1954 Round 6 - BARC International Easter Trophy

2000cc race server online, please join if you are in this race.

Final race for over 3-litre cars is online, please join if you're in it.

As with the previous Sprint event, we will have a 10-lap fun race open to all classes once the +3,000cc race is completed. Only requirement is you join with one of the cars you have booked.

Fun race server is online : 10 minutes practice, 5 minutes private qualifying, 10 laps, all classes allowed.

**1500cc Osca Race**
An ok qualifying session though I didn't get the most out of the car. I'm sure I was quicker on my second lap but rf2 didn't seem to count the time as the flag was out. At least I was fifth so it was in the mix.

I made a good start and got up into third. Unfortunately, I made a slight mistake which dropped me back to fourth. At that point I decided to keep it smooth and steady and hope that Lady Luck might gift me a podium. Unfortunately it was me that made mistakes (lady Luck doesn't seem to have forgiven me for not having my clover at Targa). First I ran wide just before the chicane which gave Jim a run on me and he got ahead.

Later, partly in surprise, as crew chief had said he was seven seconds behind, Toby was suddenly right with me. Again I made a small mistake went off track and he got ahead dropping me to six. From that point I thought I might be able to catch him up if I could just get into my rhythm. But I kept making small mistakes and never really felt completely safe in the car. So the gap gradually increased.

In the end I was just hoping that I could make it to the end and get a point stop for 6th.

Just seen Darren's replay, which reminded me I was slow on acceleration due to deciding not to risk changing in or out of 2nd gear - snap oversteer in the wet.

**3l + C-Type Race**
Just like the first race, I was slightly disappointed with my qualifying but it got me an okay grid position.

I made an ok start but Gerrard got around me and then I was being careful not to hit Niklas as I didn't know if he was still in the championship fight.

After that it's settled into a race between me and Gerrard for the first few laps. I found it very difficult to follow him because of all the spray making it difficult to judge turn in and breaking points. Once he had found his rhythm he settled into a pace that was similar to mine and possibly slightly quicker. So I dropped back a bit so I could see where I was going and waited to see what might happen.

Everyone had been making mistakes all night and I wanted to make sure I didn't repeat the mistakes I made in the first race. As it happened I ended up in a lonely race with a fairly big gap behind and the gap to Gerard in front gradually increasing. For the last few laps I took it very easy and dropped my pace in the wetter conditions to make sure I made the finish and pick up my second sixth place of the night.

**Mixed C-Type Race**
Qualifying was even worse than the previous races and I didn't make the most of my one lap. But I was still near the front of the grid.

I made a fairly slow start and Stef and Mark got away from me but more surprising was that Toby also got ahead from the row behind. I edged over to the left to make room for him. But somebody behind tapped me and I spun into the wall.

I didn't get to see what happened so I don't know if I squeezed somebody or not. Sorry if I did squeeze soemone in the confusion of the start. I was starting in the middle of three so had cars of different classes all around me and just didn't spot anyone closing in from behind.

Unfortunately the wall badly damaged my steering so my wheel was off by 30 degrees for the rest of the race. More worryingly it felt like my front wheels were pointing in different directions, which made every Corner and breaking point a bit of a lottery. It wasn't worth pitting with only 10 laps so I just got on with it.

I had some fun in the early laps catching up with a few other people that had had spins and getting past some Porsches and Oscas. At one point I overtook a Porsche on the grass, I think it was Robin.

After a while, I came up behind the (what is becoming the traditional ) Johnson and Johnson battle. I think Toby was holding up Mark because, once Mark got ahead, he started to extend the gap. I thought that Toby was in the Cunningham because of his speed but he was actually in the Oscar. I eventually got past him,  I think he ran a bit wide but I can't remember.

I had hoped to close in on Mark but he then started to slowly extend the gap. Robin also repassed me up one point when I ran a bit wide. But later on we had a reverse situation letting me back ahead. At that point I decided to slow a bit to make sure I got the car to the end because the handling seemed to be deteriorating. Though that was probably in my head.

I'd hope to pass Mark just to continue this evening's trend of finishing sixth in every race. Sadly for somebody, they must have gone off in the last couple of laps because suddenly I found myself back in sixth. So, sorry to whoever it was who went off, but I'm happy to finish in sixth in each of this evening's races.

