An outstanding mod, IMO, which led to an exceptional event. :good:
Race 1 - Magny Nat.
A couple of drivers had slower than I was expecting qualis, so I ended up near the front, but with old Rocket Bob behind me, and the equally fast out of the blocks Tom on the inside of me. I got (for me, at least
) a decent start, decent enough to get into the 1st corner ahead of Tom & Bob. Unfort. I pushed the loud pedal a little bit too early out of Estoril and drifted wide, dropping my left wheels into the cat litter. Not a spin, not even a full "off", but a discretionary lift was called for, and that was enough for Tom & Bob, and I ended up like that poor old sod in Spa, getting passed on both sides but Schumacher & Hakkinen. As I hadn't really gone fully off, I basically picked up where I left off, closing in on Bob who was in turn trimming the gap between himself & Tom.
I'd closed up on Bob enough to think about where I'd be able to pass, but under braking for that Lycee right hander before the start finished chicane, he suddenly slewed to the left and off the track due to, as I suspected and he later confirmed, downshift issues. It was desperately bad luck for him, but good for me, as I was just getting into the zone where I would be close enough to have to compromise some of my lines and braking points to avoid contact, so I didn't really get held up too much.
Setting off after Tom, it felt completely different to chasing Bob, as it felt like Tom was on the middle gear settings whereas Bob & I were both on the shortest. Tom was quicker towards the end of the back straight at top speed still accelerating after my red light had come on, whereas I was getting better drive and acceleration out of the slower corners due to my shorter gears. (Tom will no doubt now post that he was also on the short gears, and that I am, in fact, an idiot).
Tom went in a bit too deep into Lycee, allowing me to steal through, and then we were at each other non-stop until the race end. I was getting better initial acceleration out of Estoril, then Tom would try and slipstream and get level, but I'd be later on the brakes, and hit the chicane first. Then on about lap 15 or so, Tom got easily the better drive out of Estoril, got level into the chicane braking zone, and braked later than I could, so I had to concede the corner. Luckily enough for me, I managed to slip back past after some extra late braking and some early throttle on pretty second hand tyres, and I knew all I had to do was stay in front until the chicane where Tom was quickest. I managed to just about do it, and came home, avoiding the spinning Jack on the S/F straight.
Brilliant, brilliant, nip/tuck stuff with Bob early on, and especially with Tom after that.
Race 2 - Hock Short
This track kind of polarises people, some love it, some hate it, and I'm very much in the love camp. Pretty good times straight away, I knew I'd be at least near the sharp end. Managed a good lap in quali and sneaked a pole.
Got away well (again, it's all relative
) and off I went. with Bob & Knut in pursuit. Bob had an off, which released Knut, who was gaining all the time - I think he's being rather generous to say it was only 0.1
. Anyway, Knut closed in, but I reckoned I could make it really hard for him to pass, utnil I came round the curve approaching the hairpin, and someone had taken out the 50m board, which I was using for my whole braking, downshifting and turn-in process (serves me right for not using something that can't get knocked over). That totally threw me, and so I slithered on and out the back of the hairpin helplessly, and Knut went through. That was about a 1.5 sec gap, but while it did stay pretty constant for a while, I never really managed to close in apart from the odd lap where I threw in a low 1.17, and he'd do a high 1.17, so it kept me interested.
Then my interest kind of took a kick in the knackers, as I was having a bit of a ragged lap as the tyres suddenly got...interesting, a mid 1.18, but the fiend Omdal throws in a mid 1.16. :frown:
That 2 second swing suddenly pushed the gap out to about 5 sec from just under 3 sec, and despite me having a few banzai slidey-slideys, and nicking the odd tenth here and there, it was pretty much hold stations until the end of the race. Great driving Knut, thoroughly deserved. An honourable mention in despatches for Bob who fought all the way back from his off to grab a podium.
As I say, this mod is magnif, and I think the Junior will prove a very good competitor to the Fiat 131, so long as the track isn't too 'fast', as the 131 has that serious issue of too-short gearing options, severely capping the top speed.
Thanks to Carlos for another cracking Tuesday Club & RD
