Bad luck for all those dumped into the scenery by the grid layout, always worth trying a Shift/R once the pack have moved off??? I'm sure that Phil will fix any issues before the season starts
I did a 2 lap practice race a few days ago on Axel's server and that was the first time I had tried Nurby in the 55's and that was the first time I had driven the Mighty Merc. It was enough of a run to make me realise that the secret around here might be NOT using the brakes for some of the corners, but saving them for where they would give the best gains. It does take a supreme effort of will and confidence in the car setup to keep your foot off that middle pedal !!
Tim looks like the "man to beat" in the 55's after his performance with the Gordini at Monaco and Spa. I was half expecting yet another masterclass for this race, but he chose to roll out the Fezza 625 instead. I opted for the Maserati ( I did not think it fair to take a Merc or Lancia ) but I needed to get a base setup sorted for a mid range car before the new season started. After a few false starts in qually and a few tweaks to the setup, that super smooth 6 cylinder Mazza began to give me the confidence to push a little throughout the lap. Second on the grid was a surprise given all of the Lancias that were buzzing about, but at Nurby grid position is less important than a consistent pace, and anyway I was still around 5 secs off of Tim's pole lap.
I did struggle for the first lap until the tyres warmed up and gave back just a little more grip and it was re assuring to keep Tim within range. I was sure that if I allowed Tim to get clear and relax then he would just drive away from me so I pushed as hard as I dared to keep him honest. By now the chasing pack had dropped back and it was between the 2 of us.
Then a small case of brke fade and brain fade combined gave him a gap of around 200mtrs and I could see that he was trying hard to break away completely...........until he clipped a grass bank and performed an aerial ballet with extra points for artistic impression. I was closing fast and committed on a section of the track where my brakes were cooked and I was intending to wrestle the car through the bends. I could not stop if I wanted to, so I aimed for the grass verge and squeezed through, although I did feel a slight clunk on the rear from Tim's car.
When things settled down I was in 1st place and Tim was around 500mtrs behind and possibly needing a SnG....oh! that would be so good if he lost another few seconds in the pits
I knew that Tim was probably 3-4 secs faster per lap in full attack mode and I had around 10 secs lead with 3 laps to go. The important thing for me was not to make any mistakes and force Tim to take risks if he wanted to catch me. Each lap he was taking huge chunks out of my precious lead and was clearly much faster on some sections, but I was still driving at 95% and trying to keep things under control.
The last lap started and now I could see Tim appearing in my mirrors around 100mtrs back. I knew that with his pace he was sure to catch me, but passing me would be difficult as long as I did not make a mistake. Sure enough he was soon sat on my tailpipes looking for a chance, and I guessed he was waiting for the long straight where I knew he was quicker.
So I had to get some breathing space before we got there and for a few corners I saved my brakes and effectively baulked Tim before nailing the gas and attacking the last part of the lap. I'm not sure if Tim made a small error but I swept onto the straight with around 90mtrs lead and watched Prib count down the gap as his Ferrari wound up the wick. Under the bridge and down to the Esses and I was still in front....just don't screw up the braking into that last corner!!
I almost blew the win when I missed a gearchange out of that final corner, but managed to get across the line just 0.11 secs ahead of Tim.
Grats to Tim who was clearly faster, but made that crucial mistake and still caught me after a SnG. ANother lap and it would have been a different result!! Well done all those who finished on a track where brakes do come in useful and the discovery that for the corner ahead they ain't gonna work is rather disconcerting
The new season looks like it might be great fun