Don't ask me why, but I have a strange affinity for the Lola BMW.
It must be masochism because it is heavier than a heavy thing with an obesity problem when compared to the other cars and that German engine just lacks the low down grunt out of the corners that the FVA cars have. But, I seem to have found the sweet spot in the setup that allows me to extract the maximum from its handling. So I find myself wringing the neck of the car and enjoying every moment.
I knew I had good race pace, but was more than surprised when I popped in a pole position time on race fuel which was beaten in the last moments by Hristo ( who else??!!). My next problem would be getting the white whale ( where have I heard that before??) off the line without being swamped by the FVA's.
Fortunately, Hristo's Cooper was a little sluggish and I got it just about right, so by keeping to our own sides of the circuit we effectively blocked any passing attempt down to T1....sneaky but fair??
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Once T1 and the braking zone for T2 were negotiated safely it was down to business. Aintree is one of those circuits where a passing opportunity is like a duck with a degree...rare.
Hristo's race pace was slightly slower than mine but crucially he had better drive out of the critical corners, especially onto the straight where the FVA pulled an extra 25-30 mtrs which I could only catch up with slipstream as we approached the chicane, but too late to attempt a pass
As usual in the early laps I was not too bothered about getting past him, although I was checking where I had any advantage , because our combined pace was pulling us clear of the pack and leaving my mirrors nice and empty ... always a good feeling early in a race. By half distance we were out of sight of 3rd place and it was clear that it would be between the 2 of us for the win, although I still could not hook up the turn onto the straight to be close enough for a pass into the chicane. As you all know that chicane is marginal at full race pace, so I needed to make the pass early and get back onto the full racing line before attempting to thread the car through the hedges!! not easy.
I was hoping that H would make a mistake just big enough to let me through, because I felt I had a little lap pace in hand that might give me the edge with a clear track. But instead, I missed a downshift into T2 and slithered wide to rest against the haybales
Hristo took his chance to escape my attentions and pulled a 300mtr lead. I think we still had about 15 laps to go, but it was difficult to see through the thick red mist that descended.
The rest of the race was a blast as I hunted down Hristo metre by metre, lap by lap, until I picked up the draft and was on his tail with about 3 laps to go. Any attempt to take the win from Hristo would have to be on the last lap and involve some seriously edge of the seat driving.
Unfortunately my fuel calculations had been compromised by the chasing of Hristo and running the engine at max revs, instead of short shifting for 20 laps in the slipstream had used more fuel than I had in the tank and as we started the last lap the engine coughed........rats!!
It had been an epic chase and great fun, but without everything that the BMW engine could provide I was never going to make a pass on Hristo on the last lap. I think I had him a little worried in the last 5 laps
Grats to Hristo for a faultless race which gave me no chance to make a pass despite my slight pace advantage.