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Message: [QUOTE="sota59, post: 13438847, member: 297951"] [ATTACH type="full"]1062517[/ATTACH] [SIZE=7][B]Second half starts![/B][/SIZE] [B][SIZE=5][/SIZE][/B] First half of the season was interesting, some great racing, some very surprising results, some drama... and all 3 championships still look tight. But now is time when some drivers can pull away from others with big result, or some need to get big points to keep up. This weekend we race in Interlagos, races always been quite interesting, and we should not expect anything less this time. Very popular circuit between drivers. [B][SIZE=5]Gr2[/SIZE][/B] [U]Honda[/U] faced must win race in Red Bull Ring, and finally took their first win of the season. No surprise to anyone, it was returning [U]Nils[/U] who took pole and win in his first race of the season:[I] ''The first few laps I had a lot of pressure from the cars behind, especially from Tom. I received a brilliant strategy from my Honda teammate, which really helped me. I had not too many close calls, only a few close situations when lapping cars - In the end I just tried to be patient because there was no need to go for any gap there is with 8sec advantage over 2nd place''.[/I] His teammate [U]sota59[/U] had less simple race, qualified 4th but made his way to 3rd for few laps, before being overtaken and dropping back to 4th just before pitstops. He ultimately came home 3rd, just behind 2nd place: [I]''Bit disapointed to just miss out on 2nd place, but i was probly lucky to even be fighting for such position looking back''.[/I] To stay in fight for titles, both drivers need to keep podiums coming, sota59 needs to win: [I]''Interlagos been pretty good for me always, but field is always tight here, i dont seem to have ultimate pace this weekend. Podium seems out of reach, let see''.[/I] Nils has now ballast for his win, but not more than others around him. Back to back wins might be hard, but atleast podium should be there, even though he does not sound so optimistic: [I]''I think it'll be a difficult race for me because of the ballast I earned from the last round. I don't know where my pace is compared to the others so all I hope is not to be last''.[/I] [U]Lexus[/U] is having its best season ever, and another 2nd place in Red Bull Ring increased their championship lead. It was subtite driver [U]NWR_Hatton93[/U] that could benefit from having no ballast, he dropped positions start of the race for couple mistakes, but made his way to 3rd and then 2nd after last stop. His teammate [U]NWR_Bottlejob[/U] that is doing full season, struggled with ballast and only finished 6th. He is still 2nd in championship, but needs to get results in. His ballast is non-issue this weekend, and Lexus always been fast here: [I]''I think it'll be interesting to say the least. With everyone bar Tom on the same 5% ballast I think we'll be seeing a repeat of Round 1 however with Tom on the lighter ballast, I think I'll be looking to fight for the bottom step of the podium. It's fair to say I'm not a fan of Interlagos but that won't stop me from trying to get as many points as I can''.[/I] [U]NWR_Spookyluki[/U] returns after 2 races off, his previous race he won, and he needs to keep podiums coming to fight for title. GT-MES last raced here in Season 12, and NWR_Spookyluki took unlikely win in Gr2, so expectations are high: [I]''Hoping I can carry a bit of my previous seasons success into this round, going to be a tough battle as almost everyone is equal on ballast. Always enjoyed Interlagos, and after a win on +7 ballast before, hopefully I can do something similar this season''.[/I] If Lexus wants to stay top of the standings, results need to keep coming in every weekend. [U] Nissan[/U] missed podium first time this weekend, [U]TSR_Tomsoft[/U] was running high as 2nd, but faded out in final stint to 4th place. [U]TSR_JoeToGuy[/U] was 5th again this season Red Bull Ring, first time he misses podium. We now have to see if he can be on podium all other races, like last season. He is still championship leader, and this is most equal ballast has been since Round 1, so he is looking for big result to extend his lead:[I] ''Now that ballast is more even, I think I should be back on the podium this week. Hoping to get the win, as I haven't won at Interlagos in any series in forever''.[/I] His teammate TSR_Tomsoft has pair of 3rd places this season, but is 4th in standings, in need of big result. He has slightly less ballast than others, so pressure is on: '[I]'Hopes are higher than last week to be fair, quali pace looks very good, just seems to be a dreadful track for the tyres. After 4 rounds I can say that the difference from Gr3 to Gr2 is definitely noticeable and it shows how experienced and good the other drivers are. I'm hoping for at least a podium and a win would be the dream''.[/I] [SIZE=5][B]Gr3[/B][/SIZE] [U]Jaguar[/U] and [U]TSR_Swablu[/U] were favorites in Gr3 start of the season, but finally TSR_Swablu got his first win, Jaguar its first win. He took pole in Red Bull Ring, and this time lead from start to finish, keeping it calm and not pushing too much to avoid mistakes:[I] ''For the most part the race went as expected, qualifying on pole with such a close grid definately played a big part in me being able to create a gap from the rest of the field in the opening laps. From about lap 6 i started to find a good rythm that carried over after the round of pitstops. Im also pleasantly surprised with how long my supersofts lasted compared to some others during my 2nd stint, which allowed me to cruise home to the victory on a set of mediums. Congrats the all the podium finishers and thank you to the gt mes admins for hosting another great round of racing''.