Oh, why me.
I was loving the track and how my Alfa was doing round it. But some really newbie errors killed me, so no real results from this event. But oh well, at least I know I could run in the top ten at least.
I got a 1:24.9xx in quali with a few errors, but I also run a bit deep out of the last corner, so was slow up the hill. So I started in 17th.
Race 1:
I get a good start, even beat a BMW down to turn one that was along side me on the grid in 18th. I'm carefull through the first part of the Senna Essesa and I pass Terry Harmer whos pointing backwards after contact with Gergely Hanyik. Down the right hander of the Esses, myself, Chris Sykes, Aristide Romanov and Bruno Sousa Ferreira end up on the grass on the exit, either through a slide or just running wide.
We then pass Mark Guy whos off on the outside after contact with Gunthar Rowe. So with that, I'm now up to 12th as we go down the back straight heading towards turn 4. Then up to 11th as we pass Gunthar as hes slowing down to let Mark back past, but unfortunately gets in Ryan Callan's way, an his speed is comprimsed down the back straight.
So with Gunthar moving off track, I go up the inside of Ryan to take 10th at turn 4.
Hanyik goes wide through turns 6 and 7, allowing Romanov through, but he re-joins in front of me still. Romanov and Hanyick touch at turn 11, but I get a slide on and can't capitalise.
So by the end of the lap, I'm still 10th, but those two in front of me aren't getting away.
Hanyick and Romanov go through the Esses, so I'm closer as we go through turn 4. Romanov then runs a little wide on the exit and I duck under him for turn 5 making us side by side up to 6. Thanks for the room Romanov instead of just running into me.
But now I'm on the wrong side, so Romanov gets away this time. And through the lap, he doesn't pull away too much. My Alfa's wing on 4, made it brilliant through that section, and the power of the Alfa stopped it being slow in a straight line. What a lovely car.
On lap 3 and I'm still within striking distance of Romanov, but James Fellows is catching me, and hes in a Peugeot 308. I then fluff up turn 11, and James goes through.
Our little pack gets bigger as we catch up Gábor Ludvig's Honda at turn 4. Then at turn 8, Hanyick goes deep, allowing Romanov past and up to 8th for him.
Then next lap, from where I was sitting, I see Romanov and Hanyick tag at the apex of the right hander bit through the Senna Essses, with Romanov getting spun. So after Romanov spins 360, Hanyick and him tag again, making James hit Hanyick, then with nowhere to go, James tags Romanov. Thankfully, I avoid all the mess and jump up to 8th.
So up to 8th, but I have Gunthar Rowe (Alfa drivers FTW
) right behind me, and with a bad exit out of turn 13, he gets alongside up the hill. Sorry for the slight tag as you went past Gunthar.
We stay close for all of lap 6 until Gunthar runs deep at turn 13, and puts the right wheels over the grass on the exit, slowing him up, allowing me to drive past him up the hill. Also, this is the lap where the pit stops start, as Caramidaru Andrei Bogdan pits.
So after getting back past, Gunthar proceds to shadow me for the next few laps. Both of us with similar speed, but by lap 9, I felt like I was holding him up, so I pit.
Have to say, the pit entry on this track needs to be changed, badly. Theres no marker to tell you when your actually in the pit lane, no speed line. I worked it out that it was just past the big blue Sao Paulo sign on your left as you enter the pits, I never got a stop and go so I know I'm right. So I slowed for that, but I know others wouldn't have because they didn't know. On most tracks theres a set of lights, but if you slowed for the ones on this track, your still a good 100 yards before the invisable speed line. I or someone else needs to contact the tracks maker and do an update for the pit entry.
So due to that, I extend the gap back to Gunthar by quite a bit.
I come out behind Szabolcs Hanyik, and I'm sure I can keep up with him seen as over the next few laps, he doesn't pull away, so I was hoping to catch him.
But all hopes are ruined on lap 12, when I get the twat on the radio saying "Your running low on fuel." I'm like, "Your ****ting me, less than 9L left, and we still got roughly 10mins of running to do." So I try and short-shift from then on, but it was hopeless. Seeing everyone charg past, when after all the stops, I was sitting in 8th. :frown:
I pit on lap 16 for some fuel, hoping maybe some others are short, but I've been lapped so I'm stuffed. From 8th to 18th, all because I forgot to look at what Motec was telling me for fuel. Another thing that needs changing on this track, its fuel consumption figure it gives to the setup screen. It said, 35L for 18 laps. But you actually needed about 42L in order to do 17 laps.
