Brands Hatch in car and race report
Discussion
Qualified well in traffic with a 49.7 which I believe is a lap record for the open in class 2. Got baulked on the previous lap which was quicker up to that point. Got a good start but hooked 4th, recovered to run 3rd overall holding Peter Cooks very quick 993GT2 behind me but he got me on the exit of Paddock. Caught him in the corners but I have no answer for a 200bhp deficit on the straights. I knew that the front runners would slow with tyre wear but that i could lap all the race at roughly the same pace and was looking for at least a Podium. Then I met with back markers and that was that. The car that took me off was driven by one of my team mates. The impact was small and I recovered and chased Henry down but I could smell anti freeze and Knew it was a holed radiator. That was that race over.
Aparently my team mate didnt see me behind him or the waved blue flags for the previous 3 corners. It was an hour sprint and I needed to make time in the corners against cars with far more power. I made the call to pass and it cost me the race. You may think I was right or wrong to make the call.
I've attached in car footage of my race. It's a big download but it clearly shows the Brands Indy line, heal toe and left foot braking so you may find it interesting.
A very pissed off
Steve R
http://www.fastfilms.co.uk/images/Steve%20Rance%20...
Right click on link and save as..
Aparently my team mate didnt see me behind him or the waved blue flags for the previous 3 corners. It was an hour sprint and I needed to make time in the corners against cars with far more power. I made the call to pass and it cost me the race. You may think I was right or wrong to make the call.
I've attached in car footage of my race. It's a big download but it clearly shows the Brands Indy line, heal toe and left foot braking so you may find it interesting.
A very pissed off
Steve R
http://www.fastfilms.co.uk/images/Steve%20Rance%20...
Right click on link and save as..
Edited by Steve Rance on Monday 13th August 10:44
Edited by Steve Rance on Monday 13th August 11:00
Steve, Tks for posting the vid, well worth the lengthy dowload time 
Fascinating to see how hard you guys work in the car (compared to us trackday drivers
) you could see the frustration in your driving after Mr Cook went passed, you were really on it!....he did have a bad start though and as you say had the extra bhp.
Having watched the race from the Paddock grandstand I was more than suprised at some of the driving tactics, even if the 964 guy didn't see you the first time on the approach to graham hill bend, there was no point in holding up a much faster car running 4th who was about to lap you 7 1/2 minutes into a 1 hour race??!! I would have thought there would have been plenty of time for him to give way along cooper and keep place?....Shame your race ended so soon, you were certainly looking strong for the class win, you know far better than me "thats racing etc..", but it was the actions of the red 964 driver later in the race that cancelled out any thoughts I may have had of ever entering my own car in the open for fun!
Best of luck at Combe at the end of the month..
Just to add, good to see Robin going well in no 23, Zubin getting the class win in a 993 and Paul Mc was putting on an astonishing display in the GT2, if the pulley and belt can stand each others company for a little longer that car/driver combo should be unbeatable!
Fascinating to see how hard you guys work in the car (compared to us trackday drivers
) you could see the frustration in your driving after Mr Cook went passed, you were really on it!....he did have a bad start though and as you say had the extra bhp.Having watched the race from the Paddock grandstand I was more than suprised at some of the driving tactics, even if the 964 guy didn't see you the first time on the approach to graham hill bend, there was no point in holding up a much faster car running 4th who was about to lap you 7 1/2 minutes into a 1 hour race??!! I would have thought there would have been plenty of time for him to give way along cooper and keep place?....Shame your race ended so soon, you were certainly looking strong for the class win, you know far better than me "thats racing etc..", but it was the actions of the red 964 driver later in the race that cancelled out any thoughts I may have had of ever entering my own car in the open for fun!
Best of luck at Combe at the end of the month..
Just to add, good to see Robin going well in no 23, Zubin getting the class win in a 993 and Paul Mc was putting on an astonishing display in the GT2, if the pulley and belt can stand each others company for a little longer that car/driver combo should be unbeatable!
Edited by clubsport on Monday 13th August 11:46
Steve,
Assuming that the blue flags were out and waved, I would have probably waited to overtake on inside through Graham Hill and along bottom straight but when the other car came up the inside I would have made the same move as you did and followed him through. Tough call either way, shame it ended your race.
Assuming that the blue flags were out and waved, I would have probably waited to overtake on inside through Graham Hill and along bottom straight but when the other car came up the inside I would have made the same move as you did and followed him through. Tough call either way, shame it ended your race.
Great qualifying Steve. I agree that you have to commit to the overtaking as quick as possible. You hesitate and wait for the next straight and it is all over you have lost 2 secs plus , thus these things happen as it did at Silverstone to me when I was too cautious and was then caught by other cars which you then have to defend whilst lapping cars that "did not see you".
Can be part of the fun but is dangerous and costly ( the car I drive is 1 of only 2 factory built RHD 993 GT2 Rs)which is irreplacable.
