No videos from my car. Only proze to support my exploids on the famous track of Monza.
Thursday's free-practice was quite encouraging as I managed a 2:12 quite easily. I was confident that I could manage to find the time and churn out a 2:11. It looked like you needed a 2:10 or 2:09 to get pole so I guessed a 2:11 would put me right up there. Unfortunately the official times after Fridays qualifying were dissappointing. My data logger had recorded a 2:12.3 but the official time was 2:13.482. I had only myself to blame for this as I forgot to install the transponder. The car was very well behaved though and it still felt there was more in it. I had screwed up a couple of laps by braking very late for the first chicane; so late that I messed up the exit which is almost as important as the entry.
Class | 1st Qualification | 2nd Qualification | |||
1 | Matthew Dean | Reynard FF 88 | B | 2:09,778 | 2:11,698 |
2 | Hanno Hess | van Diemen RF88 | B | 2:10,762 | 2:13,601 |
3 | Chris Stones | van Diemen RF 88 | B | 2:12,148 | 2:12,979 |
4 | Rebecca Dean | Reynard FF 88 | B | 2:14,438 | 2:13,140 |
5 | Ed Waalewijn | van Diemen RF 88 | B | 2:13,482 | 2:13,813 |
6 | Bernard Baxter | Crosslé 32F | C | 2:16,314 | 2:16,824 |
7 | Paul McMorran | Crosslé 25F | C | 2:16,585 | 2:17,309 |
8 | Martin Raubach | Lotus 61 | C | 2:18,845 | 2:17,671 |
9 | Alan Crocker | Ray FF71 | C | 2:18,845 | 2:17,789 |
10 | James Hagan | Crosslé 32F | C | 2:18,629 | 2:17,874 |
11 | Alan Williamson | Reynard FF 87 | B | 2:22,169 | 2:18,144 |
12 | Michel Farizon | van Diemen RF80 | B | 2:21,417 | 2:19,079 |
13 | Peter Sikström | van Diemen RF79 | B | 2:20,293 | 2:19,431 |
14 | Povl Barfold | Titan Mk6 | C | 2:20,132 | 2:20,912 |
15 | Pierre Buret | Sparton 84 | B | 2:21,417 | 2:21,413 |
16 | Jean-Philippe Herault | van Diemen RF80 | B | 2:21,596 | 2:22,445 |
17 | Günther Böhm | Swift 88 | B | 2:25,960 | 2:23,299 |
18 | Jean Noel Bouvet | van Diemen RF87 | B | 2:25,211 | 2:23,562 |
19 | Giovanni Romagnoli | Nomad 78 | C | 2:26,191 | 2:28,671 |
20 | Paul Vezin | Sparton 84 | B | 2:36,283 | 2:35,159 |
The race started reasonable but I got a little bit blocked in the first chicane. Paul McMorran who made an excellent start (see video) pipped past as I lost momentum. Luckily I could pass him again before the second chicane. Here it pays to have an aerodynamic car. I almost got past Rebecca under braking but I just couldn't make it stick. But still I was fifth at the same place I started. At the start we passed the 2-liters of Frank Ludwig and Peter Richards. Frank was hot on my heels but he didn't have enough straight-line speed. It was however costing me time as every turn I had to check whether I was far enough to make sure it was my corner. After two laps he finally got past me and then there was Peter Richards to contest with. He had more speed so I could use him as a tow. Then he overcooked it in the first chicane and I had to take evasive action. Still I had a view on Rebecca and Chris Stones ahead.
I finally got on Rebecca's tail and passed her on the straight to the first chicane. I got a bit of a gap as we passed some backmarkers. I made a mess of the first chicane going through the gravel there. As I lost momentum Rebecca passed me again. Again I passed her at the straight before the 1st chicane. The next lap she blew past me at the straight, but I could get in her tow and outbrake her on the inside. This happened again in the penultimate lap. I knew I needed a little gap but I couldn't get it. On the way to the Parabolica she got in my slip stream and she passed me. In the Parabolica there was a yellow flag, so I tried to get as clean an exit to the finish. There was not enough track to pass her. So she got me the same as I got her two years ago. So I finished fifth.
Class | Laps | Time | Fastest lap | Difference | |||
1 | Matthew Dean | Reynard FF 88 | B | 13 | 28:42,928 | 2:10,369 | |
2 | Hanno Hess | van Diemen RF88 | B | 13 | 28:43,111 | 2:10,700 | 0,183 |
3 | Chris Stones | van Diemen RF 88 | B | 13 | 28:57,935 | 2:11,742 | 15,007 |
4 | Rebecca Dean | Reynard FF 88 | B | 13 | 29:06,122 | 2:12,409 | 23,194 |
5 | Ed Waalewijn | van Diemen RF 88 | B | 13 | 29:06,244 | 2:11,520 | 23,316 |
6 | Alan Williamson | Reynard FF 87 | B | 12 | 27:32,307 | 2:15,702 | 1L |
7 | Paul McMorran | Crosslé 25F | C | 12 | 27:36,147 | 2:16,132 | 1L |
8 | James Hagan | Crosslé 32F | C | 12 | 27:51,600 | 2:15,835 | 1L |
9 | Peter Sikström | van Diemen RF79 | B | 12 | 28:02,218 | 2:17,843 | 1L |
10 | Martin Raubach | Lotus 61 | C | 12 | 28:02,606 | 2:17,160 | 1L |
11 | Michel Farizon | van Diemen RF80 | B | 12 | 28:12,763 | 2:18,323 | 1L |
12 | Pierre Buret | Sparton 84 | B | 12 | 28:16,891 | 2:17,733 | 1L |
13 | Jean-Philippe Herault | van Diemen RF80 | B | 12 | 28:17,244 | 2:18,307 | 1L |
14 | Povl Barfold | Titan Mk6 | C | 12 | 28:30,695 | 2:19,461 | 1L |
15 | Günther Böhm | Swift 88 | B | 12 | 28:32,328 | 2:18,963 | 1L |
16 | Jean Noel Bouvet | van Diemen RF87 | B | 12 | 28:55,256 | 2:21,034 | 1L |
17 | Giovanni Romagnoli | Nomad 78 | C | 12 | 28:57,024 | 2:21,548 | 1L |
18 | Alan Crocker | Ray FF71 | C | 11 | 25:30,628 | 2:16,269 | 2L |
19 | Bernard Baxter | Crosslé 32F | C | 11 | 25:31,626 | 2:15,846 | 2L |
20 | Paul Vezin | Sparton 84 | B | 11 | 29:09,382 | 2:34,942 | 2L |
Winner FF2000 | |||||||
Toni Krumbach | Reynard SF87 | A | 13 | 27:15,315 | 2:03,431 |
On the up side I was third fastest on the track. The sector times I learned that I wasn't that far off from Hanno and Matthew. I even found that I had done the quickest 1600 time in the first sector. All my efforts to get the first corner right were not in vain. Interesting data from my data logger was the maximum speed of 219.6 kph just before the first chicane.
Driver | sector 1 | sector 2 | sector 3 | ideal lap |
Matthew | 42,649 | 43,591 | 43,893 | 2:10,133 |
Hanno | 42,847 | 43,549 | 43,978 | 2:10,374 |
Ed | 42,603 | 43,768 | 44,310 | 2:10,681 |
No videos of my race as I loaded my camera with a full SD card. At the start it wouldn't start obviously. However I had the luck to get hold of some footage of Paul McMorran where my start can be seen. Most of the video is excellent footage from Alan Crocker's race with Bernard Baxter and James Hagan in their Crossle's. Enjoy!