A Blog Wrapping It All Up...
Updated: Aug 7, 2020
These past two moths have probably been the most "2020" two months of Truswell's racing career. After the Nurburgring 24 Hours - things didn't start off well at the third round of the Nurburgring Endurance Series. Endurance Le Mans, Season 2, 2020 (Rounds 4 - 6) A race that Truswell completely missed was the 4th round of the Season 2 ELMS Season at Spa Francorchamps which sat on the exact same weekend as the NES (Nurburgring Endurance Series) race.
With this in mind, in addition to how badly the NES race went and me completely messing up when the races were, led me to completely forget about the Spa Round - and not want to take part.
This race unfolded with some pretty good results -
The Affinity WEBVANS car ended up doing all three timeslots Daniel Evans only completing 1/3 races that Weber entered - meaning 2 DNF's over the weekend. Andy (Jones) and Sam Thurtell in the Affinity BOAS car finished 7th, (starting 14th) with The Frying Dutchmen coming out the highest of all finishing a highly respectable 4th in class and 8th overall after starting 24th.
Week 5 however, was much less successful - with only 3 teams entering (2 GTE's, 1 HPD) - and only 1 finishing - this being the HPD of Robert Land and Justinas Ribelis)
Andrew Jones was supposed to run with Berkley Cox, however, unfortunately the latter didn't show up, as for the 911 RSR GTE of the Dutch Boys, they'd retire after 131 laps.
Following this was the final round of the Season 2, 2020 Endurance Le Mans Series at Le Mans - (the first race he attended since the first two rounds of the season). Le Mans was thoroughly enjoyable -alongside his good friend Sam Thurtell, Robin and Sam finished with a very decent 15th place. Truswell would also hit a large personal milestone during the race - 700 iRating. The last time he had this many iRating was at least March - this race being in late May. ~
Le Mans 24 Hours 2020
(I would make this into it's own blog, but I'm a little short on time) Kabort's Inaugrial Le Mans 24 Hours hit an impressive achievement - the most entries to a race ever - 6 Teams and 22 drivers!
which raises a question....where does it stop? Does it ever stop or do we just grow into the hundreds and thousands?
Kabort Porsche RSR Le Mans
Maxim Badidi (NTL)
Dante Reynoso (MEX) Q: 15th R: DNF (Same Split As NEGESP)
Ferrari Affinity GTE ("DADS") - Ferrari 488 GTE
Dan Stas (USA)
Daniel Weber (GER)
Adam (A-Dan) Pearce (GBR)
Sam Thurtell (AUS)
Q: 6th
R: 15th
Kabort Mercedes Cauchemar Cinq - Ferrari 488 GTE (Yeah, messed up the name)
Dominick Gahlow (GER)
Robin Truswell (GBR)
Joost Bouwmeester (NTL) Q: 48th R: 47th Cause Of Death:
^ The crash happened before Truswell could turn a single lap
Kabort NEGESP (Global)
Chris Skala (USA)
CR Van Rooijen (NE)
Jorge Vazquez (POR)
Q: 32nd
F: 34th
(Same split as Porsche RSR)
HPD Affinity
Lars Bachmann (GER)
Tim Perry (GBR)
Scott Corbin (USA)
Andy Jones (GBR)
Q: 26th
R: 13th (4th In Class)
HPD Global
Arron Brown (USA)
Tijmen Berends (NTL)
Spencer K (USA)
Tom Van De Pol (BEL) Q: 25th R: 10th (4th In Class)
HPD Global 2/Global VRS Endurance Spencer Kemble (USA) Arron Brown (USA)
Q: 10th
R: DNF
(Sorry For Not More In Depth)
This nicely rounded up the season's end - for some on a high, and others a little bit naffly.
Week 13 strolled on by and with it came some huge changes...6 new cars (3 NASCAR, 2 Open Wheelers and a GT4) in addition to some glorious sound updates.... to the GT cars - the Ferrari being the most notable...
Following this, was Week 13 - Every day for a week iRacing would hold some fun and serious races, every day of the week the circuits in the series would change. For the past couple of seasons, I've been racing in the Week 13 Porsche 911 Cup - which as seen by various blogs - has previously caused damage to his iRating. With a new kid on the block, (the BMW M4 GT4) Truswell decided to have a try at the IMSA Michelin Pilot Series - and found out that the M4 was an incredibly fun but challenging car to drive.
