Well, that was fun, but I really didn't practice enough for this.
Mixed feelings about my performance tonight. Q13 (always 13th!). Had a good race 1, enjoyed some close racing with Ethan at times.
Good racing with you to mate. Sorry for being so slow mate, I was trying my hardest.
I just couldn't get under 2:00 in quali, so I ended up in 11th, not too bad I guess. I generally have good starts in the 07 Alfa.
Race 1:
Unfortunatly, my start is less than satisfactory, and I'm passed by Eric Plimmer off the line. Then on the run down to the first chicane, LeonardoTuma is lagging like crazy (seriously man, get an Ethernet connection. Not trying to be mean here, but I have never seen such a horrible connection while racing). With that, I brake to be careful, and I'm down to 13th by the chicane.
Down to the second chicane, I out brake Jadran Dimic, and see Jonas Orfelt going sidways across the track, and I'm glad Eric didn't turn in on me. Back up to 12th.
At the exit of the second Lesmo, Eric gets a little side on, making Orfelt take avoiding action. This slows both of them up, and I take advantage.
Up to Ascari, I'm side by side with Orfelt, gaining as we go. Then as we brake (me braking just fraction earlier), my front bumper is right behind his front axle, and as he turns is, my bumper is still near him, now at his back axle. I think you can see where this is going.
Orfelt ends up going into the gravel. To me this is not my fault, and is the reason I carried of. Sorry if you felt I punted you off Orfelt, but I'm watching the replay, cycling through the various cameras as I type this. So again, sorry if you felt I done you a wrong, but what happend was a racing incident.
Now back up 11th, with Eric behind, chashing down Simon Gardner.
At the Parabolica, I see Simon miss the apex and get a wiggle on. Sending hiscar off into the gravel. Noooo, Simon! bad luck mate.
So by the end of the 1st lap, I go from 11th, to 13th, to 11th, to 10th, to 9th. Very busy lap.
Lap 2, and at the first chicane, I see Mark Guy's Lacetti pointing in the wrong direction. I have to take avoiding action, and due to the spin, there is some tyre smoke sitting at the second curb, so I can't really see it. And would you know it, I get my first cut warning. Yay me.
So after that, I'm up to 8th and now looking to stay here to get my first pole posistion in a RD event.
Lap 3, and watching the replay, looks like I then had my second cut at the exit of Ascari, (guessing here really). Then I pass a stricken James Fellows. Noooo, fellow Alfa driver, noooo!
Up to 7th after James retires.
Now on lap 4, and due to the two cut warnings already, I'm taking the chicanes slower than I normally would just toa avoid another. Probably to the dissma of Eric whos faster and wants past.
On lap 6, the pitstops start, so I'm thinking about mine. I decide to takemine on lap 7, right at the time when Eric is closest to me all lap. Thankfully, I get the car stopped in time for the pit entry, but mess the box part up and need to reverse a meter. I take fronts, mainly due to not knowing how only taking lefts would be like. I did say I didn't practice enough for today.
I have one slidy out lap, almost dropping the car at the exit of the second lesmo. Eric pits on lap 8, and as he exits, I'm pounding down the pit straight just about to go into top gear.
I go past him as he's trundling down the pit exit, thankfully not crossing the pit exit line. I was in my head saying, "Please stay there, don't cross, don't cross, don't cross!"
Thankfully, Eric's being aware and obeying he rules, and I get into turn one before him. No reenactment of F1 Monza 2010 for you.
So on lap 9 now, and I'm really sorry Eric for holding you up so much, but I really wanted to be somewhere on the front row.
But on lap 10, I get a horrible exit out of the second chicane, and Eric is passed before the first Lesmo, then leaves me plenty of room if I wanted to make a move. But my car is sliding under braking so I wasn't even going to attempt a move there. I was just happy that even though I locked up, I didn't end up hitting you.
Then Eric misses the apex of the second Lesmo and runs wide a bit and a little slidey on the exit. So I get along side and past him before the braking zone of Ascari.
I leave Eric space for him to go up the inside of turn one, but he doesn't take it, so I plod along in 7th.
I then again, brake too late for the second chicane and get a horrible exit, allowing Eric to get past. After that, he just drives off into the distance.
So by the end of lap 11, I'm back down to 8th, just trying to keep the gap back to Simon a decent amount.
Simon proceds to reel me in, but I hold onto 8th by the end of the lap.
But annoyingly, after a lock up and the car getting sidways in thesecond chicane, I end up with a cut warning as it straightens out, right at the point where I'll cross the curbs with all four wheels. FFS! I didn't gain any time, c'mon man. Classifing me in 11th.
Can we stop going to tracks that have such a fine line with cutting. Imola 07, Monza 08, Valencia International to name a few. My race was ruind by this cut, because by the end of the race, I had no rear tyres at all really, so in-invertedly cut the chicane, resulting in my third and a stop n go, on the last lap, and I'm in 8th fighting off simon, so I'm bloody pissed off!
I'm sure a real-life driver wouldn't have been punished for putting all four wheels on a curb, where they are less than an inch off the track fully. For the time that that warning is up, people aren't given cut warnings for dipping four wheels onto a curb.
Why can't SimBin just release a patch to get rid of these ridiculous cut lines. Something like, say there is a Yellow flag warning in sector one. Obviously, you'll still get a warning if you straight line it, but if you end up without having a wheel on the tarmac because your avoiding hitting someone, you shouldn't get a cut warning.
Not going to do a report on Race 2. This is because a weird but happened, and to me at least, the game was classifing me as 1st when the lights went out. So just to avoid in blue flag sillyness, I decided to peel off and retire.
Oh well, I'm off to practice Sepang and Birmingham.
Cya all later.
![Luca [OT]](https://overtake-data.community.forum/avatars/s/3235/3235113.jpg?1697196734){kind=avatar}