It was really tough yesterday. I felt miserable as a result of being on direct sun for too long, I was sweating, shaking, had a headache and frankly, all I wanted to do was to sleep. Anyway, this was my first league race with my new 49 inche Samsung Odyssey G9. I know that many people will say that only triples/VR is the way to go, but I made my choice and I'm super happy with it. The problem was that all I could see yesterday was more of nothing Maybe I overdid rF2 weather effects, but all I saw was a totally grey windshield.

And there was more. Does the Nash have a gearbox from a pre-war lorry? Each downshift required lots of gas to keep rears from blocking, it feels like it has a non-synchronous transmission. Start was bad, as I got spun entring T1. I don't think I was at fault, but these things happen under such treacherous conditions. It ended up as a fun fight for the second-to-last position. Even a battle at the bottom of the field is worth it, if it's fun.

I screwed up the start with 3000+ category before even reaching T1 again. I got on the grass all all my focus was on keeping it straight. Which I did, but I was dead last again. This time I could do more with the Jag and finished 7th after some nice battles and many, many mistakes.

I went straight to bed and woke up today at 1p.m., still not feeling good. But I guess it was worth it

Hope you're feeling better Petr !

Yes a lot of people had issues with VR in the rain, no windshield wipers does not help I guess.

And no the Frazer-Nash didn't have a pre-war truck gearbox... it had a post-war truck gearbox . Namely the Borg-Warner T10, first used in such subtle machinery as the Harvester pickup of the late 1940s :



and later also found on big American cars like the Chevrolet Bel-Air.

Petr Hlavac wrote:

It was really tough yesterday. I felt miserable as a result of being on direct sun for too long, I was sweating, shaking, had a headache and frankly, all I wanted to do was to sleep. Anyway, this was my first league race with my new 49 inche Samsung Odyssey G9. I know that many people will say that only triples/VR is the way to go, but I made my choice and I'm super happy with it. The problem was that all I could see yesterday was more of nothing Maybe I overdid rF2 weather effects, but all I saw was a totally grey windshield.

And there was more. Does the Nash have a gearbox from a pre-war lorry? Each downshift required lots of gas to keep rears from blocking, it feels like it has a non-synchronous transmission. Start was bad, as I got spun entring T1. I don't think I was at fault, but these things happen under such treacherous conditions. It ended up as a fun fight for the second-to-last position. Even a battle at the bottom of the field is worth it, if it's fun.

I screwed up the start with 3000+ category before even reaching T1 again. I got on the grass all all my focus was on keeping it straight. Which I did, but I was dead last again. This time I could do more with the Jag and finished 7th after some nice battles and many, many mistakes.

I went straight to bed and woke up today at 1p.m., still not feeling good. But I guess it was worth it  

If the Fraser-Nash was a racehorse it would have been put down long ago...

Poor FN gets bashed so bad ! Can't say it doesn't deserve it lol Still, kuddos to Petr and Gérard for having been the only ones with the guts to race it so far

Frank Verplanken wrote:

Poor FN gets bashed so bad ! Can't say it doesn't deserve it lol Still, kuddos to Petr and Gérard for having been the only ones with the guts to race it so far

It wasn't about guts in my case - it was sheer lack of knowledge. I had no idea what I was into

Btw, this is the new monitor. Quite an impressive piece of hardware  

Video: https://photos.app.goo.gl/RKJ9fw8avan3HBfz5

Great rig mate ! Screen does look great indeed ! Gotta love that classic steering wheel too

Frank Verplanken wrote:

Great rig mate ! Screen does look great indeed ! Gotta love that classic steering wheel too

Thanks Frank! Yeah, that wheel is brilliant. I used it for F1 1958, American trucking, HSO Sports cars and any time it fits the car. Bought it four years ago on Aliexpress when I was still on ICU. Talk about some extra motivation to get back in the rig I can highly recommend it. Superb quality, real wood, stiff spokes. It has become a bit more expensive over the years, but it's still a great value which makes driving vintage cars a lot more enjoyable. Just search for "15 inch wooden wheel", there are many.

https://a.aliexpress.com/_msh5b9E