Congratulations Ross and more especially Mrs Ross for timing things so well that it allowed you to race. That must be true love
As for my race.... well 95% worked almost exactly to plan.
Try for a decent grid slot to avoid any Lap 1 problems on such a short track.
Don't push too hard in the early laps, just try and hold the leaders in sight.
Don't get too close to cars in front if they seem to be dicing in the early laps
Pick up places as this unforgiving track takes its toll
Maintain a steady pace and don't try and be a hero
So by lap 25 everything was going well and I was in a comfy 3rd spot. The only slight problem was that a quick check on my fuel showed that at this pace I was unlikely to get to the finish by about 2 laps
OK start short shifting and coasting into corners, which initially dropped about a second of my lap times.
But, as I got used to using higher gears the time lost was only half a second and I was still saving fuel.
By 3/4 distance it looked like I would just about finish the race with the gas I had, so I kept with the short shifting as by now I was in 2nd spot and still way ahead of 3rd place man Arf.
Then things started to go wrong... Hristo was on a mission and it looked like he was going to lap me and it has been a long, long time since he has been able to do that. I worked my nuts off improving my pace in the Honda to put a stop to that little game of Hristo's about 3 seasons ago!!!
So I upped my pace a little and I think H had a problem and the gap widened for a few more laps....maybe I would just sqeak it to the finish without being lapped.
Then I realised that I had totally screwed my fuel saving and I was in big fuel trouble AGAIN!
I gritted my teeth as Hristo caught me and I allowed him an easy pass :'(
More short shifting and even taking corners a gear higher was beginning to repair the damage to me fuel load. But the problem with farting about with your gear chages and revs , is that you are shifting gears where you really don't want to and with just 4 laps to go I allowed my concentration to slip and an early upshift did not give me the power on oversteer to take me through a corner on the line I wanted. As a result I got a rear wheel on to the grass and the back end came around just in time to meet some convenient armco!! With 3 wheels I might have considered carrying on, but with 2 wheels and both on the same side it was over!!
Grats to Arf and Fulvio for a well judged and careful race and to Hristo who was lapping at warp speed in his Waza. I don't think I could have stopped you lapping me even with the proper fuel level.