Season 1967 with Eagle T1G

(67x v2 mod, Grand Prix difficulty, Pro Long mode)

Pre-season

I decided to enter AAR team for the 1967 season. Their Eagle T1G is one of the more powerful cars on the grid. My benchmark will be Dan Gurney who competed for AAR most of the season.
I use the following setup with just minor modifications on individual tracks:

Calendar

Race 1 - South African GP - Kyalami

The T1G was not used at Kyalami in reality (Gurney drove weaker T1F then), but this is one of the limitations of the mod. This gives me a little bit of advantage. The front-runners should be Brabham and Hulme, with Clark and Hill closely behind even at heavy Lotus-BRM.

Qualifying

My Eagle felt relatively heavy but fast. I was surprised how quickly I was able to get under 1:23 in practice. I did a few changes in the setup - went for 45/45/5 differential setting and increased front toe to -0.200 and back toe to +0.100. Car height was set to 2.75 in due to crossing of the inner curb in the Jukskei Sweep. These settings gave me the right mixture of speed and confidence in the corners. Otherwise my setup was close to default. I tried to level Clark and get the pole but I did not succeed. The starting grid is below (I am surprised that I beat Dan Gurney by almost a second).

Race

Clark had a slower start (his Lotus-BRM engine was heavy) and fell back to fourth place, while Hulme took the lead followed by myself and Brabham down to Crowthorne Corner. I tailed Hulme's Brabham very closely throughout the first lap, had a good traction out of Leeukop Corner and I managed to squeeze to the inner side of The Kink to take the lead. On lap 2, Hulme attacked back in the Barbeque Bend but I managed to stay ahead. This pretty much set the race as I was able to keep the first position till the finish. It was not easy, however, as I could not create a gap of more than 1-2 seconds and the whole leading quattro stayed together until we lapped Charlton and Anderson on lap 20. This finally gave me some space to breathe.

After start

End of lap 1

Back attack of Brabham

Race 2 - Monaco GP - Monte Carlo

The second race of the championship took place in Monte Carlo (I use the monacane version of the track). Here I opted for softer dampers (1/2 - both front and rear) and differential 45/45/6. Toes -300 front, +150 rear. Gearing was substantially shortened to reach top speed in the 5th gear before the braking for the chicane.

Qualifying

In practice I started my first attempt early to have an empty track but I crashed. I had hard time to get anough free space to run at least three or four clean laps, as at least two laps are needed to heat up the tyres. On a fourth attempt I finally went below 1:32 which appeared to be enough for the 5th place on the grid. Surprisingly, after beating Gurney at Kyalami, he was eigth tenths faster here and took the pole! Then Amon on Ferrari (this track seemed to suit their car) followed by the Brabham twins.

Race

I had a very good start and I could sneak to the inner side before Sainte Dévote leaving Hulme, Brabham, and eventually also Gurney behind. I closely followed the leading Amon and once he left me a bit of space at the Virage de la Gare, I attacked. Amon had to retreat from the fight out of the racing line and let Gurney and Brabham in between us. Eagle had an unexpected 1-2 for a while. On lap 8, Brabham (who overtook Gurney for the 2nd position on lap 3) had to retire from the 2nd position due to engine problem, and Gurney and Amon got stuck behind his car until Hulme took advantage of the situation and advanced to the 2nd position. This, however, was just the start of a series of mechanical disasters. Two laps later (lap 10) Hulme had to stop, too (broken camshaft). On lap 19, my teammate Dan Gurney stopped due to fuel injection failure. I was in a comfortable 25 seconds lead with 11 laps to go. I decided to save the engine as much as I could, losing more than a second per lap to Amon who returned to the 2nd place. I had one eye on engine temperature, but, alas, on lap 22, my engine failed as well. It was probably my fault, as I touched the kerb in the first of Portier curves, which caused a slight damage to my rear right suspension. As a result, I spun after Portier, and during an attempt at turning to the right direction the engine blew. Amon was then free to win the race, followed by two Coopers of Rindt and Rodriguez.

Lap 1: Virage de la Gare as seen by the fourth Brabham.

Lap 8: Brabham stops before the tunnel.

Lap 22: Touching the kerb at the Portier.

After Monaco Grand Prix, I share the first position in the championship with Amon.

Race 3 - Dutch GP - Zandvoort

The biggest change in the racing field was the advent of Lotus 49 equipped with the new Cosworth engine that catapulted Lotus ahead of the competitors. Also Brabham came up with the improved BT24, so I expected a tougher competition. I used a relatively soft setup to gain maximum grip in the long turns of Zandvoort as touching the grass there means the end of all hopes.

