Manufacturer’s Cup Round Two Report

A race to forget…

Strong on the track, but weak in the strategy meeting… (Source: OptionZ)

OptionZ McLaren drove 30 consistent if not spectacular laps at the tricky Road Atlanta circuit in the second round of Gran Turismo Manufacturer’s Cup, but failed to use both compounds during the race, resulting in no points.

After a tight, action-packed first couple of laps, the team had lost a couple of places from the 10th position they qualified in. Nevertheless, messy and scrappy driving shenanigans, as well as early pitters during the early stage of the race had the team running as high as 3rd before the halfway mark.

Lap times were consistent if not quick, but tidy and safe laps had given the team a great chance of scoring points, but as with many races, the result was effectively decided in the pit lane — and not in favor of the team. During the pit stop, the team fitted the same medium compound tires it had begun the race on, when the soft compound was required for the race regulations. Unfortunately, the error was not rectified and despite 30 good laps and a 8th place at the checkered flag, the team received a penalty demoting them all the way back down to 13th.

Outright pace wasn’t there, but consistency enabled the team to hang with the pack (Source: OptionZ)

In the end, that meant no points were collected, and a lot of frustration. However, there were some positives. Road Atlanta is not a circuit that plays to the team’s strengths and is a fiend in places for Gr.3 cars in particular. Despite not having the sort of pace that would have challenged for a podium, the consistency and (apart from one catastrophic mistake) error-free race saw points on the table.

Ultimately, this is just one of those ones where you leave the circuit behind as quickly as possible, and get your head right for the next race. When you make a mistake like that, what else can you do?

See you at the next one.

J.

We’ll try again! Onto the next race! (Source: OptionZ)