A late filing... I just wanted to wait til the server replay was posted. Not that there was something to confirm necessarily but I just feel more comfortable in making reference to it rather than my own personal cap.
Super job by Robert to waltz away to a convincing win! Grats, mate! Robert just surged away and established a three second lead after only two laps. The word 'domination' springs to mind.
Grats to Art for taking P2 on the road and securing the coveted overall Grads Championship title. A most worthy overall performance.
AND... A P3 pour moi! Most unexpected and most welcome. To be sure, I profited from the misfortune of others but I was quite happy with my drive.
An early faller was Greg. Sad to see as he was for so long a leader in the title chase. Splendid initiation to the Grads Division, Greg. Well done.
I checked the standings prior to the event and noted that a lot of runners had tokens to spare for this last race of the season. It was not a surprise, then, to join the server and see that the field was awash with Loti and Eagles. It was going to be a hard slog to make an impression on this stellar field.
The early laps went well as I minded my rpm's til the engine was fully warmed. Dean kept me company doing a good job in the Ferrari. Arf was an early faller sliding of in the Para on Lap01 and dropping to the tail of the field.
Lap05 and the roof caved in. First, Art swung wide in Lesmo1 and brushed the guardrail. Lucky to escape there. Moments later, Evil did a virtual carbon-copy of that but unlike Art, had the misfortune to spin across the roadway collecting Greg as he did so. Clive was KO'd on the spot and Greg's Blue Bird suffered assorted damage with the most important manifesting itself as a serious engine maledy. Greg was able to resume but at a vastly reduced pace. Even befoe the dust settled on this two-car prang, Bob, running P2, drifted off into the hedge on the exit of Lesmo2 and it caught him fast. It must have been a pricky moment for Bob sitting there with the nose well out on the exit line. Several cars glided by but unfortunately, Jethro couldn't steer away in time and clipped Bob's Lotus nose. Lucky that both weren't eliminated. The end of this lap saw Robert leading Art by almost 10 seconds. Art was clear of Rocket Ronnie by a short two seconds and only a half second up on me. I was well in the tow. Jethro, undoubtedly still a little shaken from his close call with Bob, was just a few car lengths behind me and Dean doing well just 3/4 of a second further back. Arf had recovered nicely from his Lap01 off and was just a short two seconds off Dean's tail in P7.
The next major development was on Lap10. Art skated off in the Parabolique and Rocket skipped by to claim P2. As he recovered from the gravel trap and worked to get back up to speed, I tucked in behind Art's Eagle and had a virtual gift of a pass as we crossed the S/F line to start Lap11. As I rushed up to Art's rear, he seemed to drop a wheel off onto the grass verge on the left and lose speed. I gently knerfed his tail and backed off. That's all it amounted to, fortunately. It could have been race-ending for both of us. Art swung wide in Lesmo1 moments later and I took over P3. I ran there for a number of laps before Art re-passed. I trailed for some laps til a slight error let Art break away somewhat and close on RR.
I was running a solid P4 then as we entered the closing stages. It was only then that I noticed that my pitguy was flashing me that
Bob was closing fast. Recovering brilliantly from his earlier pruning of the hedge in Lesmo2, BW was storming back fast.
Lap28...just five to go...and Bob was less than one second off my tail. Lap29 and miserable luck. Only a car length behind going into the Lesmo complex, Bob had a slithering ride through Lesmo1. Perhaps my somewhat slower pace there caught him off-guard. Then, exciting Lesmo2, the hedge that so early on caused him grief did so a 2nd time. It caught BW's Lotus and he dropped fully four seconds til he broke free. Bad luck indeed after such a thrilling recovery not unlike Jimmy Clark's charge back up the field in '67.
Going into the last lap, Art had slipstreamed Ronnie for P2 going into the Curva Grande. I was back about three seconds. Gassing it on the exit of the Parabolica, Rocket had the misfortune of having the back end break free and he spun. By the time he got it all gathered up again, I'd the chance to scamper by and claim P3 at the line by a mere one second. 'Pick Pocket' as Ronnie said later in post-race chat. Most appropriate as earlier in the week, I stole P3 from him at Brno49 in the Pro Division.
BobW did persevere for P5 which so easily could have been much, much more fruitful.
Season S26 is dead. My thanks to the admins. Long live S27!