rFactor 2 Round 6 Zandvoort 2022 - Sun Sep 3, 2023

Yeeah watch the streams from work aswell. Thx Rob!

Great race guys! Gz podiums and champ!
Great series too with good grid every race and really sportsmanship driving, i salute you all.
Hope to see more cup series and personally like the 60min races. It gives something extra to the event with tyres.

 

Starting to get a decent feel for the car... really good fun.
Great championship overall. A bit a everything... feels like I leveled up after that.

This race wasn't easy, pretty hard to get the car from sliding and manage the tires... that's one point where I could use some improvement.
That said, I'm pretty happy with the overall pace in those last 2 rounds...

Next serie with the Pcup... count me in. (gratz to Woodee... for a very nice performance in this race and overall)

 

congratulations to Neil Wood proving that consistency pays off, have just watched the steam, getting 4th place after a drive through is a champions drive.

Me and robin can be thankful for taking the teams championship, robin did really well holding off Seibel at the end.

Kiril made the first 40 mins of the race really tough, trying to stay in front making no mistakes whilst preserving the tyres, was down to 50% on the left rear with 30 mins to go so wacked brake balance as far forward as possible to try to survive to the end remembering silverstone when it went to 0 and I had to pit.

Thankfully Kiril threw in the towel with 20 mins to go a pitted for tyres, I could then relax and manage the tyres to the end, i'm not sure if I could of gone to the end with the pace we were both running but I could see he was struggling getting the power down on exit on the final corner before the banking so new he would struggle at the end.

Thanks to my team mate robin and Rob Milliken for the broadcast which was great and of course john for putting on such a great series.

 

I would love to get a server replay if possible please. Nice broadcast @Rob Milliken seems there was a LOT happening

 

Good racing with everyone here. I think everyone enjoyed themselves. Congrats Nick on the win. Great fast good driving. Congrats Neil on the championship. It's like a win multiplied by 10.. Lots of "oh crap" moments but you did it. Rob, great commentating in this series. You did awesome like always. You're a natural bud. Last but never the least, John for hosting. Always fun racing in your series.

On to the next.

Cheers,

 

Stream VOD

I made sure I was cautious at the start.... the car ahead went right and I went down the space to the left hoping that I didn't get skittled off while running around the outside of T1. In 8th place, I proceeded to follow @Robin Taylor making sure I wasn't overly tyre scrubbing. I was conservative with setup and ran a couple of clicks more rear wing which hurt me badly on the main straight. I was very aware that the car ahead was a team mate of the driver in 2nd. I began to close the gap and on lap 6 Robin ran a little wide out of Bocht 10 and I was able to get alongside coming up to the chicane, getting the inside for the 2nd part of it and I set to chase @Andreas Seibel.

Robin shadowed me in my mirrors as I began the chase, I knew I had enough points for the championship... but making extra sure wouldn't hurt right? By lap 12 I was on the bootlid of Andreas and thinking about where to pass. I wasn't confident enough to run the high line on the banking and it seemed to giving them the chance to gain some ground on me in the early part of the lap. I felt claustrophobic sandwiched by 2 cars front and rear and wanted clear air. I wanted to run my pace without interruption and I was getting held up.

I was watching where the car ahead was struggling and I planned possible attack places. On lap 16 I knew where it was and I was close enough. I gap was left at Bocht 10 and I put car in it, the gap was closing but I was already there and managed to gain some momentum up to the chicane. I drifted a little wide on exit coming onto the short straight, a little side by side contact and I was fully alongside. My nose in front I braked as late as I dared for the chicane, getting the inside for the next part like I'd rehearsed earlier. Andreas wide of apex and locking tyres, took the normal line into the chicane like I wasn't there and pushed me into the gravel. I had earned the right to be there according to SRO rules. I was barely able to get it slowed with no traction on the kerb and gravel but kept it pointed in the same direction. A note flashed up on my screen, unfortunately obscured a bit by my in car overlays, even before the next turn I'd be given a drive through penalty for passing off the track. rF2 hadn't even given me enough time to register what had happened and possibly a chance to let the car back through. Harsh I thought, but I took it on the chin and drove through the pits.

Exited the pits in 10th luckily just in front of the chasing pack. Still good for the championship and I started to think about the long game at nearly half distance. I began putting in steady lap times trying not to overly stress the tyres. I gained a couple of spots due to people pitting now up to 8th. By lap 25 I came upon some lapped cars, @Lorne Martin unfortunately spinning out of the chicane, but I was far enough back not to get caught up. I also saw a couple of cars for position ahead. @Stephen Wenham was very gracious on the main straight as I think I was struggling with straight line speed. Another car pits, now up to 7th.

Lap 31 and I am on the back of Robin and Andreas slowing each other down with their battling. Robin runs wide out of Kumho and pushes Andreas wide losing momentum and I am able to glide through into the last turn banking. I show myself in Robin's mirrors and the battle resumes. Plumes of tyre smoke as it looked Robin was struggling with traction. Took me a while to adjust to their earlier braking points. Coming into Bocht 9 I made sure I was braking in the gap to the outside so as to not rear end Robin and I hoped I could gain momentum into the next. Andreas saw a gap and maybe misjudged braking and lost traction coming into the turn sideways.