He would do three races during week 13 using the BMW before general life stresses would get me down and sap his motivation to continue - a highlight of mine during this time would be a 6th at Lime Rock Park. During this time, I was also struggling in the MOFO Skippy Series - having a bout of bad luck - and frustrating accidents.
TL: R1 - Out-Braked himself on opening lap and slid into wall heavily
TM: R2- Poor qualifying, start crash and plenty of pace-car laps kept him behind TR: R3 - In trying to make it through a wreck, made contact with another car, and contributed to a large start accident - putting him to the back of the grid. BL: On his way to his first points, tried to get down the inside of the rival - the pair made contact - and Truswell halved his points and made his first-points finish in vain. Season 3, 2020 The start of the next season however, didn't go so well - a messy race at the opening race of the Season 3, 2020, Endurance Le Mans Series which was already going quite badly - but at least some distractions in the Discord made it a fun clusterf*ck of a race.
The woes continued as myself and Sam had a nightmare of a Nurburgring Endurance Series Race
After a solid qualifying of P13, before getting up to 8th - things were looking on the up...but a nasty divebomb would leave us in the pits for a while...
Following this, I started my first ever Official (not Week 13) solo race since the Ferrari GT3 Challenge in Season 2, 2019.
The first race (Second of the season, since I was pre-occupied with Le Mans during the first of the season) was at Spa Francorchamps - and I can quite honestly say - it was one of the best races I've had in a long time.
To start with, I started on the front row of the grid - which marked the first time in my entire career that this happened.
Naturally, in my excitement, I forgot to fuel the car before lights out and despite chasing down the leader for the first lap, the very next lap, we'd make contact - pushing me significantly down the order.
However - this may have been a blessing in disguise as Truswell would have a very entertaining race - passing on the run down into Eau Rouge and down the inside at Blanchimont. The pair would later touch, spinning Truswell around, but after such an entertaining race, finishing position was of little concern.
Truswell's Lucky Skippy Run continued into the MOFO Race But Don't Race Series - as he got his first multiple points finish of the season - and without a single scratch on the car - in a post-race interview he said he felt like he truly deserved it.
My big break however would come 500 Days after my last solo podium at the treacherously difficult Canadian Tire Motorsports Park The Podium, By Robin Truswell
I always struggled at Mosport (Canadian Tire Motorsport Park) - in particular the steep downhill turns two and four - but after a pep talk with a fellow driver in a Open Wheel Discord Server - and a very comfy setup I was slowly getting the hang of it, and two laps without a spin, turned into four, turned into more...as quickly as it started, the practice session finished.
By the end of qualifying, I had qualified 9th of 15 starters - a little further back, but a good qualifying nevertheless... Turn two however was an absolute mess.... from 9th on the grid, I was 8th going into turn two...which was the nightmare corner I had struggled with...and it seemed like I wasn't the only one struggling....
Dodging between slow and sliding cars, I found a safe passage through - and I was much higher up the grid than I first anticipated. With another spinning out at the very next corner, I could only count three cars ahead of me as I went onto the second lap - I was in 4th.
My luck would only improve as the driver ahead would have a shocking exit out of the first turn...I was onto him.
I managed to pull the move off into turn two...but the racing gods weren't done yet....
P2 Up ahead had got turn two very, very wrong, over-correcting a slide that he had. Behind me, I would recieve a little tap from the driver behind, but fortunately this only affected him....
I would only last until the next lap before P3/3rd place behind me would catch up and pass me...it was a ticking time-bomb before I'd lose a podium....
The "bomb" would go off on lap 9 - but I was more grateful for having the oppertunity to be 2nd (And 3rd) - and was amazed that I had the potential to be up front.
But two laps from the end, and after a short-but exciting battle....the leaders would touch...
Miller (first onboard) would retire to the pits - gifting me an incredibly rewarding podium - and the first in over 500 days.
Zandvoort would go almost as well -
Qualifying would go astonishingly well, qualifying a remarkable 5th place on the Grid.
After a rather un-eventful start in 5th, the battle for 2nd would end in contact....
I'd keep 2nd and 3rd honest, before making a move for the podium positions in the braking zone of the chicane on the 5th lap. P2 would go into the gravel on the following lap - allowing me to briefly clinch 2nd place before a faster driver behind would slip by a lap after.
