That race was certainly a challenge keeping the car on the black stuff. I found that by driving at perhaps 95% made a huge difference as I found late braking around here was an absolute no no. Having said that I still managed to throw myself of the road twice
. My race was pretty straight forward. Made a reasonable start and made an ambitious move up the inside of Rick which almost worked, but in hindsight I was too far back. Luckily the resulting bump was minor and Rick only lost a place to my cheeky pass
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A few laps in and I decided to investigate the scenery, allowing a few cars past. But proceeded to gain those lost places back when those in front of me also decided that the grass was more interesting than the black stuff! Eventually I wound up 3rd, unable to catch Tim and H up ahead and spent the rest of the race maintaining a gap over Rick. Pleased to have finished on the last step of the podium. Congrats to H and Tim, simply blistering times up front.
Good to see you not disconnect for a change, Sam, the new connection proving stable? As for the track, I don't see why so many people complain - it has a nice flow and although it requires a different driving style, it rewards driving skill and car setup rather than relying on a better machinery.
I spent half of the practice session to remember the track from the single 66s 2L event we had at it years ago and to also try to figure out my setup. After a couple of unsuccessful outings that ended up in offs and crashes, I figured that such a low grip surface requires a softer suspension, so once that was dialed in and the gearbox ratios set properly, the car became a joy to drive as long as I didn't overdrive it. The tire temperatures were an issue after a few laps though, so I didn't expect much of an advantage, if any, in the race.
The start was OK, but Tim was very quick and my cautious approach to the initial 5-6 laps, to let the engine warm up and to see how the car handled on more fuel, allowed him to keep up within a striking distance. I found out that the braking for the hairpin was really difficult with all that fuel onboard and sometimes the car just wouldn't stop and the wheels wouldn't lock up even if I fully pressed the pedal. Those bumps at the beginning of the braking zone definitely mattered and requires some modulation of the brake and throttle pedals.
The lack of running on race fuel showed as I went off into the hairpin and dropped to 3rd, then repeated that and lost 2 seconds to Bob who was in 2nd, with Tim another 1-2 seconds in front of him. It looked like I might not be able to catch and pass them at this stage of the race, but as I gained confidence with each lap, the gap began to shrink. I was amazed to find out that Bob was in the BRM as he was going really fast, closing up on Tim. Fortunately for me I didn't have to deal with Bob, as he went off and saved me the trouble of trying to pass him.
Tim seemed a bit unstable in the T2-T4 part of the track and once he had a wobble exiting on the straight, I drove inside of him and we braked for the hairpin side by side. I was not sure I'll be able to slow down on time, but it just worked out and I drifted in front of him to retake the lead.
Surprisingly though, Tim sped up at this stage of the race and kept going within a second for many laps, forcing me to push to the limit. It was fun, but at the same time very stressful and exhausting, and at one point I realized I was not blinking as my eyes suddenly became all watery, lol. That's why it was a bit of a relief when he dropped back after a mistake or something, and that coincided with my Honda's handling improving as the fuel load went down, so I managed to increase the pace a little bit.
The final few laps were a joy to drive, despite the overheating tires, so I went for the fastest lap. The slightly higher ride height took away some of the pace of the car, but nonetheless it was fast enough for a few sub 05s.
My only issue remains the stutter that happens occasionally, which turned out to be caused by the low hardware acceleration setting I need to use to cure the awful sound I get otherwise (Onboard Realtek sound). It's not as bad as in 65s, but still a nuisance.
Grats to all finishers!