Grats to the podium people and apologies to anyone who was compromised by my Escort antics.
Race 1
This was a new ( well at least an unfamiliar) circuit for me and as per usual I had not turned a wheel in anything before I joined the server last night. I had to d/load the track and install before the race and having glanced at the map, I was considering using the Opel................but when I looked at the cars I had left there were an awful lot of Escort drives waiting to be used up
....................now I know why!!
Like Matt has already said, the dastardly Dagenham dustbin wanted to auto rotate at just about every flamin' corner and I spent practice and quali learning the track and applying micro fine adjustments to the setup with a scaffold tube and sledge hammer.
in an attempt to find a stable chassis.
I wound the brake balance forward in an attempt to stop the rears locking up and sliding around, but things did not improve much! Started the race and it was only a matter of time before I was in the boondocks...geez but that Czech grass is slippery!! it took me ages to regain the tarmac and last place!! Eventually I glimpsed a lonely Matt ahead and focused on slowly reeling him in. He had a few minor offs to help me and battle was joined for the honour of last place. There were many buttock clenching moments as the car appeared determined to ignore any directional input, preferring to find its own path which did not usually correspond to the tarmac.
The joke is that Matt would have beaten me anyway....I spluttered out of fuel 200mtrs from the finish.
Race 2
Considered changing cars, but figured that a couple more adjustments to the Escort might just make it more driveable. So dumped another 2 galls of go juice in the tank, reduced the brake effectiveness to 88% and wound the balance forward slightly. One click on the power side of the diff and went for a trial lap. First flying lap and I was a second faster and the car was slightly easier to drive...or maybe I was adjusting to it??
Got a reasonable start and was able to chase Bob's Porker for several laps until Matt steamed past in his recovering Beemer. Still able to chase Bob and it was noticeable where he was quicker and where I regained the time. All was well until I was indeed caught out by Bob's early braking ( no complaints, should've been more aware!) at the top pf the hill and I had to throw the car onto the grass to avoid a rear end situation
. Up until then I was feeling that maybe there was a fast car hiding somewhere in the RS1600 setup and perhaps I was getting closer to uncovering it. Once again the slippery grass delayed my rejoin and I was back in last place again with Tony now the only car I had a hope of catching .. another Porker
Slowly I got closer and just when I thought that a couple of quick laps might get me on terms...the Erstwhile Escort spun me around again!! Spent the rest of the race trying to set a PB, and failing miserably until... despite having added 2 galls of extra fuel, I ran out 1/2 lap short of the finish??!! Maybe I was driving more aggressively in the 2nd race??
Still, it was good fun wrestling with the car and quite a few good fun laps in each race, plus I have used up 2 of those Escort drives