First, I want to thank Matt for being online the day before the race so that I could see his braking markers. He was outstopping me in every crucial turn on the track. I knew these F2s didn't have the binders of the '67 cars but something else clearly was going on. It turned out to be a simple case of my not having calibrated the pedals quite carefully enough. By the time our online session was through, I'd reduced my lap times from the 1:37s to 1:34s. I wish every online practice could produce results like that.
Second, it became immediately apparent in the opening minutes of qualifying that I was going to need every bit of help I could manage to be competitive. Matt was in another league up front, that I knew going in, but I was surprised at the times that Dave Curtis was cranking out. We traded positions directly behind Matt a couple of times, but he finally won out, beating my own PB by half a second. OK, in this crowd being third on the grid is nothing to sneeze at.
Third, Dave and I got good starts at the drop of the flag as Matt completely bogged down. I gave some thought to just letting him recover on his own, but then I saw that a Mclaren was coming up behind me on the inside like one of Wagner's Valkyries, seeming to be accelerating even as I began to brake for T1. I could see that I'd be leading the race in about half a second when Roo, the McLaren kamikaze pilot, knocked Curtis, the leader, and himself into the next time zone with a collision at the apex of T1.
Now I'm going to pause here and repeat what I just said, because it bears repeating: This accident --- wholly preventable and completely unnecessary by the application of even a trace of logic, experience, or common sense --- occurred at the apex of T1. In every UKGPL event I've run until today, this sentence has been singled out for particular attention on the race detail page:
"Drivers are reminded that Lap 1 incidents carry an extra 1 place penalty." Why is this admonition even necessary? Even the dullest rookie must understand that you can't win the race on T1 but you can lose it there, or cause someone else to lose it. And surely there must be some comprehension that if you've qualified fifth of nine, there are four guys ahead of you who got there because they're actually faster than you are. With all due respect, this kind of conduct doesn't merit a one-place drop in the standings; I would argue that the only way this behavior is ever going to be controlled is by relegating the offender to the back of the qualifying pack for the next three races.
So I held onto the lead for five laps until Matt managed to find his way through the field. As soon as he appeared in my mirrors, I let him by without a fight because, as I mentioned, he's five times faster than I am. Case closed. I dueled variously with Paul, David, and finally Dave Curtis. He tried for 17 straight laps to find a way around me but apparently when two Coopers are joined at the hip, the draft doesn't mean much in F2 cars. I let him by on L27 when it was clear to me that he wasn't going to crash out on his own. Why would I do that? Well, he was able to find the code name for the Moroccan flag at Ain Diab for my seasons folder last September, and in gratitude for his effort, I promised him an uncontested pass at the next opportunity. I missed one opportunity in an earlier event, but at least I remembered it this time. I just didn't know it was going to cost me second place.
