Thanks for the racing guys, glad I didn't fall asleep.
Was looking fairly competative on a track I have actually raced on before, so was easilly aiming for top 10 posistion in both races.
I qualified 11th, which, with a bit more time, my lap time could've been brought down, but meh.
Race 1:
Got an average start, nothing bad, but was beaten into turn one by Dennis Phelan's Merc, so was down to 12th. I get out-braked by Willie Watt into turn 5, but there is a huge accident ahead, several cars sidways or pointing backwards. Watching the replay, looks like it was a huge chain reaction, caused by Leonardo Tuma and Matthias Klein coming together.
After passing all of that, I'm back up to 11th behind Phelan. He gets sidways out of the tight turn 7 and 8, but shuts the door on me, not allowing me to drive around the outside of him after getting a better exit. I was always caustious with the entry to the fast left right that dropped then climbed back up (turns 11 and 12) , but it helped get a better exit out it most of the time. This allowed me to posistion my car to be on the inside for the penultimate corner. After a little door rubbing, I'm past, with Michael Carver also getting past Phelan. Now up to 10th, and chasing down fellow scot, Willie Watt.
Got promoted up to 9th after the issue with Simon Gardner showing as the leader fixing itself, so now really wantingto catch Willie, as I've never started on pole for an RD race.
The three of us (Carver, Willie and myself) stay close together for the next two laps, with me on lap 3 going for a move after Willie went wide (well, wider than me, as I've seen several lines through there) at turn three. But I can't get ahead for turn 7, so drop behind before the corner, and then just follow Willie through the fastest section of the track, making sure not to touch him.
So the three of are still close together as we go onto lap four, but Willie then misses the apex for turn two, and drifts wide into the gravel, dropping him to 10th. Then at turn 3-4, Carver tries an outbraking manouver, but gets all locked up. Thankfully I see him, and he also does his best not to hit me. No huge contact, and we just continue on our way.
Over the next few laps, we stay really close, me not being able to pull a gap on the guy. I had a feeing that, if given clean air, Carver would've been faster, but I just kept my head down, didn't do any big mistakes, and was faster in a few corners than him at least. He then makes a little mistake on lap six under braking for turn 5. Dropping him a little bit behind. But by sector three, hes right behind me, searching desperately for a way past.
By this point, we now have Mike Fast and Simon for company, with Fast also crawling over the back of Carver looking for a way past. He finds one, but only after hitting Carver under braking for turn 5, dropping Carver down to 11th. No waiting was done.
Fast is faster (say that ten times fast) than me throught the dropping sweeper (turns 11 and 12), but so long as I don't run wide or get a bad exit, he shouldn't pass me there. I then get a slow exit out of the final turn, allowing Fast to close up. He then tags into turn one, but nothing too bad. No places dropped. We pit together on lap eight after Fast has dropped behind Simon.
We get out before Carver who had pitted a lap earlier can exit turn one. And after changing lefts, the balance was a revelation compared to only changing fronts. I've only changed fronts for so long, that I can't remember the last time I changed a side instead.
Now in 10th, but with Bill Kaiser and Simon still to pit, I'm looking at an overall 8th once the stops have finished. I'm exiting turn one by the time Simon's getting off the limiter, so I've comfortably stayed in front of him. Leavine Fast and I to battle for 8th.
Unfortunatly, there was to be no battle because, on lap 10, I'm taking out while going throught the dropping left right sweeper (turn 11), at the apex, only a short while after coming off the brakes. All I felt was an almighty thud, with my car being rammed, sending it sideways onto the grass, then went into a small 360, making the right rear contact the barrier at over 80KPH. Caused suspension damage and a right rear puncture. Race ruined!
Not going to say any more about mister Fast's driving, incident report will do the talking.
After exiting the pits, I'm in last place. I get back up to 12th after Phelan spins on the exit of turn 7, and through Jesper Taulborg retireing.
I was robbed of 8th in this race, and thats the last thing I'll say about race 1.
Race 2:
So starting from 12th, all I want is to be in the top 10 and get a decent result, with some good racing. Start was better this time, but with Jesper behind me, and then having the inside for turn one, I don't bother trying to defend. And I'm glad I didn't, because once I go to turn one, I was met with a wall of cars. I brake like a madman, but end up tagging Klein who was sandwiched between Yuri Braham and Carver. With cars going everywhere, I get to turn two in 9th.
