Ok, I have a lot to respond to. I will do my best.
First off, I'm glad we are discussing this in the open. It is an educational experience that we can all learn from.
Here is what I see in the 2nd video...
RedReevos lines up for his typical line by putting 2 wheels on the rumble strip. His car has amazing turn-in and this line works. I shadowed him for several laps and was amazed at the balls he had to brake and turn in so late.
GrenadeShark drafts and lines up for *my* typical line by moving inward on the track and shooting for an early apex. Since Grenade and I were driving essentially the same car his line makes complete sense to me. Our cars basically have to drift around that corner to be quick, which means getting the nose to rotate early. I almost always started braking where the right side rumble strip begins. I used light trail braking up until the apex to force the car around. Straight line braking would've just put my understeering car in the sand trap.
Now Grenade claims to be using scare tactics, but personally I would have run the same line as him for 2 reasons. First, its a different car as described above. Second, if he stayed directly behind Red, he may accidentally punt him when he hit the brakes. it is very difficult to see the braking zone when you are that close to someone entering a high speed turn.
However, I can see how Red got a little scared by the move. When someone disappears from your rearview mirror you don't know where they are going to end up.
Since this is a 60 lap event, I was in no early hurry to press the situation. I spent the first 6 or 7 laps understanding Grenade's line and giving him plenty of room. I stayed way off him in turn 1 in those first few laps, because I am way faster through 1 and 2 than him. He takes that corner inside, inside, outside. I take that corner from the extreme outside on the rumbles to the inside edge to the outside rumbles before 2.
He had no idea of my line when he stuck it in there like that. I am in front and have a right to run my line. If I had done this it would have been quite a crash. I know his line through there. Why he would come in late to 1 like that, I had no idea. I have raced on this course before, and when we are going to pass on 1, we have already pulled ahead earlier on the straight. I think it was very reckless to be blind to the fast line to the corner and then just jam it in like that. If he had known my line there, he would have known that by showing that, I had to crash. There is no way to save my line at that point. I did crash, and i guess, "trick" worked.
I am going to break down red's previous laps to give you an idea of what I was feeling up front. The strategy I employed was a direct result of his driving style. He was slower then me on turn 1 on average, but faster on turn 2. This was probably a result of being slower on turn 1. The whole first section up to the U turn, he was generally gaining .1-.3 seconds on me.
He was also faster then me through the turn after the uturn, but much slower through the sweeping left. He was able to go faster then me through the last turn, but tended to be slower coming out of it. What was happening through much of the race was me pulling him through the straight where he wasn't quite as fast as me out of the last turn. I was keeping him behind me by slowing him down on the parts he was fast and being faster then him on the parts I was fast.
I was very afraid that if he stayed in front of me for any period of time, he would pull away due to the front section. I wanted to keep him behind me for as much of the race as possible. So, I was very aggressive, but clean at the same time.
I employed a strategy to keep pressure on him. I find most people make mistakes under pressure in this game (I for one make mistakes if you tell a stupid joke).
The difference between doing what I did and not doing what I did could have meant 2nd place for me. If I let him get in his stride, I had no doubt he would pull away.
I guarantee you that I am much faster on turn 1. The only reason you hadn't seen that, is because if I had taken my normal line, we would have wrecked before turn 2 entrance. I was amazed at how slow you took turn 1. Although, in warmup, I thought you saw me close up about 6 or 7 car lengths just in turn 1. I thought I even remembered you making a comment on it in the mic.
I don't think you realized that I was giving you room the first 6 or 7 laps, and conserving my tires. I was learning your driving style and your line. This way, when I made a pass, it would be in a "good" place. I had more momentum coming down the straight into 1 on several occasions. I decided to slow down and get back behind you, so as not to cause a wreck. Turn 1 to me is wreck city. Especially if one person comes in way too late and is somewhat blind to the fast line through there. I really don't think, even now, that you understand my line. You think you are way back in that video because, I ran off wide trying to avoid you. Where you braked to, "to trick me," was already a collision. If I took my line we were crashed. I go super wide, and cut across the inside of that turn. I just went back one more time to the video to make sure. 100% my rear left corner panel would have come right across your front right corner. I turn in that sharp. Sticking your front corner in that spot, makes me either get wrecked if I take my line(because of the contact), or I have to bail out to the gravel. I, in fact, do believe I read my mirrors properly during the race. The video now confirms that to me.
So I guess I could have made it obvious the fault in the matter. If I had come down, it would have been clear what happened. The problem is, I would have been severely wrecked, and been lucky to finish middle of the pack. The damage is on max. You would have felt bad for wrecking me.. but I would have been wrecked(in the farthest place from the pits). You really don't know me yet as a driver. I assure you, you are not going to pressure me into a mistake. I will however, do what I can to avoid a wreck. In this instance that is what you forced me to do.
Note: I did not say hitting, pushing or leaning on another car.
Disregard my later comment
