I am running a little late putting kids to bed...think you could delay race start a bit to wait for me?
Thanks again PD. Good race guys, sorry about the server issues. Pole: Mario (Pinoy) FL: CAGME DSC: AOcleaner, WTF, agolfer
FL was not clean. I need someone to check who got the actual fastest lap though. Every one I checked went 4 wheels off the ripple strip at the double left hander. I checked CAGM then flash then cagm again then pinoy then I went to bed...
I'll check tomorrow i'm fairly sure my final lap which was actually the fastest lap of the race by .004s was clean. Although I could be wrong as I did run wide there multiple times unintentionally mainly in the dark where I misjudged my lift off and brake points at almost every corner.
Had not run 1 practice lap before the race. Did my quali lap on the first lap then spun every other lap. In the race I made 2 spins which cost me. Could only manage 24 flat until 8 min to go I got a 23.6 then 5min to go a 23.1 Maybe if I practiced I would be higher up. Still...no penalties
HTO Series rd2 Bronze lobby. Well done to the podium. Pinoy takes pole and win. AOCLEANER quit lap 14, WTF DSC lap 15. Qualified 7th. Managed to hold it to the first corner then CAGM7 got wild out wide and spun out to last place. Tanktex had a wobble exiting Les Combes, causing me to hesitate for a second but slid past as Gary squeezed through at Bruxelles. Spent quite a few laps looking for a way past Gary in the big BMW, all the while getting harassed by Tanktex from behind. agolfer got loose at Stavelot and all 3 of us got through. End lap 2 was right on Gary's bumper as we exited the final chicane and he broke traction just as I found some drive and I slammed into him causing a spin. I quickly dove to the runoff on the right to let those behind through as I waited for him to recover and we were now 9th and 10th with CAGM7 and Hatfield right behind. Just ahead, emmo was trying a move on AOCLEANER at Les Combes but got loose and not sure but I think TTRjoe thought there was contact and slowed to wait for him, gifting me a second place gain. Finally got a good run on Gary along Blanchimont lap 4 and made a move stick at the final chicane. My heart was in my mouth this time and it was one of the toughest passes I've ever made. So hard to get turned in and the power down at that corner. Suddenly there was an orgy of passing behind me, and when the dust settled out of turn 1, CAGM7 was leading Hatfield and Gary was now 10th. agolfer was dropping back towards me, but CAGM7 only took a lap to find his way past me in the final chicane. CAGM7 passed agolfer at Les Combes then I found my way past around the outside at turn 11. Lap 7 AOCLEANER ran wide at Campus and as he fish tailed I slipped past into 6th. It was pretty quiet for me now, besides Hatfield slowly closing in on me. Night fell and I started gaining on Tanktex as his tyres started to fade. By the end of lap 12 I was right on his tail but now I also had Hatfield right on mine. The pit stops began with flash first in. I was trying to push Tanktex into a mistake on his worn tyres, looking on the outside at Pouhon which made him run a little hot and wide, so I cut it tight coming alongside into 13, and he ran deep again. I tried the switchback out of 14 but he was too close and I bumped him losing drive, but I pulled it off at Stavelot, and we were side by side through Courbe Paul Frère with a little side on contact that pushed him wide but hopefully not to rough. Hatfield took advantage of my slow tight line getting past. Tanktex pitted end of the lap, Hatfield was slow exiting the final chicane and I retook 4th. Pinoy and WTF also pitted and I was now in 2nd behind CAGM7. 3 mazda's leading at just over the halfway mark. Hatfield got back past as I ran a little wide exiting turn 1, and held 2nd all that lap, but I outbraked him into Les Combes and despite some ghosting from Hatfield I held the place. I quickly pulled a small gap and at the end of lap 15 with 23 mins to go both CAGM7 and Hatfield pitted. I stayed out and saw the gap back to pinoy was 9 seconds and as the lap wore on it was whittling away until by the 3rd sector it was 7 seconds so I pitted. I came out in 5th behind Tanktex again but well ahead of Hatfield. A spin on the thin strip of grass exiting turn 11 saw Hatfield drop right back far enough not to have to look back anymore. So with 19 mins left it was just stay consistent and fast and hope for trouble for the front runners. The sun started to come back up with 10mins to go and Tanktex started dropping back towards me. 5 mins to go and flash succumbed to CAGM7's pressure, running a little wide at 11 in nearly a carbon copy of Hatfield's spin but managing to get going quicker. With 2 mins to go Tanktex had caught flash by the back straight. Lap 25 was now the final lap, and pinoy was at turn 1 as CAGM7 crossed the line for the penultimate lap. Flash and Tanktex were just in the final chicane and I had just hit the braking area for the chicane. I was closing quickly on the 3rd and 4th battle, as Tanktex squeezed past flash entering Eau Rouge. The gap was closing closing closing all lap, but not fast enough. I just caught a wiff of flash's draft at the fast left kink on the back straight, and I closed down about 6 car lengths into the final chicane, but we were dead even through the chicane and I crossed the line in 4th .8 seconds behind.
Well I can say had a very enjoyable race tonight as usual was way of in qualifying 9th awsome...!!! Hmm anyway once the lights went out it didnt matter as the SLS it a rocket from the grid and shot me into the middle field it was there I stayed and had great battles with Ad2, Hat and Cagme. This also gave a great insight to the differnt strengths/weaknesses between the heavier more powerful SLS Merc and the light nimble Wankel powered RX7. As the race drew towards the end cagme claimed 2nd from Flash the pairs duel allowing me to catch right up and take advantage of my non power penalised car over Flash and slip into 3rd at the entry to Rouge on the final lap but not without a fight luckily this time I held on. Very happy Tank
Well the slip stream ended pretty quickly - Sorry Emmo, i was not sure whether i nugged you causing your rotation into the sand but i waited just in case. Checked the replay from several view points and even thou i did not see contact it was so close and you were not even on the gas it must have been me. Think i should have ended my night not being able to get into the room but thanks for resetting to get me in.
@Hatfield just had a look at my final lap (2:22.667) and my left tyres were well on the ripple strip at pouhon. Also had a look at flash's lap and he had all 4 just outside the ripple strip then had a look at pinoy's/mario's 2 fastest laps (2:22.985 and 22.975) and both were legal.
It was all me Joe, I entered the corner very late on a very narrow line as I dived inside AO, the M3 locks it's rear wheels if you have closed throttle mid corner and it caught me out, It's a shame for you as there was definitely no contact and you needn't have waited. I did enjoy most of the first half of the race, I actually made four places early as others miscued but I paid the price for my ambitious move on AO and dropped to last. Joe waited and let me pass and I was able to open a small gap on him and maintain it for a while. Gary was always just on the horizon and it gave me something to chase but I couldn't make any impression on him. As the halfway point came up Joe was right on my bumper so I headed for the pits, in the dark I miscued and clobbered the end of the pit wall and lost time while I backed up and had another go. After the pit stops I was last and chasing hard after Agolfer, Gary and Joe, but they were pulling away and finally I pushed too hard and had a big spin on the big left hander before the final chicane. I was really out of touch then and just put in clean lonely laps to the flag. I managed to knock a second off my PB in the heat of those first few laps.
@COME_AND_GET_ME7 ok I will put you down for fastest lap when I do the tables @Ad2mny funny on my screen it was you who ghosted to pass me... Also remembered the awesome pass on @agolfer78 braking for the right hander after the straight after eau rouge. Got the draft and pulled out but made the pass stick from quite far back, not sure if I spooked him.
