I think DoogleDave and Turbo have pretty much summed up my race for me. I got away well with them in the lead off the line in 4th. Held on for a lap or two but their superior pace had them walking away by a second a lap. Molch dropped slowly backwards and I was by myself. Dave got a bit upset exiting the bus stop and I slipped past. The gap to disturboed was now insurmountable and growing by the lap, but he also fell victim to the bus stop and I waved on the way past. Lap 10 I remember seeing Molch's arrow spinning wildly behind me and Dave jumped up 2 places but they were still about 8-10 seconds back. I was keeping consistent lap times but by lap 12 I really started struggling in the exit of the bus stop so end of lap 13 with half red of fuel left I pitted. When I came out I made sure not to lose it on the grass and was actually pretty quick out for me, coming out just ahead of BLINDMAN. Next lap around I regained the lead but Dave was definitely closer when he came out. BLINDMAN closed a little on me but was on a different strategy and pitted a few laps later. Dave and disturboed closed on me lap by lap, and by about lap 19 the pressure really got to me. Had my only misstep for the entire race, a slightly wide run in the middle of the bus stop. Doogle stripped the final couple of seconds gap from me, with disturboed just on the edge of the draft in third.
The lag that has been plaguing me for near 5 months is finally gone, and I'm certain Dave is glad of that. We come onto the banking at the back of the track and it was neck-a-neck into the bus stop, Dave on the inside and me not letting up. We actually ran side by side through the first part, and Dave relented a little for the final part, dropping back to second.
Next lap was a carbon copy onto the banking, except this time I stayed on the inside, and outbraked him into the bus stop, though not as neatly this time, and ran a little wide in the middle section, bouncing my outside wheels in the grass. Dave had backed off a little but got great drive with cleaner tyres and was half a car in front into turn 1. I tried real hard to regain the lead on the brakes around the outside but all I managed was to trade a little paint with him, and he pulled ahead. Disturboed, hoping for disaster lol, saw the lead change and wanted some of that action, really abusing his front tyres with massive dives under brakes. He somehow turned a mistake into an advantage, massively outbraking himself at turn 5. He squared himself off somehow and rocketed out, closing nearly a full second in 1 straight. He was easily alongside around the banking but was on that dreaded inside line for the bus stop, passing cleanly on entry but running wide in the middle, putting all four wheels onto the grass. I zoomed past and he recovered well. The gap was holding at about 3 seconds to Dave and I was absolutely caning the car to hold it, praying for a miracle. Coming out of the bus stop for the final time I slammed the pedal to the metal but was resigned to second, when suddenly the power faded from the car, and I looked down to see the fuel on empty. NOOOOOOOOOO I hollered as I watched disturboed's arrow close on, my grip on the wheel like vices and the pedal still flat to the floor lol. Had he not suffered the same fate he would have had me for sure. A huge sigh of relief and then a 20 minute lecture from the missus for startling her by yelling lol.
Best race I've had in ages.
Last edited: Jun 19, 2014
