OK guys, it should seem a very good championship start up for me and our Team Shadows and my lap times with car unloaded for qually were interesting as well (I had 1:09:50 in BC and I've tried the qually car for no more than 15 laps in total). Anyway I was surprised for my Pole lap time made just in 4 o 5 laps, but...this is the strange of GPL. I've spent lot of time in practicing and I had my best lap times around 1:10.40 during the very beginning laps with my Porsche full loaded for GP but, unfortunately, I was not able to repeat these lap times when the race started, maybe because I was not properly relaxed. Anyway and watching the replay, I can say that my driving was good if not enough for the 1st final place at least like consistency and smoothness that for me is a good thing.
Race:
After the green flag I've taken a good pace that permitted me to stay for a few laps in 1st position and making me control in the rear view mirror Evilclive that was getting closer and farther several times until he disappeared from my mirror. In 1 or 2 laps pribluda told me Tristan was closing fast on me and so I begun to watch in the mirror a little to often, so often that this has been the cause of my 1st incident at T3L. I had to protect my 1st place several times and, correctly Tristan raised his foot avoiding any contact but at T3L I've seen him in the mirror getting in the belly side on the Left so, thinking he was trying to overtake me, I switched to the front view a little too late steering a little bit too late just to leave him the necessary room and loosing completely the racing line without slowing down my speed consequently, and that has been the mistake. I literally took off catapulting from the hill used like a sky jump on an aircraft carrier
. When I got landed and regained the track in 3rd place (I think), there was suddenly the feeling that something was no more properly functioning like before. Instead I thought some of my pistons remained where I've landed so I was no more able to get full speed and, aware of this, I begun to stretch the gears at max revs to loose the minimum speed possible. That was what I could make but I had almost 15 kph less than my chaser Max Lenclen that caught me in a few laps. I've tried to protect my place a few times but I knew he could easily overtake me along the straight and instead he decided to attack me at T3L (again) while I was protecting the internal side of the left turn. He passed between me and the grass but unfortunately since I was convinced that he would not have never tried to overtake me in that point of the track that means internal so I've steered at turn entry to gain the apex but...Max were already there and...boom!!! I've finished my race almost in the same point I've landed in the previous incident and...Game Over !
Joking with Axel in a chat after the race and considering also the race of Jason, I said, if UKGPL will organize a championship for pilots rearended or pilots spun off...we certainly will win it.
A special thanks to our team mate Axel who saved all of us Shadows gaining the first points. Well done Axel.
Axel tried to convince me not to take any action or claim for my second incident with Max because for him it is due to a warp, I instead thought at a similar situation in which I've got a penalty (Brands Hatch season 21). In that race in such a very similar situation I've got a "very ambitious overtake" penalty.
I'm not happy to make a claim at 1st race but, this will be my next action.
See you all at East London.