Qualifying

I have spent some time in the practice to optimize the passage through the Tarzanbocht and eventually found out that I am quicker using 2nd gear than going down to the 1st, even though I used the latter during the race mostly as I found it safer. Nevertheless, I gradually pushed my qualifying time down to 1:26.43 (just 0.01 above Hill). This was better than I expected.

Race

I was aware about the speed of the innovated Lotuses and Brabhams. I supposed that my only chance at a good result (podium, perhaps) was a good start and keep most of the close competitors (Gurney included) behind as long as I can. This went better than I hoped as I was able to beat both Lotuses on the brakes on the entry to the first corner. Gurney had to stop soon after start with damaged fuel pump but till lap 4 I was closely followed by the Clark-Hill-Brabham-Hulme train. On lap 4 Clark had to stop the car due to failed valve at the the beginning of the main straight and Hill has broken right front suspension when trying to avoid Clark's inmovable Lotus. Brabham and Hulme had to stop in the created bottleneck, too, and this appeared to be a lucky and decisive moment of this Grand Prix. Hulme was the first that got out of the pile-up but I have got 12 seconds gap for free. Hulme was followed by Amon, Stewart, and Brabham who got stuck behind Stewart till the ned of the race. Hulme, however, was a second a lap faster than me and he was quickly closing a gap. I just tried ot stay calm and hoped I would keep him behind me. When Hulme cut the gap down to 2 seconds (lap 16), he had to retire due to engine failure. Since then I could go safely and maintained the gap to the Amon who went 2nd but even him did not see the finish as he had to retire on lap 25 due to failed ignition. This pushed Stewart to the 2nd place and Brabham 3rd. So, I was lucky this time. While being probably 5th or 6th fastest in this race, I was given a victory, and after three races and the 2nd win I lead the champioship.

Lap 1, entry to turn 1.

Lap 2: The leading train.

Lap 4: Clark and Hill stop.

Race 4 - Belgian GP - Spa Francorchamps

With no big changes in the racing field since Zandvoort, the high-speed track of Spa promised a similar image. Lotuses and Brabhams expected to lead the podium battle, possibly with Eagle more competitive here than in curvy Zandvoort.

Qualifying

In qualifying, I tried to do my best, as my experience in Spa is that without being qualified in the first two rows, I will quickly lose contact wiht the front runners (this is especially true when using the new GPL Slipstream Patch). I was lucky to get a tow for part of the best lap which helped me to finally lose to Clark and Hill only and beat the Brabhams.

Race

At the start, I had no chance to beat the Lotuses, in fact I had hard time to keep Brabham behind me through L'Eau Rouge. I was completely unable to keep the pace of the Lotuses and lost slipstream contact already at Les Combes. I finished the first lap closely followed by Brabham and Hulme. Hulme, however, lost contatc with us during lap 2. On lap 6, Hill made a big mistake at Stavelot, touched the armco and damaged left suspensions and the engine. He stopped across the track at the exit from Stavelot and was barely able to pass around. Brabham behind me slowed down significantly when passing around and lost contact with me. That gave me enough freedom to take care abotu my engine and finish safely at the second place. So Clark gained his first win of the season, and Brabham was the 3rd for the 3rd time.

Entry to the Eau Rouge after the start.

Losing contact with the Lotuses.

Hill crashed on lap 6.

Race 5 - French GP - Le Mans Bugatti

Le Mans Bugatti is a track that I do not like and I am traditionally weak there, regardless of the car. The combination of long straights and slow hairpins is not only demanding on car setup but also on engine health. The key is to transfer as much speed through the hairpins as possible but the corners seem infinite,.

Qualifying

I have tried to make relatively big changes to the setup. For the first time I have tried 30/45/5 differential and quite high values of toes (-350 front, +175 rear). Nevertheless, whatever I tried, I could hardly get under 1:40 in qualifying and the gap between me and the pole position was immense. The gap is big even to my teammates (McLaren joined AAR team for this GP). This resulted in my worst qualifying position so far in the season - the 8th.

Race

I did not have a particularly good start but could gain three places by keeping on the inner side of the curved main straight and could rise to 5th position before La Chapelle. I stayed there till finish. I tried to keep the pace of Brabham and Clark in front of me and could quite do so for five laps but than I found it too risky as they started to slip away anyway. This was after Clark overtook Brabham in the beginning of lap 4. I rather focused on Amon behind me a tried to keep him at a safe distance of 3 to 4 seconds which I could do until lap 15 when I spun because of touching the sand at the output of Garage Vert. Nevertheless, I renewed the gap in to or three laps and came home safely at the 5th place. Hill scored hsi forst points by winning, Hulme 2nd, Clark 3rd.

Lap1, before turn 1.

Clark overtaking Brabham for the 3rd position in lap 3.

I spun and face battle with Amon.

