Circuit Mont-Tremblant.  Never a venue I've cared for and after 28 arduous laps here, I hope I don't see it again anytime soon.  All too rather gimmicky with the multiple instances of 'up the hill to find a blind corner at the crest'.  Way, way over done here.

Nice job by Patrick to score a fine victory.  Jonny a great run to P2.  Phil ditto for P3.

After the Lap01 nonsense, I was second from last with only Axel behind me and soon, he disappeared.  Clay very kindly gave me a wave-by on Lap06; thanks, amigo.  This let me attack Andreas and the prospect of another fine battle with AG was on the cards.  Lap08 and I bungled the braking coming off the back straight and had to take the infield grass to miss Andreas.  I made the pass but it was stoney lucky and not in the least kosher.  I immediately gave back the place.  Lap10 and Andreas had difficulties approaching the first set of twisties and I made good a proper pass.  From then on in, it was just mind my P's & Q's and not make a hash of things.  Gutted to see Evil Clive fall victim to a glitch at the cost of a podium.  Grim.  Last lap and I came across a Cooper down in the far loop going very slowly.  This was Bot who short-filled and now paid the price.  These last two DNF's elevated me to a handy P6 so not altogether a bad showing.

Almost certainly the worst drive I've put up in many a moon.  Maybe ever.  I qualified reasonably well but soon, everything went into the toilet.  Bot drilled me in the tail on the pace lap and I suffered damage in my spin.  Nice going, Bot.  Honestly, if stupidity were a virtue, this guy would be a saint.  Considerable mayhem resulted for others following thanks to this. 

On the first lap at speed, I bungled the braking coming off Conrod and hit Ricky in the tail.  We both spun off.  So sorry for that, Ricky.  Perhaps the damage I received on the pace lap contributed to that error.  Upon recovery, I was ahead of Ricky but guilt compelled me to ease off and let him pass cleanly along the Mountain Straight.  Over the coming laps, I made some progress and stuck with Ricky as we picked off a few places.  However, I was still making some horrid mistakes and frankly, I was not really in the game after the pace lap incident.  Mid-race, I just settled back and cruised it in.

Noted quite a few '64' laps for my fellow competitors with most being registered up on the Mountain.  After witnessing the appaling corner-cutting by some of the chicane at Suzuka in our F2 race, I guess that I just have to accept that some of us are ethical, some not.

Ripper of a finish with the smallest possible MOV in Evil Clive's favour.  I still recall the GP67 race at Estoril some years back where Clive and I staged a photo finish but not this close.  Nice job by Tom to round out the podium after the pace lap nonsense.

BTW, Bot performed two resets so...  'Hasta la vista, baby.'

Anytime that you go to the grid to take up a P12 start and walk away with a P4 finish...and even have a sniff of a podium, too...it can't be a bad day.

Great job by Evil Clive to score a convincing win.  Well done, mate.

Ricky a fine recovery from earlier dramas to cop P2.  Top marks there, Ricky.

Dimi a solid drive to P3.  I was working hard in the late going to spoil his day but couldn't quite find the pace to challenge.

Got away from the grid very well to gun down some Gordinis by the time we arrived at T1.  Over the next laps, people seemed hell-bent on falling off the road and by Lap04, I found myself running a lofty P4.  I had Clive Loynes hot on my tail for a few laps but soon, he disappeared only to be replaced by Fulvio; he closed in rapidly to hound my tail but he couldn't quite wangle a pass.  For many a lap, we ran nose-to-tail.  He seemed definitely quicker through and out of Big Bend but there wasn't enough room or time for Fulvio to make good on it.  Late in the going, Fulvio fell back to leave me clear to pursue Dimi and I increased my pace considerably.  Set fifth fastest lap, it seems.  That's a bit of a surprise.

As a roller start has not been mentioned to date, I presume that we are looking at a standard grid start?

I'd be pleased and honoured to make a start in Beefpie's memory.  Count me in.

Hello, Clive...  Does this round not collide with a schedule F2 race on April 09?

Edit: Noting Phil's post below.  Thanks, PT.

Nothing to see here...  Move along...  Nothing to see here...

