Grats to Clive ( looks like he has his mojo back) and Doni who drove a very steady race to 2nd spot.
I confess that taking the Gordini was a big gamble, but my token account was looking a little empty with so many fast tracks still to race. I also reasoned that Avus is always a track where there are multiple casualties and the Sudkerve always claims multiple victims. So, driving the Gordini and aiming for survival might cost me nothing, but might just score a few points.
I actually did some offline practice to sort out the gears and brakes, but the big hole in the Gordini's performance is the start!! With only 4 gears and low power setting the ratios for the slipstream is essential, but spreading the 4 gears to drag the little snail up to top speed is a nightmare. If 1st gear is too high then the car can hardly drag itself off the grid allowing all of those lovely tow trucks to escape on the first lap!! So I practised the start, and the use of the clutch, over and over....but still almost messed up the start and had to dip the clutch go again.
Fortunately, I got the little car up to speed quite quickly and sat myself behind one of the huge Silver Arrows down to The Sudkerve for the first lap. All my plans almost went t*ts up at the first braking point when a group of Merc SL's applied their brakes about 200mtrs earlier than I was planning to do in the Gordini!!! I only just avoided taking out a few of those Mercs
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I was never going to overtake an SL, but I quickly realised that my little car was much faster through the Nordkerve and under braking, but with a silver road block ahead I could not take advantage of that
There were a few casualties in the early laps and I found myself in 3rd place!!! Doni was ahead following Clive, but after avoiding a few cars that lost control under braking, Doni was frustratingly just a few metres beyond the slipstream range and I could not get the tow that would have dragged me away from chasing pack and perhaps take me all the way to the finish?.
After a few more laps I was joined by Phil and later by Bastian and so began a mutual slipstream event , until Bastian got the banking a little wrong and that left Phil and myself running 3rd/4th.
By swapping slipstream we were able to maintain the gap back to Fran's SL and it was possible that we could keep our places all the way to the finish
That was how it worked until we caught Fulvio to lap his Lancia and suddenly we had a much faster car with us on the straights. I knew from a rehearsal on lap 15 that if I was faster through the right hander before the Nordkerve and if I was ahead there I could hiold Phil at bay until I crossed the line. So, the plan for the last lap, was to let Phil be in front at the Sudkerve, slipstream him up the return straight and draft past before the righthander to take a glorious 3rd place.
Brilliant plan, which almost worked lol. But... Fulvio's Lancia ( no complaints Fulvio you were very careful to not influence our race ) found itself ahead of Phil and gave Phil a little extra speed that I could not match. I was resigned to 4th place as we entered the Nordkerve for the last time, but that was way, way better than I had hoped for.
Even my wife said that she overheard my shocked cry when Phil went off right at the end of the banking, presenting me with a gift of 3rd place in the Escargot.
I really felt for Phil as he had driven a faultless race, whereas I had made a few mistakes and made a some miraculous escapes to get to the flag.
Commiserations to those who did not reach the finish, and congratulations to those who did.