Lap 32/33 Out of the chicane and I was as close as I had ever been to a car so far and I was hoping to stay in the draft around the banking and up the straight. Robin defended to the inside (1st) so I followed in the draft. I then moved to the outside to setup up for braking late on the outside in the gap, Robin moved back across (2nd) in front of me just before the braking zone so I had to swap sides AGAIN to brake in a gap. Robin tried to brake late and get across but I was already there, with better traction I was able to exit T1 in 5th place. Robin didn't give in and held on around the inside then outside of the next 2 turns. I was going to have to take the wide line into the banking, something I wasn't really comfortable with, but it seemed to work and I was clear.

By lap 34 I was on the back of @Johnny Gutierrez who looked like they were really struggling with traction. I was confident I had a pace advantage and just needed to wait for an opportunity. Out of Hugenholzbocht I was getting closer through the esses. Into the fast right hander down hill Johnny touched the grass and got it all crossed up on exit and I dived to the inside to be well out of the way if he went off.

Now up to 4th and seeing the minutes click away.... I saw the lap times of @Dimitris Pappas and they were slower than my current pace. Could I get a podium? Should I? Too late... the race would end shortly after. PHEW!!!

 

Season Review

I am really proud of how this season went. First extended running with these cars, I knew 60 mins races would be hard for me to do. I had only done one race before at LeMans for the LeMans Virtual build-up show but this would be harder. Changeable weather thrown into it as well? This spiced things up and I loved it!!

When I saw the first race was Monaco, I was pretty scared! This would be my first full season using a direct drive wheel and new cockpit setup. To start of the season with a 6th place finish from 10th on the grid I started to try and be optimistic.

Looking at timing sheets I knew I didn't have pace. I had to look at what my other strengths could be. Using strategy and race craft to try and stay up the pointy end.

Round 2 - Red Bull Ring
I was familiar with this track and the long straights were going to tough to defend for faster cars. I wanted to avoid those sausage kerbs at all costs. When it got down to the latter stages I knew that tyre management would be something to get better at through the coming races.

Round 3 - Silverstone (wet)
First ever wet league race.... and at my home track too!! I loved the challenge and how it could spice up strategy. The drying track didn't stay long enough to get on slicks and getting to finish 3rd I was over the moon!!

Round 4 - Hungaroring (wet)
Hard track to pass on and I knew from previous it could be very easy to burn the tyres. Tried to keep my head and not over cook the tyres. I had nothing for @Bradley Sellars in his first race, but to get 2nd I was starting to believe a championship could be within reach.

Round 5 - Spa-Francorchamps
I was expecting rain here.... it's Belgium after all! Pivotal race for the championship which would come down to the final lap. One of my closest rivals running out of fuel metres before the line?! This was like a hollywood script (well minus the explosions).

Round 6 - Zandvoort
I did my points calculation and knew what I needed to achieve. I didn't need to push as hard as I did, but coming away with 4th even after a drive through was great. I managed to stay within the bounds of what I (and the car) were capable of.

Summary
I learned so much this series. I tried my hand at setup (thankfully this car doesn't have a lot to tinker with). I still couldn't get those cambers and tyre temps equal enough, oh well! I loved that we had different weather (MORE PLEASE!) which really spiced everything up. In the end my consistency and hard work seemed to pay off. Really proud that I can still learn even after 20 years of simracing.

Just a final note; As you may know I drive and stream from VR. I have to manage all of the switching and things from within the headset. I do read the chatlog in game but being in VR makes it hard to type. I have prescription lenses inside the headset and can't read anything if I lift the headset. Being blind and trying to type even though I can touch type is not easy. I just didn't want you all to think I was being rude and ignoring you all.

Thanks to the drivers that took part and organisers of the series.
See you next series!!

 

Hi all
Was a very nice series, cant wait for a follow up.
@Neil Wood , yes sorry that was my bad, I wanted to give you space but I was a bit too fast and slided into you, not my intention. Congrats to you winning the championship.
Thanks to all who participated, I made some mistakes, again apologies to those who were involved.
Many many thanks to @John vd Geest for organising and @Rob Milliken for the fantastic broadcast.
My suggestion for next Porsche Cup series: Skip Monte Carlo but keep Spielberg (Red Bull Ring). Beside the track limit issues its such a nice track for the Porsche Cup and no problem if everybody behaves accordingly (as done so far I can judge)

 

Great race all, Congrats to Neil for the series win as Nick said you drove a champions drive and the 2nd overtake you pulled on me was epic, I didn't want to give it to you to easy though , Congrats to Nick for the race win, Thanks for all the setup work. @Rob Milliken another brilliant broadcast you definitely need to work on pronouncing those corner names though and @John vd Geest for hosting another epic series, looking forward to the next. Hopefully the first of many team championship wins.

 

Friday nights?

 

Congrats race winner @Nick Westy,
Congrats champ series @Neil Wood.
Also thanks @John vd Geest and @Rob Milliken for setting and making our sunday nights nice!
Although not the right place i think for next series if its a Porsche cup it should be good to consider
series from Germany,N.America and G.Britain or a combination of the most accurate tracks S397 has.
I would also suggest BMW M2 as alternative.
Maybe a thread should be opened for suggestions and polls.
I really enjoyed the races,esp those with mixed weather.
As for Zand i knew that i had to nurse tires and keep rears ,esp left,under 3% wear every lap,and to do that i had to lap to 41s.
If i remember i ended with 27% rears,so i would say that real Porche Cup tires are not designed for 1 hour race BUT s397 ones are!
thats from me and hope to race with you again soon

 

Australia is super cool. It hosts lots of tracks that are rarely used, also hosts my all time favourite, just cant remember the name of it but think it was 1st laser scanned track in rF1.