Weather tactics and bad luck dominated RPR Racing's VLN #7 result

Another roller coaster race - the VLN 6h had it all.

23 August 2014

Friday

There was something of an air of anticipation as our heroes gathered for the 6-hour VLN 7 race, sponsored by Opel no less. Einstein had been measured, scrubbed and pimped within an inch of it's life by Kissling, Bilstein and various others. If it's not bloody brilliant now, it never will be. Plus, Karl Mauer has been reinstated as the CEO of VLN, which is great news for the series: it seems that a lot has been going on behind the scenes. We are delighted, it's exactly what the series needs to pull together the disparate group of clubs that makes up the VLN; modernize it and make a proper fist of the safety issues; also, if he can sort the TV from it's current dire state to something approximating proper coverage, he’ll need a medal. A big one. Karl, anything we can do to help?

Carsten was going to miss the T&E session, being on holiday with the family in Croatia, although he’s flying back for the race itself; aiming to be at the circuit by about 10pm. Einar is making a determined effort to arrive in time for the T&E session, so he can log its minutest detail; and Danny is joining us, so needs to get some seat time in the car before the race.

Preparations started earlier than usual for VLN7. Danny picked up Einstein from Kissling some 10 days before the race. Einstein was not looking its best; the side window was broken and taped, stickers and various sections of the foil had been removed or were damaged, all of which offended Danny’s perfectionist nature, so he took Einstein to his company workshop, repaired and fixed the rear wing and organized to have all the damaged foil repaired or replaced. Julius and Michael collected a much happier-looking car on the Thursday morning and headed for the Ring.

They had long arrived and set up shop before MC chugs into town in a borrowed C200 CDI, about which the best that can be said was that it did 4.5 l/100km on the way out from the UK. Moving swiftly on… Sadly, the truck is no longer next to the Stadavita girls, I mean truck; and we have to make do with an empty car trailer, which although it promises Climax Racing, just isn’t the same at all. Einstein is parked at the back of the truck, all ready to rock and roll and looking great. MC has disappeared off to meet with Stefan Kissling to seek a response to his rather detailed emailed litany of complaints. ET is walking along from his car as MC emerges from the Opel tent, cup of mint tea in hand, of course.

It wasn’t the world’s most fruitful meeting. Jörg, the head of Opel Motorsport, has elected not to attend the Opel 6-hour event on either day. Curious priorities. Stefan doesn’t accept that there is anything wrong with the tyres, despite having said openly in the team leaders meeting that they accept that there is a durability issue; and however many times the point is made that if a tyre only works in a narrow operating window and a narrow driving style, its not good enough; the point does not seem to sink in; nor does he see any inconsistency with his being about to start testing to improve long-run performance. We learn from a later meeting with Andy from Hankook, that Hankook brought all 1,200 tyres for the season over in one container, in an effort to ensure consistency. He also agrees that the tyres are very sensitive to pressure. That has two main consequences of course: firstly, that there is no chance of anything being changed this season. We are stuck with expensive tyres that wear out quickly and have a very narrow operating window: that it’s a pressure window, not a temperature window is broadly irrelevant, given the strong link between the two. Secondly, that by the end of the season, we will be using tyres that are at least 8 months old; and we all know what last year’s tyres feel like. Oh joy!

Reality returns with a bang; or more to the point, with the usual pile of paperwork. Julius, ET, MC and DB trail round the various offices filling in, signing and paying their lives away. They must have caught an off-peak moment, since there are no queues and its all done in a flash. Maybe they are beginning to get good at this stuff?

Practice

Stefan has volunteered Volker Strycek to drive a few laps in Einstein to make sure that all is well. After the usual carnage getting out onto the track, he’s off. Gerd is running the show in Tom’s absence; and the first information we get back is a lap time of 09.35. Respectable enough; and then followed with a 09.27. A quick debrief with VS and the sage says that the front is very neutral, the back stable and the engine good. Overall the car is as good as the Kissling car. The man is a master of diplomacy.

MC is strapped in for a couple of laps and heads out into the melée. After a quick radio check, where Gerd has to remind MC that pressing the water button won’t help the two to speak, we are all systems go. There are 200 cars for T&E, which makes for a pretty busy track. MC reports back better mechanical grip in the lower-speed turns; and better predictability in higher-speed stuff – 183 kmh v min in Flugplatz. Maybe he’s not an easy man to impress, but that was an exercise in damning with faint praise if there ever was one.

ET heads out next after a quick brief from MC. He seems to hit lighter traffic, so manages to try Tiergarten flat and reports it stable and easy. ET is always the mediator and seems pleased with the set up; reporting a similar improvement in mechanical grip.

