Race report: Suzuka, 5 October 2021
Copper Horse Racing puts in fast laps under the stars to bag another top 10 finish
In season 7, Car 59 raced around Zolder and now – in season 8 – it’s time to add another John Hugenholtz designed track to the list – the mighty Suzuka circuit. Built in the 1960’s to fulfill Honda’s test track needs, the technical layout wastes no time in discovering a driver’s limit thanks to iconic features such as ‘the Esses’ (or ‘Snake’) and ‘Spoon curve’.
Also, if that wasn’t enough to contend with, series organisers Apex Online Racing have made this event a night race, although sparingly, a dry night race.
Green lights and away
Qualifying mid-pack in P12, it was important to survive the opening laps without incident. A couple of bumps from neighbouring drivers threatened to send the white and green 2015 Lamborghini Huracan GT3 off-track. But lead driver David Rogers had confidence in the vehicle settings and managed to keep Car 59 between the white lines. So began the 60 minutes slog around a very physically demanding circuit (yes, that’s right – sim racing can be both physically and mentally demanding!).
Under race conditions, the Lamborghini performed well across all three sectors as grip levels allowed it to find more time through the Hairpin and two Degner corners – sequences that had been more costly in qualification with less rubber on track. A conscious choice had been made to increase the level of rear wing for this race and to keep the traction control at a reasonable level as the cold night air made the track slippery than usual.
Playing the long game, Car 59 had moved up five places to 7th by lap 10, picking its battles to keep within the limits of track and driver. As the leaders pitted, the Secure-CAV liveried Lamborghini enjoyed a short spell at the front of the race until it too had to stop for new tyres.
Rejoining the action, the biggest concern was obeying track limits, particularly around the tricky ‘Spoon’. With ten minutes to go, a second track limits warning was received; one more and it would be a stop-go penalty. Careful driving in that section for the remainder allowed the Lambo to steer clear of last minute disaster!
Penalties avoided, it was an encouraging night’s work as Car 59 registered its best race result in the competition so far – P8.
Secure-CAV makes its YouTube debut
With our race reports in double figures, you probably know a great deal about our exploits on track. But there’s plenty that happens when we’re not racing. One of our biggest projects currently is Secure-CAV, where Copper Horse is contributing threat modelling and security testing expertise. And a quick way of finding out more, is to check out this short film commissioned by the project partners and made over the summer by Suited & Booted studios.
Podium positions
No change from Last week with Nico Urbantat taking the win once again and Matthew North coming second. But the third spot has proven to be less predictable with Teis Hertgers taking P3 this time around.
About the author
James Tyrrell is a Threat Modelling Analyst at Copper Horse.
