Donington
Author
Discussion

Stuart Thompson

Original Poster:

581 posts

192 months

Monday 18th April 2011
quotequote all
Does anyone have a rough idea of the timetable for donington? At the moment only planning on going on the Sunday but don't want to miss too much. I know it's a way away but need to start making plans hotels, work etc. Cheers in advance.

courageous

134 posts

193 months

Tuesday 19th April 2011
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I think the noise curfew is 20:00 for Donington so that gives us a bit more time to play with, but still it's going to be busy!

20 minute races:
Mazda x 5 (same max no. of starters as Rockingham)
Mazda cup x 2
Smart cars x 2
BOSS x 2

2 x 60 minute races is the usual format for Dutch Supercars
4 hour Britcar race

Practice & qual sessions

yeti77

8 posts

243 months

Tuesday 19th April 2011
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Does anyone know what will happen with the Production race, after Rockingham when they extended the length to stop the productions finishing part way through the GT race, will it still be a 2 hour race?


gtdc

4,259 posts

312 months

Thursday 21st April 2011
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Is that why it is now 2 x 2 hour races with a 10 min break? Happened to notice it on the Sunday timetable.

Could well be a typo because I haven't heard anything from Britcar about it and you'd expect to do so for such a fundamental change?

panic458

101 posts

222 months

Thursday 21st April 2011
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Will be very surprised if it goes the full distance after such a full program of racing and a 7:30pm finish.

Ahonen

5,032 posts

308 months

Thursday 21st April 2011
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Has the timetable been emailed out? I haven't seen it on the Britcar website or the Donington website.

Racing Rod

1,353 posts

296 months

Thursday 21st April 2011
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gtdc said:
Is that why it is now 2 x 2 hour races with a 10 min break? Happened to notice it on the Sunday timetable.

Could well be a typo because I haven't heard anything from Britcar about it and you'd expect to do so for such a fundamental change?
I read it the same way, 2 x 2hour races with a 10 min break in between, mmmmmmmmmmm !! smile

Interesting, and they are even listed as races 16 and 17 so it would seem that this will be the format !! I wonder how they grid for the second race ? It will make for some well thought out strategy, on fuel,tyres and driver stints and changes, all I need to figure out now is how to get two hours running without refueling hehe

teamHOLDENracing

5,105 posts

296 months

Thursday 21st April 2011
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I have a timetable dated 14 April (version 2) which shows it as one 4 hr race starting at 2.30pm. Mind you that is probably out of date....

Racing Rod

1,353 posts

296 months

Thursday 21st April 2011
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teamHOLDENracing said:
I have a timetable dated 14 April (version 2) which shows it as one 4 hr race starting at 2.30pm. Mind you that is probably out of date....
This one is issue 1 dated 21/04/2011, race 1 15.20 to 17.20, race 2 17.30 to 19.30, races 16 and 17 respectively, and complete with the 10 min gap. wink

teamHOLDENracing

5,105 posts

296 months

Thursday 21st April 2011
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Well there you go...

courageous

134 posts

193 months

Thursday 21st April 2011
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Ahonen

5,032 posts

308 months

Friday 22nd April 2011
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That's ridiculous. Hopefully it's just an admin glitch and there'll be a chequered flag for the small cars at two hours. Or, more logically, just let everyone race for four hours.

As an aside, why are there still two championships? The grids aren't big enough to require two races these days and the race within a race format is bizarre. I could bang on about 'the way we do it in Belgium' forever, but it works well.

gtdc

4,259 posts

312 months

Friday 22nd April 2011
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I reckon it's just a typo. No way Britcar wouldn't have told us something this big. You wouldn't just sneak something like that into a timetable and not bother emailing the competitors.

If it was true it would presumably have to mean double points and the gap to allow tyres and refuelling would be too short at 10 minutes. That's before you even think about heat sink, fuelling in the last 15 minutes etc.

Must be a mistake.

macgtech

997 posts

188 months

Friday 22nd April 2011
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gtdc said:
I reckon it's just a typo. No way Britcar wouldn't have told us something this big. You wouldn't just sneak something like that into a timetable and not bother emailing the competitors.

If it was true it would presumably have to mean double points and the gap to allow tyres and refuelling would be too short at 10 minutes. That's before you even think about heat sink, fuelling in the last 15 minutes etc.

Must be a mistake.
Couldn't agree more - doesn't make any sense.

gtdc

4,259 posts

312 months

Friday 22nd April 2011
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Have just checked the GT regs on the website (which is what I work to) and the race is showing as a 4 hour event.

However, I notice that both the date and the version number have been removed from the GT regs which leaves us no way of knowing when/if they have been updated without having a photographic memory. Because we are still running under provisional regs we don't get proper bulletins.

Racing Rod

1,353 posts

296 months

Friday 22nd April 2011
quotequote all
gtdc said:
I reckon it's just a typo. No way Britcar wouldn't have told us something this big. You wouldn't just sneak something like that into a timetable and not bother emailing the competitors.

If it was true it would presumably have to mean double points and the gap to allow tyres and refuelling would be too short at 10 minutes. That's before you even think about heat sink, fuelling in the last 15 minutes etc.

Must be a mistake.
Lets hope you are right, but the way it is published with separate race numbers and the 10 min time gap indicates that some thought has gone into it, not the right type of thought I grant you, rolleyes
but someone somewhere has presumably considered this as a viable option nuts

Mmmmm, combined with an overcrowded paddock, and no doubt a whole st load of hassle to get support vehicles where they need to be with security guys in combats giving it large,and telling you that you have to park half a mile away, at £2000 plus entry fee, it makes one think, "Is this a round to drop"

gtdc

4,259 posts

312 months

Friday 22nd April 2011
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Except you'd be dropping 2 rounds. If it's a genuine thing (and if so, how very strange of Britcar to forget to tell us) then it's 2 races.

courageous

134 posts

193 months

Friday 22nd April 2011
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I'm wondering if the 2 x 2 hour format is to cater for the Production cars running the 4 hours instead of only 2?

A sort of "competition red flag" to give them a chance to refuel; there are some quite widely varying fuel tanks & thirstieness in production & just doubling their race distance without addressing this could ruin some car's race.

10 minutes would be just enough time for a slow down lap, refuel, line up single file & pace lap before going off again (certainly not long enough to do a full race shut down & start up procedure with the same field).


Really can't believe each race will score full points, either points at the end of the 4 hours if my theory is correct or half points for each race.

Edited by courageous on Friday 22 April 16:34


Edited by courageous on Friday 22 April 16:35


Edited by courageous on Friday 22 April 16:37

courageous

134 posts

193 months

Friday 22nd April 2011
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Also, 4 x 1 hour races for Dutch supercars, do they have a 2nd tier series or are all these for the Viper/Corvette/Marcos cars?

gtdc

4,259 posts

312 months

Friday 22nd April 2011
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courageous said:
10 minutes would be just enough time for a slow down lap, refuel, line up single file & pace lap before going off again (certainly not long enough to do a full race shut down & start up procedure with the same field).
Edited by courageous on Friday 22 April 16:34


Edited by courageous on Friday 22 April 16:35


Edited by courageous on Friday 22 April 16:37
40 odd cars all in at once to fuel/tyre in 10 minutes will be a handful. If it's two races they'll have to make time for us to do it.

There's no provision in the GT regs for half points is there?

Rather annoying to all be guessing about this because a) we don't even know if it's true and b) if it is then where's the statement/explanation/detail of procedure from Britcar?

Because if it is true it's about the oddest thing I've seen for a while I'm giving Britcar the benefit of the doubt and believing no way would they treat their clients with so little regard.

I call typo.