Division 4 Season 3

Bad luck AO, you looked like you were on target for the win.

Yeah, after my cockup on the last lap all I can do now is look forward to next week.

EPIC!!! AWESOME!! I've watched the replay about 4 times now. What an awesome battle in the final stint for 3rd. Bad luck AOCleaner and OTS_SPEED for your DSC's. And emmo too .

Was 3rd qualifier until the last minute and a half, when I got dropped back to 6th. Got an ok start, moving up on OTS at turn 2, but dropping back again into the tunnel. Was right in the action for the 2nd place battle lap 2, with AOCleaner already pulling a gap. Somehow got around the outside of X-WTF at the final turn, but he pushed back past into turn 2. A little grass while braking for the tunnel to avoid contact caused a massive slide and I thought I was a goner. I squeezed emmo towards the inside wall of the tunnel but we somehow avoided catastrophy, though we had lost a bit of time to the guys ahead. Pykey and OTS had massive contact on the downhill run to the final turn, with OTS spinning and Pykey slowing, slotting in behind emmo and I. emmo snuck past me out of the draft, leaving pykey all over my tail. I tried to sneak up the inside out of the tunnel, giving him a little tap on the rear wheel and slowing too much, allowing pykey alongside but held him out to retake 5th by the final turn. neemo had the best seat in the house to watch our battle, as pykey tried everywhere to find an advantage. Lap 8 I found a way up the inside of emmo at the turn out of the tunnel, but it gave pykey a look up emmo's inside next turn. He was unable to make a clean pass and dropped back a little. emmo got a good run out the final turn, drafting alongside into the turn 1-2 section. i tried to hold the outside line but ran wide, bouncing in the grass on the exit and losing a spot to pykey. Now evil was on my tail and looking hard to get past. We nearly ran 3 wide over the crest with pykey to the downhill run to the final turn, but I got in pykey's draft and outbraked him into the final turn. he out dragged me with a better line onto the straight, and evil snuck down the inside as I ran a little wide at turn 1-2. I started to run wide and adjusted my speed and turned down on evil, bumping wide again and slowing more, allowing neemo to come pinballing between us. We bumped sides a couple more times into the tunnel, with evil eventually coming out on top. A little too much throttle exiting the turn after the tunnel unsettled the little mazda, and when I switched back for the left it got worse, and I now had Rano and K1W1 lookng to snatch 8th from me. I tried to hold Rano out on the outside into turn 1-2, but got two wheels on the grass on exit losing my spot to Rano but just holding off K1W1. Snuck to the outside of Rano over the crest for the run to the final turn, and K1W1 followed me through. Dek had joined the party by this stage and I decided now was a good time to pit for some fresh air. but I ended up pitting with evil and Rano, causing some stutters from the AI driver. I think I also slowed SPL's exit as I entered. Pykey and evil were battling a few seconds ahead, and Rano was right on my tail. neemo come out the pits next lap between evil, pykey and me, but those two were slowing each other up a little. neemo saw a gap inside evil turn1-2 and took his spot, and I took advantage of evil slowing to maintain his wide line, taking 7th. Another side by side run over the crest and evil retook 7th into the final turn. I drafted back alongside but Rano drafted us both and we entered turn 1 3 WIDE!!
Thankfully the PD gods looked favourably on this instance and ghosted where necessary for all to fit through. In the end, I got back into 7th with evil then Rano behind. I set my sights on neemo and stopped checking my mirrors, even though I heard evil close on me a couple of times. Lap 18 he got loose on the grass into the tunnel and smashed hard on the wall, falling behind Rano and giving me a nice buffer to not have to worry about who was behind. Lap 19 I drafted past neemo into turn 1-2, but lap 21 saw a bad run by myself into the tunnel, bouncing off the high curb then the wall, dropping 5-10km/h and losing the place again. We ran side by side through the final turn and all along the start straight until I just inched ahead and held 5th through turn 1-2. I had a little breathing space between me and neemo now, not much but enough to stop the dives under brakes every turn. emmo and pykey were just out of range, but I was taking tenths out of the gap by the look of it, but on lap 25, neemo started nibbling on my tail again. A quick look at my driver list showed no-one in the pits so I dived in end of lap 25. No interference for the AI driver this time, with a good fast stop, coming out in 10th. Next lap around I shuffled up to 6th just behind emmo and ahead of neemo, and we all came across and passed Jim_aka as he struggled with his front right on 5, moving me up to 5th. Somehow I had managed to leapfrog Pykey in the pits and moved up to 4th starting lap 28. Now began the most intense 12 laps I have ever run!! emmo had about 3 seconds gap ahead, but with pykey pushing me, we closed the gap by near half a second a lap. By lap 34, we were bumper to bumper and it was on. I launched myself off the rumbles on the outside entering the tunnel and gave myself a scare but held pykey out. He outbraked me into the final turn, and he instantly started chewing on emmo's bumper. emmo held off an attack into the final turn, blocking the inside line vver the next few laps. Lap 36 they ran side by side out of the final turn and to turn 1-2, with emmo just managing to hold pykey out. There was no room for me to do anything, but I was looking every chance I got, sticking a bit of nose in here and there, but props to emmo for the best blocking I've seen in ages.. An opportunity opened up into the crest lap 37 but it was a bit dodgy so I backed out too late realising pykey was gonna leave room DAMMIT!! We were glued together all of lap38. The final lap started and pykey closed right up turn 1-2. As emmo exited, a 'blade of grass'' got on his outside wheels. It looked like he was gonna get away with it but then it snapped sideways, right in front of pykey! He hesitated slightly and I looked for an opening but there was none. I tried up the inside out the tunnel but luckily I ghosted or I would have hammered him as he turned in. I shadowed him up the hill and he moved over to cover the inside line for the final turn. I slammed the brakes for a move around the outside, and would have given it a good go too, but the tyres cried enough and I had to back off to turn in better. A bit of draft down the straight but wasn't enough to climb onto the podium, crossing in a hard fought and satisfying 4th.

Phew!!