Re: 2012 Britcar 24h at Silverstone (21-23 September)

by theboomeranga Mon 24 Sep 2012 - 21:58

I know your joking Dan, that's why I said it, you'd know if I was serious in my comment, trust me, but I guess your grey hair is a sign, you getting to old n too slow Wink

well except on the track

by **ATR DAN** Mon 24 Sep 2012 - 21:59

Now you know how I felt Richy when you guys used to hijack my threads back in the day! lol!

Seriously, I'm really looking forward to watching your review video from Silverstone, if the preview is anything to go by.

by **ATR DAN** Mon 24 Sep 2012 - 22:03

GRT 458Italia wrote:I know your joking Dan, that's why I said it, you'd know if I was serious in my comment, trust me, but I guess your grey hair is a sign, you getting to old n too slow well except on the track

2012 Britcar 24h at Silverstone (21-23 September) - Page 8 Tooned10

by **CQR Rogue** Mon 24 Sep 2012 - 22:10

by AMR of the Apex Mon 24 Sep 2012 - 22:20

Stint Recall:

Simon Reluctant to start race because he wants to see the start, "I'll do it" was the first three words out of my mouth.

Start of the warm up lap, I restart the hot lap session we were on for practice so that we can start when the rest of the field starts out on track. Takes a while because the lap is shorter, with guidance from Carl Microsoft, we take the start, however I slide into Maggotts-Becketts on the first lap.

Got down to a 2.20 before the Real MR2 came in, the idea being when they stopped we'd stop in the pits at the end of the lap we were doing, and stay there until the rogue team left, I finish stint one and then Simon Takes over...

...I believe Simon was only on for a short while, and with nobody else around at the time, I jumped back on for a second stint, 2.20s again and a total of 2 and a half hours, before Matt took over when the Rogue Car came in again...

...I believe Shrinking Steven took the next couple of stints, followed by F4H Carrera, by this time Carl Microsoft has already fashioned a pitstop lollipop, this means it is easier to communicate the message to a concentrating sim racing driver with headphones on both ears, I run back to the tent to get some sleeping bags in the attempt to do an all-nighter, when I return we await the visit of Jake Yorath to the pits whilst on RadioLeMans duty, he talks to Richy, the lollipop gets mentioned as does Jake's interest in our attempt, I believe John echoes his sentiments...

...at some point during the late shift, some nutcase in an old man mask is advising how F4H Carrera should be racing while under the safety car, we assume he's drunk, and still have no idea who the hell he actually was...

It was also around this time that we had switched off the public rigs and horizon pods, simon was supposed to be doing his second stint, however the Rogue car has been in on a number of occasions and for quite some time too, by the 12th hour we decide to ditch the synchronisation of pitstops as we are in the same position in the field as the actual mr2, and attempt to beat the class leader, Simon decided to focus on the class lap times on live timing and give me the oppertunity to stay awake behind the virtual wheel, it doesnt really work...

...by 6am we're both falling to pieces with nobody around to cover, one panic text to shane and then richy, shane responds immediately, and is in the pits just before I decide to leave the pitlane and back to the tent, as I leave Carl Microsoft returns, perfect timing...

...I wake Richy up as I get back to the tent and fall into a slow punctured matress, I wake up at godknows when on a sunday afternoon, the first thing that makes me twang out of bed is a text I cannot read, however one word is visible...

RAIN

...Immediately dressed, not for the occasion, and starting to clear my percentage of tora towers, simon is already dismantling his tent, richy returns and we throw everything in the back of his clio and return to the pits.

By this time Shrinking Steven has completed his 7th total hour of stint duty, a feat which should undisputedly go down in the TORA Hall of Fame, we're up in the top ten, and by now with the only upper hand of all the cars lapping silverstone physically or virtually...

Duncan is now driving the car, Rogue have been keeping their car going through the power of faith, there was one point earlier in the night where I saw Patrick in a long hug with his wife, I assumed it was all over for the car, not so, it was still doing laps...

I believe I end up back in the car, halfway through my stint I notice some white overalls in my peripheral vision, and am doing my best not to show off...

...Down hangar straight I attempt to drink from a coke bottle, which nearly goes tits up, however a mere drip of cola is on my TORA shirt, and the bottle remains in tact clear of anything elecrtic :-S...

...I am then informed by Matt that Simon Aris (one of the Rogue drivers) wanted to do a stint, I pit as soon as possible to jump at this great oppertunity, Mr Aris had been spotted on the public rigs on a few occasions.

