30 October, 2005

NGPLS - Mexico

[Tuesday- 18th of October]

Track Map

In the weeks before the race I'd been chasing PBs in other cars on other tracks. Not exactly the best way to practise but hey, it's practise. I started practising BRM/Mexico the weekend before the race, and that's when I realised that I wasn't doing that bad at all. I did a lap two mere tenths of a second slower than my PB, so I was confident in a new personal best time in either qualifying or the race. Unfortunately that was not to be the case but I still managed to put my car 5th on the grid, and practised my starts in the last minutes of qualifying.

The practise starts turned out to be very useful for the start, as I managed to out-drag the car left (and slightly ahead) of me. I braked slightly early for T1 on the inside and he got up alongside me but as the corner tightened, I pulled away and actually passed the car ahead of me. Unfortunately, due to GPL's ancient netcode, he got punted off the track despite us not even touching (sorry!). All the way up in 3rd place, I tried to keep up with the car ahead but he eventually pulled away and I was all alone. Trying to keep the gap at a minimum I pushed a bit too hard and did a 360 in T3, I rejoin just ahead of a Ferrari who pushes me quite hard through the esses. But I pull away entering the straight leading to the last corner, and I can lower my heartrate. Out of T1 I pass a crashed backmarker, and I can see the two leaders on the following straight...

The Hairpin on lap 7

The two leaders collide in the esses on that very lap, and I zip through INTO THE LEAD MOTHERF*CKER! Due to the accident behind me, I get quite a gap down to the next car and can lead the race all alone for 3 laps until he catches me. I take the inside line for T1 but he still tries to sneak inside me...with obvious consequences. Amazingly we can both continue without any noticable damage, and I'm still in the lead. I actually start pulling out a bit of a gap down to the next car, but then my engine goes "KABOOM" on lap 14. After being passed by a good 4 cars and smashed into by one, I continue filled with rage.

I got to spank around the track in a fit of rage all by myself until lap 18, when a Honda caught me in the esses. He goes for the pass in the hairpin on the next lap, but spins and I pull out a small gap. I pass a spun-off car after the hairpin on the lap after that, advancing up to 3rd. The Honda catches me, but this time I take the inside line for the hairpin. I lose all grunt out of the hairpin, however, and he out-drags me. He pulls away and I curse and swear at myself for letting him past. Then on the last lap, he crashes heroically in the hairpin and I can retain my 3rd position for the finish.

Third is alright taking the whole race into consideration, but without that damn blown engine I could bloody well have won, dammit!