DB, who had never driven Einstein before on track, was full of a mix of emotions: really nervous but also hungry for it. Seating position turned out just fine with nothing but for / aft adjustment; and allowed a good view out of the windscreen. He had spent a good 10 minutes quizzing MC on the various traction control and ESP functions, seemingly unsatisfied with MC’s “just leave them all turned off” routine.

He rolls out of pit with a clear mind and after the first few turns found himself enjoying the car. He manages 3 full laps before the end of the session and pits with a 9:49 his personal best on the Nordschleife! He feels pretty good about racing Einstein; and that he can get more time out of the car; crucially he has realized that the Astra is very beginner-friendly.

Karl Mauer, newly installed as CEO of the VLN series, gives his usually clear and succinct English language briefing. RPR, ensconced in their traditional back row seats, are puzzled by the huge attendance, until at the end, Karl invites everyone for a curry wurst and beer just down below. The man knows what makes this place tick! MC hangs on behind to congratulate Karl on his new role and offer what help he can: there is much to do, but no better man in the saddle to do it. He’s going to need all our support. Did anyone mention the TV coverage?

The team had a few little things to do on Einstein which DB helped with before joining the pit-party in front of Box 3 for some bratwurst and beer. Proper German Stuff.

The Agnesenhof have done us proud for supper again, with some melt-in-your-mouth beef. MC clearly doesn’t get fed much at home, judging by the way he parks a couple of huge portions away. Then ET settles into data collection and MC disappears off for more meetings; but just as he heads off to the Agnesenhof, a familiar voice calls him over to a small dark Citroen. It’s Carsten, literally hot from Frankfurt airport in a rental car (the fastest car in the world, as we all know). He’s got a deep tan and is in a pretty mellow mood, so the couple talk through the day, before heading off.

Saturday - Quali

It’s a clear cold morning with a few clouds scudding around in the sky, no one seems to have told MC, though, who arrives wearing a polo shirt and shorts; while ET appears to be ready for a blizzard. Breaking tradition again, the car is ready to go, with Carsten strapped in well before the 0820 kick off. We even have to worry whether he will cross the line before the 0830hrs curfew ends.

There are few expectations for his time: the track is still damp from the night before; so it’s a case of banking a lap and making sure the car is properly warmed through. Having got over enthusiastic and got Carsten out on time, he rockets over the line fractionally ahead of the 0830hrs curfew, so his lap is discounted. Given the conditions, it won’t affect our qualifying, but the times, they are a changing! The Chinese parliament decided that ET should go second, as he has been volunteered for the Corsa driving duties as well. Carsten briefs that the track is still pretty slippery and damp, especially in the approach to Tiergarten, so it looks like ET’s will also be a banker, rather than a real time. He too registers a 10.30 and confirms that the track is still drying out, but the car feels better and more trustworthy; before heading off to his tryst with a Corsa: have fun, lad!

Danny is briefed to do two warm up GP laps to ensure the new tyres are fully warm; then two full laps. Just visible over the steering wheel, he sets off in the now bright sunshine, as we all hope that the track really is beginning to dry. It’s a gamble whether we send Danny or MC, but that die is now cast. Danny is, having clocked a 9.41, pleased with the car and feeling confident in it; and confirms that the track now has a dry line all the way round. MC elects to leave Danny’s warm tyres on the car and sets off with the weight of the team’s expectations on his shoulders. Only one GP lap and then he’s off on full laps. His first lap is a 9.37, despite the now intermittent drizzle, but tumbling down the Fuchsrohre in his second lap, there’s a yellow and then flashing yellow lights. MC anchors up and holds to the left to avoid the Clio behind which doesn’t seem to have registered what’s likely to be round the corner. It was a wise move: the top of the Fuchsrohre is soaking wet and smashed cars are littered left and right in the double yellow. He radios in that it’s raining heavily and he will box. Gerd confirms and checks that he and the car are OK. The team are relieved at the confirmation that it’s just heavy rain. Over 15 minutes later, Einstein rolls into the pits ticking quietly, seemingly at the insult of going so slowly.

MC’s lap turned out to be good enough for 6th in class. It’s a pity that we hadn’t been able to get him out 5 minutes earlier, which looks to have been the sweet spot in a qualifying defined more by the weather than anything else, but it was a wise choice not to waste the time changing tyres. It’s an unusually far-forward place to be forming up for the race, though, so spirits are high.

Before the race, though, Einar has to fulfill his duty of driving an Opel Corsa round the track with doubtless eager Opel customers in the passenger seats. It won’t be the thrill that they are hoping for, with the heavy rain that stopped qualifying early, but its useful data for the team on the state of the track. It doesn’t seem to have convinced Einar to buy one. Meanwhile, Julius, Michael and Dirk are getting stuck into changing the front right driveshaft. DB had felt a little vibration out of right turns under throttle, which could have been pick up on the tires. MC also heard ticking noises at lower speeds and in slower corners, so for safety, the boys decided to exchange the right drive shaft, as they had one in reserve.