He isn't quick , which doesnt matter , Time for Mr Biggs to finally get some substancial time in the rig, and he makes the most of it, F4H Carrera had already got the laptime down to an unreachable level for me, however simon scrapes a few tenths off the record, he is more than chuffed about it.

Another piece of crossover work then from Alrich Kitson, the second of the Rogue drivers, gets in the rig, and Lee McKee watches on, I ask him if he wants a go, forgetting that there are only 3 rogue drivers this year, and Lee was supposed to be finishing the race :-S, big fail on my part.

Alrich gets a lap of 2.22 , which was my pace, and If he wasnt racing the MR2 for real I think he could have got down to the 16s given the time.

Now for Chris Aero to finish the car, as we dismantled the public section of the TORA funhouse...

by theboomeranga Mon 24 Sep 2012 - 22:32

ATR DAN wrote:
GRT 458Italia wrote:I know your joking Dan, that's why I said it, you'd know if I was serious in my comment, trust me, but I guess your grey hair is a sign, you getting to old n too slow well except on the track

haha, nice man

by Beanz Mon 24 Sep 2012 - 22:35

Richy59 wrote:My fault.

That's brilliant!

by **Biggsy tv** Mon 24 Sep 2012 - 22:47

I enjoyed Adrians write up, and completely forgot about that nutcase who was basically is Ashs (F4H Carreras) face with that weirdo mask during a safety car. Telling him left, right and "what are you doing" I attempted to get rid of him as I could clearly see that Ash didn't really want him there, so I explained that there was a safety car, and everytime he spoke to Ash, I responded, everytime he opened his mouth, I opened mine, until he stood up, got fed up and left. Quite a funny moment looking back at it Razz

by **JAMIE ANDERS0N** Mon 24 Sep 2012 - 23:02

just watch the grid walk, like how you got an interview without trying Simon, and the zoom the Duncan's face lol

by theboomeranga Mon 24 Sep 2012 - 23:13

are all the videos up?

by **CQR Aero** Tue 25 Sep 2012 - 0:33

AMR Garage wrote:...Now for Chris Aero to finish the car, as we dismantled the public section of the TORA funhouse...

...not a cunning plan to get out of helping - honest!!! (I also did an hour at 10am).

2012 Britcar 24h at Silverstone (21-23 September) - Page 8 Plan

by **culchi** Tue 25 Sep 2012 - 9:13

You forgot to mention your being told off for running a car of the real track Adrian

by **Matt** Tue 25 Sep 2012 - 10:04

Seeing as AMR has put his thoughts down here's mine;

Arrived at the circuit late on Thursday night and put the tent up with Steph who promptly went to bed while I headed over to the paddock to get my first glimpse of the garages.
Utterly amazed at how big the space actually was. Only the RPN guys were in the garage, adding vinyls to the BMW sister car to Rogue's MR2.
Chatted with Simon, Richy and AMR about the space and how good it was all looking. Ended the night with the RPN guys doing laps and dressing themselves in tyres... go figure.

Friday and I was marshalling from Vale. Weather seemed better tha at the top of the circuit where Steph was reporting the occasional rain. Nothing really happened apart from the occasional spinner early on. We had a Formula 3 carpark later in the day when three cars broke down.
Night qualifying saw the first if the persistent drizzle but Chris, our flaggie and Patrick, my co-marshal had loads of fun and were kept awake by the RLM commentary and Race Control updates from elsewhere on the circuit.

