Qualifying
Qualifying was fantastic for me. I had not only qualified 10th, my PB qualifying position. But I had also beaten my PB lap by some way. I set a time of 2.00.06. I could have had a 1.59 but I got sideways going through the flat out banked section on the start of the lap killing me off. Still I was chuffed with that. Niko didn’t have such great luck. Niko had qualified directly behind me in 12th place.
Race 1 (10 Laps)
Starting in 10th and 12th places things were looking ok, not great but ok. From the word go I immediately went on the attack getting into the slipstream of Dohnalik in the XRT and I pulled to his right to go for the inside line into the first chicane right left. I thought about throwing it up the inside but I changed my mind and backed out of it as he was already going in two wide with Leyton in the FXO. I followed them through. Good job I had backed out of it as Leyton and Dohnalik make contact spinning Dohnalik of the track and lifting me up to 9th.
Into the next turn double right hander I tagged Leyton’s car on his rear right quarter panel putting him into a slide. He held it as I backed off to let him keep the position otherwise I may have been done for unfair overtaking. The cause was cold tyres/brakes. Just couldn’t slow the car down. But I let him keep the position.
As we arrive at the right hander hairpin in to the final sector, still on the opening lap. I was still with Leyton and had Matonis all over my rear bumper. Leyton was forced to take a wider line ahead of me as cars were piling in up ahead two wide. So I went for the tighter defensive line as I could see Leyton was in a spot of bother not wanting to lose my position to Matonis. I successfully defended my position and I maintained 9th place. However on the right hander for the run onto the oval section Matonis just rubber my rear bumper unsettling my car putting me wide losing out to 2 places dropping back to 11th. I didn’t spin just nudged wide. That’s touring car racing. But its not as bad as it seems as Matonis obviously came through, but Niko was the other to get past and Niko began hounding the back of Matonis.
I stayed with them not losing any time as Niko put it on the apron dropping places including to me. I was back up to tenth and by the first right left I was all over the back of Matonis again. Switching sides in his mirrors saying “Hey, remember me
” Unfortunately I ran a little deeper into the next double right hander taking a wider line I left the door open for Chebbi and his FXO. I could see I’m there. I pulled my car back to the right shutting the door on him. Slight contact. Nothing more than racing rubbing made him think twice and he backed out of it.
Onto lap 3 and I had caught up with Matonis again who was battling with Staskevicius over 8th. I picked up there battle as we went passed the line getting into a three car draft Staskevicius then Matonis then me, on the run to the first right left. Approaching the braking zone and Matonis pulled out to the right trying to get to the corner first. I stayed tucked in behind Staskevicius, but I missed my braking point. Luckily there was enough of a gap between the other two for me to put my car as we went three wide into the tight right hander. I was never gonna make the corner as I ran straight on across the gravel to rejoin the track back down in 12th place. IT was more of an evasive move than a pass as I had missed my braking point. But it would have been an awesome move if I pulled it off.
I quickly caught back up again and eventually found myself battling with Vega for 10th place and Niko directly behind me in 12th. Into the right left on lap 5 I was almost attached to Vega rear bumper. On the exit of the left hander of the same chicane we were side by side. Me on the right with the inside line and him on the right. There was contact!!!!!! Banging door mirrors and wings and everything. It bent my steering slightly as my car wanted to turn left on a right hander track. But it was ok, it was manageable. The contact had put my two right wheels on the grass so I had to back out of it and let him have the position. But I wasn’t going anywhere I stuck on his rear bumper and Niko was behind me.
I had a look up the inside of him into the long left hander but he began closing the door so I didn’t go for it. But he then ran a little to deep into the corner and wide leaving the door wide open. I floored it and got up alongside him on the exit to go two wide. We was still two wide with Vega having the inside line for the fast right, right, left. I squeezed him to the inside kerb on the first right as I was going the long way round and it was enough to put him out of rhythm giving me 10th place. Niko would follow through.
We would finish the first race in 10th and 11th places. But the whole time for the remaining laps we were catching 9th place. We then did the slow down lap as we eagerly awaited to see were the reversed grid would be. Number ten was drawn!!!!!!!! Putting me on my first ever pole position in a proper league race. I couldn’t believe it, not only that. I had claimed my first ever league points to. I would get 1 point for finishing 10th. Points are doubled for the feature race and with me starting on pole position on an all new high claiming my first point and pole I was ready for it. Nervous but ready.
Race 2 (17 Laps)
As I was sat there on pole position my nerves were running crazy. I was bricking it. I was just focusing on not jumping the lights. That was the first plan. The lights went green and we was away. I knew I would lose out P1 before the end of the oval because of the XRT’s just a couple rows back. I did. Denis Lind had gone up my inside to take the lead. Phil Diaz of CORE Racing in his XRT was on my left and the outside for the turn. I defended my position to him on the way in but he got me on the way out. None the less after sector one I hadn’t lost as much as I thought I would. I was only back as far as fourth on the run to the long left hander. I would drop back to fifth though for the final sector to run side by side with the famous Ramon Blauwhoff. We were two wide round the tight right hairpin but this is Ramon Blauwhoff. I cant compete with him and he naturally just went the long way round the outside of me to take the position. Dropping me to 6th. However unwatched by me was Laprevotte diving up the inside of me on the exit of the hairpin to knock me back down to 7th place. So after the opening lap I was back to 7th. But me on my all time high was not giving up and was not going to play dead.
I managed to catch and stick with Laprevotte. Pressuring him all over the back of him on lap two through sector one and two trying to make him make a mistake. He did. The left hander before the end of sector two he ran a little wide allowing me to get passed. This left Niko and Laprevotte to battle it out in my mirrors who were later joined by Navarette in the FXO. Meanwhile I was busy reeling in Staskevicios for 5th place, getting closer by the corner. I was also keeping an eye on my tyre situation which to my amazement considering I am a tyre destroyer, my tyres were in fairly good shape.
