Race 1 was a basic disaster for various reasons. One of which was a last minute car setup change. During practice seeing the much faster times, I opted to make a few minor changes that seemed to work. However, during the long run, they proved too much of a change, especially the final turn on the back stretch. The car would eventually want to go wide in apex and exit. When I tried to adjust, it wanted to go crazy loose on entrance. Enough said about Race 1.
Race 2
Well, since I already have a feel for this crazy setup, perhaps it will be wiser to go with it and hope that I can now keep it under control.
Eric Estes and I are back together, rejoining our rubber-band battle we had in GT Pros at Road America last Sunday, lead expands – gap contracts – lap after lap…. Basically from the start, I have Eric E. hounding my tail. He narrows the gap in certain portions of the track and I pull my lead back on others. Eric will not give me a break as I struggle to not make mistakes in the final turn on the back straight. On the end of lap 6, the struggle ends as the car snaps loose on entrance and I find my nose nestled up to the inside concrete barrier. I lose 4 positions before I can get going again. However, this allowed Michael v. to move in on Eric and they have contact on the back straight as Michael tries to get under Eric on approach to the final turn. Eric goes off and Michael holds up for him. This allows me to catch back up to Eric as we both head for our pit stop. I follow Eric in and am able to beat him out of the pits.
Back to the rubber-band dance. All I can do is drive defensively in the sections where Eric is faster and try gain anything in the sections where I am faster. Michael v. splits us on Lap 9 as he comes out of the pits. With his fresher tires, Michael v. quickly runs up on me and I decide it’s wiser to concede to him at the hairpin. However, this puts Eric directly on my tail.
While Michael v. was much quicker on his out-lap from the pits, he is now beginning to hold me up in some of the turns. I now have to concentrate on finding a way around him and defend against Eric. On lap 10 as we approach the hairpin, I am unsure on how Michael v. is going to attack it and I hold back a bit, braking a little early and holding to the outside approach. As I glance in the rear view mirrors, I see a fast growing image of Eric roaring up to my inside. Assuming that he might outbrake himself, I hold straight and slow more. But his SEAT has brakes and grip that my Honda doesn’t! He nails the turn entry, but my late and slow approach allows me to turn sharply back under him as he rides the outside rumple strip and pull slightly ahead.
On Lap 11, I try an inside move on Michael v. at the hairpin (I have to get away from Eric). I slide under him, but have to hold close to the inside so as not to wreck all three of us. This allows him to pull back ahead and doesn’t help one bit with the ever-badgering Eric. As a matter of fact, I have to make a defensive move to keep Eric from passing.
On the final lap, Michael v. seems to have found his groove, or I am doing most of my driving through my rear view mirrors. Michael v. is padding his gap, until the final turn on the back stretch, where he goes wide and slightly off course. This allows me to tuck up behind him and use his draft to pull slightly away from Eric. On approach to the final turn, I take the inside approach and try to dive under Michael. However, I don’t think Michael saw me, as he takes his normal wide approach and cuts towards the inside. He catches the front my car and ends up sideways. All along Eric was just hoping we would tangle and he could slip by both of us. However, Michael’s sideways car is too wide and Eric has to dive to the outside. As Michael gathers his car back under control, Eric and him touch, pushing Eric towards the outside tire barrier. This allows Michael to pull ahead. Eric ends up following Michael behind me at the S/F.
![ept_sports_nascar_marbles-549453508-1278124517[1].jpg](https://overtake-data.community.forum/attachments/22/22160-67eb0a5fdb9ca2d6b0be398a8e744c7b.jpg "ept_sports_nascar_marbles-549453508-1278124517[1].jpg")
