Awesome race!!
Well my battle with
@fezza was great, poor
@VARDZ and
@T F Eccles had a mishap on turn 1 - don't know if my replay if the same as theirs, i included it below to see what i was looking at.
We waited for
@Jurassic Mark to finish his download, with minutes to go, then Sooby - We later discovered
@scottb721 stuck on grid.
I got a couple of practise sessions in, i figured i would be pitting somewhere between lap 2 and lap 7 - with others saying possibly lap 1. I was already unsure about pushing towards sooner, as the shortshifting was cruelling my lap times. Managed to sometimes get some good times, but was more sporadic than consistant. I managed to get a great time in for Q - but was still 5th or so. Got away to a bad start - just wasn't waiting for the lights to drop, and let brake off late, that big a surprise that it threw me right to the first corner, finally turning TCS off and hitting the wall instead of the crowd.
Settled into the pack at the front...though
@Dazza had already got away by then...and was hesitant to try anything fancy to get past
@Matthyus, given his crowing about being able to pit at lap 1 - and he still wasn't pitting. Noone else was pitting...i was considering an undercut on them all - but knew cruelling my lap times might hurt in a battle. So I decided to wait until someone else pitted, and then add one lap. I saw Johnno take a wide line lap 2 and thought he was going in - but he turned in and came out of the hairpin in front of me. Was trying not to get too used to revving the gears right out while waiting for the first lemming to jump. Dazza and Johnno went in lap 4 - i almost followed them but was late to react. Pitted next lap, with
@COME_AND_GET_ME7 and Fezza still fighting each other for track position, to come out behind
@robin edwards in 7th of 11. Had an opportunity to overtake RAE on the hairpin, but I tried that during 1st flyer in qually...didn't go well there, so I let it go. Managed to get past Rae and CAGM just in time for Fezza to come out of pits in front of me. He almost managed to block me but I had the speed to get around...just. My entire race for from lap 7 to lap 22 was all about the battle between Fezza and I. A few other people popped in and out, but we were within a second of each other the whole time - more often beside each other right around the corners. Had a great time - accidently bumped him a few times when he braked earlier than I expected, glad he managed to hold it together, I could have got past a few times but couldn't do it after rubbibg metal. I assume the replay showing you were on hards was just showing incorretly Fezza?!! I was just keeping up on SS, though it also looked like you didn't take any fuel? Anyway...I had a blast! You managed a great run out of the hairpin/ through the full speed corners, I think most of your overtaking was done there. Great racecraft there, much kudos. Was so damn hard to get past, you just plonked your car right in the spot I wanted to be. I tried bluffing a few times, didn't work at all!
I made it past yet again at the end of lap 22...thinking the battle was still on, but found the gap opening up. Thought he might have clipped a corner or something, but then saw the gap widen to 3, 4 and more seconds...and knew it must be about fuel - right? Was actually kind of devo, was having a great battle! What happened Fezza?
I didn't want a repeat of my Willow race, losing 2 places on the last corner, so told myself the pressure is still on. But I took it a little safer too. I saw Vardz overtake Fezza, and start closing in on me - but the 8 seconds gap was too big to catch in a few laps, he wasn't catching up that quick!
Well done to everyone...see you all at Brands, a track that usually hates me, but seems a little milder in the great handling of this car...hopefully we see strategy play as good a part in this race as it has to date.
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