Laguna! Not my most favourite track but I put in some time during the week and felt ok with it. Posted a PB in pre-race warm up (1:28.081) which was encouraging, but I always knew this was going to be a tough round. Swapped cars for Quali and couldn't get anywhere near it (doh!), so maybe that was my first tactical error for the night. Quali'd 10th after trying my guts out...damn! After much dicking around (re: guys not seeing one another on track), and changing rooms in an effort to solve the problem, the green flag dropped and we were away. Kept it steady because I couldn't feel the car at all and I didn't want to slide off track just yet. @SickSkillz011 fell off at Corkscrew, and then the nonsense started (because @Ad2mny and @l33793360 [Bob] couldn't see one another they started bouncing all over as they fought for the same piece of track, which was frankly, bloody annoying! No offence intended fellas, it's just the nature of good old Aussie internet, but it was distracting). It only lasted for nearly a lap thank god, so not that major in the end. Bob, Ads, and @Stumbles01 tangled at T5, which sent Stumbles into the sand, and Bob, to his credit redressed, which allowed me to move into 7th. I was still not really feeling the car (and rueing my decision to swap vehicles) when I slid wide at T3 letting @garyw61 through, but set him up for narrow line into T4, where I managed to get a good run out and regain position into T5 (a good racing tussle Gaz - I offered to light your cigarette on the way past, lol!), and could now see my way ahead with a gaggle of cars just down the road. The main thing being I could see @Hatfield (@pinoy350 was gone but my mantra was still echoing around the cavity between my ears, "must beat Hat...must beat @Tanktex...and so on..."). Was gaining on Ads, Hat, G1bby and Bandit so all good, then I ran wide onto the sand at T6, allowing Gary past into Corkscrew (Tank had a big dive up the inside but overshot the corner). Regained my footing and had a good run with Gaz...despite the track still feeling greasy, the car was coming back to me...or so I thought...I think I glanced in my mirror to see where Tank was and ran very wide at T3, catching the brake markers (sorry chaps), and a crotch full of sand...backwards...ouch! (I did not say 'ouch!'...I uttered something completely different...it was a rookie mistake). In my frustration I also did some 4WD work at Corkscrew as well...at this stage, in 11th, I felt my race was run and just went into recovery mode. Was gaining os @SPL-Racing, with Sick up my tail pipe and SPL pitted at the end of Lap 11...I stayed out because I thought my tyres were still good for another lap or two, but decided to pit at the end of Lap 12 (known as the 'over/under cut') which allowed me to pass SPL with pit strategy (lol!), but now I had it all to do. SPL and I had some good running at the back of the pack, and in pacing one another we were gaining on the leaders (with regard to split times)...some much needed positivity, but we were sooooo far behind... Lap 15, I was hoping, maybe, there might be a very slim chance of gaining track position through the 'pit window', but this wasn't to be, and SPL was now pressing me for position, so I tried to turn up the wick. Sadly SPL fell off Lap 18. Bad luck mate, you were pushing me along nicely. Now I could see Tank's little blue arrow in the distance so I put my head down in sheer desperation to try and catch him. This continued from Lap 19. Lap 23 I noticed I was gaining on a group of cars and figured some guys mustn't have pitted (a bold move I thought...not something I'd have chosen), but, it gave me some faint hope of catching them by the last corner of the last lap...I was playing 'desperation footy', and kept my head down...but where I felt I was gaining had turned into a static gap again...bugger! Lap 26...something happened which made me think 'there is a God of online racing adronaught. Go you good thing!' It seems Hat spun, Tank tagged him and generously redressed, and Ads was gifted 2 spots...the net result being I caught Tank and Hat. i couldn't believe it! I was so overjoyed I think a little bit of wee came out...and so overjoyed I ran a little wide at T6, which gave Tank a good run on me up the hill. I'm sorry Tank, I did not purposely try to block you...I was trying to get out of your way and it didn't work...sorry bud! Thanks for not clouting me. We caught Ads (who spun at lefty after corkscrew) at the last corner and I ran a bit deep in an effort to drive around him (I know...around the outside at the last corner? Tell adro he's dreamin...lol!). So, 4 Laps to run and with it all to fight for...those few drops of wee had turned into a steady flow..."must beat Hat, must beat Tank...". I could tell by the way Tank was hounding Hat, that Hat's tyres must be shot...this gave me a small glimmer of hope...but to Hat's credit he fought valiantly on those ty tyres and forced Tank to an error at Corkscrew (he ran wide, which let me through as well). Commencing Lap 29 I was a lather of sweat, wanting no more than to gain that one track position on Hat...the tension was palpable...then Tank forced my error (cleanly) and I touched the sand at exit T3, and with dirty tyres, at T4 as well...I'd blown the only real chance I had at beating Hat and Tank! At this stage I was glad there were no mics on because I began to wail and sob like a baby...lol, not really, but you get the picture. All I could do was bring it home for a hard fought 11th and consider that this might be my 'drop round', lol! Congratulations to @Mario (pinoy) for the win, and @flashfirst and @garyw61 for placing 2nd and 3rd. Aslo congrats to @G1bby3lit3 for claiming pole and fastest lap. Thanks also to Hatfield and Gary for hosting, and Stumbles for posting. I think Cote d'azure is going to be a heartbreaker and a cracker! Good luck gents!
it is something we have witnessed before. When 2 drivers cannot see each other, for all other drivers it looks like the 2 cars are pushing each other back and forth for the same piece of road creating a lot of tire smoke and squeal. If you try to overtake this merging of cars, you can get kind of lag punted
I took a small clip on my phone, it's uploading to youtube now. Its weird and very hard to concentrate when it's happening in front of you. (or behind you, I was a bit distracted by it too, lol). Only short, but you get the idea
I was in a race where BJ and another non Rooz guy were doing that and the pack was tight, I was couple of cars back and then suddenly BJ's car just jumps about 6 meters in the air from my POV. BJ never noticed a thing and was oblivious to the whole thing, but it was weird for us following them.
Like I said, wasn't having a crack at anyone. This happens and beyond fine tuning our modems, routers, or what have you, and having all in the Division on our friends list, it's gonna be a 'phenomenon' until we all get connected to the NBN, then it shouldn't be an issue right? Lol! I probably just need more optical fibre in my diet...
Same here. On NBN plus a gaming modem set to all the settings as recommended by the guru's around here. Still have cars I can't see and not always the same people. At the end of the day the network we race on sucks.
Congrats to Flash, Pole position and ran away with it right from the first lap. Pole time of 1:38.282 Gary's grabbed the finishing spots. Fastest laps... Gibby - 1:38.738
Wow to look at my FL compared to the field above, it really does show my consistency. Was not sure how my pace would be to the rest of div4 coming into the round but when @Mario hit a 37 in practice I was worried. Started 4th and somehow @G1bby3lit3 got this amazing start from behind me to go side by side on my outside into turn one and we were 3 wide, but I had track position and for some reason ghosted so we got through with myself up to third behind @flashfirst in 1st followed by mario. Early on mario hits the wall of death while I am right behind him and he ghosts to I was able to get through. This caused the field to be flash, then myself many seconds down the road and then the field about the same distance. Went for the 1 stop and noticied @Adronaught go the 2 stop and thought that is the end of him. Mario was catching me hand over fist after the pitstops but I had good worn tire pace and he couldn't get close enough. Flash had a wall of death moment and I was unable to capitalise when he had damage and he took a well deserved win. Unlucky for mario with the wall. But I am so stoked to win the CHAMPIONSHIP!!!
