Some of you might have been wondering why I didn't report back on my run in Manufacturers last Saturday. For that, I am very sorry for the wait and would like to assure everyone in this thread that I am still doing okay.
The truth is that I managed to earn not only my highest points score across the entire 2021 FIA campaign to date, but also my joint-highest ever FIA points score under the current system. But it took me four tries to get there, and the first three turned out to be some of the most stressful, clumsy and demotivating lobby sessions I've had all year. Out of the remaining Gr.3 rounds, Brands was the one I was looking forward to the most. Test pace was promising with a 1:21.072 in Free Practice and a 32:06.941 in a lobby race on the 1-stop. So, how did it come to this? How come I left Brands feeling drained and questioning whether pushing myself for higher scores at my current level was worth it?
Let's investigate... and get ready, because this is going to be a long one....
15:00 Manufacturers
For the first attempt (door number 17), I was grouped with
@Mohamed30_ who showed even more promise with an FP time of 1:20.656. Though I had trouble getting consistency in FP prior to matchmaking, I still felt confident enough that things would come together in the race depending on where I qualified.
In test lobbies, the best lap times I had set were a 1:21.519 and a 1:21.496 on brake balance -1, which were not far off my FP lap with no tyre multipliers. The staggered pit exit procedure, coupled with the need to shuffle in between surrounding traffic, meant that I didn't have much of a chance to take things easy on my out lap. Felt I lost a lot of time through the final sectors as I completed my first lap in 1:21.953, which I was pleased with at first as it meant I slotted into provisional 4th. Second lap started much more promisingly, the first three sectors flashing purple with gains of as much as 0.238 seconds through the beam at Surtees. Yet, for some reason I dropped off again through sectors 4 and 5, lapping just 3 thousandths off the initial flier.
Where did I start?
13th.
I was crushed. Mohamed30 had excelled as always by qualifying 3rd with a 1:21.576, but a time in the high-1:21.4/low-1:21.5 range was possible within my limits and would have easily put me ahead on the grid. And that was in a lobby where the top 3 finishing positions were worth
over 300 points each!
The disappointment lingered with me right through to the start of the race, which was initially spent following the #9 Ford GT around while saving enough fuel to avoid topping up later. I was so wound up by my missed opportunity that I missed my braking point into Druids on Lap 2, pushing the GT wide and losing us valuable time to the pair scrapping in 10th. I kept behind him after that, as we inherited places through another car going off the road at Surtees. Saving fuel behind the Ford was easy enough, and while there wasn't much action before into the pit cycles I did gain another couple of places courtesy of incidents affecting the #11 and #4 Ferraris.
Pitted with 54% fuel left (having saved at least an extra lap's worth) and started the second stint by briefly holding off a top German driver in the #3 Viper. Lost out on power down Pilgrim's Drop, so that was 10th place secured for the time being. Up ahead, the orange #20 Hyundai Genesis is dropping back and a chance to fight him comes around on Laps 14-16. Dived past on the inside of Surtees for 9th, but got distracted and literally threw it away at the same corner two laps later. Had one last shot at redemption by fighting the #11 Ferrari towards the closing stages, but regained 11th anyway as a result of the #19 GRT Honda spinning at Dingle Dell. Fantastic job once again by Mohamed30 as he came home 2nd behind the winning Renault R.S.01 (now that's something I didn't expect to say about the Gr.3 version!).
Now I've given myself time to look back on it, the 15:00 wasn't a bad race by any means. Aside from the couple of errors mentioned, there were some nice passes and on the whole I managed to lap round consistently and cleanly enough. But the disappointment of qualifying soured my mood and would keep playing on my mind for the next couple of attempts. I knew deep down that I could get much more out of the WRX if I nailed everything, and initially the 16:20 looked set to be the one where everything would just work out.
16:20 Manufacturers
Ranked #16 in a full grid with much of the same roster as last time. Got a much better qualifying lap out of the gate (1:21.644), but found myself caught up in a couple of separate incidents involving other drivers. The first was contact with the #2 Portuguese Mercedes on the approach to Westfield during our first opening lap. Braked early to preserve my tyres and let him fly up on the inside, but ended up getting rammed by mistake as the Portuguese driver did not recognise that I was pulling over. The second incident happened on my other out lap, where I noticed the #6 Porsche making rapid gains on me up until he spun off, again at Westfield. I suspected he was on a flier, and those suspicions turned out to be correct when he complained to me in lobby chat that I was in his way. Apologised for both incidents at the earliest opportunity.
