13-03-2017, 08:20 AM
Ha! Second place saved for Team Reanz! Had a PB in Q, P8 not too bad, but Harri of Team Oooot (our direct competitor in the team championship) did a stunning one for P4 or so. Luckily, first laps went well and I already was in front of Harri early on.
The usual dangerous trading of positions in the slipstreams started, and on lap 8 the inevitable happened when Harri hit me slightly in the braking for Parabolica one rare server glitch hit Harri and me and we both spun out into the gravel (see video down below). No damage, save for the tyres. I set up for a rattling first stint which went well, but I pitted early on lap 26 when I could not take the rattling any more.
Eqipped with shiny quiet new wheels I really took care to not flat spot them again. Things went swimmingly, but I noticed that Harri was directly behind me, about 5 secs back. Not directly in my slipstream yet, but eerily close. And closing in s-l-o-w-l-y, a few tenths a lap. The mother of all remote fights. Any error would mean closing the gap to slipstream distance, and then all bets would be off, so better to stay way in front. Every backmarker was a chance to get some slipstream goodness for myself and get a few tenths back. Or hit them just before the Lesmos and lose some on the all-important exit of Lesmo 2. And dont take risks. And dont flat spot the tyres, dammit! It certainly got my attention up for the duration of the race, but in the end I stayed in front and finished fourth overall, making it a 3-4 for RBR, while Oooot disintegrated with a DNF-5.
A great finale to a great season, looking forward to the 75s in the U S of A.
The usual dangerous trading of positions in the slipstreams started, and on lap 8 the inevitable happened when Harri hit me slightly in the braking for Parabolica one rare server glitch hit Harri and me and we both spun out into the gravel (see video down below). No damage, save for the tyres. I set up for a rattling first stint which went well, but I pitted early on lap 26 when I could not take the rattling any more.
Eqipped with shiny quiet new wheels I really took care to not flat spot them again. Things went swimmingly, but I noticed that Harri was directly behind me, about 5 secs back. Not directly in my slipstream yet, but eerily close. And closing in s-l-o-w-l-y, a few tenths a lap. The mother of all remote fights. Any error would mean closing the gap to slipstream distance, and then all bets would be off, so better to stay way in front. Every backmarker was a chance to get some slipstream goodness for myself and get a few tenths back. Or hit them just before the Lesmos and lose some on the all-important exit of Lesmo 2. And dont take risks. And dont flat spot the tyres, dammit! It certainly got my attention up for the duration of the race, but in the end I stayed in front and finished fourth overall, making it a 3-4 for RBR, while Oooot disintegrated with a DNF-5.
A great finale to a great season, looking forward to the 75s in the U S of A.