Race 6 - British GP - Silverstone

The last race of the first half of the season. Since I did not score any points at Monaco GP, I still need to try to gain some points (one result in each half of the season is not counted for the championships). I expect another difficult race as I am afraid I cannot compete with the speed of Lotuses and Brabhams.
I stay relatively conservative with the setup, using 45/30/6 differential.

Qualifying

As expected, I could not make it to the first row, and my gap to the pole position is huge - 2 seconds. I could not find any space for improvement. I tried to take some corners one gear up than I normally do (Copse, Stowe - tried 3rd gear) but I was slower. I especially lose a lot at the Club Bend but could not find a way how to improve. As for my teammates, I am considerably slower than Gurney but on par with McLaren.

Race

The start was tough and I lost a few places (McLaren, Amon, Rees) at the entry to Copse but I was able to regain on Amon and Rees in Becketts and Chapel. The Lotuses started immediately to gain a few seconds margin, with Gurney and Brabhams forming the second group. I created the third group with McLaren and Amon on 6th to 8th position. On lap 3 I had a good exit from the Chapel and I was able to overtake McLaren on the Hangar straight and Stowe. On lap 4 Clark (from the lead) and McLaren (from 7th) had to stop due to suspension failures. I gradually built up some margin (3-4 seconds) on Amon. On lap 11, I saw Gurney heading to the pits. As he did not reappear, I stayed the only Eagle in the battle. On lap 15 I went violently over the kerb at the exit of the Chapel, spun, and had to cede the 4th position to Amon. I trusted in my speed, patiently caught up on Amon's Ferrari, and on lap 23 I was able to return to the 4th position at the Hangar straight. That was it. Hill celebrated the 2nd win in a row, followed by Brabham and Hulme, me just below the podium. My lead shrinked to 8 points in the Drivers' championship and Lotus became a new leader of the Contructors' championship.

Overtaking McLaren in Stowe on lap 1.

Ceding 4th postion to Amon on lap 15.

Regaining the 4th postion on lap 23.

Race 7 - German GP - Nurburgring

Nurburgring - or the Green Hell - is one of the most difficult tracks in the history of motor racing. This is also true in Grand Prix Legends, Very long, hard to memorize, with many blind curves, horizons, and uneven surface. Several teams have brought improved cars to Nurburgring inluding Eagle. This could lower the gap to the top teams even though that track might not make it well visible.

Qualifying

In the qualifying, I opted for softer setup, similar to the one I used in Zandvoort. But I had big problems to fynish a flying lap. I succeeded in the very end, five minutes before the ned of the session. Not a bad lap for my usual performance at this track but it was good enough only for the 11th position.

Race

I had a good start and before and during the first long curve (Sudkehre) I was able to climb up to the 7th position behind Surtees and Stewart. The latter I overtook on the back straight and teh former made a small mistake a while latter which moved me to the 5th. This I was able to defend against Surtees, Stewart, and McLaren for the 1st lap, and then I gained a few seconds markin as Surtees had to stop with damaged clutch at the end of the 1st lap. Hill, Brabham, Hulme, and Clark gained 15 seconds a lap on us. Hill had to stop during lap 3 due to oil leak which shifted me to the 4th position. I would be more than happy with such result, but on lap 4, I suffered engine problem around Pflanzgarten. For a while I was hoping that I could try to finish at a slow pace but in the chicane the engine died completely. So no points for the Eagle from Germany. Brabham won before Clark, gearbox problem of Hulme raised the Coopers of Siffert, Rodriguez, and Rindt to positions 3-5. I lost leading in the championship to Brabham.

Exit from Sudkehre, 7th position.

Overtaking Surtees on lap 1 after his mistake.

Limping with smoking engine on the long straight on lap 4.

Race 8 - Canadian GP - Mosport

Mosport circuit is much shorter than Nurburgring, yet it is not ease either. Steep slopes, blind curves, horizon followed by heavy breaking, I used a softer setup but also increased car height to 3.0" (3.25" for the race) to prevent the car from bottoming after turn 4.

Qualifying

In qualifying, I could not do better than for the third row. I hoped fro a much better result with the improved Eagle but others improved, too, as is seen on the first row for McLaren's team. But on the short track the differences per lap were not so big so I still hoped for being competitive in the race.

