Round 7: The One in Which the Race Director Phones It In.
Race Director's Notes: I'd prepared a long write-up for the last race in the series, talking about how close the points are (they are), about how many spots on the podium are still in play (all of them), about how there's going to be a spell between now and the next DDRS event while we wait for GT7 to become playable (not even three weeks old, and I've finished all the menu events? Why does this leave me feeling even more empty inside than when GTSport was released?). I'd written all of that, and more, but let's face it: you're all here to see which Dragon Trails track we're running. The fact of the matter is, it's been a hard decision. As I write this it's Wednesday evening, March 23, the day I said I'd announce the track. I couldn't decide when I set up the original schedule, and I can't decide now. Seaside has the Chicane of Death, but it's too high-speed. There's no real passing opportunities there, and the "real" drafting model isn't quite real enough. Gardens, on the other hand, does have some talent sections, but it's also a high-speed circuit that's similarly likely to result in not much racing. So which one to choose?
If I look back on the season, where did we really have the barn-burner races? Suzuka, for one. High speed, yes, but with just enough talent sections to make drivers plan their moves many, many corners in advance. It was a venue where strategy mattered, and simply being a just a little better coming off a corner didn't automatically gift you the next.
Maggiore East had some close racing. Sure, the ringer guest driver
brought in for MR2RAT when his wrist was broken was a contributing factor, but it's
another circuit with some high-speed, some low speed, and some talent was required.
Autopolis was another venue that saw what may have been the closest margin by two
championship contenders in the entire history of the DDRS.
So that brings us back to Dragon Trails: which circuit configuration is likely to give us the kind of close racing that's come to epitomize DDRS? I've weighed all the possibilities. I've looked through the data, I've looked at the results. I've crunched the numbers. At the end of it, there's only one possible choice, and that would be Dragon Trails' little-known fifth layout: the Bathurst configuration.
I have to hand it to the circuit designers. The Dragon Trails "Bathurst" configuration is so similar to the famous Mount Panorama Circuit that not even the experts can tell the difference.
Supplemental Regulations
To be held in accordance with the DDRS Sprint Series Rules. This race is for the 1989 BMW M3 Sport Evo.
Date: Saturday, March 26, 2022. Room opens at 9:30PM. Drivers meeting at 9:55PM. 10 minute qualifying session begins at 10:00pm, with races following thereafter. All times are EST except where indicated.
Venue: Mount Panorama Circuit, Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia Croatia.
Race Length: Round 7 races will be 10 laps.
Entry: Drivers not already part of the series must send their race entry in the
form of a friend request to itc42 via PSN.
Ballast: Drivers will be assigned ballast weights before qualifying, based on their standing in the championship. Your ballast weight must be set before you take the pavement for qualifying.
Drivers Meeting: There will be a brief drivers meeting prior to the start of qualifying. In it we will cover ballast weights, driving standards, and have time for questions and answers.