After all that training, I was ready to race! I would have loved to take part in all the legs of the championship, but funding is limited.
For those needing a refresher, I am participating in the GT125 class, meaning 125bhp max at the wheels. There is the GT200 and 300 class as well for more powerful cars. I am driving a race prepped Ford Focus 1.8, opponents in my class are mainly SOHC VTEC Civics and I have 2 teammates in the same class as well.
Cars in the GT200 class are mainly DOHC VTEC Civics (alota power here), and in the GT300, a Nissan S15 + others and supposedly my instructor’s Mazda RX-7, however unfortunately he injured his back so he will not be participating.
The control tire for the GT125 and 200 classes is the Advan Neova AD08, while the GT300 cars are allowed to use ANY Yokohama tire. Some choose the older AD07s, some use the AD08 and some use either the A048 or A050 semi slick tires.
The schedule/format is like this: Because there are bike events happening as well, Saturday will only be practice sessions for the GT cars. Sunday will be qualifying AND 2 races, the Sprint (12 laps) and the main GT Race (18 laps). All classes will race at the same time, just like the Japanese SuperGT series.
25 Sep 2010
Most of the Saturday was spent refreshing the driving, getting feedback through the data logger, and maybe testing a few setups. Since officially there was only 1 warm-up and 3 practice sessions, there wasnt a lot of time to test.
Warm-up session best: 2:03.26 (again nowhere near 2:01)
Practice sessions best: 2:04.xx
Something to note is that I am using the same set of AD08s I used for the 3 day training program, so they are a little worn out, and the team has said that through testing, the AD08s have the best grip in their 1st heat cycle (hint!). So they are saving a new set for use in the qualifying and the races on Sunday.
Technicalities aside, the team has observed that my line entering Bryans is too tight, and needs changing. Comparing the data from my personal best, I am a full second slower just in Bryans alone, ouch. So all the above mentioned times could easily be 2:02 or 2:03. It started to rain a little so the team has a meeting with the drivers to discuss wet lines and wet race strategy.
26 Sep 2010
Race day. There is no warm-up session before the qualifying run, so go means go. Its important that I get 1st in class for the qualifying, but the GT200 cars will definitely be ahead, which is fine. Unlike the smaller Clark Circuit layout in the past, Batangas displays the power difference between cars. So the GT200 cars will be well away after the 1st lap, giving me clear room to pull away if I were to lead in my class.
While discussing about the set up of my car, I was told that my car should have been set stiffer, but data said otherwise, apparently their engineer test drove my car and said “how does Marcus drive this thing?” Oh well. It just means I need to bring my driving to a higher level, quicker reflexes to handle a stiffer set up. Its a little on the soft side according to them.
Anyway, since the GT Race is 18 laps long, tire pressure selection is critical. So for the qualifying, they had me do a short stint, pit in, measure pressures AND temperatures and then go out till qualifying is over, and then measure again. The aim is to look at the data and select the right pressure for the longer race event. Everyone has to weigh in after the qualifying to make sure no one is underweight. After looking at the tire temperatures, the engineer tells me that I am trail braking too much causing the front tires outside treads to overheat a little. I need to make sure I dont trail brake , especially during the GT Race. For the Sprint its push all the way…
Results are out! I am 1st in class (6th overall) with a time of 2:03.02. I seriously thought I could get a quicker time but there was SO much traffic. 2nd in my class timed at 2:05, so if I get a clean start I should pull away easily. A quick drivers briefing before we line up on the grid.
Sprint Race (dry)
While waiting on the grid, the team advises me about the start, the line to take leading into Turn 1 and the race. Starting 6th overall Im on the inside line, so its a good position to have.
After the formation lap, the 5 red lights will count up and then go out (just like in F1). Everyones revving up when the 1st red light is lit, 2, 3, 4, 5, GO! I get a good start, no bogs, not too much wheel spin. I even get a tow from a GT200 car leading up to Turn 1. The guy behind me was not near enough, so I didnt have to defend. After Turn 1, the GT200/300 cars leave us in the dust, the power gap is huge! Its a straightforward race from here, I have to maintain my pace and steadily pull away until 12 laps are over. Along the way I lap slower cars, 12 laps is pretty long, in total it was a 25 min race.