Race

This race in Mosport appeared to be suprisingly dramatic and one of the best I ever has. I had a rather slow start and dropped back to eighth position behingd Amon and Hulme but I overtook Hulme back to 7th in the first corner. Amon was next before the end of the lap so I entered the 2nd lap at a scoring position. But things were about ot improve even better! On lap 7 I could overtake my teammate Gurney in a nice battle. Quite surprisingly, the race was led by McLaren followed by Clark, Brabham, and Hill, which also helped me to keep pace with the top drivers as McLaren's racing speed was the lowest of that bunch. On lap 13, McLaren started to experience engine problems and lose positions. He lost the lead to Brabham who overtook Clark in the same lap. Clark went to 2nd in front of McLaren on lap 14. Lap 15 was full of dramatic moments. I could overtake McLaren and Clark while lapping two other drivers and appeared at the 3rd position at the end of the lap. I was closing on Hill and attacking him for a few more laps until I spun and had to defend to Gurney again. In the meantime, Brabham was in safe lead and setting the fastest lap of the race, until he had to retire due to engine problem on lap 21. I gave up chasing the now leading Hill but also him suffered an engine problem with only two laps to go and stopped at the back straight. So I was given an unexpected victory that returned me also the championship leadership. Amon was close to me for the whole race and finished 2nd, the unlucky McLaren finally defended the podium from Gurney.

Battle with Gurney.

The battle of lap 15.

Spun when chasing Hill.

Race 9 - Italian GP - Monza

Compared to the previous races, Monza seems easy. But there is absolutely no room for errors.

Qualifying

I had a feeling that I can unlock the speed of the Eagle at last. I guess it is my best qualifying result of the season and while the gap to Clark is still significant, I see very godd chances for the race. The setup is quite conservative 45/45/6 differential.

Race

I had slower start than Clark and Hill but I could keep up with them and overtook them before the first Lesmo. Since then, I kept the position till the finish without significant errors. On lap 5, Hill touched the wall when going to the tunnel under banked track, lost a wheel and retired. At the same moment Clark suffered an engine problem and had to stop. A catastrophic moment for the Lotuses. Since then, it looked like an easy 1-2 for the Eagle until Gurney had to slow down (lap 15) due to engine problem. But he managed to save the podium, ceding the 2nd position to Hulme. Since also Brabham could not get past Amon, I was able to significantly extend the lead in the championship.

Race 10 - US GP - Watkins Glen

Watkins Glen is a track somewhat similar to Mosport in character but without slow corners and more demanding on tyres. Especially the front left tire must be kept at reasonable temperature as losing grip results in drop in laptimes.

Qualifying

Despite multiple stints, I could not qualify better than to the fourth row. Several attempts resulted in late breaking for The Loop and jumping of the track to the railing. 2nd position of Dan Gurney shows that I could probably do much better.

Race

I kept my position at the start and made an outer overtake of Hulme in the first corner. Out of The Loop, I had better traction and overtook Surtees and Amon, the attack on Brabham on the brakes before teh Big Bend I had to give up and rose to 5th position at the end of the 1st lap. It took me three more laps until I was able to go around Brabham at the same place which put me to the 4th position following Gurney, Clark, and Hill. The leading trio was faster than me and gained a few seconds gap until they ran into a group slower driver one lap back which allowed me to close up on them on lap 20. In the next lap Clark hestitated in overtaking Bonnier which allowed me to overtake both Lotuses and sneak into the 2nd place. Since then I was under constant pressure from Clark which forced me to close up on the leading Gurney although did not intend to attack my teammate. However, with three laps to go, Gurney's engine gave up. I was resisiting teh attack of Lotuses keeping an eye on the temperature of my front left tire until I gained some gap woth the help of lapping Siffert and Ickx. That gave me enough space to breathe and I even book the fastest lap of the race in the final lap. Unexpected third win in a row secured the championship both for myself and the Eagle. Clark ans Hill completed the podium.

Race 11 - Mexican GP - Mexico City

Mexico is tough for me, maybe because I race there less often, maybe because the character of the track does not suit me. I especially do not like the track limits set by the half-sunken tires. This season, the championships are already decided so that removes a piece of the jitters.

Qualifying

In qualifying, I am usually quite weak there , still 8th position is worse than I expected. I am too slow in the Esses, in particular. I tried to develop a setup to gain some grip there but with no success. My teammate Gurney shows that the Eagle can do much better here, even though Clark's Lotus i still almost a second faster.

Race

My start was excellent here. I overtook Surtees and Hulme on the long main straight. Taking outer path in the first corner helped me to get over Amon and on the next straight I overtook Brabham and Hill. Since Clark has to stop with Valve problem, I appeared on the 2nd position before the hairpin. In the next laps, I was not able to keep Gurney's pace despite initial attempts and was losing more then a second each lap. I was under constant pressure from Hill who tailed me especially in the Esses but I was always able to create some margin on the straights. Several time I touched the half-sunken tires but luckily suffered no critical damage. This lasted until lap 18 when my engine exploded. I hoped for better farewell with the season but my team celebrated Gurney's first victory of the season and both mine and team's title. Hill came home 2nd and secured the 2nd position of the Lotus in the Constructors championship.