That was rough luck Daz, I wondered what had happened to you. The pleasure and pain of online racing I guess
Not the way that Erling and I would want to move up the finishing order.
I know that we have raced cars around Singapore before, but I think that this was a newer/different version? because when I rocked up on to the server I found that I had not the slightest idea where the next corner was, or which way it turned. My first exit from the pits was in the WRONG direction!!!
Tried the Holden first but it just did not feel right in my hands, so switched for the more nimble Toyota. Slowly I got to grips with the track layout but it took almost all of the practice session, then cobbled an untidy quali lap to get me up the grid before totally horlicksing the start and ended up losing 3 places I think
Tony and Matt were good enough to tangle and leave me a clear route through to chase Erling after a single lap, but it had allowed Daz and Erling to squeeze a couple of seconds advantage. In trying to get onto Erling's exhaust pipes I blew my fuel strategy and realised that the last minute change to higher gear ratios to stretch out the milegae had been counterproductive as I never used 5th gear for the race
. So maxxing out in 4th was drinking valuable fuel and it in trying to eco run I lost more and more ground to Daz and Erling, until at half distance I decided that I was going to run dry at lap 23, so I might as well push on. Matt had dropped out but Tony was only 20+ seconds behind and if he was going full distance I had a problem. Then he pitted( phew!!) and I was surprised to lap him whilst he negotiated with his pit crew and bartered for fuel and tyres. Now the car behind was Fulvio, but he was not far enough back to give me a free stop.
I opted for an earlier pitstop to get another 3 laps worth of fuel and allow myself time to try and hunt down Fulvio on my worn tyres without having to limit the engine abuse. I think my pit crew had been to the same union meeting as Tony's as it took 3 or 4 back and forth shuffling moves and 2 stalled engines before I got a response. This allowed Fulvio to sail past and build a 25 sec lead.......that had NOT been the plan !!!??
Although I was taking around 2 secs a lap out of Fulvio's lead it was not going to be enough in the 7 laps still left if he did not stop. When "PIT" came up against his name on the HUD it was a huge relief lol and I was able to back off a little instead of risking a total wipeout on tyres that must have resembled "O" rings by lap 23. Even at a slower pace there were a few buttock clenching moments on the last laps and with 2 Cut Track warnings already accrued I cou;d still have thrown it all away.
Again, rough luck for Daz. Thanks to Tony for organising.
