Feeling Disillusioned At Nürburgring
For what actually happened on track, the Porsche iRacing Cup Week 13 race at Nürburgring really didn't go that badly, it was the fact that it was surrounded in stress and tension that really put me in a dampened mood.
Firstly, my paint didn't load - weather it was because the session was just an open practice session, or trading paints was actually playing up, I'm not sure. Then my cat was eyeing up my computer desk to sit upon, and I also had homework on my mind, this coupled with the events of the race made it....not so enjoyable
On my first qualifying lap, I ran wide on the long back-straight before the chicane, and the second I ran out of fuel...When I put a setup on, I expect to at least manage an out-lap, fastest lap and then in-lap...but I didn't even manage that, let alone get a clean lap in...
I was starting from 20th place again...(like I did at Lime Rock) and despite a relatively clean race (no contact) it was also surprisingly lonely, which I didn't enjoy. The driver in P16 got an abysmal start, even being stationary when those around him were driving off. This caused a mini concertina affect with both P18 and P20 both eagerly wanting to get passed the sitting car. P18 moved out to pass him, but P20 barged passed both cars, pushing the poor driver of Michael Seidler (P18) back behind P16... I was originally going to go down the inside, but seeing the imminent danger, I jolted the wheel left, got two wheels on the grass, and sketchily passed them both.
Contact further up the field left two cars on either side of the very large run off, hence enabling me to gain two positions and a further one gained by someone that went off at the hairpin.
Other than a small code brown moment, followed by a spin, (2 places lost) the remainder of the race was quite uneventful.
The following lap, I gained one position back because of a spinner, yet he found a way past later on in the lap. Somehow I managed to get past him down the inside going to turn one, and hang it around the outside, which I believe was one of my best moves that I have pulled off. But this was beaten by a driver who was watching our battle from a little further back, before taking his opportunistic pounce. I regained 19th after overtaking a car that had run far too fast into turn one and was deep in the gravel bed And then I came across something I never thought I'd ever see....a back-marker. As this was a 2 minute lap, this surprised me even more, and I actually thought I was racing him. I was in 19th, on Lap 6, in 19th, and he was in 22nd, on Lap 5. In a large gaggle of cars that had caught him, I too passed him with ease. But what surprised me the most was that the car in 16th, very obediently got out of my way, and simply let me past as if I was lapping him. By analysing the replay, I believe he was just resting his foot ever so slightly on the brake pedal, due to the lateness of his brake lights going out. On the final lap, something rather surprising happened. The two cars that had got caught up with the back-marker, that I was now battling almost came together, the other driver having to slow, and gifting me with another two positions.
Then, at the final chicane, the driver I had been battling with for almost a quarter of the race launches up the inside, I expect this and stay to the right. It's not all over, he gets a worse exit of the final corner than I do, and then it's a drag race.
I lost 13th place by -0.047 seconds, which was incredibly close, but still unfortunate... My previous most close finish was -0.129 seconds at Lime Rock Park, in my Rookie Season.
It's just one of those races that disappears into the back of the mind.
Looking back, I should have been more grateful, but having such a lonely race...with such toughness, it was hard to.
Porsche iRacing Cup, Nurburgring, Week 13, Day 3.
E: 30
Q: 26th (No Lap Completed)
R: 14th
F: 21
S: 24
SOF: 1132