Moderator's Report
So a new season and we are at Panchine an imagined track set in the beautiful lakelands of northern Italy. Qualification was full of the usual suspects with Hristo being somewhat faster than his Hiki-Waza team mate Evil Clive. Goran completed the top three with the only other sub 1:53 time.
As we all know, the first corner of any race is fraught with danger and so it proved this time as Goran was outpaced out of the first turn by a speeding FMG. As Goran slid wide, Tim had nowhere to go and the faintest of touches span tham both wildly in front of Martin who did well to avoid a collision. Tim got away relatively cleanly but Goran was dropped back to 9th.
The first part of the race was fairly hectic with battles up and down the grid. Out front Hristo and Clive were neck and neck with H always having the edge but given that Hristo's pole was over a second ahead of Clive, Evil was doing well to keep H in check. Indeed Clive briefly took the lead at Turn 1 on Lap 2 but H reasserted himself to get the lead back by Turn 5. Clive would lead again, briefly on Lap 6 and 7 but each time H came straight back.
Tim and Ronnie were now battling it out and Tim finally got past at turn 1 on lap 2. Next up was Phil who had avoided the debris on the first lap. Tim dived down the inside of Phil coming to the complex of turns starting with the Curva Isola Verde and overcooked it, finding the fence. Phil would have several more people assuming they could outbrake him into right handers but he kept a steady line and maintained his position. As Tim recovered he slightly baulked Ronnie who thus lost the chance to get his place back. This put Ronnie in the sights of Goran who lined him up, passed him... and then crashed! Meanwhile Tim had pressured Phil into an error at the complex - the sight of the iron railings and two 90 degree bends was proving a challenge.
So H led with Clive close behind. Martin having a quiet race was in third and a charging Tim fourth. Next up Phil, Ronnie, Fulvio, Raoni (the new boy from Brazil) and Goran. These were all so close you could throw a blanket over them - ok, quite a large blanket... bit further back was Nigel with Bookie and Fabio bringing up the rear.
Lap 5 was proving hectic with Bookie taking to the grass and Fabio going to talk to him... Ronnie catches Phil and tries to pass him at a right hander overcooks it and finds the hedge too sticky to continue. Fulvio and Raoni zoom past with Goran close behind. Raoni, who started from the pit lane, is on fire and lines Fulvio up. A clean pass gives him the place. Phil up next. He is dispatched on Lap 6 with a brave charge on the S/F straight. Raoni fourth and charging.
Phil, who had profited from the first lap crash, is now under pressure from Fulvio and Goran. Fulvio manages to slip past but Goran is too far back. Close racing between Phil and Goran for the next few laps allows Fulvio to build a lead over the two of them. Up front H and Clive stay close but in that order. Martin is having a nice Sunday drive and may be too far ahead for Tim and Raoni. At the other end, Nigel is having a steady race and Fabio retires having visited the greenery once too often. That leaves Bookie bringing up the rear.
That will stay the order until lap 11 when Phil makes a mistake at the Curve di Schiammo. The complex proves a game changer again. It will also account for Tim who seems to have been lucky when he hits the fence but as he slows his right hand front wheel does not. The sad sight of his Dunlop continuing to race spells the end.
Lap 15 and there is some excitement as H makes an error and finds himself facing the hedge. Luckily for the race leader Clive overdoes it braking and loses it sufficiently for the race order to be maintained. Bookie's engine lets go on Lap 16 and he coasts into the pits but not before Raoni adds insult to injury by spinning him at the entry!
On to Lap 19 and Phil, who is now driving a lonely race wickedly maintains his line in front of Clive who decides to lap him through the engine block. Oops. Clive is upside down and Phil is spinning. Can he continue. Maybe... until his engine becomes a fiery ball as he spins backwards into a tree. Luckily Phil disconnects just in time to allow Nigel to zoom through although not in time to avoid frightening him mightily.
The story of the race is now Goran hunting down Fulvio. Fulvio has maintained a ten second lead but Goran finds some speed and starts reeling in the home favourite. Lap 23 and Goran finds some amazing pace and late braking to take the place. Three laps of nose to engine racing ensues. The best battle of the day. Fulvio just cannot find a way through so Goran maintains his fourth place behind Raoni with Fulvio fifth and Nigel a lap down in sixth. H has gone.
But what is this. A mad dog has forgotten his extra petrol can and on the last lap a deathly silence descends! He has run out of gas. As he coasts sadly to a stop, Raoni, Goran and Fulvio all streak by.
Cracking race, lots of close battles and that complex from the Curva Isola Verde sorts the men from the boys. Special mention for Raoni. From last to second with great pace. Looks like this championship is going to be hard fought.
Paul "Badblood" Whitfield
Server replay time: 0h00m54s
Göran was 3rd and Tim was 4th on the grid but Tim did a better start so they entered T1 side by side with Tim on the outside. None of them could see the other. At the exit Göran was drifting left and there were Tim and they came into contact.
Both drivers must have known about the other because of the starting positions and that none of them saw the other so both should have taken better care to avoid contact. Göran by holding the inner line even on the exit and Tim by holding back a bit because he did not se Göran.
