Really long Post, I advise you sit down.
This was a good fun event for me. Being competative all day today (was at Road America earlier) in the trusty Alfa.
Was capable of doing 2:10s consistently, and know that if I had a really good clean lap, I would just dip into the 2:09s with race fuel on. So I was looking forward to quali.
Quali:
Unfortunatly, I screwed up the last chicane and made a complete mess of the final hairpn, giving me a 2:10, argh. Puts me in 9th place.
Race 1:
Looking forward to the race, as I knew I would be fighting for at least 8th. Jumped onto the grid, only to find I'm sitting in 9th. Strange server things going on, with Chris Sykes and Dennis Phelan sitting in the same grid box. Even Reggie Blain and Simon Gardner had the same problem, with Reggie sitting in Simon's box. All just a bit weird.
So by the first corner, I'm in 9th still, passing Eric Estes, but being passed by Leonardo Tuma. I then get right up to Roy Magnes at the end of the Mercedes Complex, and pass him on the straight running up to the left hander of turn 6. With Chris slipping up the inside of him at turn 6. Now up to 8th place, just the place I want.
Now following William Yunck. I get right up to him after he's held up a little but by Tuma and Dave Stephenson having a fight at the final chicane. But he then drives away from me after the hairpin. And now Chris is right on my bumper. He then proceds to out-brake me into turn one, but I stay with him through the Mercedes arena, and get a slight overlap along by the time were at the braking zone of turn 6. But he stays infront and slowly but surely starts to drive away from me. I just can't drive as quickly around here, I'm pretty sure it'smy braking ability letting me down, do need to try and work on my trail braking or something so I can brake later and still manage to make the exit, so that I'm faster overall, and better in fights on track.
Then on lap 3, Dave falls off at turn 6. Then became a passenger (he did try to stop though, as in the replay, it shows him slamming on the brakes, but unfortunatly, grass doesn't stop you very well). So unfortunatly, he arrives, back on track at turn 7 (Ford Kurve), completley sidways to the track, right into the path of Yuncks car, aaaaaaahhhh! Who was then hit by Chris, who really couldn't have done anything not to hit Yunck. Then Chris ends up in the gravel. Fortunatly, I wasn't involved, and due to this chaos, got up to 6th place after getting passed Yunck at the turn 8 hairpin (Dunlop Kurve).
I hold Yunck at bay for a while, him obviously the faster of the two of us. Getting along side sometimes, but nothing silly done by either of us, good bit of fun. Then on lap 5, I got a horribly slow exit out of the arena, and have to go to the left and defend the inside line for turn 6. Which in turn made me slow on the exit. Yunck then decided to try around the outside of 6, but just ran wide and slowly slipped into the gravel. Dropping him behind Eric.
After that, I just got my head down and drove as fast as I could, but this definitly isn't a track I'm that quick on, and the Alfa doesn't half chew it's tyres up, even with camber as low as 2.5, and pretty high pressure around 180KPA.
So by the end of lap 10, Yunck's right on my tail again, where he stays for the remainder of the race, until, I just couldn't get the car to tuck into the apex for the final hairpin, and Yunck gets the better drive off of the hairpin, and crosses the line just before me, something like a few hundreths in it.
Very good fun, finishing in 7th, so starting on the front row in 2nd, highest I've ever started, oh lordy.
Race 2:
So starting in 2nd, with everyone sitting in their correct starting blocks, lets go!
I get past Eric as we drive away, but no matter how good of a start I got, there was no way of beating Dan Asbury in his BMW off the line. Then Simon in his Audi, drives past me as well, that thing is insane off the line , so I'm back down to 3rd by the first corner. Some of us then come together through Dennis Phealan out braking himself into turn one, not too bad for me, but others were worse off. I then for some odd reason, after getting the car straight, shifted up to 3rd. And by the time I had realised and shifted back down to 2nd, Kane Lasky and reggie Blain are already past me, dropping me to 5th place, with Dave on my tail.
