I naively thought that just one race slot would make people more careful, how wrong I was and that could be my first and last attempt at Supra Cup right there. What a 🤬 show.
I made a mistake qualifying, should have given myself proper clean air and as such ended qualifying 14th a good 0.8s off what I'd been doing on my own. I didn't make a mistake into T1 though, had a good start, gained a couple of spots then got sandwiched, turned in on from which the slightest contact got me a 1s penalty, then as we're rounding the hairpin I get the other Brit in the race tap my back end, then again, then hit me again as he almost pushes me into a spin and he goes past, giving me another 1s penalty to go with the multiple places it cost me. This resulted in losing 6SR over the course of the race despite no more SR downs. Into the next corner and an Italian launches it from a mile back, I admit I shouldn't have turned in (but then if I didn't you can guarantee I was going to lose more places on the exit), I've watched the replay and there was no way he was making the corner. He eventually tries a move on the last corner of the first lap and we're side by side when another driver decides to force his way up the inside and power out of the corner, pushing me off the track. 20th place, dead last and about to serve a 2s penalty for doing nothing wrong. Almost quit the race there.
Having some clean air though for a couple of laps, the race became slightly more spread out. I caught back up to the Brit and we had a sort of battle, I overtook him, he went up the inside the following lap (I didn't expect him to and he was never fully alongside for a move, I should have defended the inside), on the exit of T1 we were side by side and on the approach to the next corner I realised I was edging him onto the dirt (still wasn't switched on after L1) so I backed out and let him have the corner. Taking him later in the lap as he went deep into the chicane.
From there it was just a case of gradually gain on the car in front and get past as quick as possible, I passed some, some others vacated the track long enough for me to have their position and eventually I came home 9th.
I'm annoyed. Annoyed with myself for not qualifying on my own but more annoyed that again I had the pace to be at the sharp end of that race and yet again getting bumped around by people who cannot drive without contacting other cars threw me to the back at the start
Nurburgring next isn't it? Dear God...
A 15s video of how it all went wrong, just keep an eye on the mirror for the yellow car into T1
Edit: Actually the more I think about it, the more the Nurburgring seems like a good idea!
Absolutely no idea how - two SR downs in the entire ten-lap race...
(7 minutes):
I would have been forgiven if I pulled out but I finished, laughing the whole way!
