What a great race, and the difference it makes having a large grid. Some last minute 'backroom' discussions with
@Anthonyb got us combined with Div2 for a full lobby.
Did not qualify as well as my practice times indicated, but of course they are deceptive when you run the fuel down and go out on fresher tyres after 10 or so laps. Lighter car means faster laps.
So starting from around mid pack in 10th wasn't too bad I suppose but I was dreading turn 1. Didnt make the mistake this time of not setting my brake bias so I was ready to rock as soon as the lights went green.
@Blindman and
@fatmix68 started rubbing together and veered off track before turn 1, gifting me a few places, but I was way to cautious into turn 1, and lost my position to
@seowster on the run up Hailwood hill and into Druids. Gained a few more places with drivers spinning off the circuit in the early stages, and by the final sector of lap 3 I was 5th and starting to find my groove. Seowster was now within pouncing distance but it took a couple of laps to get the move done, all the while
@Jim_aka_The_Man was closing on my tail and starting to make threatening moves in the mirrors. Starting lap 5, I got an inside line onto the front straight, but seowster got the cutback and we ran 2 wide. At one stage it was nearly 3 wide with Jim looking for a gap in the middle but the braking area came up and I somehow stayed ahead around the outside and was now 4th. I slowly opened the gap over the next lap, but Jim found a way past seowster on the front straight and started his pursuit.
@MarkH was a few seconds ahead but still a good incentive to push harder. Try as I may though I couldn't break Jim slowly but steadily reeling me in. Lap 7 I made my first mistake, running wide at Hailwood and losing 4th to Jim at the hairpin. It looked like he was gonna pull away, and I started pushing a bit too hard, sliding the rear around, and miscalculating corner entries, turning in way too early for turn 1. I took a deep breath (wooo-sah) and tried to find a groove again. At Hawthorn, Jim ran too deep, and with dirty tyres rejoined but got hung up on the outside curve at Westfield, having to slow to stay on track and I swooped back past into 4th.
My next few laps were PB's. Jim was still pushing, with seowster close behind still in the hunt. Deafdude was a dot in the distance now after my off and dice with Jim.
I'd made the decision early on to pit early. I had heard in midweek testing that you could get about 18-19 laps before the tyres cried no-more. I planned to pit on end of lap 12 and hope that no-one else made that decision and I wouldn't get held up, with the added bonus of a few laps in fresh air with shiny new tyres. As the laps counted down I started to get concerned about the tyres lasting as long as I'd hoped, as by lap 12 I was beginning to notice the front pushing. Oh well I thought, a lighter fuel load might be a little less harsh to the tyres.
I'm not sure if I was distracted knowing I was going to pit or the tyres were at the end of their performance but Jim closed right up over the lap, and by the time I peeled off to the pits he was right on top of me. My strategy paid off. I was alone in the pit lane, and when I came out
@natmanscoop was up ahead but a lap down, still driving a good pace though. My next two flying laps were also PB's where I set my FL on lap 15 with a 1:28.026 as I come to the pit exit Deafdude jumped out just ahead, so either he'd had a shocker or those 2 laps in clean air paid off.
The chase was now on, with DD so close I could taste that position. Up ahead
@George was falling back towards us pretty quickly on old tyres, and by the next lap still not pitting he was still fighting for position but in no position to be able to fight. But fight he did and I guess seeing a rival from div3 he was gonna make it as hard for me as he could. DD slipped past at Bottom straight. I got a tighter turn at Southbank but I was running off the track trying to complete the pass. The next few corners were expertly blocked by George and I couldn't find a way past until he ducked into the pits.
Now DD had pulled a nice little gap, but had a 10 sec penalty next to his name. If I could stay in that buffer then 3rd was mine! Then lap 18
@Blue XR8 pitted (for the second time) and now it was a battle for 2nd. It really felt like I was going to be able to maintain the gap, but slowly DD opened the distance between us, and another little off lap 23 at Hailwood (AGAIN!!) and DD was well and truly out of reach, and now seowster was back on my tail. From here on it was just a desperate run to try keep 3rd place. Lap 25 we both nearly got tangled up with a spinning back-marker, seowster coming off the worst and dropping back. Lap 26 I was really starting to feel the disadvantage of pitting so early, and in the end I only just held on to 3rd with Jim approaching fast.
Well done
@Aykay on the win, and Mark for 2nd.
And as if that wasn't enough, heres a 40 odd minute replay...
Thanks again Div2 for letting us join, definitely do that again if the numbers work out.
On to the final enduro round!
So for this Division, a victory and fastest lap, cant complain about that. Well done also to Jim and seowster for the podium positions.
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