Well with this downtime (similar to some other posts I saw: presents wrapped, gym session done, kids watching movies) I was looking forwards to some dedicated time this afternoon in my travails to regain my "S" SR rating after the Nurburgring GP Daily Gr.3 race_debacle a few weeks ago
(went into it on an S, tried to keep it clean, kept getting nerfed, revenge-red mist came down, ended up on a C). Well that's what you get for 3 hard braking zones in a lap I guess....
I get limited time on GTS so really only have the odd 2 hour slot at weekends to refine my craft
Last weekend was spent entering as many daily races as I could without a qually time, racing from the back and trying to keep it clean. I got from a "C" back up to a "B" ranking, tried my hand at a few N24h and then managed to get onto an "A" rating one evening this week. Wahey! I thought.
So yesterday got about an hour in before all the servers went down late afternoon/evening (UK time) doing the one make race at Kyoto and the Nations Cup or Manufacturer's at
Maggiore 10 laps (sorry can't remember which one). Quallied well (ish) at P3 and in the line up noticed most were "A" SR ranking and a few were "B's". Here follows what happened next. I am sure it is a familiar tale!
Here's how the race went
......
Lap #1 T1: Made a place (P2) due to slow get away of P2. Passed easy without contact (anyone else notice how increasingly it's the luck of the draw whether you start at the top of 2nd gear and have to immediately change-up or you start in 3rd gear and get a run on the guy ahead of you? hmmmm). Rest of Lap#1 pretty uneventful. Nearly ran into P1 into that banked hairpin and deliberately ran wide to avoid contact.......
Lap #2: ......which got me back into 1-sec range of P3. Who, seeing glory took a run at me from way back into T1 (hands over eyes emoji).
I saw him coming, gave him space on the inside and let him through (no contact), overtook him again on the cut back (no contact) was easy past, about halfway round T2 in 1st gear, then...."CLONK!"...."BANG!" .....<TYRE SQUEAL> I'm swivelled 180' , on the grass. Spinning. Must...try....to....keep...it.....facing....straight...ahh no I'm facing the barrier stationary like a naughty schoolboy in the corner...please..restart me on the track...oh no....reverse (all the time weeowww weooowww naaarrrrrwwoowwww cars going past) ....back on the track....1st gear...chug chug chug....ah look I'm last now by about 5 seconds.
Lap #2>about lap #7: Made up from last (16th iirc), 15th, 14th, 13th, 12th, 11th, 10th, 9th, 8th, no contact, lots of green "SR's" and clean sectors. Then about half way though lap, yellow lights there's been some shenanigans ahead. Come out of the "S" bend.
Cars all over the track.
Get a run on a dutch yellowy-chromey-911 with all sorts of nonsense on the back of it ...blocks me on the long straight (fine with that) I feign left (normal racing line) then at braking pt for banked hairpin, dive on inside, take the place (no contact) run wide.
We are level pegging to next turn, I give the place back to avoid contact.
He runs wide on that long right hander at top of the hill, then into next double right hander I hit brakes , trail braking in (end of lap).....'WHACK" <tyre squeal> "SMASH!" I fly off the track.
Get back on track. 1st gear. Chug chug chug as the TC kicks in ...come on come on come on!
Penalty 5 secs. SR rating orange WTF!
I catch him a lap later. He is weaving left and right on long straight to banked hairpin. I am prob 2 car lengths behind him then at 100mtr board, BRAKES!
Whaaaaat?
I hit back of him, "SR rating \/ ORANGE"
He manages to stay on track.
So at this point I am thinking WTF is this guy up to. Assuming my rating is screwed, I hear the magic words of Rocky Balboa "it ain't about how hard you get hit, it's about how hard you get hit and keep getting up again" and scream off in a red mist pursuit of vengeance against Mr chromey-yellow-911.
Not happy at passing him after he runs wide at T1, I wait for the next straight. Let him close on me. Slam on the brakes. WHACK! We both fly off. Spectacularly.
We are both ghosted.
weeowww weooowww naaarrrrrwwoowwww cars going past.
"BANG!"
"WHALLOP"
Someone piles into him as he gets back on track and un-ghosts.
All the meantime I am going wrong way up track trying to do a handbrake. Then get a message I am DQ'd
I manage to limp home last by about 9 seconds. BTW if you smash your car hard enough it really does break
The replay
I get myself a beer, decide to watch the replay.....
T2 guy: Was deliberate take out but he drove a largely clean race after that to finish 2nd.
Lap 7 911 guy - Total nutcase. He got taken out at T1 by a Beetle then went on a rampage. Everyone else was the enemy. Watching onboard as he smashed me was absolutely hilarious.
I'm back down to "C" SR rating
Was the vengeance worth it? Hmm it was definitely more entertaining playing banger racing.
That was until I noticed my DRIVER RATING went back from B to C also....
That's serve me right.
So the moral of this story is: don't let the red mist come down!
I will mostly be spending my forthcoming GTS time starting at the back and keeping it CLEAN
Happy fun and clean racing all
Destination "S" SR bound....