I keep up with Kane infront of me, for a, couple of corners, guy is just waaay to fast for me at the moment. So I've been dropped by the end of the lap, and Kane is up to 2nd place by the end of the arena. I'm just running my own pace at the moment, trying to keep a gap to Dave. When I see Reggie and Kane come together at the Dunlop Kurve, with very amazing outcome. Kane being launched off the track rather spectactularly. (Thought Kane, your re-entry to the track could've been better. You joined right infront of Magnes, having contact with him and Yunck), Reggie then slows down on the straight after Bit Kurve (turn 12) , and let Kane back pass, dropping both Kand and him to 9th and 10th place respectavly by the end of the lap.
For me, all this has allowed me to get into the highest ever place I've been in, during a RD race, that isn't just because I haven't pitted yet, but actual real-time track posistion. But there is a
train of really fast guys behind me, so I was very much, not relaxed.
On lap 3, my race becomes me just trying to hang on to my posistion. I'm having to defend out of the Mercedes Complex, and brake as late as I dare on the inside for turn 6. Dave is right alongside me, we tag a little bit, due to my car just wanting to drift out on the exit, but it was nothing bad, just a brush. He stay with, and is up the inside for 7, but I get a better exit, and Dave drops from my door to behind me for turn 8.
Lap 4, and I go to the inside for turn one to defend, but get the worse exit out of a corner imaginable. Had to drop the gearbox into first to get any decent acceleration, but Dave took the normal line, and drove around me. I try and keep up through the arena, but Dave just drives away from me.
But then he loses it at what must be his favourite corner on this track, turn 6. Car going sideways after running wide onto the gravel, dropping him to 6th place by Dunlop Kurve (turn 8).
By lap 6, Tuma is right behind me, and looking to get past quickly. But I keep him at bay for a while, and I'm still in 3rd place by the end of the lap. But it then all comes to a disaster next lap.
Tuma just gaining on me constantly down the straight, then through the arena, and with a better exit, gets even closer before the braking zone. We even have Kane not too far behind us as well for company. Argh, too many fast guys, so out of my league here, and I think I just let the pressure get to me.
On braking for turn 6, Tuma tries going around the outside of me, but I can't get my car to slow down enough for the corner, and we have a bit of contact which sends Tuma out onto the grass, with my car not capapble of taking the corner properly, due to the line, speed and condition of the tyres at the time.
Sry Tuma.
My car then gets unsettled as it drifts wide onto the grass, then goes onto the curb that sits on the entry for turn 7. I brake, but the car just says "No chance in hell mate, were going off."
I end up the gravel, Tuma gets a half spin after getting onto the grass, but collects it in the gravel, and still has some forward movement and is able to re-join the track much earlier, dropping to
7th place. Even Kane lost it at turn 6. No contact with us two, but I guess a lapse in concentration, making him make a slight mistake, (but probably just trying to avoid us two. This sends him wide,
and spins him a full 360, tags Dave, who then has a bit of contact with Reggie because of it, but nothing major. He doesn't fall into the gravel, and gets on his way in 5th place. I come out the worse. With my car just swapping ends under braking due to being on the curb and grass. My car spins a 180, and I'm sent into the gravel backwards. Really annoyed at myself for this, only had another four laps to go. I could've at least bettered my best finish so far. But I guess its all experience.
Don't want to talk about the laps afterwards, drove like an idiot in anger, burning my tyres completely to the point where I might've gotten a puncture in a few laps.
Ended up in 8th after Eric fell off on lap 9 at turn 6.
But all in all, it's been a good day for me in the Alfa, was on for an exellent finish at Road America in the Euro event until Dan Allison and I came together in race one.
I am getting faster and hopefully by this time next year, I'll be riding the coattails of the faster guys.
Cya all later.
![Luca [OT]](https://overtake-data.community.forum/avatars/s/3235/3235113.jpg?1697196734){kind=avatar}