Newbie error on my part.
Race2:
So now starting 16th (some people disconected) and now with 45L of fuel to be safe, I'm looking for a top 10 race finish.
I slot through some gaps up to the Senna Esses. Get through the first part fine, but then, argh! Going through the next bit, I see is Gunthar Rowe go sideways, right in front of Matthias Klein, Terry Harmer and Chris Sykes. Chris then jumps into the air a bit after contact with Klein, whos hit into Gunthar which sends him onto the grass. The line my car was on wasn't going to allow me to dodge these guys no matter what, so I just hoped things didn't get worse when I met up with them. I make contact with the rear of Chris' 407, making the rear brake loose, spinning me into Harmer. This spins him back onto the track, right into the path of Bruno Sousa Ferreira's BMW. Contact is made, but it spins Harmer back the right way again. But unfortunatly, Ferreira is spun round.
So after I get going, now I'm in 12th as Ross Conlon goes by on the striaight down to turn 4. Following him until he makes a mistake at turn 8, running deep under braking, promoting me to 11th behind Chris.
Finish the lap in 11th.
Come up to Mark Guy and Caramidaru Andrei Bogdan after they made contact on the exit of the Esses. Chris drives past both of them due to being further up the road than me, but I brake later than Bogdan, and get my car to the inside for turn 4, running onto the curb to avoid contact. Bogdan never expected to see me (gave him a warning on TS) and slight contact is made, but nobody ends up going off. I then have Chris' big arsed 407 in my way after he has a slow turn 4 making his drag up the hill to turn 6 slow, allowing Bogdan back past both of us.
Chris brakes a tad early for turn 8, and I move to avoid rear-ending him. He then turns in and we rub a bit, but were okay. Through the next set of corners, I'm looking for a way past as I know I'm faster, but Chris doesn't make a mistake or leave enough room for a dive, so I just stay behind.
Then we come up to turn 13. Ross Conlon has caught back up to us, but as I brake for turn 13, all I see is Ross' Seat go flying past and I'm thinking, "You ain't stopping for a month of sundays mate." He ends up hitting Chris off and I go by up into 10th, with Simon Gardner closing.
Over the next few laps, my Alfa really doesn't feel right. It doesn't want to turn into the faster corners like turn 4, or for the first bit of the Esses. After the turn 2 stuff on lap one, it didn't show my car having suspension damage, but it must have because the car feels nothing liek it did in race one. So Simon is capable of really closing up due to my lack of pace through the more important corners.
Simon passes me under braking for turn 4 on lap four in his Toledo (how many people are thinking of changing cars. First it was Chris moving from BMW to 407, Fellows from Honda, to Lada, now 308, Simon from Vectra, to Audi, now Toledo.
Oh well, you won't see me out of my 2007 Alfa Romeo 156 any time soon
).
I stay with Simon through the lap, and have a go at turn 13. I think we might have made some slight contact when we bacame side by side as I out brake (or my/Alfa's patented, "Brake at same point as others, but then slide further into the corner than opponent) Simon. Sorry Simon if it was more.
I can't really get away from Simon, and by the end of lap 6, hes right behind me again as the pitstops start. With Szabolcs Hanyik pitting first.
Then I brake too late for turn one and go straight on. I rejoin for the second part of the Esses as I didn't want to just go across the grass and gain any advantage. Sorry Terry Harmer if you though my re-entry was rubbish. We made contact at the second section of the Esses, with both cars leaving the ground for a second and Harmer also sent sidways mid-air. Sorry for that.
So now down to 10th, and then proced to have a scruffy middle part of the lap, making Klein now right on my back bumper. I manage to keep him at bay for another lap, with him diving into the pits at the end of the lap. Lap nine.
I decide to pit next lap, and make a decent in-lap, so I was hoping to stay in front of Klein. But under as I try to slow for the pits, my car gets loose inder braking and I end up slamming head first into the pit wall barrier at over 120KPH. Car dead. :frown:
Oh well. I had some great fun, just some silly mistakes and bad luck.
Thanks for the racing, and I'll cya all next time.
![Luca [OT]](https://overtake-data.community.forum/avatars/s/3235/3235113.jpg?1697196734){kind=avatar}