Edit: Actually, somewhat miffed to see that I scored a '64' on Lap03.  Most likely for getting a poorish entry to the Spoon rather than cutting the chicane.

That startline mayhem...  Not without historical precedent.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BwH_TWYKueU

I think that this one is credited to Dimitar.

Dear me...  The whole roller start business just isn't working, is it?  Tom gaffed right off the grid but quickly realized his error and slotted back into position.  Then Bot set up an almighty shunt by not acknowledging the start point and causing the field to play bumper cars behind him.  Geeezzz...  Let's just forget the idea altogether, OK?

Picking up the pieces from that, I ran ahead of Bob for a lap til he got position on me for the kink on the back straight and I went wide to accommodate only to spin in the grass collecting Bot as I did so.  Tuff luck there, Bot.  Managed to get going again but I was well down in last place chasing Paul with little affect for the balance of the race.  Finished P13(P10 net).

Note: It would seem that Bot performed two resets.  On Lap01 and again on Lap16. Tsk, tsk...  I should think that he's looking at a P14 final placing in the finishing order if not an outright DQ, no?

I should think that a DQ in Tom's case is not warranted.  He corrected his error well in time.

A pretty decent run for me in the BT14 with all laps on track to a P10 finish.  Had a bit of a fright at T2 on the opening lap as I lightly clipped the apex and the car lurched sideways but luckily, I caught it.  Many, many runners running afoul of the 'sticky grass' and having to catch me up.  Got into a good punch-up with Bob several times.  Came close to scooping a place from Phil on the last lap.  Next time, PT! 

I had endured a three-hour road trip earlier in the day and wasn't entirely enthused about entering this event as I was mildly fatigued.  With the 'sticky grass' being regarded by me as a nightmare and in strategic terms, a build fail, I consider it a real plus to get home without dramas.  The overall layout of Bulawayo isn't bad if a tad tedious but the 'sticky grass' just spoils it, imo.

Nice job by Alain for the win.  Great recovery by Evil Clive for P3.  Fine run by Tom in the Cooper to nab P4.  If I'm not mistaken, he needed a reset for fuel late in the go.

Phil notes that I am using the BT14.  It is rather short on performance compared to all other marques.  I am working to a plan. 

Worked hard all race with a virtually error-free run to finish...P11.  Sigh...  I was expecting many, many more DNF's especially from the Eagle users but it just didn't happen.

Got away cleanly from the grid to trail Phil and could nothing to challenge.  I opted for a very tall 5th gear to be kind to the engine and it may have been just a little too conservative.  Sorry to see Jonny suffer an engine failure so early on.  At least that let the rest of us close in on his title lead.  Finally got close enough that on Lap11, I was able to slipstream by Phil and take off after Ricky.  Phil was always in a position to counter-attack til his spin in the stadium on Lap13.  Ricky cuffed the fence on the exit to Ostkurnve on Lap19 that allowed me pull alongside and make the pass going into the stadium.  Up to P10.  All for nought, though, as Ricky easily breezed by on the next long straight.  Held my position for closing frames as the vision was getting a little sketchy and with its very high speeds, this is no place to be over-enthusiastic.  As well, I did my best not cut any corners and only scored three '64' laps thanks to minor errors in the stadium.

Well now...  That started off a bit ghastly but ultimately turned into a ripper of a race. 

Qualifying went reasonably well if a bit congested at times and I had to be content with a lap a full second off my previous best in the Chaparral.  We actually got a clean roller start!  Take a bow, guys.

Coming off T6 on Lap01, the race was on and I gassed it up to T7 with Fulvio in close company.  There, I suddenly found cars going very slowly indeed and I went left to miss them but collided with Alain's Lola to spin to dead last.  Turns out that Phil had bunted Pete and caused a bit of a drama.  Picking up the pieces, I pressed on passing a few cars til I ended up some six seconds down on Fulvio on Lap08.  Over many a lap to follow, I slowly whittled away the margin as he was having a fierce duel with Alain.  It wasn't until about Lap18 that I actually got a whiff of his slipstream as the gap was now down to all of two seconds.  Lap19 and a major development as Alain got the Lola well out of shape entering T9 and Fulvio slipped by for the place.  I was close enough to get position on Alain for T1 and scampered by to follow Fulvio.  A hard lap for Alain.  It almost looked like Alain backed out of it and voluntarily gave me the place.  Perhaps his tyres were cooked.