The team sits down at 11am for a pre-race strategy meeting; and decide that the running order should be Carsten, Einar, Danny, MC, since it seemed likely that there would be rain in the latter stages of the race, whereas the start looks to be broadly dry. It’s always too short a gap between quali and the race; even more so with Einar’s not being back until 1045hrs; so the meeting is brief and Carsten heads off to get settled into the car.

The Race

It’s a big grid, with a full complement of GT3 cars at the front all vying for a win. Quali having been a bit of a lottery, the front is a little more mixed up than usual, with four or five Porsches, a couple of Audis, the Rowe SLS and Bilstein Aston heading the pack. With 200 cars, each start group sounds pretty much like the 24hr start and a lot busier than VLN6.

Carsten has gone for slicks along with most of the rest of the grid, and it turns out to be exactly the right decision. We have nine laps to play with, so as long as rain holds off for the first hour, we have lots of flexibility. CO is doing a sterling job in maintaining his position in the early laps as the Astras jostle with each other as a pack (what’s the collective noun for Astra Cup cars? A drone?).

His competitive juices must be flowing now as he fights for position for most of the lap and records not just a personal best, but our fastest lap of the day, crossing the tape in a 9.37: he’s only lifting for Flugplatz and over 170kmh in Mut Kurve. Good stuff. It’s starting to drizzle as CO enters his last lap, so he’s pretty cautious round the rest of the lap: better safe than sorry.

Einar is ready to go; helmet and happy glasses on; Gerd has the team’s loins girded and all in position. Having good memories from the catch-up stint in VLN#6, Einar felt no dispair having to start his stint from P8 and was eagerly awaiting CO’s arrival in the pitlane. Carsten appears slightly quicker than expected, so Julius and MC leap into the pit lane to guide him in.

Out on fresh pre-heated slicks, safety systems off, attack mode on, it was time to see what the car was good for - this was ET’s first lap with a dry track after the successful setup changes. But it wasn't to be, at Flugplatz the window wipers were needed and by Ex-Muehle the track was soaking wet. Tiptoeing perhaps a bit too careful, especially at Wippermann with 24H quali still fresh in mind, he reaches Pflanzgarten and the track is dry again even though the wipers are still required to keep the windscreen clear. However, on balance, the track conditions are now asking for rain tyres so Einar radios the team to get ready. In Tiergarten it is raining heavily again, and the ambulance in the code-60 zone there means something bad has just happened. Einar is happy to have brought the car back in the pits without a scratch and sits patiently while the team descends on the car with rain tyres and more fuel.

Other Cup teams have pitted a lap earlier and gone for slicks: looking at the skies, that feels like a decision they are going to live to regret. Einar certainly doesn’t; as the conditions worsen, it is clear that Einar has made the change to rain tyres at the right time; out on the Nordschleife, other cars are tiptoeing around on slicks while Einar slides past, the Haribo Porsche, the McLaren, the Frikadelli Porsche and countless others. The Falken Porsche blasts past him up Kesselchen; yup, he's on rain tyres then. In Tiergarten ET flies past a train of Astras, excellent news.

Having built some confidence in the grip levels of the rain tyres, Einar continues to pick his way through the field, including a few more Astras, and when Michael comes on the radio "you are P4!" Einar can't help but laugh out loud! Not surprisingly, there are now also double yellow zones, but none appear to be very serious accidents and all cars seem to behave according to the code-60 regulations.

But it stops raining and the track dries up with more and more of a dry line coming through. Einar is now struggling to keep the rain tyres' temperature down and is even passed by a couple of Astras so radios in that slicks are now the right choice for the track, the team confirms with "box box box".

There’s some confusion as to how many laps of fuel Einar had left, since he had come in for tyres and been refueled. Danny, watching the dark clouds coming from Adenau implores Gerd to leave Einar out another lap, but somehow, the fuel state is muddled up, and he is told that Einar does not have enough fuel to stay out. We’re back at 5th in class now as Einar trickles down the pit lane as the weather starts to clear up, so slicks go on; Danny goes in; fuel goes in. Then some more fuel; and finally Einstein’s greed for fuel is sated and Danny is off. Just as it starts to rain again. First gently. Then harder. Much harder.