Started a more encouraging 5th behind the #5 Ferrari, which I was forced to battle with early on as he got crossed up after touching the outside grass at Graham Hill Bend. This hurt my fuel consumption a fair bit, but I made the move stick for 4th at Hawthorns and briefly built a decent bridge between myself, the Ferrari and almost everyone else close behind. 4th became 3rd as a result of the #17 Honda spinning (the second time in as many races for that particular GRT driver!). On Lap 5, the Ferrari steams back past down Pilgrim's Drop, but slides out of contention at Sheene, causing a bottleneck which hampers the #11 BMW M6. Knew by that stage that the M6 would be the second big threat along with the returning German Viper, but managed to hold both of them off until the pit stop on Lap 11.
54% fuel again, which was enough for the Scooby to get the jump on the Viper until he passed again on Lap 13. Though 5th still seemed to be in reach, the race would unravel after that. Lost two more places later the same lap when the #7 Ford made a move going into Clark, taking the #2 Mercedes with him. Next was the #6 Porsche on his recovery drive from the back, though there was some consolation in that we gained places through the Ford losing it out of Sheene. During this time, I managed to stick close enough to the #6 right until I went in too hot at Stirlings on Lap 22. That brought the #12 Oreca Viper into the fray, whom I spent the next lap fighting with for what was now 7th. The #12 got the venom down Pilgrim's Drop, but went wide and picked up a 0.5-second penalty. I had the run and hugged the inside down Dingle Dell. Side-by-side we go through Sheene; there's contact, and the Viper is in the gravel!
While this is going on, the unsighted #8 JPS Aston Martin ploughs into my rear end, and I let him through to compensate for his delay. At the time, I was beyond fed up with my decline and felt especially guilty for the move I pulled off on the #12. I thought he had received the penalty for his trip through the gravel, and it was not until checking through my onboard that it was actually handed out to him just beyond Hawthorns. Nevertheless, I decided to let the #12 back past on the final run through Graham Hill Bend, slotting quietly behind the #14 Union Jack Ferrari. Further delays between Hawthorns and Sheene - caused by the #1 Mazda which I assumed was recovering from an incident - gave the #7 Ford a chance to push me out of the top 10 altogether.
11th place it was... again.
It started all so promisingly, but eventually, the agitation and disappointment took over once more. Only one point lost from the 15:00, yet the final result again left me wanting. I was especially puzzled by the fact that the game recognised me as the fastest Subaru entry at that point, despite scoring much fewer points here than Mohamed30 in the 15:00. Turns out that according to
@Ashthebash, this lobby was actually the second split. Now that explains a lot....
19:00 Manufacturers
Gave myself some time out for an evening meal and a breather, before gathering my bearings for what was meant to be my final attempt in the 19:00. At this point, I was beginning to feel fatigued and at the point where the stress of earning maximum points was not worth souring my enjoyment over. Met
@PirovacBoy with the intention of getting a more enjoyable race, though there were a couple of bad omens with the #6 seeding and a particularly feisty Frenchman from the two-strong Audi camp.
So, how did qualifying go?
A 1:22.064, then a spin at Surtees on my second out lap. That was it. As if I couldn't sink any lower, I'm starting 15th and a long way off my best. Top 3 times were a 1:21.395 by the GRT Honda (#13), a 1:21.621 by the #3 BMW M6 and a 1:21.716 by the other Audi (#8) - my time in the 16:20 would've still got me a top 5 start!
With my hopes for a decent finish seemingly snuffed out, the first two laps were spent catching up to the #4 Porsche which seemed to lose a lot of time braking for Paddock Hill Bend and Westfield. Had to go for a BTCC-style lunge up the inside of Paddock Hill on Lap 3, though there was contact as the #4 maintained his regular line regardless. It was in this race that I decided to take more liberties with fuel saving by revving higher on the straights, all while steadily climbing up to 12th through offs for the #10 Viper and the #13 Honda (again!). Still pitted with 53% fuel (though the menu said I had 54% once more) and by Lap 13 was running 9th behind the #7 Porsche and #18 Lexus. Set the fastest lap in the process and later took advantage of the Lexus running onto the grass at Sheen to take 8th on the road.