Saturday, and the first proper day with the TORA lads. The full enormity of what we were doing started to hit home.
Quick chats with Lee, Alric and Simon (the Rogue drivers) to get an idea of the mindset for the race.
We head down to MacG Racing and introduce ourselves to Mandee who does the social media for them. Great chat.
Gridwalk, Simon on cam, AMR and Duncan looking for people to interview. We get doorstepped by one of the Neil Garner Porsche drivers who give a great interview.
Plenty of shots of my back.
Close up of Duncan and I realise that I know very little about the drivers in the race other than 'ours' and a couple of others.
Realise I'm sounding like a car salesman, probably saying 'really nice car' a little too much.
Head back to the garage for the start and have some lunch followed by preparing the emergency biscuit collection.
Do first stint in the virtual MR2.
Walk the paddock again and catch up with a few teams and have a very brief chat with Ian Cook from Pop Bang Colour. Meant to head back with Media Guide... forgot.
Darkness falls and it's starting to get really cold. Have a great chat with the Ma3da boys who return later in full race kit and have a race on the public rigs. MANY people watching that.
Jake Yorath interviews Richy for RLM. Plenty of retweets and mentions from Hindy as the virtual car takes up the baton for Rogue and pushes up through the real field.
AMR back in the car and we've got our very own marshals!
Eyes failing so went for sleep with alarm set for one hours time.... 3 hours later and we're awake! Rush back to garage to find Shane on the virtual car. I take over for an hour.
Notice the real car being wheeled back in with the back end heavily charred. Also note the BMW in the garage with little activity around it. Suspect the worst.
Carl Microsoft offers to do a stint so I hand over and pick Steph up from her post for breakfast. Dismantle the tent and pack the car.... before the rain.
Return to the garage and monitor the work on the real MR2 as it undergoes a full engine change. Notice that none of the team is looking downbeat or disheartened. Patrick still heavily involved in the process and moving between the engineers and his guests. Trying to work out of he has even been to sleep. If he had, I'd not seen him leave.
MR2 engine replace but LED light not working. More time in garage as Patrick and engineers rewire the light before sending the car out. Think it's been in around three hours or more.
Simon and Alric take stints in our virtual car. Great to see, and it gives our guys a rest!
TORA race rigs all still very busy and loads of interest in our car (or are people just keeping dry?)
By 3pm, starting to get tired once more, the rain is really heavy and race boots were not the best things to be wearing!
Race finishes with Lee bringing the real car home. Much relief in the garage and we all feel the sense of achievement as the virtual car also completes the 24hrs in the hands of Chris, finishing in 8th position (pretty possible for the real car had no problems occurred)

Real MR2 rolled back into the garage and the clean up op begins. Still raining.
Tired...... oh so tired!

by **Richy59** Tue 25 Sep 2012 - 10:26

Where's AMR's writup?

by **CQR Rogue** Tue 25 Sep 2012 - 11:42

AMR Garage wrote:Stint Recall:

Simon Reluctant to start race because he wants to see the start, "I'll do it" was the first three words out of my mouth.

Start of the warm up lap, I restart the hot lap session we were on for practice so that we can start when the rest of the field starts out on track. Takes a while because the lap is shorter, with guidance from Carl Microsoft, we take the start, however I slide into Maggotts-Becketts on the first lap.

Got down to a 2.20 before the Real MR2 came in, the idea being when they stopped we'd stop in the pits at the end of the lap we were doing, and stay there until the rogue team left, I finish stint one and then Simon Takes over...

...I believe Simon was only on for a short while, and with nobody else around at the time, I jumped back on for a second stint, 2.20s again and a total of 2 and a half hours, before Matt took over when the Rogue Car came in again...

...I believe Shrinking Steven took the next couple of stints, followed by F4H Carrera, by this time Carl Microsoft has already fashioned a pitstop lollipop, this means it is easier to communicate the message to a concentrating sim racing driver with headphones on both ears, I run back to the tent to get some sleeping bags in the attempt to do an all-nighter, when I return we await the visit of Jake Yorath to the pits whilst on RadioLeMans duty, he talks to Richy, the lollipop gets mentioned as does Jake's interest in our attempt, I believe John echoes his sentiments...

...at some point during the late shift, some nutcase in an old man mask is advising how F4H Carrera should be racing while under the safety car, we assume he's drunk, and still have no idea who the hell he actually was...

It was also around this time that we had switched off the public rigs and horizon pods, simon was supposed to be doing his second stint, however the Rogue car has been in on a number of occasions and for quite some time too, by the 12th hour we decide to ditch the synchronisation of pitstops as we are in the same position in the field as the actual mr2, and attempt to beat the class leader, Simon decided to focus on the class lap times on live timing and give me the oppertunity to stay awake behind the virtual wheel, it doesnt really work...

...by 6am we're both falling to pieces with nobody around to cover, one panic text to shane and then richy, shane responds immediately, and is in the pits just before I decide to leave the pitlane and back to the tent, as I leave Carl Microsoft returns, perfect timing...

...I wake Richy up as I get back to the tent and fall into a slow punctured matress, I wake up at godknows when on a sunday afternoon, the first thing that makes me twang out of bed is a text I cannot read, however one word is visible...

RAIN

...Immediately dressed, not for the occasion, and starting to clear my percentage of tora towers, simon is already dismantling his tent, richy returns and we throw everything in the back of his clio and return to the pits.

By this time Shrinking Steven has completed his 7th total hour of stint duty, a feat which should undisputedly go down in the TORA Hall of Fame, we're up in the top ten, and by now with the only upper hand of all the cars lapping silverstone physically or virtually...

Duncan is now driving the car, Rogue have been keeping their car going through the power of faith, there was one point earlier in the night where I saw Patrick in a long hug with his wife, I assumed it was all over for the car, not so, it was still doing laps...