By the end of sector two on lap 4 I was right up behind Staskevicios and as we came onto the oval section I was in his slipstream. I was on my way back and fighting the big guns to do it. I was all over the back of Staskevicios. Not only that, the lead group including Blauwhoff was just in front of him. I could see them all. Keeping up with the leaders is brand new territory for me and something that is also a first in my career.
As we came onto the oval section at the end of the 5th lap I was closer than ever. I used his slipstream and pulled down to the lower side of the final banking turn before the line and he was forced to submit his position as he tucked directly back in behind me. He picked up my slipstream and we went two wide across the line. Me on the right him on the left. Again into the first banking section he turned back in behind me and swung to my right claiming the inside line and re took 5th position. I was forced to settle back into 6th place to wait and create another opportunity. I was having the time of my career.
But with me and Staskevicius battling away it had allowed Navarrete to catch us up. So I was forced to attack and defend at the same time. With the big guns. I had done this with the slower cars before but with the big guns you gotta be better at it otherwise they will just breeze past you. I had never been so determined to keep my position before.
Into the right left in the first sector of lap 7 Staskevicus took his normal line as I went on the attack. A brief check of my mirrors saw Navarret trying to go up my inside so I had to immediately switch back to defend shutting the door on him. As he eased of I jumped straight back to attack accidentally hitting Staskevicius in the double right hander. So again I eased off to let him keep the position and jumped back to defend from Navarrete. I felt like a pendulum swinging backwards and forwards, but still loving every minute of it.
Again still on lap 7 in to the tight left hander at the end of sector two. I went on the attack to get 5th. But I then saw Navarette in my mirrors thinking about overtaking me and again I was forced to defend. This was crazy!!!! But you know what they say, patience is a virtue. It sure was. Lap 7 still and on the run onto the oval section I had still successfully defended form Navarrete and got in the slipstream of Staskevicius. Pulling to his right to take the lower line again Navarrete went with me as we both made it past Staskevicius but Navarrete was still in my slipstream as we were now fighting for 5th place and trying to catch the four cars ahead. Navarrete sideswiped Staskevicius on his way past causing mayhem behind us. Navarrete then tried to get the lower line on the banked turn in section one. But I cut him off. HE was trying everything everywhere. As we came onto the oval section at the end of lap 8 I had pulled a little gap out on him and managed to maintain a slight gap for the first couple of sectors whilst catching 4th place Blauwhoff.
The run onto the oval section saw Navarrete close to me and in my slipstream. I could see him in my mirrors. I kept low and tight round the final banked turn forcing him up high on the exit. He then slotted back into my slipstream before the first banked turn and then getting the low line forcing me to defend the hard way on the outside. I just let the car run to pick up speed quicker and it worked. I managed to drag back past him on the outside before the right left forcing him to pull back in behind me. Scottybear on fire!!!!!!!
He was all over the back of me at the end of sector one lap 10. As we approached the long left hander he was sat in behind me I thought he was gonna follow me round but a late dive and out braking manoeuvre saw him fly up the inside to take 5th place from me. To be honest I think he new by now he would have to try something daring like that.
He wasn’t pulling away though. At least not as fast as he would of liked. I stuck with him as we reeled in the top four. By lap 12 the top 6 that’s first to me was separated by just 3.7 seconds.
Coming onto the oval section at the end of lap 12 Chebbi had fallen back to 5th and I was all over him in his slipstream. I wanted more positions. Into the first banked turn I had already past him but he just picked up my slipstream and come back past before the right left. However he carried to much speed on the exit of the left allowing me to get on his left and drive round the outside of him in the double right hander. I was now up to 5th by the end of lap 13 and chasing hard after fourth place Denis Lind. I had caught Lind by lap fifteen end of sector one and was hassling him. He was struggling to maintain control as he was continuously sliding. I guess his rear tyres were shot as he was leading the race not so long ago. By this point I knew it was just a matter of time before he made a big mistake I could capitalise on. My tyres were not in the best shape but again not bad so with me not having to work so hard to pass Lind and 5th place about a second and a half behind I could afford to take it easy for a couple of laps to cool my tyres down a bit giving me the tyres to get past Lind on the final lap should I need to work that bit harder.
Onto the final lap and I began closing on Lind rapidly getting right on his rear bumper by the end of sector one ever closing the gap to him. He ran a little deep in the long left hander in sector two and got a little twitchy on the exit as I pulled alongside him. We went two wide through the first right hander of the fast right, right, left. He had the inside I was again on the outside. I had already done this move once before with another driver in race one. Could I pull it off again. Again I would squeeze Lind to the inside kerb giving me drive on the way out. Slight contact with his nose on my right rear quarter panel unsettled my car getting me a little sideways but nothing dramatic. it’s a good job I had cooled those tyres down for a couple of laps otherwise I don’t think I would of pulled that move off on the last lap. I probably would of run wide and lost everything. I had claimed 4th place with half a lap to go. With Lind struggling I was just easing away from him.
I crossed the line in 4th place and felt as if I just won the race. I had just took my best ever finish in a league race after battling with the top guns of the league. I couldn’t believe it. Trust me, I went mental on the team radio.
Scottybears Thoughts
That fourth place gives me another 8 points but in the feature race, its double points so that’s 16 points from this race and the one I got from race one is a total of 17 points for one evenings work. I think I have overtaken Niko in the driver standings too.
However, with the incident involving Navarette and Staskevicius were he clipped him on his way past causing mayhem behind. I may get promoted to third yet!
If I am not mistaken, that would be ER’s first ever podium in a proper league? Its would definitely be my first.