Essington

rFactor just keeps getting more and more fun. After only a 25 lap, 45 minute race, my arms felt like I'd been lifting weights for an hour. hehe These understeering bastards are real fun to throw around.

On the start, Dean flew (and I mean flew) by me and Todd. :D I reeled Dean in after a couple laps, had some drafting fun. Until, down the back straight, we tried outbraking each other into the left/corkscrew combo, and Dean waited just a teeny bit too long, and slid off into the grass.

Spent the rest of the race watching Fernando and Cory battle, until Fernando spun, then Cory spun. Came out of pits with Fernando hot on my tail, and he made a great pass on me into the corkscrew, we were door to door going in there. He held it inside, I had to back off or I was headed to the fence. :D

Congrats to Conor again, we need Fish back to give you some competition. ;)

Got two wheels off on an early lap ... didn't touch a thing, but that lazy circle in the grass was enough to have me chasing an empty track the rest of the race, so, yay for me.

What a race!!!!! Qualified 3rd to my surprise, but got an awful start. Raced 5th for a while racing Hard with Cory and Fernado. I had a huge moment on one of the early laps through the fast right hander, caught the inside grass too much and got 90 degrees sideways at 130 mph. Some how I saved it and didn't lose a position. I caught Cory within a few laps and I think I finally forced him into a mistake in that fast right hander. I got by and left him in the distance. I started catching Kent very slowly. Pretty much I made up all my time on everyone in the fast right hander, and lost it back through the rest of the track. I was one of the last guys to pit so I lead a few laps but I managed to grab 3rd place from Kent. I had nothing for Tim or Conor so I just made sure I didn't crash for the last 9 laps and took 3rd. 2 wing on the back can work, I proved it!!!!!

I slept over, again. :(

What can I say about this...hmmm. OUTSTANDING! Some of you may know that I haven't been into sim racing long at all. rFactor is the first sim I have bought and I raced it for a few months and then I took about an 8 month break. I just recently got back into it via TM.net (Thanks Tommy)

This race was about the most enjoyable yet nerve wrecking that I have experienced to date. I am still a rookie and my nerves REALLY get going. I don't know how many times I took a DEEP breath and told myself to just relax and drive. Boy that didn't work. I am sure once I get some more races under my belt things will be a little easier for me. I was suprised where I qualified. Out of nowhere during practice I was able to get into the low 42's with a few 41's. I didn't expect to get there and was able to run a 41 in qual. Needless to say with Kent, Fernando, and Jerry C behind me it had my nerves working before we even started. Banta got a bad start and Kent got a good one and with all 3 of our cars painted a like I almost took Kent out before the first corner because I thought it was Banta who was behind me LOL. So now I had Banta behind me who was constantly faster then I was in practice so I knew he would be pushing me. I drove like a typical noob, in my rearview and it finally caught up to me about 10-12 laps in. I dropped a tire off in the esses and next thing I know here comes a brush with a wall and a spin. I then spun again, I guess b/c my tires were shot or they had crap on them. I quickly made my way to the pits. I ran the rest of the race somewhat by myself until I caught a lapper and had a few problems getting around. Next thing I know Todd is right behind me (I was up like 3 secs). I was able to pull a few seconds back on Todd and came home 7th. I would have liked a better finish but I just made some rookier mmistakes.

Thank You everyone, Tim for a setup I could tweak to my liking and to everyone else for a clean race. Good stuff! Once again I am hooked and I owe it all to R2P (TM.net)

I'm gonna need to re-think my situation on Friday nights (PCC and F3). By the time the actual race starts, my eyes are heavy and I'm dozing off. Last night I was sleeping at the wheel. One of these days I WILL finish one of these races.

Fun race....wasn't the most exciting but i still had some fun :).

Qualified first with a 1.40.2, which was pretty good but i was shooting for a 39 which i probably was capable of doing.

The initial race start was a little confusing. We originally had standing start on only, without the formation lap, but instead, after the start, we got a full course caution which was a little weird.....maybe a bug? Anyway, Tim got it fixed and we restarted the race with the correct settings.

My jump from the gates was pretty good but due to my low tire pressures, Tim was able to keep up with me for the first few laps. After a while, the setup got settled in and i started to pull away from the field. Nothing much happened before the pit stop so i was basically just chilling in first for the whole stint.

Pitstops finally came and i just went conservative and got fuel and tires. I was unaware of the other strategies going and if i probably would have known, i would have been more aggressive with my strategy. So, coming out of the pits i see that Tim passes me for 2nd place (David already had the lead, i already knew he was on some sort of strategy :P), but i didn't know Tim was playing his cards differently too. He had already pitted and took fuel instead so he gained a bunch of time. So, i spent about a lap aggressively battling him because i wanted to catch up to Banta in case he was playing something fishy. I was unaware that this was actually a battle for the lead and the way i treated it seemed like it was a last lap pass, hehe. Tim and i went flying down the longstraight and into the quick right hander side by side initially. I came very close to flying off the track so i gave him some slack, but even then, we were pretty damn close. Coming down that hill, i was veering left and right of him trying to gain the inside lane to pass him in the next corner. I got the lane and outbraked him for the "lead". Looking back at the replay, we were close enough to cause major wreck if i was slightly more stupid :P. It's the second week in a row where Tim and i have battled wheel to wheel with only inches apart and yet still managed to come out alive :). Fun Stuff....So, as i regained the lead, i basically cruised the rest of the way home for the win, safely :).

Overall, it was a pretty fun race but this was more of an endruo than a sprint it seemed like. You had to stay consistent and focused in order to finish the race and to have a battle with someone else at 150 mph was just icing on the cake :). Cya'll at the Nurnbergring.....ugh....

hehe. Crazy race for me. You're right about the workout part! At the start, I too, was really shocked at how my car "rocketed" off the line.....went by you guys before I realized what had happened! lol. Drafting for a few laps there was awesome. Jerry was all over me. Going in to that corkscrew type corner, I wasn't trying to outbrake you....I had already decided to let you in first......but when I hit the brakes.....there was a delay???? or something???? cause I hit that wall at full speed as a spectator! LOL. (same thing happened today in GT-I as well, but not nearly as bad.) Think maybe my pedals are losin' it. Crap. Almost done my cockpit too! Oh well.

After that, I limped back to pit for repairs, and was going to add fuel & tyres for remainder as well on clipboard. What clipboard!! Dammit!! I was supposed to do that on the way in wasn't I? Sometimes.....I don't know...

Now I'm almost a lap back....STILL needing to pit half-way.......in 10TH.......grrrr Figuring it's all in the way you look at things "wink", I brought 'er home for a top ten finish! hehe. I'll try harder next time...really..

heres an interesting video of my high speed slide.

yea, I about crashed going down the hill watching you in my look behind LOL!! How you hung on I have no clue! I need to learn how to post videos and save replays and clips as wmv's. My dad and uncle are always coming over wanting to see race clips etc.... I would like to be able to email and post them. Any takers.....:)