This year there were only 21 cars last year there were 28 and it was insane passing then but you get used to the unexpected.w
Shame we all had problems as it would have been a fun day.Shame about the damage to the clubsports but that can happen and as you know racing is not a track day ,things really do happen.
We only put new tyres on for the race due to excess wear and the car was great and fast ( a much better set up this year) so it was a bummer the the belt let us down AGAIN!!when we were leading by 22 ses and had lapped all baring the eventual winner.
We will not be at Coombe as we have to sort the belt out but good luck there.
Can be part of the fun but is dangerous and costly ( the car I drive is 1 of only 2 factory built RHD 993 GT2 Rs)which is irreplacable.
This year there were only 21 cars last year there were 28 and it was insane passing then but you get used to the unexpected.w
Shame we all had problems as it would have been a fun day.Shame about the damage to the clubsports but that can happen and as you know racing is not a track day ,things really do happen.
We only put new tyres on for the race due to excess wear and the car was great and fast ( a much better set up this year) so it was a bummer the the belt let us down AGAIN!!when we were leading by 22 ses and had lapped all baring the eventual winner.
We will not be at Coombe as we have to sort the belt out but good luck there.
thegoose said:
Watching from behind the garages (13/14) it did look a rather ambitious move to try to follow the previous guy through Steve. I'm keen to see it from inside your car though, but I can't get the link to work?
Got the link working but film didn't go as far as the incident?Great footage. I realise you know the circuit exceptionally well Steve so it was heartening from my point of view to learn that I drive my (much slower) car in a very similar fashion, especially never having done a trackday there (i.e. in a car with anyone else, either driving or as a passenger). The differences for me are that it's 3rd everywhere except Druids (2nd) and pit straight (4th), brakes not needed into Surtees (although many of my competition do), just a slight lift and I similarly go over the kerbs on the gas, able to left foot brake into Clearways (as no gearchange needed). On my quickest laps I'm just on the rev limiter into Druids but I don't think anything else would be quicker.
[quote]Got the link working but film didn't go as far as the incident?
[/quote]
Keep trying, maybe try saving first rather than watching streaming.
The clip is being downloaded loads at the moment so it's slowing my server down a bit.
Cheers, Dave (Fast Films)
[/quote]
Keep trying, maybe try saving first rather than watching streaming.
The clip is being downloaded loads at the moment so it's slowing my server down a bit.
Cheers, Dave (Fast Films)
Edited by Fishy Dave on Monday 13th August 17:45
Saved it again and got it all now. Looks a bit different from inside the car. Spectating I was only watching Surtees at the time, saw the red car let the much-quicker 997 through, then Steve looked to follow and it looked overly ambitious. Having seen it from in his car it's obvious the red car should've let him through, especially as he had no-one around him to chase or defend from. Tough call, I've been in both positions and it's always been the other guy's fault 
I am interested to understand the race rather than trackday etiquette in this situation...if a way faster car (lapping you on lap 7 of a 64 lap race) taps you up the rear going into a corner, why wouldn't the slower car let him pass on the following straight? you can then get on with tour own race then.
Is he someone else who thinks the Marshall like you when they wave blue flags at your car?
Is he someone else who thinks the Marshall like you when they wave blue flags at your car?
Finally loooked at the video ,good steady consistent driving Steve ,you hit the apexs and braking points but as always the fun starts when the lapping begins.Possibly should have gone to the inside going down to G hIll but then you were lapping and he moved on you....into Surtess was a bit ambitious but then I realise the pressure you were under.....great foootage though.Aparently P.Cook had a prob with 3rd early on, ran many mid 49s later ...but you were on it ...
Edited by hunter 66 on Monday 13th August 22:55
clubsport said:
I am interested to understand the race rather than trackday etiquette in this situation...if a way faster car (lapping you on lap 7 of a 64 lap race) taps you up the rear going into a corner, why wouldn't the slower car let him pass on the following straight? you can then get on with tour own race then.
Is he someone else who thinks the Marshall like you when they wave blue flags at your car?
The red car was actually in his own race with the black 2.7 (they were together going into Druids) and so needed to keep his race flowing, he was a class 3 car and as such his race was with other class 3 cars. Into Graham Hill Steve was never going to go round the outside but lunged towards the offside rear 1/4, that`s where it all went wrong. Steve had to brake hard and Jim maintained momentum, got the legs on him, drove past him along the straight as Steve was waving his fist to the god of acceleration Is he someone else who thinks the Marshall like you when they wave blue flags at your car?
, cleared the 964 and carried on. The 964 will have seen the waved blue flags and probably thought it was Jim for whom they were waving, Jim had passed so he was clear to turn in for Surtees, (Surtees is a high speed corner that takes up much of a driver`s concentration so forget all this studying the rear view mirror bollox !).A better move would have been to go steady into Graham Hill allowing you to put the power on early and get alongside / past the 964 into surtees. Jim wouldn`t have been able to pass at Graham hill and if you were really nasty you could even back off a little once clear the 964 was aware of you (before turning into Surtees) thus snookering Jim behind the red, either way he would have then been the one to have to deal with the 964 at surtees and you would have probably put a car between the two of you.
