An extra Daily C double-header to round off the week. Hesitated at first after checking the top 10 EMEA times to see that they are now largely in the 1:37 region, but felt that my pace from Monday's races was at least comparable to that of a streamer who happened to be doing the same combo moments before I started the 21:00.
21:00 EMEA
No improvements on my best practice time, so the Mustang started 19th between two McLarens and a little over 1.2 seconds off the pole-sitting GT-R GT3. Really close-knit field in between, although realistically a Top 10 was out of the question this time. Benefited from a disconnect which promoted me to 18th, though this didn't last long as the Malboro McLaren got a run on me almost immediately. Shuffled with the #1 Corvette who mysteriously dropped all the way back from 2nd, though his raw pace suggested that he was challenging himself to force his way back through the pack. On Lap 2, the #18 Vantage in 2022 Aston F1 colours pushes the Malboro car onto the gravel, pitching him into a spin that he never recovers from. Followed the #17 McLaren through to safety and 17th, before enjoying a brief tussle with the #14 Corvette after he himself got turned round at Turn 14.
On Lap 3, we catch up to a gaggle of cars going three wide through Turn 6, which ends horribly for the Aston as he loses it on the exit. Medium stint over; another fair and enjoyable battle with the #14 which ends with me getting around the outside of him into Turn 1. Or so I think. He and the recovering #18 remain on my tail over the coming laps as they squabble for 17th. For a while, I was safe, until on Lap 7, the #18 attempts to get the #14 under braking for Turn 6. The #18 overshoots; he tags my left-rear; I'm forced out wide and lose momentum in my recovery over the grass. Lucky break for the #14 who streaks past the pair of us, leaving me vulnerable to a slipstream pass from the #18. Didn't lose too much ground as another Corvette (running in 6th) clipped the barrier out of Turn 14 and retired immediately.
Rest of the race was spent following the #14 and #18 in their own duel, which reminded me of the good old Aston vs Corvette GT1 battles from Le Mans gone by. A few more incidents up ahead - including the #14 twitching and hitting the Turn 14 armco - gifted me 14th in what was otherwise a steady cruise.
After this, I began trying the Corvette out in qualifying to see whether I could get a faster time. Didn't break into the 1:39s on my first go, so the Mustang remained my steed for the second attempt.
21:30 EMEA
Before this, there was a long wait between the end of entry and the matchmaking screen, which made me suspect that I would get disconnected and be forced to call it a night. Luckily, that wasn't the case, as I lined up 16th out of the 18 runners who made it into the lobby which seemed to be largely unchanged.
The Corvette immediately behind (door number #13, Martini colours) started on Softs, and within the first sector I lost out to both him and the #18 who surged ahead on a conventional Medium strategy. Still regained a place from another Corvette losing it on its own out of Turn 14, and a developing 4-car squabble ensured that I could pounce when the #17 McLaren rammed the #13 and ended up worse for wear. Swapped for Softs which initially did a great job reeling in the #12 Doritos Corvette, but couldn't quite keep up as he had its own slipstream from the #18. Climbed up one place by the half-way point, as the #13's gamble began to unravel as he tumbled all the way down from the lead.
On Lap 8, my consistency and the Mustang's superb traction paid off as we got close to the battle for 11th - involving the #12 and #8 Corvettes, the #14 McLaren and the #15 Aston. Took advantage of their bumps, passes and trips to the gravel to stealthily get into the mix altogether. The #8 punts the #15 out at Turn 14, and suddenly I'm in a prime position to get one or both of the Corvettes on the run to Turn 1. I reckoned, however, without the #17, who had rapidly gained on us and decided it was a good idea to send it up the inside of Turn 13... right as I was braking to take my usual line. Cue a punt which sends me into the tyre stacks, costing me valuable time. More mayhem ensued at Turn 1, when the #8 and #17 came together and end up scrabbling through the gravel trap. Held off the #13 to take 12th, and was pleasantly surprised to find that despite the earlier punt, my 'Clean Race' bonus had been left intact.
Shortly after this race, I made another qualifying run in the Corvette which feels a lot less weighty, but somehow less composed and with slightly fewer horses on tap. My best lap in that so far is a 1:39.484, still over two-tenths off the Mustang even with the former advantage. Highly unlikely to get any faster from this point on, but equally unlikely to switch from the Mustang as I still find it comfortable enough as it is in lobby trim. Next focus will be on the Red Bull CTR fest which should be interesting with the 10x tyre multipliers that are coming into effect.
Started last in the Supra. Finished P3. P2 and P3 fighting for position. Like, why? P1 skips away as P3(DBR9) tries to outbrake P2Peugeot VGT) into T1. I’m faster than the DBR9 ober the next3 laps. Pit end of Lap 5, as I know I’ll be held up. Next lap, after the DBR9 pits, I clear it by 3.5 seconds. No dramas through the chequered flag.
