08-12-2015, 07:14 PM
I won't be able to make a long story short cause it was of course unsurprisingly so many moments in this event.
Practice/ Qualifying - Joined the 18 minutes left of the practice session was a little too short for a warm up on Spa, but I was pretty confident cause more than a week before I had already started to practice alot with both Spark F1 and Eve, trying to find out a good setup for me. Later in the qualifying there was of course traffic to handle, a couple small mistakes and some random hay bales laying on the race line, there was not much time left to go for pole, now in 3rd. But I managed to go for it, set a high 3:41 time which put me up in Pole Position in my last try.
Race 1 - Unfortunately my Pole didn't give me the perfect start I wanted. When test-starting I usually practice with the Spark F1, because it's such a difficult car to drive and - in this case would be able to help me alot when starting the Eve F2. But no, just accepted it and keep focus on Eau Rouge, placed my car to the left of the track and every other second look back, to the right, to make sure I didn't made contact with another driver. Now in 3rd behind Wiegers I noticed that Coyne managed to just fly away and build up a gap in the lead, so my first plan was to just hang on to the guys in front but Marcel got so quick after lap 1 so it was hard to catch up. So I was just fighting for my position and trying to make it difficult for anyone to overtake me, but really that isn't the smartest thing to do on this track if you wanna catch anyone seconds ahead in he lead.
But in the 3rd and 4th lap with Cruickshank and Gorka meters behind me there was an intense fight for this 2nd and 3rd position. I nearly crashed from my defensive line when I battled 2nd postion on lap 4 at Masta-Chicane, after that I lost speed while both Cruicky and Gorka passed me and now in 4th having (the flying starter Coyne) behind. Later the same lap on the shorter straight near La Carriére, Gorka was from my view going in esses looking like a wild snake or something, probably some internet connection causes, I don't know (?). But he pushed Cruicky out hard who spun like a propeller hitting a pole
Coyne and I was lucky to avoid him keeping our cars to left of the road.
50 sec pitstop in the end of lap 5 gave me fresh new tires as the car became lighter as well. Now my goal was to drive faster and faster cause at this point it was pretty lonely out there and no one to fight. For that I have to use the the whole wideness of the track but disaster striked at the last lap at the Masta-Chicane. (Sigh) :'( I was so close to make it through there and it seemed like I almost kept the same line all the laps before, but the small wood-fence was strong enough to kick the s**t out of my car, thrown to the left in the grass.. I noticed I lost a wheel too but I was so pissed and tried to get out on the track as fast as I could, of course braking before and look if someone approached. As I got out just to the left there was someone approaching fast and I tried to avoid him but it was too late. I'm really sorry for that! Risky desicion, but I wanted to finish on 3 wheels as I joined the track again now very sure no one was coming, so I kept my car out of the race-line and at the same time looked back very often.. Took it very carefully but as soon I turned to a left corner, my car was suddenly too fast and of course EXTREMELY understeer cause I lost my front-right wheel. at this point La Carriére, my race ended up in a horse-paddock with fences around, unable to get back on track again. Congratulatons to all finishers.
Race 2 - Starting in 13th Position and knew it was gonna be difficult to handle all cars in front, but already my decision was to just take it easy especially on the first lap cause everything can happen, and as I said earlier.. If anyone makes a mistake on Spa Francorchamps a couple other drivers are going to get involved in the shit- is very true but I started ok and placed my car behind and kept my postion. While others in front made mistakes or was slower than me/ allowed me to pass, I don't know. It's not clear enough for me to remember the half first lap but in the last corners my overtakes of one or two cars suddenly took me to 10th or 9th, and in the last corner I decided to brake very hard to overtake Gorka in front of me.
Lap 2 at the first long left corner (Les Combes), 2 other drivers John Cook and Juraj Rimes made contact to each other, Rimes was thrown hard into the fence, became a passenger and back on track again. The moment later I saw and heard Gorka crashed into him. I watched replay of the accident and I could see Nauman, Coyne and Gerrits were extremely close to hit Gorka afterwards.
Now I was easily up in 6th and my plan was to finish as good as possible. End of lap 3, I was once again very close to hit another driver. This time Steve Combey who clearly locked his rear-wheels while braking, crashed into the concrete wall. "Coyne, The Flying Starter" kept pushing from behind, likely made constant lap-times and it seemed like I was unable to pull away from him at first, but I managed to be in my nice 3rd position till the finish flag.
