Finally a track where the Jag could shine a little..
Early looks at the track suggested it would be well suited for the D-Type. With only one gear used for the entire lap, its 4-speed transmission would be less of a disadvantage, and the minimal braking meant that its tendencies to dart left or right at random under braking, wouldn't be as much of an issue.
Early testing went well, but things really clicked when I tried vintage tyres. Haven't liked them on the Jag before, and they did make the handling more tricky, being much more prone to locking up under braking, so you ploughed straight on. That's mostly fatal on this track. Thus had to be very delicate with the brakes, but I was substantially quicker on them, and as they're harder wearing, using them clearly was a no-brainer.
Online the car weered right every time I touched the brakes, which it strangely hadn't done offline. Couldn't fix it in setup, so simply had to compensate with the steering. Did a new pb in qual, but still very surprised to be on pole, with all the fast drivers attending. Start was simple: max revs and dump clutch
- that made for a clean getaway without wheelspin or too much bogging down. Surprisingly I stayed ahead of the pack, which was a clear advantage - couldn't get caught by another driver's misfortune.
Slowly built a gap of about 4 secs to Doni, but then he left and the gap jumped to 10 secs. Very lonely race from then on, but can't call it boring - had to stay 100% focused at all times, to avoid the fate that befell so many other drivers.
Tried hard to reclaim fastest lap, when I realised someone else had nicked it (grats Kurt)
Couldn't quite do it though; with a potential win within reach, it would have been exceedingly stupid to lose all in a vain attempt to claim this honor.
Extremely chuffed with the result of course - never in my wildest dreams had I imagined I could bag a win in the Jag
Grats to all who finished, and commiserations to all those who suffered (spectacular) exits prematurely.
Thanks to Tony for setting it up, and for the unusual track selection.
Cheers,
Erling