Nah, you're just too slow, Clive.
Anyway, I did a bit better than on Rouen, thanks to the team manager firing the manager of fuel consumption calculations. before the race I had a high 1:33 as a PB, and the first qualifying lap brought me a promising 1:35.11, but I struggled to get in a clean lap after that, so the time stayed on the time board for half the qual. Still it kept me on pole for about ten minutes, I guess, before I was pushed down to eighth. Then I managed to get a time below 1:35, and climbed a few spots. Pushed a few more laps, and managed a 1:34.11 which gave me a fourth spot, just a hundredth of a second behind Geoff on third. Sam was on second, and Ginsters on first.
The start was great, both for me and Sam, in contrast to Ginsters, who had a really bad start, and had to fight his way up the field before starting hunting us down. Sam pulled away slowly, and I was settling in for keeping my laps as steady as possible and hope that I could keep Ginsters behind when he eventually got past the rest. Then Sam spun in Beckett's! I couldn't manage to avoid him, but managed to slow down enough to just give him a nudge. I managed to get going again before the rest of the field caught us, except Clutch, who sneaked by on the grass, so I was still in second.
I slowly hauled him in, and on the next lap I got past him in Club corner, and I was in the lead! But Ginsters was behind me now, so now was the real test for me. I managed to keep the gap at about one second for a few laps, but then I turned in to early in Abbey, and lost control. Ginsters got past, together with Pete, Clutch and Sam. Sam and Clutch faught for third, and I stayed behind. Then Sam spun again, and I could start hunting down Clutch. Clutch was closing in on Pete, so I hoped to get past both pretty quickly. I passed Clutch in the Club corner, like last time, and pushed to catch Pete.
A few laps later he had a bad entrance to Stowe corner, and I could pass him pretty easily. I then struggled a bit to pull away from him, but I finally managed to leave him behind. Ginsters was now so far ahead that I just settled for second. All I could hope for now, was Ginsters making a mistake, so i could put some pressure on him. Then Sam appeared in my mirrors...
I was really concentrating now, but still he slowly closed the gap. I was determined to keep him behind me. Okay, he was faster than me, but not enough to get past if I just could keep concistent and getting the corners right. Then I missed at Abbey again! Sam got past, and there was nothing I could do now to regain second position. Now I had a few really bad laps, and Pete and Clutch was closing in on me now. Luckily I managed to get one good lap towards the end that widened the gap, so I got breathing space to secure the third place.
Grats to Ginsters and Sam. You earned the podium places, although the friggin' Abbey corner cost me at least the second place. If I hadn't missed that, i might have had enough gap to keep Sam behind until the end of the race. Ginsters was so fast, I doubt it I could keep him behind anyway.
