Not a classic performance from me, partly because I hadn't done my customary testing over the preceeding days, and partly because of a stupid lapse in concentration just after my stop. But it did result in a very memorable and ultimately enjoyable race.
Struggled a bit in practice before finding some small tweaks to my Infineon setup to get me up towards the sharp end. Managed a proper banzai job in qualifying to get third on the grid, but once into the race I was able to pull away from Darren and Mike and stay with Brendan and
BertieFred for ten laps or so.
As the stint wore on, so did my tyres - too much understeer in a couple of corners was killing the front left, and the fuel burning off had lifted the back too far which was making it snappish under braking for Sitrlings, so I pitted four laps ahead of schedule and took tyres and a click more fuel than I really needed to try and keep it lower.
With other stops and an off or two I was very soon back to third, the leaders staying out a bit longer but too far ahead for there to be any danger of catching them. I was more than a little surprised to see Gary leaving the pits just a few seconds ahead - in fact I was even more surprised to learn that he didn't take tyres. That must have been one terrible in lap! I think you did take tyres really and just don't realise it...
Anyway, it was just after that that I made what could easily have been a race-ending mistake coming off Sheene Curve, running ever so slightly wide and dipping the left tyres onto the grass. With me hard on the gas the car spun instantly to the left; I tried to drive it out as it passed back over the track in Stirlings but it was going to quickly and carried on sliding into and through the gravel. In a stroke of incredible luck it came to rest just inches from going head-first into the tyres, and I backed it out and rejoined as Mike came racing past, demoting me to fourth.
I really,
really wanted to end the season with a podium after the disappointment of struggling to fourth place at Infineon, so I set about worretting Mike as best I could, knowing that even with a big raw pace advantage, getting past was really about extracting a big mistake. I tried every trick in the book, but even being able to drive almost any line into or out of the corners without losing time over him, he wasn't falling for any of my bluffs and there was no way I could get into a position where I could legitimately throw it down the inside.
Not until we came up to lap Pops. I knew I wasn't going to get a better chance, so I let him almost box himself in behind the Leg End on the front 'straight', putting myself right on his tail and then gambling on him still being a tiny bit distracted to go sailing up the inside into Paddock Hill Bend. We were side by side all the way up to Druids where I sealed the deal with a bit of Tokyo Drift round the top; I'd like to claim I was making the car wide but in truth I broke too late and was just holding the slide until I had enough track to straighten it out again!
After that I pulled away quite handily with the car working much better than it had late in the first stint.
Really very pleased to get a podium despite that off, and well done to Mike for snagging second in the drivers' championship; I really should've checked on the points situation with you before the race!
