Chatterbox Thursday

As requested by felicelandry.

A BIG WALL OF TEXT RACE REPORT, SUCH HAS NEVER BEEN SEEN BY MANKINED (OR WHATEVER IT IS CHATTERBOXERS ARE)

Suzuka Japan, Group 4 Short Race, Race Report.

Qualifying: I drove a 2:12 flat, which is decent but not great for group 4. During the final 5 minutes before the race I was up by a second and a half on that time, but took 130r too wide and put it into the gravel. Sometimes this happens when you’re pushing so I wasn’t overly annoyed. 2:12 was enough to get me into 3rd spot on the grid, and both the chaps ahead of me were less than a second ahead so I knew I had some pace on them.

The grid: Starting from 3rd in the Renault Sport Megane Trophy 2011.
Behind me was a Lamborghini Huracan, which is not the best Group 4 car for this track, so the bloke did well to stick it in 4th, so he might be a threat. Ahead of me was another Trophy 2011 and on pole was a Megane Grp4. Now this was worrying, because that thing is awful through the corners but like a laser beam on the straights, whereas the Trophy 2011 is more balanced, so he’d have an advantage on the long main and back straights.

Go go go: As we started and flew down the main straight, I glanced behind me and sure enough the Huracan was gaining. Ahead, the two Meganes were manoeuvring for the first corner. Knowing the Huracan was going to try to pass me, I defended enough that he’d have to go to the left but not so much it would impact my line too much.
This meant that the two lead cars actually blocked him being able to pass me, it also put me into a fantastic position, as 2nd place was slow into the first part of the corner, and since I was slightly out to the right anyway I had a line to brake late and go past him into the second phase of the corner.

Two corners into the race and I was already up to second. Going into the S curves, as predicted the lead car was slower than I was and I was able to catch right into the back of him. We both had an excellent drive through this section and up the Dunlop curve and we were already over a second ahead of third place.

I kept with him all the way through Degner, the hairpin and then into Spoon I was alongside him. As I suspected however, the Megane’s straight line speed kicked in and he went off like a rocket. I tucked in behind him, hoping he wouldn’t gain too much time on me before we got to 130r, where my cornering advantage would kick back in.

As we reach 130r he went too wide, and I came round like I was glued to the track, he was forced to go wide compromising his line into the casio triangle, and we came out the other side neck and neck. Again though, his straight line advantage kicked in, and as we got to the end of the main straight at the start of the second lap he was nearly a full second ahead of me!

For the rest of the lap I again caught up to the back of him thanks to my cars better cornering, and once we were at Spoon I was alongside him again. The Megane took off down the back straight and I tried to keep up, this time however I made the mistake at 130r and went a bit wide, but luckily he had braked too early for casio, and I braked as late as I could and went down the inside. I knew he would overtake me again on the main straight, but this was me telling him “ I can get past you, watch out”. It also meant I crossed the finishing line first, which would put more pressure on him on the closing laps.

The third lap was more of the same, he easily went past me on the main straight, but I kept with him the whole lap, being no more than 0.3 behind him. We both took 130r with no errors this time, and I thought that maybe I wouldn’t get past him on the last lap if he was able to keep it together there again.
Bu then, as we went into Casio, he outbraked himself and went straight on, having to cut across the escape road and back across the astroturf. I went through with no errors and at the bottom of the main straight I was 6 seconds ahead.

He was now involved in a tussle with third place, but managed to get back into the rhythm of things and by half way through the last lap had re-established himself in second.
I kept the gap at 6 seconds until the last time through 130r, where I backed off a little to confirm the win, and went across the line to win by 3.5 seconds.

With the win and a fastest lap in the bag, that was one of the best races I’ve had. Myself and the guy who came second were racing super close for 3 laps, and only his error at casio split the difference. I think I might have been able to get past him on the last lap, but I would have had to have done it through the slower sections, such as the s curves (very difficult), into the chicane (not impossible but needs a good drive out, or into casio (hoping he’d had to take 130r slower)
I’m glad he came second, because he’d driven a blinder, raced tough but fair, and deserved a good result.

A good end for my 23rd victory.

TL;DR: I did won, it were good.