The next couple of laps would consist of me trying to keep up, but with mistakes being made, and his pace being to great, I slowed my pace to something more managable.
The laps ticked by, and as each counted down it was beginning to creep into to my mind that I might get two podiums back to back....the thought was highly realistic until the very last lap....
Cornelisse (Competitor) would get the slipstream on me out of the last corner...and since Zandvoort isn't the best "overtaking" tracks - doing anything with the corners remaining would turn out to be impossible - I was impressed with 4th - but as all race-drivers say "I want better"
L: Moving up the order
M: A late spin from P2 wasn't enough for Truswell to capitalise on
R: Truswell's last hope of a podium vanishes
With lockdown coming to an end, and people being able to meet up again, Truswell originally planned do the VIR round, however, with the chance to meet up with his significant other also cropped on this day - and the decision was simple...
The following Sunday was even worse for timing with the NES Race and a friend needing help to move out saw no race activity on that day either.
The most recent Skippy race was at Nordschliefe which lasted roughly 1/4 of a lap, when I was rear ended after a promising start.
Finishing Things Up For Uni... My two most recent races have been the Skippy race at Zandvoort (4th Place) and the Spa 24hrs where myself, Smokey and Sam Thurtell finished 15th after a race filled with mixed fortune - incidents throughout the race hampering our progress. we were the only entry - and the race was filmed live on my YouTube Channel
As for the rest of the series I take part in: Offical Skippies With lockdown coming to an end, and people being able to meet up again, the plan was to originally do the VIR round, however, with the chance to meet up with my Girlfriend also cropped on this day - and the decision was simple. The following Sunday was even worse for timing with the NES Race and a friend needing help to move out saw no activity on that day. The Donington Blog will come in Due course
NES For the first time all season, I missed a race - the 5th round of the season occurred on the same day I was helping a friend move out and unfortunately missed it - and it appears everyone else did too - especially with a driver not able to compete do to "complications". With August just around the corner, it is time I sort my priorities and sort my preparations for university, so missing races will only become more and more commonplace. The 6th round went just as badly, This race I'd once again not manage a lap. IES (iRacing Endurances Series) After a diabolical opening round at Suzuka, we were hoping for a little more luck at Silverstone, the second round... Unfortunately, I for one definitely wouldn't be present, due to other events cropping up, yet those who did enter, made Kabort very, very proud. The Dutch duo of Maxim Badidi and Brian Peeters finished the 12hrs of Silverstone in an solid 13th place, Whilst the GT4 Cayman of Tijmen Berends and Spencer Kemble astonishingly finished on the podium (3rd) of the GT4 class in the Top (of two) Splits.
This marks Kabort's 6th Podium - a number that's slowly growing by the year...
ELMS
Last competing in an ELMS race back in Mid-June, Truswell's ELMS hiatus further continued - however with the series heading to the Nordschliefe in a week or two, this is a good chance to have one last blast before turning everything off for good. In terms of the teams' performance the HPD was the most popular choice of car - making multiple appearances at the two most recent ELMS races. For round two at Spa, Andy and Sam get an impressive 4th in class and 9th overall, whilst Tom Van De Pol and Spencer Kemble finished a respectable 6th in class and 11th overall.
At the third Round at Daytona - the only finishing car was a Ferrari GTE with Andy Jones and Sam Thurtell behind the wheel, they'd finish 27th.
Another HPD would enter, but wouldn't see the finish.
ELMS would be incredibly tough finish, with a 30th place finish.
MOFO Race But Don't Race/Skippy Series Round 5 at Lime Rock has it's own blog Round 6 at Nurburgring was a reasonably lonely affair, however through it I got my first points in which I am not guilty of gaining Round 7 at Daytona will remain as a draft and a "race" that is not bought up for multiple reasons. Round 8 at Monza had a good fight, however was ruined by the fact that I pitted for tires and lost all the time and positions I had gained. This was followed by Round 9 of Oulton park which lasted less than 3 laps, after being rear ended. Oulton is such a short track that once you leave the pits
after towing and repairing the leaders have already lapped you - and it ceases to be fun.
I missed the Summit Point round, due to being out - however the last two races of the season are Silverstone and Imola - both I'd miss due to the same reasons.