Dave Rainier? DAVE RAINIER???
WOOOHOOO!!! Hearty congratulations to Dave on a super win. As a driver whom I think has improved considerably in his GPL skills over the last couple of seasons here at the UK, I bow to a drive that was near-faultless and certainly, had me bested. Well done, DR.
Great run for Andreas to score P2! Again, well done.
Frankly, a lucky P3 for me as Tris, Clive & Dean fell afoul of the gods.
I have to say that I had a good laugh on joining the server to find no less than three of us had selected the bone-slow Lotus 33 with Coventry-Climax power. Did Dean, Cookie and I know something that the others didn't? No, I suppose not but my rationale was to spend less to amass tokens and take a lesser result on a circuit that I typically do well on. That should be no surprise. I was born & raised just 20 minutes down the road in Bowmanville and spent my youth at the 'Happy Track'.
I bungled the start and almost lost a position to Andreas. Lucky to hold him off. Up the Andretti Straight on the first lap, I kinda blocked AG somewhat not by design but rather by surprise at just how much faster his Cooper was in a straight line. I recognized that my Lotus was rather a stone by comparison but by that much? Geeezzz... Next lap, Andreas was by comfortably.
I then had Dave nipping at my heals and making serious his desire to pass. Only by holding to the right up the back straight til we arrived at T8 did I stave him off for many a lap. Ultimately, though, he got the run he needed and I had little choice but to yield the position. Nice, workmanlike job on the pass, DR.
Dean then filled my mirrors and considering our recent races, I had to wonder how long it would be before I'd be junked. Ahem... Thankfully, a little more restraint on his part allowed us both to continue til his engine went sour. I couldn't help but hear him rowing through the gears behind me and took some satisfaction in setting up my Lotus to run from a change-up to 3rd gear on the pit straight and being able to hold it all the way down to the Moss hairpin. Being a lazy old goat has its advantages. I'm also a firm believer in less is more.
The laps reeled off and try as I might, the Lotus was just handcuffed on the Andretti Straight and all I could hope for would be a mistake from Andreas and Dave. AG did swing a bit wide in the hairpin on a late lap to open the door for Dave and he was through for P2. I was all set for a P4 finish...and quite satisfied with it all things considered...when suddenly, my pit board was showing me as P3.
Tris, our runaway leader, lunched his engine to the point that it would barely do 100mph on the back straight. The BRM power unit is robust but not indestructible, mon ami.
Got down to the last laps and the freight train continued to the flag with the three of us...Dave, Andreas and myself...crossing the line with less than a one second spread. Great finish!
Fran did well to score a P4. Billy with very bad luck in shunting off late in the going(and causing the lead serial a serious fright as it was just in front of us!). Axel a dreadful result after starting from the pits. Groan...
Once again, grats to Dave!