett completes the top ten, showing great speed but unlucky in some races.

As for myself, I finish the season in 8th place. Not bad, but I expected better. The three DNFs due to disconnection definitely did me in. For sure, I would have finished 7th in the standings without the reliability issues. The top 6 though, they were all clearly faster than me during qualifying and the race. Even if I did figure out how to start quickly and not lose a lot of positions in the opening lap, I don't think I would have been able to keep pace with them.

And that is the story for me pretty much every round this season. I would do well enough in practice and in qualifying, taking the 5th-7th position. But I would always bog down at the start, undoing all my hard work and would sometimes even find myself in last place. And then I would make up all the lost positions eventually and finish right around where I started. I think it is my relative inexperience running the parade lap, a fixture of VOWS league. I was always so nervous during the formation, driving too slow and losing heat and the grip of the tires. 

In the Team Championship, Eight-Six retains their title, thanks to their consistency and their super subs. Crousette Grand Prix did push them, and were leading midway through the season. Reedingame Studios was fast all season long and takes third place while Apstineo Force Polonia finishes fourth. I guess you can say I carried Spector to fifth place, but without James White's points in Silverstone we would have lost the spot to Prime GP, who came alive in the latter part of the season.

OEC Season 1

Next up, it is back to Endurance Racing. I entered my own team in the inaugural season of Open Endurance Championship. The races will be 3 hours long, with special events at the Nurburgring , and at ... drumroll ... the Le Mans! Here is the Season Schedule:

I've raced on all of these tracks before, except for The Bend. I have been testing the car (Porsche 911RSR) at Dubai Autodrome and was able to set it up to my liking easily enough. I will train hard as I will be driving solo for all of the races. It is gonna be a blast!