This left me close to Fulvio with Alain not that far behind.  A good trio having at it with seven laps to run.  Following Fulvio onto the back straight, he could out-pull me coming off T8 but I could close further along the straight.  Clearly, he was sporting a bottom gear lower than I.  My 1st gear was substantially taller which let me run from T9 all the way to T8. 

Comes Lap22 and I'm close enough exiting T8 to catch a good tow on the back straight and I position off Fulvio's right.  I was surprised in that I think Fulvio got out of the throttle early and I surged by going into T9.  I wasn't really making a serious bid but one musn't look a gift horse in the mouth, right?  We rounded T9 virtually side-by-side and in the run down to T1, my taller first gear paid dividends as I maintained the place.  Alain had fallen back a couple of seconds but was still in the mix.  Fulvio made an easy pass on the back straight on Lap23 and I could hear the fat lady warming up in the wings.  To start Lap26, a mere 1-1/2 seconds spanned the time between Fulvio and Alain with me the filling in the sandwich.  Sadly for Alain, his threat evaporated with a spin in T1 on this lap.  In many cases like this in a close battle with someone of equal performance, I would ask myself, 'What would Fulvio do?'  Knowing that he is the cleanest and safest of GPL pilots, the last thing in the world I would want to do is bungle a pass attempt and shunt him off.  Coming off T8 for the last time, I was really close to Fulvio this time and got a fine tow.  I took up position on Fulvio's right and breezed by into T9.  My Chaparral ran very slightly high and I feared that Fulvio might get position on me in the run to the flag but no, he came up just 1/10 of a second down.  Fabulous race!  Great job, Fulvio!

I scored this one 4/5 over at GPLWeekly.

Some terrific battles up and down the field not least of which was for the lead.  Only resolved by a massive shunt by Clive in the late laps.  Bad luck there, mate.  Yannick fully deserved of the win.  Nice turn out of entries, chaps.

No problem, Fulvio.  Only cost me a little time with no damage.  My main concern was dropping a wheel into those wretched gutters on Lap16 with a spin into the haybales at the top of the main straight.  It was a significant hit but again, got away without damage.

Dimitar...  Actually, no, I didn't lift in that last corner.  That's as fast as the BT14 will go.  It's down fully 10mph to the F2 cars.  I saw you coming and was bearing to the left on corner exit to give you room when suddenly, you vanished from my mirrors.  Noted in the replay cap that you had quite a moment as you relate above.

Not altogether displeased with my run.  A P11 finish(net P9).

As for those gutters, it is my understanding that Gimli Motorsport Park...coordinates 50.634949612593616, -97.0554776703987...is also so configured with a 10cm...four inch...high step from the racing surface down to the old airfield on which it is based.  Of course, Gimli is most famous for the 'Gimli Glider' incident.  See below...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gimli_Glider

Nice job for the win, Alain!  You seem to be coming into your own of late.  Good show.  Evil Clive a fine P2.  Pete nailing down the final podium step.  Well done, chaps.

From a P8 starting grid slot to finish P4 might sound like a really good day.  As a result, yes, but in truth, I was not overly pleased with my drive as several times, I went too deep on braking for some corners and had to skirt high to keep it on the road.  It was close thing.  I must complement Jonathon on his excellent judgement for not pile-driving me in the tail as on several occasions, he was oh-so close to making a bid.  Of course, Jonathon had already suffered a misfortune for getting involved with a spin with Axel and lost some places.  I had recently configured my GPLShift programme to give me a 123° view for my 'Look Left' and 'Look Right' buttons on my steering wheel.  I took a peek a few times and more than once I saw that orange nose cone.

So sorry to see my Blue Moose teammie, Evil Clive, lose a superb P3 run so late in the going.  That tiny spin cost him three places.  Groan...

Ricky a fine run to P2 which if there's any justice in this world will ultimately be the win.  Jonny a splendid run in the BRM to P3.  Well done, chaps.

It's not lost on me that the top three in the standings come from the colonies.  Ahem, ahem...