Wow another exciting race! There wasn't a dull moment for myself.
After a massive weekend i found myself pretty exhausted come race night. Tried to get as much practice in as i could just before the race started but realised i had lost my edge since my mid week practice session and was feeling very untidy.
Quli reflected that and I got dumped down in 2nd last position.
Managed to get a clean start and picked my way through a few cars after there own little mistakes or battles. Ended up 9th and tagging along with
@emmo46 as his lines really helped me find a good rythm and I was happy to keep up with him for a few lap. It all started to come undone coming into the hairpin as i had to take a slightly different line to avoid emmo and after that I just got swamped and lost all my momentum and lost out on every little battle to come. It became 4 way battle at the back with
@holdenman05,
@LITTLEBLACKO942 and
@Bluemoon. I was already fuel saving a bit. But by lap 6 i new it was just going to be hell to get fresh air. So I started saving a bit more agressively. Again i made a mistake into the hairpin at the end of lap 6. This promoted me to last place behind holdenman who i think was on a charge after having an oversteer moment coming out of the hairpin on the first lap.
Well time for plan B. Heavy fuel saving.
At the end of lap 12 everyone except me and emmo went into the pits. I had done pretty good thus far and I figured i could squeeze out another lap just. So emmo comes in and i go for one more lap. This fresh air thing is marvelous. Slow on the straight but hopefully i should get back some time with less fuel to put in and no battling to slow me down. I come in on lap 14 skip the tyre change and I may have skimped on fuel. i come out of the pits 5th in front of the scariest looking pack of cars i have ever seen. They all pass me on the straight but my strategy worked. I just manage to latch onto the back of them and im in 9th now just in front of ozimo! This is going to be a hectic battle to the end.
Hectic battles insure.
Somehow by lap 19 i had managed to find myself into 5th! This time positioning my car perfectly to pass cars that manage to get caught up in the topsy turvy battle. All i have to do now is keep my head down and try and break the tow. As littleblacko was hot on my heels.
I was doing ok. And i was hoping moozer and blacko would slow eachother down. Come lap 23 and I realised i may have skimped too much on my fuel. Sketchy as balz is all i can say. This hit me kinda ironically as i had previously fuel saved so well. But by battling after the pit stops to gain a positional advantage cost me much precious fuel.
By the end of lap 23 i had 0.5 fuel left. Not good especially when i kinda need speed for the end of the straight and the start of it to stay ahead of blacko and moozer. blacko had closed the gap into the first corner and while thinking about all this i miffed it. I hit the outside wall slowing me down even more. Black went around me and i could see my 5th place slip away. I managed to keep up through the esses and i was sweating trying to fuel save and now moozer was all over me. Come the hairpin i was at .02 or .01fuel and i new i wouldn't have the legs to get home. I went deep and allowed moozer my team mate to get the inside line as maybe he could pip blacko at the line. Alas it wasn't meant to be as he just missed out. I limped over the line with no fuel from about 400m back. A 7th! I'm pretty damn happy with that. I almost pulled off an amazing comeback strat from 12th. But it wasn't meant to be. Absolutely thrilling race though. Keep em coming!
Congrats to pubs, apex and rx on the podium finish. Looks like you guys had a hell of a race too!
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