Have to say sorry to Phelan for the tag on the exit. You had gone round the outside on the exit of one, then ended up on my left going through two, and I never left you enough room really looking back at it. It sent you into the Kaiser's path, sending youoff into the gravel. Really sorry mate.
But I think Carver came out the worst out of all of us. After Kaiser and Phelan met, Kaiser's Seat went right. Carver then had nowhere to go, hits Kaiser, but then has Taulborg flip him due to the sudden drop in speed and him being at Carver's right rear at the time.
OMG, this is one start I think we all want to forget. Unless your name is Dariusz Swiderski, whowent from 5th, to 1st by the entry to turn one, and missed absolutely everything that went on behind him. Lucky sod. :wink:
So after all that, I'm up to 8th by the straight, heading down to turn 5. Then promoted up to 7th after Willie out brakes himself, and ends up spining, dropping him from 6th, to 12th.
So after everythin calms down, I have Simon behind me for company. He gets alongside me through turns 2 and 3 after I run deep into turn 1, thenpasses me by 4. But he isn't getting away. I get close to him through turn 5, and am still right behind him for 7. I get right under his wing throught turns 9 and 10. Simon then runss wide on the exit of 12, and I squeze pass him at turn 13, with Jesper following right behind. Now back up to 7th.
I keep Jesper behind for almost a full lap, but does a balls to the wall pass on me, down the inside of 11 and the outside of 12. Leaving plenty of space. Now thats how its done.
On lap 5, Simon passes me at turn one after again I run deep and almost lose the car completely.
We then come across a recoving Mike Fast at turn 5. Who Simon only just manages to miss. Wait until the track is properly clear next time.
With Simon's exit compromised, I get my nose in front on the run down to 7. Simon decides not to defend and not put up a fight. He stays very close throught the next sequence of turns, and after a bad turn 14 and 15, hes alongside me down the straight and holds the inside for turn one. He then runs a little wide trought 2 and 3, allowing me to get alongside for 4. I try to out brake him and go around the outside of turn 5, but with the inside line, Simon's back on the power sooner, and I have to fall in behind.
Simon bumps over the curb on the entry to turn 7, unsettling his car, not allowing him to brake properlyfor 8, and his car ends up going left under braking. This drops him to 9th. And now I have Mike Fast for company.
Fast pits on lap 6, with me going in a lap later. Both pitsops in this event went well, but I had a slow getaway so I didn't know if I was going to get out in front of Fast. But I needn't have worried, because Fast drops it into the grass on the exit of turn one, and sends his car into a half spin.
Simon and Willie pit on lap 8, and Simon re-joins right behind me on lap 9. Time to have more good fights with Mr Gardner.
I'm wide on the exit of turn 3, slowing me for turn 4 and the run down to 5. Thankfully, the Alfa is good in a straight line, and no too much speed was lost, because under braking, were only side by side, but I have the inside line. Simon tries for a switch-back, but doesn't get enough speed of the corner.
Simon stays close, but is faster than me, with tyres one lap younger, and in the stable Peugoet 407, with a fast setup, all that was needed was a mistake. He got it at turn 14. With my rights being unchanged at the stop, they can't help stop the car very well, and I run deep into the corner, gifting Simon 7th place.
I try to keep up, but after a lap or so, knew that it wasn't going to happen. With more experince of the track and how it works, and how to properly set the car up for it, (mine was a slightly tweaked setup used at Road America during the first round of the ATCC, but it was burning the left front. I saw temps reach as high as 115 on the inner during the closing stages) I might be able to keep my pace up throughout the entire race distance.
So I settled for 8th place, and I'm glad the race wasn't any longer. I got the twat on the radio saying my tyres were getting worn (front right around 55% a lap or two from the end), so was glad when the race finished. Any more laps, and I would've been at the mercy of a fast charging Carver (who was still running after having his car end up on its roof
).
So thanks for the racing when it was good. Cya all later, either at Sepang on Sunday morning 10:00GMT, or Enna-Pergusa at 19:30GMT wedensday. Or at Nurburgring next friday.
Cya later.
![Luca [OT]](https://overtake-data.community.forum/avatars/s/3235/3235113.jpg?1697196734){kind=avatar}
