Went with the AMG for the season finale as it consistently proved faster, more stable and more economical than the Beetle across multiple practice sessions. Very intense stuff in the 19:40, but not at the expense of another solid top 10 result as you shall soon find out.
19:40 Nations
Lined up alongside
@GR33N in what was mostly a Beetle Fun Cup draw. Paced myself on my out lap to make sure the tyres would be in optimal condition for the first flier, but was mildly concerned when I saw an M6 (whose driver had previously caused me problems at Tsukuba) going noticeably slower in front. Thankfully, he pulled to one side just before Turn 10, allowing me to clock a 1:55.413 which was consistent with the best times I had set in testing. A 1:55.3 or 1:55.2 would've been possible had I taken a better line through Warsteiner the second time out, but nevertheless the first lap was still good enough for me to start 9th.
Yesterday,
@Ashthebash suggested that if he were to start mid-field, he would go for a 5H-9M strategy which I decided to try out for myself. I hadn't tested any strategy like that so had no idea what to expect on the first lap. With that in mind, I gently pulled the AMG out of Turn 15 in second gear and nursed it around the track while the Belgian Beetle pressures a Briton in the #3 Porsche. Maintained a decent gap over the Turkish Porsche in 10th when on Lap 3, carnage ensues up ahead at Turn 5. From what I could tell, three cars (the #3 and #12 Porsches plus the #2 Beetle) squeezed each other which resulted in the #3 spearing off into the barriers on the right-hand side. During his recovery drive, the #12 also had a kerb/barrier glitch at Turn 15, which gave me the run to grab 7th. A good sign for the Medium stint...
Being on softer tyres, the #12 claws the gap back up easily, but as I thought since we were fighting for position anyway I might as well try and defend it. Defend it I did until we entered the chicane side-by-side and I had to leave enough room for the #12 to get through; it was a little frustrating to find another Spanish Porsche (car #7) follow through as well. Had the horses to out-drag the #7 down the straight, only for the Turkish driver to swipe the #7 and push me a little forward at the Yokohama-S. This wasn't enough for me to lose another place, but it was enough to hand him a 1-second penalty which gave me a little breathing space before my stop. Hadn't checked my fuel economy as much with all the battling going on, but it was still a respectable 67% coming into pit road.
Hoped to make some gains with this early pitting, but hadn't accounted for the #7 Porsche beating me to the Yokohama-S as he served his stop on Lap 6/7. Fought side-by-side with him through the Mercedes arena, but no matter how much I tried to close off the apexes he ended up getting the the better line through Turn 4. We still pipped the #12 car next time around, however, and on Lap 9 took turns in dispatching the Belgian Beetle as he squirmed around on fresh Hards. No matter how much he flashed his lights coming out of Turn 7, it was clear I had the faster rubber at this stage. The #7 flew off into the distance as the #9 French Porsche also began challenging me for 7th. Rather than risking a collision at the chicane, I made the decision to ease off the throttle when he got a faster run out of Warsteiner. Retained 7th anyway as the other Mercedes, running in 4th, slammed head-on into the inner barrier at Turn 15.
Around three laps from the end, the cars running in 3rd-6th (lead by the M6 on
Hard tyres) all bunched up together. Depending on how things worked out, this made the prospect of another Top 5 finish all the more tantalising and realistic. I felt confident I had looked after the Mediums well enough to take advantage of any more trouble up ahead, and my belief started to come true when the #7 Porsche barges the M6 out of Turn 7. The M6, in turn, collides with the #9 through the Schumacher-S, allowing me to shoot up to 6th as the #9 recovered. Began hounding the M6 as he started fishtailing around the circuit, though the #9 also looked to retaliate by getting his nose stuck in at the Yokahama-S. Had the better exit to hold the #9 off, but ended up losing a place as I had to back out of the M6's slipstream and let him through under braking for the chicane. This saved me from the contact that ensued between both cars, but by then the constant scrapping and hold-ups had allowed the chain of cars lead by the #12 Porsche and Belgian Beetle to catch up.
As we start the final lap, the #12 divebombs up the inside at the Yokohama-S as I am busy trying to keep a distance from both cars in front. Then, as he squirms and slides around after being passed by the #9, the M6 blocks and gingerly turns into me as I try to go round the outside of him between Turns 6 and 7. The Beetle gained a lot of ground as a result, so much so that after being held by the M6 again I had no choice but to let him through under braking for Turn 10. The M6 runs wide... but holds the Beetle off until the chicane. Braked early to maintain space between those two, but got hit from behind by the #12 (who picks up a 1-second penalty as a likely result) and ended up tapping the Beetle by accident as I didn't apply enough brake pressure. More bumping and banging ensued through the final corner, but we survived to come home in 8th.
Aside from the last part, that was actually a very enjoyable end to Season 1. Starting from the midpack really threw a spanner into the works as far as my strategy was concerned, but despite having no practice for 5H-9M the AMG worked well against everything that was thrown at it. It was especially fun trying to defend 7th from the Medium-shod Porsche during the first stint and wrestling the car in the final laps as the Mediums began struggling for grip. Felt there was potential to gain at least one more place out of that, but still happy to take the extra 16 points as one lobby was already intense enough.
