Where is it, what happened to it, which way did it go? I was more than fast enough to catch it. I was so close I could pretty much taste it! So what does a podium taste like? Well, spray some Champers on it and who cares, it was mine I tell you - it was stolen!
It all started well enough. The birds were twittering, the Lotus sweetly singing. Being a late Seasonal arrival without championship prospects, I'd been and thrown some tokens at the track, and had had a bash at the front runners. A timely one I mean. It worked, and 3rd on the grid suggested, I could clutch an easy podium finish. Whats more, the Ferrari's ahead could suffer breakages.
Such dreams were quickly broken, as the leader threw a block on his wing man, at the 50 yard line. And the entire field tried to get in on the action, with only my Lotus in the way! After a lengthy flight, I was rather lucky to make a touch down while remaining intact. So all was not lost, and after a lap I'd already fought back to 6th. But sadly, the motor had sung it's last song, and thereupon expired - post flight trauma.
My podium was ebbing, and my sound was cut off. Waiting to reset while everyone merrily flew by, my agitation became animation, and a flailing arm yanked the headphones soundly out of their socket! I daresay, my improvised sound substitution sang less sweetly, and I'd lost another 10 or 15 seconds, before trundling into the pits to S & G.
With normality restored, and podium gone, the race ran it's coarse. The 2 leaders were beyond my scope, but towards the end 3rd placed Cookie, was miraculously in my sights - a podium was still applausable! Hence, pressing hard, an Armco casually bumped a front wheel, and a misfire commenced, along with a loss of handling. Podium gone, except Florian from 2nd was gone, and I'd returned to podium material, once more, despite all!
Limping comfortably but lapped in third place, I'd one lap to complete to climb the third step, to glory. And that's when the misfire grew worse. "Grumble!" But plenty of space behind, and still a suitable number of wheels remaining. Then, rounding the final bend, the engine cuts out, it coasts to a stop near pit entrance, driver gets annoyed.
Lost - one podium, last seen prior to the finish line. I suspect several drivers of stealing it.