Only problem was that I also ran onto the grass at Sheene later on, which cost me two places along with a slide coming out of Stirlings. 10th it was. 187 points compared to the 192 of the 15:00, but I didn't care too much. A top 10 is a top 10, and normally I would've been happy with that finish at this level!
Thought to apologise to the #4 driver for the Lap 3 contact, but he left the lobby before I could send it to him. Despite the improved finish and the second 'Fastest driver for Subaru' award in a row, I recognised that I was still feeling frustrated, empty and prone to lapses of concentration in the state I was in. As such, I didn't feel inclined to enter the final slot, and was ready to leave it at that no matter how much I adore this car/track combo.
Then...
20:20 Manufacturers
...I somehow found the motivation to give it one last go in the 20:20. The mantra was that it wouldn't matter how well I did or what points I got, as long as I had some fun along the way. Entered with seconds to spare, feeling the most energised and positive I had been all evening. Matchmaking went without a hitch at my end.
Ranked #6 for the second time, qualified 5th with a 1:12.763 set on my first go. Already things were looking bright. Had to abort my second lap to avoid a multi-car incident at Sheene involving the 2nd and 3rd place starters (#14 Lexus and #13 Audi), losing enough momentum to potentially compromise the #18 Lexus following behind. Pulled over at Clearways to let the #18 through, though in any case I didn't lose out too much on what was a fantastic start.
Alternating between brake balances -1 and -2, the first stint was spent following the #13 around and not doing anything silly. Gained two places on the road via the #2 Supra and polesitting #9 Renault spinning out in separate incidents, all while gaining on the pink #14 car who inherited the lead to the end. My chance to attack the #13 came on Lap 11, when he went deep and lost momentum through Paddock Hill Bend. 2nd was the highest I would get for the entire slot, while fuel consumption was again good enough to pit with 54-55% remaining. Slotted into 4th behind the #16 Aston Martin on what I initially thought was a late 1-stopper. As the laps ticked down, it soon turned out that he was struggling for grip on worn Softs on a no-stop from 17th place.
On Lap 16, the Aston loses control over the kerb at the bottom of Paddock Hill Bend, resulting in contact and chances for the #5 Porsche and #12 Viper to sweep around the outside. Felt gutted for him as I remember very well the one time that happened to me in the Gr.4 Viper! Regained 4th on the same lap after the #18 Lexus ran wide at Surtees, and 3rd on Lap 22 when the Viper lost it after getting its tyres dirty between Sheene and Stirlings. As he spun, the Viper's front-left biffed my right-hand side, costing me momentum as the Renault got into hunting range. Knowing this was the same Renault driver who played rough in the few Nations Cup lobbies I met him in, I went to the outside anticipating a pass, which he made through Paddock Hill Bend with a little bit of contact. Almost had the chance to outbrake him at Druids and force him to the outside of Graham Hill Bend, but he already had the door shut by then. That seemed to be for the best, as apparently a few other drivers were unhappy with the Renault driver's standards in lobby chat afterwards.
My perseverance had finally paid off. 4th place, no major mistakes, 264 points - the same total I picked up for finishing 2nd in the 2020 Pre-Season!
Was it worth all that stress? Definitely not. While it was reassuring to look back through my onboards and find that the first three races weren't as catastrophic as I believed they were, they were still rough (along with my lapses in judgement on-track) and the expectations I set myself after testing made me feel worse when things started to go awry. It reminded me of just how easy it is to lose enjoyment in FIA races (or any online races, for that matter) if I go in for the sole purpose of earning the best finishes and the biggest possible points scores every single time. The last Daily Cs and Nations rounds I entered were enjoyable in that I went in with no expectations whatsoever, whether it be through a lack of practice or simply turning up in combos that were guaranteed to be wild and unpredictable.
Certainly, I won't be attempting this many EMEA slots for a single FIA race in the future. It has been satisfying to prove myself capable of scoring highly at 62-64K DR, but I've now got to the stage where aiming for these scores at that level on a more regular basis is more trouble than it's worth. It sets myself up for frustration and disappointment if misfortune or bad results come through, and I'm simply not prepared to burn myself out for the sake of making amends through constant retries. Now I'm ready to put last Saturday behind me, and will remember to extract as much enjoyment as I can from the remaining races I still plan to enter. It doesn't matter any more what points I earn so long as there is still some fun to be had in each championship.
