Now for the most absurd race I've ever had the pleasure of taking part in, alongside
@W1gglyStyl3. If I could never play GT7 again, I'd be happy knowing I experienced this. What a crazy rollercoaster.
Qualifying was dry and I started P10 with an 8:05.8. However, I noticed some rain during the post-qualifying time countdown. More on that later.
As the race began, a certain French driver who built a reputation for being rather dirty in GT Sport was in a Supra with another AMG and a Ferrari nipping at his heels, and me and WigglyStyle not that much further behind. I gained a position through Hatzenbach due to someone spinning out, but then lose it again at Aremberg after going deep. I'm not sure if I made a mistake or if another Supra that WigglyStyle had been fighting with gave me an unexpected bump going into the braking zone - will need to check the replay.
There's now a big train of cars behind the infamous French driver and it starts kicking off at Kallenhard as the AMG gets past him, with the Supra me and WigglyStyle had been fighting with also pushing past. The Ferrari got a good run out of the hairpin and starts going around the outside, only for the French driver to start trying to push him off. At this point all I can think is "Oh great, he's in
that mood..."
The Ferrari makes a bit of a dive into Breidscheid and sticks it to finally claim the position, only to get rammed off at Klostertal.
DEFINITELY in one of those moods... The French driver starts picking up the pace and pulls out a bit of a gap to me, so I'm now slightly relieved that I'm not going to have to make an imminent overtake attempt after watching all of that.
Lap 2 is uneventful, with me just following the French Supra. The Ferrari was quickly closing the gap though and caught me right before Sabine Schmitz Corner. I mentioned the rain I noticed in qualifying earlier. I had honestly contemplated going into the pits for Intermediates at the end of lap 2, but without seeing how heavy it was and only noticing it after we'd been crawling around for
ages in the post-qualifying results, I thought maybe it wasn't that bad. I was wrong. So wrong. Really wish I'd gone all-in on the crazy strategy now!
I'm a bit over 3 minutes into the lap and this is approaching:
By the first carousel, we're into Intermediates territory and it just keeps coming. People are binning it left, right and centre and we're all crawling back to the pits as it goes almost all the way up to the Wets crossover. Madness.
Now is where I have another grumble at the penalty system. A few of us aquaplaned into the barrier at the end of the Döttinger Höhe in rapid succession. The game decides I hit both of them and gives me a 4 second penalty for
this. I mean, come on...
It's wet from here on out and I'm running P11 in a train headed up by WigglyStyle. I move up to P10 before Flugplatz after getting past an NSX who's carrying a 3 second penalty, and then P9 at Adenaur Forst when WigglyStyle makes a mistake. I then make a mistake myself at Metzgesfeld and drop down to P12 shortly after.
Disaster strikes for me at the start of lap 5. I'm right behind a Supra and go off the "dry" line into turn 1 so I'm not directly behind him, just in case. I clip the grass, the car veers right under braking so I cut the corner and get reset back to the pit lane exit. Oops. A little later, I then come in way too hot at Schwedenkreuz and smash the barrier. Double oops.
At this point I'm thinking its likely over, but nope! I just keep plodding on and catch up with the infamous Frenchman coming out of the carousel... We both then catch up with the other AMG, and then I realise we've caught up with a train headed up by P1(?!) as we reach the second carousel! I honestly need to watch the replay to find out how
that happened. I get a fantastic run down the Döttinger Höhe and I'm back up in P7 at the start of lap 6. The race now decides to turn it up to 11 as it gets completely insane from this point onwards.
I misjudge the speed of a Supra heading into the Endurance layout hairpin and get a 2 second penalty for bumping him. Frustrating, but fair. A Nissan bins it coming out of the chicane before the Nordschleife entry and I'm running in P6.
Prior to this race, I'd heard rumours about an American who has alt accounts in EMEA and Oceania and likes causing trouble. This guy is in the race in a Corvette. He makes a mistake through Hatzenbach and then almost shoved me into the wall rejoining. I'm frustrated, but it's wet. Maybe it was an accident and he wasn't actually trying to push me off. He then makes another mistake and I get the run on him... and he starts trying to push me onto the grass heading up to Flugplatz. I'm not putting up with this, the gloves are coming off.
His attempt failed as I managed to hold it, so I just say screw it and ram him off, bumping my penalty up to 5 seconds. I wouldn't normally do that, but to hell with it.
Then the Supra I bumped previously makes a mistake at the run up to Steilstrecke and I give him
another bump in the braking zone for another penalty. Not so happy about that one, and I'm now carrying a devastating 7 seconds.
Unfortunately, the Corvette has been catching up and barges through at Hohe Acht. He then does a push-to-pass on the Nissan, spinning it out right in my face so I ended up rocketing him into the wall. Thankfully I DIDN'T get a penalty for that... Thing is, neither did the Corvette!
Serving the penalty, good grief. I'll admit I hit pause for a few seconds crossing the line to see if the glitch would do anything. I'd never normally do that, but I was hoping it could potentially help to negate the penalty earned defending myself from the Corvette. I don't think it did anything though since the penalty was so big.
I'm now back down in P12 and by this point I'm probably more determined than I've ever been in any race. Over the course of the evening I've seen that my pace in the wet seems to be pretty competitive at my DR level. Somehow I catch up and all hell breaks loose.
The Supra I'd bumped a couple of times went off at Hocheichen. P11. The infamous French driver has spun coming out of Aremberg. P10. I'm pushing so hard I almost bin myself at Fuchsröhre but barely hold it. Wiggly went off at Metzgesfeld and I pass as he rejoins. P9. The other AMG almost loses it going down towards Weirseifen. P8.
There's a bit of a gap to the cars in front but it closes by Ex-Muhle. A Ferrari bins it cresting the hill. P7. We're all bunched up and P1 is in sight again! A Supra and the Nissan I hit because of the Corvette earlier lose it at Klostertal. P5. Another Ferrari goes very deep at Steilstrecke and I get past. P4. A Honda almost loses it on the approach to Hohe Acht but saves it. A Mazda makes a move on the Corvette into Wipperman only to get pushed off, and the Corvette is still somehow not getting any penalties for any of this. P3.
The Corvette pushes the Honda wide at Eschbach. P2. I'm now RIGHT UP his bumper... but then I overcook the right hander before the second carousel (Schwalbanschwanz?) and slam into the barrier. Back down to P8!
However, IT'S STILL NOT OVER. I'm still P8 running down the Döttinger Höhe and there's been a massive incident at the end. I move up to P6 due to a couple of stationary ghosted cars. It turns out the Corvette caused one hell of a catastrophe at the end, causing a multi-car collision that punted him across the grass towards the Nordschleife pit entry and straight into a position reset. Two people got 5 second penalties for that, and the Mazda was carrying a 2 second penalty across the line.
After 64 minutes of pure insanity, P3 for 233 points!!!
If you'd like to see the last couple of laps (and I would honestly recommend it due to how crazy things were),
click here. So freaking intense, especially in VR!
