Well not one of my favourite circuits, but last nights performance might be more to do with me, the car that I chose and the setup.
I selected the Mclaren and I don't know why, I also started with the setup I used at Daytona ( one can immediately see how similar the circuits are
) and I have no rational explanation for that. Just to make the perfect combination I was actually feeling totallly knackered after a gruelling day in the workshop trying to sort out....wait for it..........................a new dummy ( but fully functional) pitwall enclosure for Mclaren's hospitality area.
The setup required a few tweaks and my new pit crew Anders Dehammer and Ben Dittofit claimed to have carried out the necessary adjustments.
The race started well enough although I was nowhere near the qually pace of Hristo,Art etc...stunning lap times boys
But with cars testing the root structure of various trees I picked up a couple of places and was running behind Andreas in 4th or 5th....which was OK.
I was not until I really started to push that the setup showed it's flaws. At 90% the car handled very sweetly and I could drive smoothly and felt confident that I could at least finish the race. But I think Anders had used his favourite tool a little too much, because as I explored the finer limits of the setup the car would oversteer through slow corners (and it took a lot of delicate footwork to prevent the tail getting ahead of itself), but in the fast sweeping corners it would develop massive understeer at the apex.
It was the understeer that caught me out and I too tested a tree
. A S/R and SnG and I was a long way back but some steady driving got me back onto Andreas's tailpipes and I pressed hard for a few laps hoping for a mistake that did not come. His Matra was quicker out of the corners but I was later on the brakes until the dreaded understeer gremlin caught me again and I bounced off the fencing and back across the track to continue my woodcarving.
A great dice with Andreas which should have gone all the way to the flag.
Grats to Hristo and the podium....those times are almost scary, I need to do some serious practice on this track because I am certainly missing something....about 15 secs!!!!!
