Once again can't manage a single race day without some kind of major fail from me!!
Managed a mediocre first lap in qualifying, then when I came into the pits my laptop started to majorly overheat and so the frame rate dropped to about 5 FPS. Managed to just about park it in a stall and waited for it to cool down. Ran downstairs to get some compressed air - half to clear out any dust and half just to cool it. After being sat there for a few mins the frame rate went back to normal and I was on my way. Did another mediocre lap before it decided to do it again right before pit entry. Just about managed to negotiate my way into a pit box before deciding to spec and have a proper look at it. Shut down, took the back off and liberally applied compressed air in various places then left the back off for the race.
Started about 20th on the grid, but knew that my "real" pace was probably just on the verges of the top 10, so figured I could probably make a few places. Got a good start, stayed on the inside through the first corner. Ended up being about 4 wide down the straight but backed out to avoid a schmozzle. After various crashes and the SC I was about 9th I think, ended up having a really good battle with #15 (whose name I can't remember, sorry) and Martin for quite a few laps. Martin seemed to have really good drive out of T1 then be really quick down the straight which was kinda annoying. He end up getting past and pulled away whilst I was stuck behind #15 for ages. I finally got past but by this point Martin was quite a way ahead of me, and by the look of our gaps he was pushing pretty hard because even when I started to go for it he was still extending the gap. But he was obviously pushing too hard because he "did a Hamilton" and got stuck in the smallest gravel trap in the world
I think I was 8th now, I had Terzic catching me up pretty quickly which I kinda assumed was going to happen anyway, so didn't really put up much of a fight. Was in a good rhythm by this point so he didn't pull away too quickly, which was quite nice for me
Pit stop went well and ended up in the same place as before, easy 8th place. #15 seemed faster after the pit stops so he started catching me but once I'd got the tyres back up to temp I could maintain the gap. There was about a 25s gap to Gasiunas infront, but that suddenly went down to about 12 with about 12 laps to go (I assume he span?) so I started to push quite hard and got the gap down to about 6 by the end I think? So very happy with 8th overall, especially as I spent most of my time on the back straight squirting compressed air into the air inlet to make sure my laptop didn't overheat
Probably would have been fine but I'd done so much practice I didn't want it to go to waste
Most people were pretty good under blues, apart from Ray who held me up then made me burst out laughing for almost a whole lap when Matt took him out right infront of me
Sorry to I think it was Goik who I managed to make overtaking me into the most awkward moment ever since Ellis didn't go inside
Probably should have waited for the straight there