I grab the chequered flag with the team in cheers, knowing full well I just won the Sprint Race in the GT125 class (5th overall)! My teammate Sean has finished 3rd, so a good result for the team. Unfortunately my other teammate Bobby mis-shifted and blew up the engine. My best lap of 2:03.541 wasnt too far off from my qualifying pace, so not too much to worry. The best lap of the race is 1:56.774, just shows how much of a performance gap the GT200 cars have!
After the weigh in, looking at the official results I am more than pleased. I had a very comfortable 40+ sec lead ahead of the 2nd place GT125 finisher (Im not lying look at the pics later!). His best lap was 2:03.127 (uh oh). We get a rather long break (+ lunch) before the main event.
GT Race (dry)
This is the real deal for us. 18 laps, and the weather seems to be getting hotter and hotter. The starting grid will be reversed for the GT Race, so all the quicker GT200/300 cars are right behind us, and all my opponents are ahead of me, so a good start is super important for me here since Im starting on the outside line this time (7th overall).
As the 5 red lights go out, I get another good start! Into 2nd gear, I out accelerate my “rival” on the way to Turn 1 and just as I try to close the line a GT200 car comes shooting up beside me (almost didnt see him)! 4 other cars and I take Turn 1 side by side, super close! Just shows how much space there is in Turn 1.
Because of all the jostling in Turn 1, the GT125 Sprint 2nd place finisher is blocked off, but I get an ok exit so I start to run away and now I have to focus on passing the other GT125 cars. I also need to look out for the faster cars and give way, no point fighting with them.
It was very messy, I wasnt sure which position I was in my class, so I kept pushing. Early on in the race I pass my teammate on the start/finish straight, out brake him into Turn 1, and just as I was about to turn in the GT300 car is alongside as well, so he passes both of us! But I keep my position.
Now at this point I was already leading in my class, but I didnt know (haha) so I kept pushing, trying to create a gap (or chase some unknown opponent).
An incident in Turn 2 (or also known as R Bend, its shaped like an R)! Apparently one of the front runners was bumped into a spin and is parked at the apex, yellow flags are waved frantically. Its dangerous because R Bend is slightly blind, so I slow down just a bit and I see him in time to avoid and drive around him. Unfortunately, he cant move because theres too much traffic behind him! Soon after he recovers and is lapping super quick. In just a few laps he is in my mirrors and I let him through safely to avoid slowing each other down, we are not fighting for position anyway. As he zooms pass me I realize that he is dragging his rear bumper along!
He gets the black flag with an orange disk in its center, so he has to pit to remove that bumper before he can continue. It did look like it was gonna fall off anytime, so I avoided following too closely. After he completes his pit stop, hes right on my ass, so I let him through, again.
18 laps takes pretty long, and the weather is getting hotter each lap. Every time you pass the finish line you get to see how many laps are left, and boy do they take some time to count down!
I finally see the chequered flag, but Im not sure if I won (like I said I didnt know!). Weigh in is all good. Results show that the team repeated the same result. Yep, I won again (5th overall)! Sean gets 3rd again too. My lead over the 2nd place GT125 finisher was only 16 seconds, so it was a good thing I maintained pace. Amazingly, the driver with the falling bumper still finishes 3rd in class (4th overall)! My best lap was 2:03.164.
I was extremely delighted to bag a double win, great result for us (my super supporting wife is always there), for the team and for my parents as well! Prize giving ceremony begins and the drivers are awarded respectively. TRS celebrates the bagging of 4 trophies so the winning cars are put in place for a team photo shoot.
All in all it was good development for me as a driver, especially during the longer race, since I get to experience how the dynamics of the car changed as laps piled on. The team too was happy with my progress. But I still had alot to work on my feedback when it comes to set up, very weak in this area.
Hope you enjoyed the post/pics! I will be back with more updates~
Nice! Looking good on the tracks you two(: