With a new season, comes the return of our lauded news reports from your favorite PITS journo. This past week it was a head-2-head battle between the Ford Focus RS and Mitsubishi EVO VI TME at Big Willow. In terms of pace both cars seem to pair very well, however, they put the power down very differently from each other. Going to Big Willow the primary concern is always tire wear, and wear they did. Big Willow eats tires like cookie monster used to pound cookies before network TV put him on a diet. Thus, the keys to victory lane was a good pit strategy, Midas's touch to protect the tires, and solid overall race pace.
There was one driver in Round 1 that stood above all others when it came to the previously stated keys to the race. Both race 1 and 2 were swept by
@Harley Owen. He put on a fantastic drive utilizing a solid setup, proper tire choice, good pit strategy, and blazing fast pace to take home the checkered. It will be interesting to see if he can repeat that performance going to Round 2 at Nurburgring Sprint Short. Round 2, if anything, maybe more challenging with how the weather is shaping up. Looks like they are calling for Thunderstorms for a majority of the race. Maybe we will be lucky and see someone pull a Max Verstappen this week passing on the outside from last to podium.
Post Round 1 there has been some discussion regarding tire wear between the two cars. It is in my typical fashion to provide an opinion on such matters. The tire wear between the two cars is going to be different no matter what the league does. The only way around this is to always run the same car, which I am not a proponent for. These cars put the power down very differently, the enter and exit corners differently, and they require a different style of driving. These cars demand more finesse from the driver to protect the tires than proper GT4 or GT3 cars. As far as turning tire wear completely off, that is just absurd. We are all better than that, and I shouldn't have to spell out why that is not in PITS best interest. Plus drivers need to remember what I spelled out in the opening sentences of this article, Big Willow DESTROYS tires. Its what the place does. So before jumping to any changes lets drive a couple of more tracks, and acclimate to how each car handles.
This week our special guest is
@aerolite. We were able to catch up with him regarding his race at Big Willow. He had some interesting comments to make regarding Round 1.
Driver Spotlight: @aerolite
1. This is the start of an entirely new season, and with that comes the choice between two very different cars. What car did you decide to race for the new season? Did you perform any testing between the two options? Were there any advantages or disadvantages that stuck out for you?
I chose the Lancer. Yes, I did a few hours of testing at all the tracks, it was a hard choice but the Lancer won me over at the end. It just suits me better and I liked it’s handling over the Focus. I found I was able to get the Lancer under control quicker and easier, and was able to get a better drive out of the corners. You can definitely throw the Focus around, but I also lost control a lot more in it, and as consistency is a big part of what I try to achieve, then the Lancer was for me.
2. The first race of the season took place at Willow Springs. Setting up the car correctly is key there for good pace, and prolonging the life of the tires. What were some key areas of your setup you focused on when preparing for the race?
Well I have to admit up front that I’m still not that great at this tuning thing yet. Coming from years of racing two wheels in quite a few disciplines, my background is mainly suspension and engine tuning on the bikes so it is quite different from cars. I usually start with a base tune from someone else and then start playing around to see what suits me and the car. For Willow, I spent more time on spring rates, starting mid setting and going stiffer until the car and tire wear were the best I could get them. Stiffness around Willow seemed to be the key for me, and tire wear worked out to be quite good.
3. Tire life seemed to be the big issue of the race at Willow. What was your tire strategy going into the race? Did you run on soft compounds, or one of the two harder compounds? What was the reasoning behind your tire choice?
I did most of my tuning on mediums. I did some similar runs on the soft's but I found I liked the handling better on the mediums. Tire wear was only slightly better with the mediums so feel and lap times were the deciding factor for me. I had no problems running 25 minutes on a set of tires so a one stop strategy was my plan from the start.
4. Willow springs on the surface doesn't come off as a technical or tricky track. However, anyone who has raced there will tell you otherwise. What were some tricky / problematic areas of the course for you? Any areas that you really enjoyed nailing?
I do like Willow, like you mentioned, it is a harder track to get right than first appears. It’s also a track that no two cars feel the same on, unlike some other tracks where you can just hop on and feel comfortable in no time. The hardest part of the track for me has always been turn 4 (Budweiser’s Balcony) and 5. It’s mostly getting the entry and exit right at turn five so you can get a good fast line up the hill to Monroe Ridge. But to get the right entry and speed into five means coming out of four correctly. I love nailing turn one, it feels great when you get it just right and can carry good speed to turn 2.
5. Please provide a summary of how your drive went in Race 1?
Well qualy didn’t go so well, I started 13th but figured if the start went OK and I just kept to my strategy then things might go well. It was so great to have a full grid. As most here know, Lobban and I are long time friends, and really my only goal is to beat him, and then if I finish well, then that’s a bonus. He seems to be a bit better in these types of cars so I knew my work was cut out for me. Plus he would be out for retribution as I stomped him so badly in the Lotus last month, lol. As the leaders were heading off into the distance, I saw that others were having tire issues and either going off or having to make multiple pit stops. I kept to my consistent pace, tried not to push it too hard when battling with others, and found myself in the top five. As per usual, I found myself battling once again with Alex, we always seem to end up together towards the latter part of the races and this time was no different with me, him and Mike having a good race. Mike was too hard on his tires and fell back, and Alex finally got by me and kept it on track to finish that way. I think I got a fifth. But I beat Mike!
6. Please provide a summary of how your drive went in Race 2?
Starting near the back turned out well as there was a number of drivers who had troubles in front of me and by lap three I was in fifth behind my teammate. I kept pretty much to the same strategy as race 1 but pushed a bit harder as I knew my tires would hold up again for a one stopper. I had a few good battles going in the race but got spread out after pit stops. Then with about 15 min’s left I ended up having @USERID_77a23, (great to see him on track with us btw), chase me for the rest of the race. I knew that if I made any mistake I would lose my second place, so the pressure was on. I was able to stay ahead and finish second, which felt like a win as that new alien guy was just gone! But the most important thing here was, can you guess……..lol.
7. Going into this new season there has been some discussion on how comparable these two cars actually are, and the difference in tire wear. Do you have any personal thoughts or input on this issue?
I think some tracks will favor one or the other a bit more and it will all turn out equal in the end. I think the tire wear comes down to your driving style and how hard you tend to push the car.
8. Race two is shaping up to be very wet. Are you looking forward to driving in the rain?
I am. I like that we get to race in adverse conditions, and the thunderstorm just adds to that even more. Makes for a good challenge. We have run some practice sessions already and the races should be very interesting! The cars are very equal here and tire wear should not make a difference between the two. Just ask Lobban, he wasn’t even whining last night, lol.
9. Any comments you would like to add?
For sure, just a big thanks to all in this series. We have a great bunch of guys who love to race hard, but fair, and are willing to help each other out. It’s good to see newcomers to the series and it’s looking like that is going to continue. And thanks @HazardLvL4 , for putting this driver profile series together, it is fun and just adds another unique dimension to our league.
Cheers to all, and to keeping Lobban in my rear-view!
I would have provided a points update, however, race control had not released the official standings as of the time this article was published. Round 2 is going to be very interesting, more about who can drive in the wet over who is the fastest. It is about the driver who can conquer the mental and physical obstacles that rain presents. It is about the driver who is willing to step off the traditional racing line to find where the grip is hiding. A few things to remember brake early, be conscious of rubber on the track, short shift, and observe other drivers lines to see what is working for them. Until next time, PITS Reporting will be watching you, from the racing line.