The rules for overtaking are very simple, the car being overtaken stays on the racing line and drives his race, it is down to the overtaking car to find a way past. It is confusing when a driver goes off line to let you past as you haven`t got a clue where they are going. Just as fast cars can use slower cars to their advantage so too can slower cars use a faster car by gluing yourself to a faster car`s back bumper in order to pass someone in front of you at the same time as the faster car. It does rely on your being very very close to the quicker car though. In this instance there was a fair gap between Jim`s 997 and Steve`s 996. There should be no tapping of back bumpers, in a 996 that`s how radiators get broken.
On a slightly different note wasn`t that grey 996 being driven well in front towards the end of the clip, a very handsome chap by the look things
Very easy to come up with solutions from the comfort of an armchair, slightly harder to do from inside a GT3 at race pace with a few other people around you trying to do the same thing.
Henry
Edited by Henry-F on Tuesday 14th August 10:28
Easy to comment with hindsight. Steve looked to go round the outside going down Graham Hill, I think expecting the 964 to let him go. The body language of the red car seemed to indicate he was happy to do this. But he wasn't. He was driving erratically. Poor Steve had to jam on the anchors when the ditherer assumed its line, you can see Steve has to avoid the rear (semi-successfully!) in a hurry. At that point he should have dived up the inside and pushed the dickweed off for not using his mirror.
Defending position is fine, but holding up the lead cars was numpty.
Defending position is fine, but holding up the lead cars was numpty.
hunter 66 said:
Well summed up Henry and well driven on Saturday, so bottom line Steve a bit over enthusiastic?
That's the way it looked from the back of the paddock. I'm sure we've all been there, done that in the heat of the moment etc. See my report of my race, I was worried I'd passed under yellows and would be (rightly) penalised!phatgixer said:
Easy to comment with hindsight. Steve looked to go round the outside going down Graham Hill, I think expecting the 964 to let him go. The body language of the red car seemed to indicate he was happy to do this. But he wasn't. He was driving erratically. Poor Steve had to jam on the anchors when the ditherer assumed its line, you can see Steve has to avoid the rear (semi-successfully!) in a hurry. At that point he should have dived up the inside and pushed the dickweed off for not using his mirror.
Defending position is fine, but holding up the lead cars was numpty.
I strongly disagree with your comments.Defending position is fine, but holding up the lead cars was numpty.
Henry
Henry-F said:
phatgixer said:
Easy to comment with hindsight. Steve looked to go round the outside going down Graham Hill, I think expecting the 964 to let him go. The body language of the red car seemed to indicate he was happy to do this. But he wasn't. He was driving erratically. Poor Steve had to jam on the anchors when the ditherer assumed its line, you can see Steve has to avoid the rear (semi-successfully!) in a hurry. At that point he should have dived up the inside and pushed the dickweed off for not using his mirror.
Defending position is fine, but holding up the lead cars was numpty.
I strongly disagree with your comments.Defending position is fine, but holding up the lead cars was numpty.
Henry
Even Senna tripped over the occasional backmarker. When you are driving as flat out as Steve was, you get to point of rhythm that anything outside the usual will tip you into danger. If you are driving with some reserve to avoid wobblers, then you might not be on Rance's pace...
I looked at the video and spent 50 minutes of that race on the track; shame not the full hour. I think "that's racing" about sums it up. I learnt and I will move on.
More interestingly, I'm not sure about the tall bloke in the grey 996 who looked like he'd seen better days, but the guy in the black 993 looked pretty cool to me. Young, good looking...
More interestingly, I'm not sure about the tall bloke in the grey 996 who looked like he'd seen better days, but the guy in the black 993 looked pretty cool to me. Young, good looking...
phatgixer said:
Henry-F said:
phatgixer said:
Easy to comment with hindsight. Steve looked to go round the outside going down Graham Hill, I think expecting the 964 to let him go. The body language of the red car seemed to indicate he was happy to do this. But he wasn't. He was driving erratically. Poor Steve had to jam on the anchors when the ditherer assumed its line, you can see Steve has to avoid the rear (semi-successfully!) in a hurry. At that point he should have dived up the inside and pushed the dickweed off for not using his mirror.
Defending position is fine, but holding up the lead cars was numpty.
I strongly disagree with your comments.Defending position is fine, but holding up the lead cars was numpty.
Henry
Even Senna tripped over the occasional backmarker. When you are driving as flat out as Steve was, you get to point of rhythm that anything outside the usual will tip you into danger. If you are driving with some reserve to avoid wobblers, then you might not be on Rance's pace...
Edited by Pugsey on Tuesday 14th August 15:26
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