Six locals showed up to GT1 and Can-Am at STR on 1/11/16. Unfortunately, Jack was unable to make it due a case of the crud. Racing was close but I must say that results were not stellar. Both races, but especially GT1 were punctuated by wrecks, self-inflicted and otherwise, controller problems and a few very protracted track calls to examine and fix problems. Through it all, James managed to come out on top in both contests.
Highlights
- In GT1, the top four finishers were bunched up all within a half lap of each other. James Jaguar XJR8LM finished first with 86.6 laps edging out Bobs black and yellow Enzo by a few feet for the win. Richs Jaguar XJ220 was third only a few feet behind Bob. Rons silver Enzo was fourth a couple of sections behind Rich.
- In Can-Am the race was between Bobs Lotus and James McLaren. Both cars broke the magic five second barrier and both finished on the same lap only a few feet apart. In the end, James came out on top. Richs Lotus was a distant third.
GT1
No driver could have been happy with their performance in GT1. The race was punctuated by several wrecks and riders. Objectively, this less than stellar performance is exemplified by the very low consistency scores which settled in the 80s and low 90s. Even so, racing was very competitive. James Jaguar was the only ride to break the five second barrier turning a 4.985. Bob was not far behind turning a 5.007 second fast lap.
Rich had completed his rotation prior to the final heat and had finished with 86.5 laps. Entering the final heat, James and Bob were sitting at 64 laps while I believe Ron had completed 63 laps. It would take very good lap count to overtake Rich. The heat was hard fought. Both Bob and James had an off that I thought would put them out of contention. Ron was really running a good heat staying out of trouble and turning consistent laps. When the checkered flag dropped it was James, Bob, Rich and Ron for first through fourth respectively. The top three finishers were only a few feet apart.
Details of the finishing order and images of the grid are shown below.
Can-Am
James and Bob dominated the Can-Am race. Both cars were able to break the magic five second barrier (James 4.948 a personal best, Bob 4.989). The rest of the pack was relegated to racing for the bottom step of the podium. In the end, James McLaren finished first with 89.4 laps only a few feet in front of Bob black Lotus. Rich ran a poor race with many offs and even a launch in the bank that resulted in a long track call. The car suffered from a slightly bent guide flag that impacted handling throughout the subsequent heat. The problem was discovered and fixed but it was far too late. Rich finished a distant third.
Two unusual rides battled it out for fourth place. Ron decided to run his beautiful resin Daytona Prototype and Nick ran his Ferrari 512. Both cars were disadvantaged in terms of CG and track versus the typical Can-Am ride but they sure do look great. In the end, both cars finished with the same lap and section count. Nick prevailed by a few feet edging out Ron for fourth.
Details of the finishing order and images of the grid are shown below.