It’s a tricky lap, with some very wet patches and some almost dry, but from Flugplatz on, it’s raining, albeit with different intensity, most of the way round the circuit. Danny tiptoes round, the circuit disappearing completely at one point in the spray left by a Clio Cup car, just as Gerd comes on the radio to warn him of the rain. DB, repressing the urge to scream back that there’s so much rain he can’t see, calmly confirms “OK” and presses on. The rain is so heavy on the main straight that even the wipers on max can’t clear the screen; and a nasty bout of aquaplaning just after Antoniusbuche bridge keeps Danny wide awake, but he brings the car back safely into the pits. Oh well, one good call, one less so: we’re even now. Wets on the car, Danny heads back out again and gets stuck into the wet Green Hell.

He never really gets comfortable with the Hankooks, but after 2-3 laps of heavy rain, its intensity lessens. However, although the drying line allowed DB to try to drive a bit faster, the tyres still gave no trustful grip feedback and also, in the last 2 laps on mostly-dry track, started to overheat.

Back in the pits, MC and Gerd confer. Its drying out, but on Danny’s 8th lap, its not yet slick territory quite and a rain front is lurking nearby. After some to and fro, they decide that Danny should have enough fuel for one more lap, given the wet conditions he has faced. They decide to ask him to do another lap. Do dogs like chocolate? It proves a wise decision. The front of rain has moved away from instead of over the circuit, so slicks are now the right choice for someone with MC’s experience. Danny is reporting a mostly dry line on most of the circuit; and with some sunshine, it should dry out.

Tyres, air, engine check, nuts torqued and fuel. The usual ingredients. The tyres have been in heaters for a good hour, so MC has no need for caution on that front; however, mostly dry isn’t the same as dry; so the first lap is a bit tentative until he catches a GT-86, which suddenly seems to wake up and take off like a scalded cat. What’s good for the goose thinks MC (being out of Latin epithets for this situation) will be good for the Astra. Some corners are clearly less dry than others, but they are the usual culprits, so MC dismisses the GT-86 out of Bergwerk and presses on. He can see the Adrenaline M235i, which is running in the top 20 close behind and determines to keep it that way. Down Döttinger Höhe, the M235i saunters by nonchalantly, so MC tucks in behind. Or tries to. We need to find some more spinach for that engine still; and the M235i pulls gently away. The gap is maintained pretty evenly for the whole of the next lap, as the duo carve through traffic that’s being more cautious on the partly damp track.

MC’s experienced ear picks up a shuddering in the Mercedes curve, though, as he starts his third lap. It’s worse in corners; and it’s worse under power. He backs off immediately and reports in; takes the GP entrance into the pits and arrives, radioing furiously on the potential causes of the problem: puncture, CV joint or driveshaft. The team set to and check both sides, but can’t find anything wrong. MC is sent out again. Heading down to Kurzanbindung, he radios in that the issue is worse: having eliminated tyres, its either a drive shaft or CV joint; and yet again takes the GP entrance to the pits.

Einstein is pushed back into the garage; air jacks popped and wheels off. Julius and Michael tear into the car; asking MC for left lock, right lock, first gear, neutral, brake. Focus is concentrating on the front right; and shortly a failed drive shaft is diagnosed; which is curious, as it was replaced overnight, so lasted less than 5 hours. That’s racing. The pace of activity is furious and soon Einstein is waved out again.

MC reports in that the noise is gone and the car feels better, although the red ABS light is glowing its precautionary tale. Maybe a connection has been disturbed when the new drive shaft was fitted (it turned out to be water in the connector, not that MC knew such at the time)? Exiting Adenauer Forst, he despatches another pesky GT-86; and heads down to Metzgesfeld. Into the left right before Kallenhard, over the crest, ease the brakes on and Screeeeeeech. The left front locks solid. MC’s frantic pumping of the pedal achieves nothing: he is a passenger and heads straight for the outside barrier accompanied by the continuous howl of the front left tyre. More lock achieves nothing and the front left connects with the barrier. Whatever else that does, it also appears to free the wheel up again, although MC has no idea what other damage has been wreaked on the car. He radios in, although heading down the hill, the signal is poor, so the team is little wiser.

Switch the ignition off then on again, intones Gerd to a very puzzled MC as he limps back to the pits. Somehow the team thought that Einstein had lost power in a copy of a problem earlier in the year. Needless to say, switching the power on and off did nothing to fix the front wing. MC pulls slowly into the pit lane and swings straight into the box. The team leap into action again, but there’s no appetite from MC to go out again, as his helmet goes straight into the bag. He recounts the issue again to the team; but its clear the race is done for the day. Einstein is parked.

It’s an unfortunate ending to the day. The team had managed the conditions well; and until the driveshaft failure, even a podium was possible. Onwards and upwards.

Big thanks to all track-side photographers for smashing action pictures, your watermarks have been preserved for proper identification and rights protection.

Special thanks to Selda Schretzmann (HIGHSPEED-IMAGES.COM) for fantastic pit-lane pictures!