I think my one working brain cell was asleep last night. I started qually in the Lotus and was absolutely baffled when I was 4 seconds off the pace!!! With 15mins to go before the start a little light switched on somewhere deep in my mind......Is this the Lotus 49??? or 49b??
Doh!!
a quick switch of cars and some frantic laps to check the race setup promoted me to 3rd spot on race fuel. Unfortuantely I had not practised the start and just bogged down off the grid.
I tried to keep it straight, as cars passed me left and right, just waiting for the nudge from behind . Thanks guys for avoiding a slow car!!
I had guessed at the gearing to be sure of being safe in slipstream and it worked quite well, I was able to regain a few places and set off after the leading quartet of Robert Teso, Piero, Axel and Angex??.
Slowly I was closing the gap and had just got into slipstream range when 2 of them tangled at Lesmo 1, I thought that there was a gap, and almost made it through but a spinning cat clipped my rear wheel and I was swung around into the armco. A couple of hits by following cars bounced me around and I rejoined back in about 6th place.
Set off after ( Tim? ) whilst Jani was always pressing from behind.
Then there was Curve Grande........ Another pair of cars touched ahead and once again I saw a large gap, but just when I thought I was had tightened my line and slipped past the spinning cars....
Chasing cars were caught up in the mess and I was hit a couple of times before I could regain control and get going.
Eventually Jani and Robert Teso caught me in their Mclarens and it was about then that I discovered an extra 10 gallons of fuel that I was hauling around! I could hold them in slipstream, but was always left on acceleration.
jani and Robert ouched at Parabolica and I inherited 5th right on Robert's tail. I think I had too much wing as I was faster through most corners but slower on the straights, and so I tried a banzai move on the last lap around the outside of Parabolica....it did not work! Still recovered to keep 5th, great fun guys.
grats to Piero, Robert and Angex.