After all, a very nice event though one disaster from my view, I didn't finish the first race but made a good comeback in race 2. 8) And also I gotta say it was a surprisingly nice clean start in both races! So, thumbs up all. See you next time
Practice/ Qualifying - Joined the 18 minutes left of the practice session was a little too short for a warm up on Spa, but I was pretty confident cause more than a week before I had already started to practice alot with both Spark F1 and Eve, trying to find out a good setup for me. Later in the qualifying there was of course traffic to handle, a couple small mistakes and some random hay bales laying on the race line, there was not much time left to go for pole, now in 3rd. But I managed to go for it, set a high 3:41 time which put me up in Pole Position in my last try.
Race 1 - Unfortunately my Pole didn't give me the perfect start I wanted. When test-starting I usually practice with the Spark F1, because it's such a difficult car to drive and - in this case would be able to help me alot when starting the Eve F2. But no, just accepted it and keep focus on Eau Rouge, placed my car to the left of the track and every other second look back, to the right, to make sure I didn't made contact with another driver. Now in 3rd behind Wiegers I noticed that Coyne managed to just fly away and build up a gap in the lead, so my first plan was to just hang on to the guys in front but Marcel got so quick after lap 1 so it was hard to catch up. So I was just fighting for my position and trying to make it difficult for anyone to overtake me, but really that isn't the smartest thing to do on this track if you wanna catch anyone seconds ahead in he lead.
But in the 3rd and 4th lap with Cruickshank and Gorka meters behind me there was an intense fight for this 2nd and 3rd position. I nearly crashed from my defensive line when I battled 2nd postion on lap 4 at Masta-Chicane, after that I lost speed while both Cruicky and Gorka passed me and now in 4th having (the flying starter Coyne) behind. Later the same lap on the shorter straight near La Carriére, Gorka was from my view going in esses looking like a wild snake or something, probably some internet connection causes, I don't know (?). But he pushed Cruicky out hard who spun like a propeller hitting a pole
Coyne and I was lucky to avoid him keeping our cars to left of the road. 50 sec pitstop in the end of lap 5 gave me fresh new tires as the car became lighter as well. Now my goal was to drive faster and faster cause at this point it was pretty lonely out there and no one to fight. For that I have to use the the whole wideness of the track but disaster striked at the last lap at the Masta-Chicane. (Sigh) :'( I was so close to make it through there and it seemed like I almost kept the same line all the laps before, but the small wood-fence was strong enough to kick the s**t out of my car, thrown to the left in the grass.. I noticed I lost a wheel too but I was so pissed and tried to get out on the track as fast as I could, of course braking before and look if someone approached. As I got out just to the left there was someone approaching fast and I tried to avoid him but it was too late. I'm really sorry for that! Risky desicion, but I wanted to finish on 3 wheels as I joined the track again now very sure no one was coming, so I kept my car out of the race-line and at the same time looked back very often.. Took it very carefully but as soon I turned to a left corner, my car was suddenly too fast and of course EXTREMELY understeer cause I lost my front-right wheel. at this point La Carriére, my race ended up in a horse-paddock with fences around, unable to get back on track again. Congratulatons to all finishers.
Race 2 - Starting in 13th Position and knew it was gonna be difficult to handle all cars in front, but already my decision was to just take it easy especially on the first lap cause everything can happen, and as I said earlier.. If anyone makes a mistake on Spa Francorchamps a couple other drivers are going to get involved in the shit- is very true but I started ok and placed my car behind and kept my postion. While others in front made mistakes or was slower than me/ allowed me to pass, I don't know. It's not clear enough for me to remember the half first lap but in the last corners my overtakes of one or two cars suddenly took me to 10th or 9th, and in the last corner I decided to brake very hard to overtake Gorka in front of me.
Lap 2 at the first long left corner (Les Combes), 2 other drivers John Cook and Juraj Rimes made contact to each other, Rimes was thrown hard into the fence, became a passenger and back on track again. The moment later I saw and heard Gorka crashed into him. I watched replay of the accident and I could see Nauman, Coyne and Gerrits were extremely close to hit Gorka afterwards.
Now I was easily up in 6th and my plan was to finish as good as possible. End of lap 3, I was once again very close to hit another driver. This time Steve Combey who clearly locked his rear-wheels while braking, crashed into the concrete wall. "Coyne, The Flying Starter" kept pushing from behind, likely made constant lap-times and it seemed like I was unable to pull away from him at first, but I managed to be in my nice 3rd position till the finish flag.
After all, a very nice event though one disaster from my view, I didn't finish the first race but made a good comeback in race 2. 8) And also I gotta say it was a surprisingly nice clean start in both races! So, thumbs up all. See you next time