I believe I end up back in the car, halfway through my stint I notice some white overalls in my peripheral vision, and am doing my best not to show off...

...Down hangar straight I attempt to drink from a coke bottle, which nearly goes tits up, however a mere drip of cola is on my TORA shirt, and the bottle remains in tact clear of anything elecrtic :-S...

...I am then informed by Matt that Simon Aris (one of the Rogue drivers) wanted to do a stint, I pit as soon as possible to jump at this great oppertunity, Mr Aris had been spotted on the public rigs on a few occasions.

He isn't quick , which doesnt matter , Time for Mr Biggs to finally get some substancial time in the rig, and he makes the most of it, F4H Carrera had already got the laptime down to an unreachable level for me, however simon scrapes a few tenths off the record, he is more than chuffed about it.

Another piece of crossover work then from Alrich Kitson, the second of the Rogue drivers, gets in the rig, and Lee McKee watches on, I ask him if he wants a go, forgetting that there are only 3 rogue drivers this year, and Lee was supposed to be finishing the race :-S, big fail on my part.

Alrich gets a lap of 2.22 , which was my pace, and If he wasnt racing the MR2 for real I think he could have got down to the 16s given the time.

Now for Chris Aero to finish the car, as we dismantled the public section of the TORA funhouse...

by **Richy59** Tue 25 Sep 2012 - 16:14

by **Biggsy tv** Tue 25 Sep 2012 - 17:06

I thought more...

by F4H Carrera Tue 25 Sep 2012 - 18:11

CMGraphix wrote:I enjoyed Adrians write up, and completely forgot about that nutcase who was basically is Ashs (F4H Carreras) face with that weirdo mask during a safety car. Telling him left, right and "what are you doing" I attempted to get rid of him as I could clearly see that Ash didn't really want him there, so I explained that there was a safety car, and everytime he spoke to Ash, I responded, everytime he opened his mouth, I opened mine, until he stood up, got fed up and left. Quite a funny moment looking back at it

I don't think he is my face Wink

He was quite amusing though....

by AMR of the Apex Tue 25 Sep 2012 - 19:10

Me, Richy and Simon upon re-entering the Silverstone complex without passes on thursday night.

2012 Britcar 24h at Silverstone (21-23 September) - Page 8 1279052383758

2012 Britcar 24h at Silverstone (21-23 September) - Page 8 1279052383758

by **Biggsy tv** Tue 25 Sep 2012 - 19:16

F4H Carrera wrote:
CMGraphix wrote:I enjoyed Adrians write up, and completely forgot about that nutcase who was basically is Ashs (F4H Carreras) face with that weirdo mask during a safety car. Telling him left, right and "what are you doing" I attempted to get rid of him as I could clearly see that Ash didn't really want him there, so I explained that there was a safety car, and everytime he spoke to Ash, I responded, everytime he opened his mouth, I opened mine, until he stood up, got fed up and left. Quite a funny moment looking back at it

I don't think he is my face
He was quite amusing though....

D'oh!!
In, I meant IN! Sad

by **Biggsy tv** Tue 25 Sep 2012 - 19:30

F4H Carrera wrote:
CMGraphix wrote:
Great shots Ash as per usual. I'll probably be pinching a few for wallpapers etc, and no worries about getting you up close during the pitstop, well worth it with the pictures you got. I can still here your camera noise in my head you took so many! Things in that pitlane got pretty frantic at times to say the least!

Thanks! Pinch as many as you'd like!
Well it's not often I get to get that close to the pits so wasn't quite sure what to do with the shutter speed, so I started of at 1/50th and got down to 1/13th to get a bit of motion, hence the amount of photos Probably could have gone a bit slower but oh well, next time maybe?

Think I still got a fair few laps in around the saftey car periods! Out of interest is the build for the car on someones storefront or something, would be interested to see the differential between the controller and the time I had with the wheel!

Aah, poop. Embed and saving disabled Sad

Can you PM me the embed code and I'll stick them onto the website if thats cool with you?

by F4H Carrera Tue 25 Sep 2012 - 20:16

hmm, you should be able to save and embed them. Try again now, just changed something

by **ATR DAN** Fri 28 Sep 2012 - 14:28

@F4H Carrera:

Can I have your permission to use your Britcar photo's please? I might have an idea in mind but I didn't want to use them without your say.

by F4H Carrera Fri 28 Sep 2012 - 17:23

go for it dude.

by **ATR DAN** Fri 28 Sep 2012 - 21:46

Thank you Ash! Grately appreciated.
If all goes to plan, what I've got in mind should be epic! Smile

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