Manufacturer’s Cup Round One Report

OptionZ McLaren Racing experiences both highs and lows in its first competitive event.

Despite a difficult qualifying, OptionZ McLaren Racing looked strong in Round One (Source: OptionZ)

An unforced error in qualifying made the first event of the Gran Turismo Manufacturer’s Cup difficult for OptionZ McLaren Racing. During practice, the team had clocked a 2:21:436, and several laps under 2:22. When it came to qualifying, however, a spin at Jacky Ickx Corner saw the team out of the session with no time recorded.

Frustratingly, it turned out that the 2:21:436 recorded in practice would have been good enough for P2 on the grid for the race, but the unforced error left the team instead facing down 20 long laps at Spa-Francorchamps from the back of the grid in P16. On top of that, grey skies and low light was forming a menacing atmosphere over the circuit.

A rolling start got underway and OptionZ quickly gained a position before La Source, and by the end of the second lap the team found itself latching onto a small pack. With a little patience, three of the rivals were picked off and by the time the pit window began to open, the McLaren was again latched onto a chain of competitors.

With a race distance of 20 laps, it was important to pick the right moment to advance (Source: OptionZ)

Sensing an opportunity to jump several cars in front, the decision was made to pit ahead of the pack at the end of lap 10. Dice were also rolled. The fuel situation was tight, but it was possible skipping a top up during the pit stop could see the team jump 4 positions. As it turns out, that’s exactly what happened.

That left a difficult final 10 laps, as with only around 9 laps of fuel in the car, some savings needed to be found on the track. The job was made no easier by the fact that the team found themselves in 6th position after the pit stops had been completed, higher than expected, and with a real race now on their hands. After two cars further down the road needed to make an additional pit stop, suddenly the OptionZ McLaren found itself in 4th place, but was needing to take it easy on the fuel, and soon dropped to 5th after being passed by a pacy Alfa Romeo 4C.

In a bid to save fuel, little resistance was shown to the charging Alfa (Source: OptionZ)

Ultimately the race would come down to who managed to save fuel the best, with tyre wear and weather (despite the moody atmosphere) never becoming an issue. After holding back just enough to keep the Alfa in sights, two corners from the end the Alfa’s tank ran dry and the OptionZ cruised past unchallenged.

It completed an excellent recovery after a qualifying disaster and earned OptionZ McLaren 36 points for the championship. From 16th to 4th, it was an encouraging sign for the rest of the season. Next time? Let’s see if the qualifying goes to plan…

The highs and lows of competitive motorsport… (Source: OptionZ)