Darlington, the way it was…
Darlington 2007.
Pro IV. Round 8, December 15, 2007
Twenty cars took part in the race. It was won by the current PRO series leader A.Schockin. The only participant to finish on the lead lap with him was Nascardude, who saw the wave of the checkered flag in second.
The race itself was marked by confusion and a large number of black flags, mostly handed out by the game for passing under yellow.
Darlington 2008.
Pro V. Round 11, December 27, 2008.
Temperature 77F. Sunny. Wind: SE 11 mph
Thirteen cars took part in the race. Not long before the finish Wild Slick let the lead slip away, and in the end victory went to the racer everyone least expected it from.
Balahornet – race winner
Before the race:
Just spent 15 minutes lapping the track. If we manage to get by without a large number of yellows — which is doubtful, of course — a magnificent race awaits us. On a stable setup the car hardly spins at all. The only thing I can't figure out is how to run next to the wall in T1-T2. Once I managed to run right up against it without sticking to it, and immediately got my best lap — 28.972. The time is nothing special, of course, but I'm pleased. The main thing is I've understood the principle of getting around the lap, and I now look to the future without much fear. But it will be hard to learn to drive without mistakes.
After the race:
I knew that if I was ever destined to win in the INL, it would be exactly this kind of victory — through caution and luck. I simply can't match the league leaders for speed, so all that was left was to just enjoy the racing. Forty races without a win, and by rights that streak should have continued, but that's how it turned out today. I am happy and drained. Honestly, those last 4 laps were the longest laps of my career.
Thanks to everyone who congratulated me! And it's great that we got a race like this — with long runs and an interesting battle.
Respect to Pab — you proved you can drive cleanly, whatever I may have said
Sinner
The race on the whole was simply superb for me — I felt like a king, despite Dude pulling away in the first half. It's on long runs like these, with «realistic damage», that you really start to grasp how to drive the tracks.
I've got Darlington completely figured out. T3, seemingly the most important and difficult corner, the one that plays the decisive role in qualifying, turns out to be taken the same way throughout the whole long run. Yet the seemingly relatively simple T1-T2 start playing the key role after a short run — the way you take them changes drastically after just 5 laps…
Wild Slick
I won't sleep tonight. I took that corner 180 times, and at the crucial moment I got it wrong. Sorry about Tik — I collected him too. His car was faster and his tires fresher. Tik — mega sorry, 100% my fault.
Nascardude on Kan.
Damn, these noobs have worn me out. This time it was KAN 42 who ruined my race…
Darlington 2009
This year the INL WRI racers have already competed at Darlington.
Round 2 of the Intimidator series took place at this very track. Back then everything was decided on the final laps in a battle between Kan and Tik,
with Tik coming out the winner.
Qualifying results:
1. #3 KAN: 28.293s.
2. #74 Tik: 28.305
3. #57 A. Arzamasov: 28.315
4. #33 A. Schokin: 28.837
5. #95 A. madlopt: 29.768
6. #23 A. Chistov: 30.674
7. #25 D. Borisoff: no time
8. #46 Pab: no time
9. #42 Zeon: no time
10. #88 Beavis: no time
11. #5 RacerX: no time
Despite the tightened corners and the magnetized guardrails, the participants managed to avoid a post-start pileup. The only unlucky man of the opening laps was #5 RacerX. Spinning twice — yet never once bringing out a stoppage of the race — he battered his car badly and, finally realizing the futility of staying on track, decided to leave the race.
It took #33 A.Schokin 16 laps to catch and pass #3 Kan, who 25 laps later clipped the fence and let #88 Beavis through into 2nd position.
After lap 60 only two cars remained on the lead lap. The race leader was #33, with #88 in second, now closing in on Lich, now losing sight of him again, probably hoping to use his chance at the next appearance of a yellow.
On lap 86 a trail of black smoke stretched behind the #88 Chevrolet. The failure occurred in a corner, and after sliding into a spin Beavis left the track.
Holding on a little over ten laps longer, #3 KAN, who was at that moment in last, 6th place, left the track.
Nothing else worth mentioning happened. The most bored spectators headed for the exits. But those who stayed were rewarded with a collision between #33 and #25, thanks to which #46 Pab, running at the tail of the field, moved up one position.
Race results:
1. #33 A. Schokin: 184 Laps
2. #57 A. Arzamasov: -2L
3. #74 Tik: -2L
4. #46 Pab: -7L
5. #25 D. Borisoff: -8L
6. #3 KAN: -90L (Retired)
7. #88 Beavis: -99L (Accident)
8. #95 A. madlopt: -166L (Retired)
9. #5 RacerX: -174L (Disco)
10. #23 A. Chistov: -183L (Retired)
Interviews with the race participants:
#33 A.Schokin – 1st place.
All the intrigue in the race was gone by the first yellow. People, suffering either from tire wear or from oversteer in T4, started spinning a little ahead of schedule, so by the time of the yellow only Dude was on the lead lap with me. Then Dude crashed out, Kan had a disconnect, and the rest apparently didn't quite hit the setup. On top of that, as luck would have it, several of the yellows that came out after that appeared exactly when I was practically crossing the start-finish line. And so I drove it home. The only unpleasant episode was with Borisov 30 laps from the finish, when I went to put him a lap down and he squeezed me slightly toward the wall — either we slightly misunderstood each other and he didn't have time to react, or he simply didn't notice me. He was flung into a spin, I lightly brushed the wall in T3, but it all worked out, and I calmly rolled on to the finish.
#57 A.Arzamasov – 2nd place.
Herr VH actually wrote that people here start spinning after lap 40 (that's why his setup is so understeery). So almost 60 laps is even too much. After 40 laps I waited and waited, gave up waiting and headed for the pits (I thought "what if it does come under green — I'll gain a little"). Gained it, damn it!!! Kan ended up in the same boat. And so everyone found themselves a lap down (except Lich, Beavis and Tik).
But I don't think it would have changed much. At this track, I believe, only Dude could have challenged you.
HG Highlights !!!
«The King of Long Runs»
The fewer cars in a race, the better A.Schokin's chances of winning. Everyone knows that the number of yellows depends on the number of cars on track. The fewer participants, the fewer crashes and spins, and with them cautions.
The last two rounds of the Pro series were «notable» precisely for barely scraping together a dozen cars. The racers had to spend long stretches on track, and it seems only Lich managed to be at his best in that situation.
«It Doesn't Get Any Worse»
#3 KAN was not himself in this race. A host of driving errors, a collision with Pab, and an inability to cope with tire wear meant that after just the first third of the distance he could hardly count not only on the win, but even on a top-5 finish.
«Crossed Wires»
D.Borisoff:
Lich, I don't get it. Having passed me twenty times in this race, you still hadn't figured out that on the straights I hug the guardrail and ease off. I was going to do the same this time, and I never expected you to decide to squeeze between me and the guardrail. Why? What was the hurry?
A.Schokin:
No hurry at all, really. On the straight coming off T2 you were running in the middle, I was next to the guardrail; I decided then not to move over and to pass on the right — there was plenty of room there at that moment and a decent difference in speed. I was very surprised when you started moving over onto me right at the moment we drew level. I even thought you hadn't noticed me.
D.Borisoff:
No, no, I did notice you. Throughout the race I constantly had F2 - spacebar switched on. I just didn't look in the mirror and, out of ingrained habit, started drifting toward the guardrail (as I had done throughout all the laps), but instead of passing me on the left as before, you darted right. I'm saying this without any grievance. I'm simply for predictability of actions.
A.Schokin:
Well, I rarely make a note of where to pass whom — situations vary. In this same race I think I tried passing Pab just about everywhere.