Where do I begin about this event for me. It was by FAR my best event drive since GP200 the first time where I finished 2nd overall but it was a fair share of luck that time.
I had run about 20 laps today just to shake out the car and it was pretty quick right off the trailer...tweek it a bit here and there and she was spot on with full race fuel.
Practice sessions confirmed what is typical for me, I am not a viscious hotlapper and always run full fuel since the race is where I need to be strong.
Quali: i ran conservatively and made a mistake of dropping fuel from the car and it changed it too much and I had to be smart for a decent start spot. I grid 6th behind Vaughnie and Keith on the inside line while Rhys is on pole with Ryan and Tyler behind him.
The lights go off and we GO! I jump Adam and Tyler and am gaining on the front 3 going to T1! But James gets a MONSTER jump and squeezes inside me into T1 and we touch a hair but nothing crazy. Rhys has run wide and I decide to follow James. He and Keith are door to door going to BRetelle and Ryan goes waaaay wide there and comes across and hits me in the side but thankfully nothing happens to my car! BAD LUCK RYAN!
Laps 2-4 see James , Keith Myslef and Adam just running a fast fast pace but racing so very evry clean! I am in the catbird seat the whole time racing within a couple of feet with Keith and James! Really exciting stuff! Adam is lurking and on lap 5 we have our first real battle. Ada
Lap 5 adam gets a run on the straight and goes inside. I brake a hair late and run a hair wide opening the door for Adam. He slides in but we race door to door all the way to Bretelle! I take the lead exiting BRetelle abut Adam is not to be denied ya BUGGER! We run side by side through T7-8 and never touch while inches apart. Really fun stuff!
Coming up the staright I tell Adam to take the inside as I am holding him up and feel like getting him off my back and pressuring him for abit and see how he likes it.....HE HE HE MEanwhile James has dropped to 10 th after an off in T1. So its Keith, Adam then me.
Lap 6-8 I hound Adam but he doesn;t crack and I duck into the pits one lap before he and Keith. I nail my stop and come out running hard.
Adam has a bad stop and I take over for him and the gap to Keith is only about 1.5 seconds.
The remainder of the race sees me give up about .75 more to KEith when we finish.
So a very solid drive for me and I am on pace with Keith and thats promising!
R2 I start 7th.
th elights go out and I get a great jump again! Jesper runs into Ryan and Ryan goes into the middle lane! WOW! Going to T1 Rhys goes wide again and I cycle into P4 with Dariusz on my bumper and that not where I like to see him...he's fast in a race period. So its James 1st, Vaughnie 2nd Tyler 3rd znd me in P4 going to BRetelle. I go to P3 at Parabolique passing Tyler.
Laps 2-6 is just an absolute BRAWL! OK not exsactly but it was some of the hardest racing I have seen in ages! James is defending vigerously and actually takes Adam to the pit wall defending from the leftside of the track! Man thast just hard core!
Adam finally gets the spot on lap 6 afetr being taken to the wall again.........dangerous stuff.
Lap 7 I pass James cleanly when he runs wide exiting T8 and we run door to door to T1.
Lap 8 I run wide at T1 for the firdt time all day and give James P2! Crap!
I chase James through lap 9 then pit first of the 3 of us. I resume with very good pace after a great stop and wonder where the gap will be when we all cycle through. As I run by the pits on lap 10 I am past Keith by a good margin and feel safe from him for the firsdt time EVER!
Lap 11 I come around and have passed Adam who had a bad stop again! WOW! James is behind me by about 1.5 seconds with Vaughniw in 3rd.
Laps 12-16 I run out the string with only some small mistakes and take the win! I TAKE THE WIN! NFW!
So in the end of race 2 a couple of things crack my brain.
1: I put together my best drive EVER here at RD!
2: this is the first track I remember racing here at RD and I got crushed.......go figure I have come full circle
3: I set quick lap for the event and it is better than the current record by .3!
4: I am tied for first overall with Keith which is never a small feat and the one by whom I have measured my progress.
5: this should up my RANK quite a bit and put a bullseye on my back from the RANK SHARKS!
A great event for me and I think the event on the whole was excellent with the usual solid driving by everyone!
So nest week we are at MUGELLO! Sign up early boys this one had no less than 5 reserves waiting to race!!!!!
And as always,
A HUGE thanks to all the guys in Europe who stay up so late to race with us! YOu add to the fun and quality of the field each week!:doublethumb:
