Heading into Road Atlanta's Race C to shave down my QT in the Gr.3 NSX proved to be an excercise in frustration, so I hopped back into Suzuka's Race B with the Gr.4 NSX, where I managed a 2:10.719 QT. Let's try to work on that C/S rating a bit before I tune in to Miami's F1 Sprint Qualifying...
Race 1: Started P3. Took advantage of the slipstream from the cars in front of me to stay close, capitalized on their unforced errors, and clocked my 5th win! P1!
Race 2: Started P5. Got a bump on Lap 1 before the Esses, and fell back to P16 (last). Worked my way up to 8th with some risky passes on the inside of 130R and the outside of the Hairpin. Had a Senna/Prost moment heading into Casio on the last lap, with me on the inside going for P7, but the Alfa DTM wasn't having it, and nearly shoved me off. The Caymen behind me capitalized, leaving me to finish P9.
Race 3: Started P7. Got pushed wide going into Dunlop on Lap 1 and fell down to P14. Dragged the NSX up to P8, but the guys in front of and behind me were, well... aggressive. Finished P9.
D'oh! Forgot the check how much time I had before Sprint Qualifying, and entered another race.
Race 4: Started P7. Avoiding mistakes got me as high as P5 at the Hairpin on Lap 1, but a traffic jam at Casio saw me getting shoved down to start Lap 2 in P12. Fought my way back to finish P8.
Short break to cheer on McLaren. Bummer, thought Lando would've gotten Pole. Piastri did well.
Race 5: Started P3. Went into Spoon a little wide on Lap 1, and got pushed wider, dropping me down to P13. Made too many mistakes trying to recover, and finished P11.
Race 6: Started P2. The lead Megane shot off into the distance like a rocket, but made a fatal error just before the Esses on Lap 3. I managed to stay ahead of a charging Supra to finish P1!
Good a time as any to call it a day, bookending poor finishes with wins.
Dramatic Re-enactment of Races 2, 3, 4, and 5:
Looking back, those P1s were too close for comfort. 😮