11-11-2019, 07:02 PM
Felt great to be back in the driver's seat with a large grid!
I applied a few things I've learned about car setup in the last few months and was able to make the car SOMEWHAT manageable. I practiced a ton. I knew I wouldn't be able to keep up with Ed or DC, but thought I might have a shot at a podium if luck was on my side.
On race day I started practice WAY too late. I didn't have a chance to properly estimate fuel for the race or do enough laps to get in my groove. To top it all off, my Crew Chief app was acting up and I couldn't resolve the issue before race time. Not off to a good start. This resulted in a poor performance during qualifying and I had to start the race behind a couple of drivers who weren't quite as fast as me on this course.
The race start was great and I didn't see any turn 1 shenanigans. Whew. I spent about half a lap behind slower drivers and didn't want to risk any daring moves to get by. Four or so of us were bunched up and someone in front of the group lost it, causing a little pileup. I got lucky and snuck past on the outside of the chaos, but with damage to the front of my car. That put me in 4th, but the damage was causing my car to slightly pull to the right. Decided I could live with it.
Anti and DC were about 14 seconds ahead battling it out for 2nd place. JP and Santiago were a few seconds behind and didn't look they were gaining on me.
All I could do is hope that DC and Anti would take each other out during their battle. Nothing personal
Laps went by and the cars in front were increasing their lead on me and the cars behind were becoming more distant. Seemed that the right thing to do was to take it easy and just bring it home.
I looked down at about lap 6 or so and saw that I was in 3rd. What?! Anti pitted. My prayers had been answered.
But...it seemed that I didn't calculate my fuel correctly and might end up having to pit. I decided to short shift and not push hard at all. A very stressful last lap and a half. Crossed the finish line with about 1/4 gallon to spare.
Big job well done to Ed and DC for their solid drives, and to all who participated for keeping it clean and competitive.
I only wish that I could've watched Anti's final lap. Coming from behind and catching JP and gaining a spot at the finish line? Epic stuff.
I applied a few things I've learned about car setup in the last few months and was able to make the car SOMEWHAT manageable. I practiced a ton. I knew I wouldn't be able to keep up with Ed or DC, but thought I might have a shot at a podium if luck was on my side.
On race day I started practice WAY too late. I didn't have a chance to properly estimate fuel for the race or do enough laps to get in my groove. To top it all off, my Crew Chief app was acting up and I couldn't resolve the issue before race time. Not off to a good start. This resulted in a poor performance during qualifying and I had to start the race behind a couple of drivers who weren't quite as fast as me on this course.
The race start was great and I didn't see any turn 1 shenanigans. Whew. I spent about half a lap behind slower drivers and didn't want to risk any daring moves to get by. Four or so of us were bunched up and someone in front of the group lost it, causing a little pileup. I got lucky and snuck past on the outside of the chaos, but with damage to the front of my car. That put me in 4th, but the damage was causing my car to slightly pull to the right. Decided I could live with it.
Anti and DC were about 14 seconds ahead battling it out for 2nd place. JP and Santiago were a few seconds behind and didn't look they were gaining on me.
All I could do is hope that DC and Anti would take each other out during their battle. Nothing personal
Laps went by and the cars in front were increasing their lead on me and the cars behind were becoming more distant. Seemed that the right thing to do was to take it easy and just bring it home.
I looked down at about lap 6 or so and saw that I was in 3rd. What?! Anti pitted. My prayers had been answered.
But...it seemed that I didn't calculate my fuel correctly and might end up having to pit. I decided to short shift and not push hard at all. A very stressful last lap and a half. Crossed the finish line with about 1/4 gallon to spare.
Big job well done to Ed and DC for their solid drives, and to all who participated for keeping it clean and competitive.
I only wish that I could've watched Anti's final lap. Coming from behind and catching JP and gaining a spot at the finish line? Epic stuff.
When in doubt, pass out.