[/I] His new teammate [U]Houdini Myers[/U] had some rust, finishing 8th place after not driving for while. But now with some ballast help, and experience, he has some high hopes for Interlagos, hoping for podium, just needs to get it all right. TSR_Swablu is now in title hunt, so he is looking for another podium:[I] ''Once again ive had limited practice due to exams all week but hopefully if i can get the car dialled in tonight there might be a chance to get on the podium''.[/I] [U]Toyota[/U] had another great race, as [U]GTO250GTO[/U] took second place. He had good qualifying, but technical issues sent him back of the grid. Good pace, solid overtakes and great tactic got him fast back to second place, his second in a row: [I]''I could not quite get a lap together in quali, but in the end that did not matter. 2nd was probably the best I could have done anyway. Maybe I could have put a little pressure on Swablu with the right strategy, but I guess he had enough pace. So actually it was really nice I was able to get through almost the whole field and do it clean''.[/I] Championship leader [U]de-luck4[/U] had hard race with ballast, could manage 5th place after clean performance, and stays in the points lead. His ballast is not going to get any easier this weekend, so podium probly not coming, so he can just focus on keeping it clean: [I]''One of my favorite tracks. Here often chaos races happends, so avoiding accidents and tyre saving can give good result. Cars without balast will be strong here. My goal is to make clean race, without penalties''. [/I]GTO250GTO has second worst ballast in Gr3, so Toyota podium seems unlikely: [I]''Struggling with tire wear and pace is not good. So podium seems out of reach. Hoping for Top 5''.[/I] [U]Subaru[/U] had another podium, as [U]RLH_Wesley99[/U] made surge from back of the field to third place. He also had technical issues that meant he started from back, but smart tactics allowed him still to be on podium. He now has some ballast going to Interlagos, but needs results coming in. Subaru should be strong here, but needs to beat some lighter cars to get to podium and in past he has never been good in Interlagos. Driver that has won in Interlagos in past, is his teammate [U]RLA_SAFFA[/U], who is returning after missing Round 4. Missing last race means he has still ballast from his Round 1 win, but he says pace has been good in practice:[I] ''Feeling really good to be back again. After some testing it looks quiet promising for myself but in this series there are no guarantees. Have to take the race as it comes! Gr2 traffic will be a huge decider in the race so crossing my fingers to get caught up on the straights''.[/I] He needs good results now to challenge for title in Le Mans, where Subaru is set to struggle. Again no podium for [U]Porsche[/U], but [U]amuda54[/U] was happy with his 4th place, strongest race for him sofar, was even running on podium places early on in Red Bull Ring, circuit were he has struggled in past. [U]y_bearr_[/U] was also on podium hunt, before late crash left him 6th. But going to Interlagos were he has been fast in past, he has less ballast than others around him, and first win of the season is possible: [I]''Interlagos is my favourite track. It always been a good race in Interlagos. I plan to keep it that way this weekend. My car is good. And I hope I can win at Interlagos''.[/I] amuda54 is also hoping for big result, maybe first podium this season: [I]''I think a podium is possible. I seem to have good pace at this track compared to what I’m hearing others are doing. I don’t want to be overconfident, so we’ll see where the others are when qualifying begins''.[/I] Will be interesting if there will be team-orders... [U]BMW[/U] was running just with one car in Red Bull Ring, as [U]thunderpigeon[/U] could not make it. [U]doc-shipman[/U] was running the flag well, running 2nd early on but dropped down the field. Great result was still on thought, but then he made mistake in pitlane, and eventually finished 7th place. This weekend thunderpigeon is back, and needs to get top 5 result to claw back some points:[I] ''I'm unsure as to whether the BMW will be competitive at interlagos - I expected it to be good at spa and wasn't, and got a strong result in Sardegna. Even last week, it showed promise for my teammates in Austria. As such, I'm feeling cautious about chances this week but GR3 and interlagos is not a strong combo for me as a driver''.[/I] doc-shipman is not Interlagos fan either, but hopes also for top 5 result: [I]''After shocking myself with P2 at Red Bull Ring - and subsequently completely botching the race - I'm not holding out much hope for Interlagos. It's not a favourite track for me, but in testing the BMW seems well suited to it. I think that if I can keep my driving clean then a 4th or 5th place might be achievable''.[/I] [/QUOTE]

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