Winning cures all ills.
Well, not all of them, but it's nice to have a reversal of fortune for once. Now I'll have to wait another year before I win again.
Got a great start while DeadMan did not, allowing me an easy 2nd. I had a really good run for 1st, but I took the safe route, staying behind Welsh into T1. Right away, I could tell he had a faster car as he slowly pulled away while I adjusted to the draft. Stig was behind me, but far enough that I didn't have to worry about him. I caught a glimpse of him grazing the invisible wall before he fell back, leaving Welsh and I alone. Kept behind him, but I all but lost him. Then his tires must have fallen off because I reeled Welsh back in.
By around Lap 10, I made a pass on the straight, and did what I could to stay up front. However, on the next lap, after T2, I suddenly saw his name fall off the leaderboard. I took a peek back, and my heart sunk, first believing I had DC'ed again given something similar in Toyko. I didn't realize until I looked at the replay that he touched the dirt at the T2 exit and crashed hard. At that point, 3rd was about 10 or so second behind, so I had a comfortable margin.
From then on, I kept a good pace, trying to extend my lead believing it would help me if there was a safety car. Drafting behind Welsh must have helped my wear because I stayed out until Lap 24 or 25, with my times around the low to mid 15s. When I came out, I had a close call with Stig who I thought had stayed out on old tires. However, he was really on a two-tire strategy. After a few laps, I passed him, and ran my PB on the next lap. Once he pitted, my lead was around 13-15 seconds, so I decided to back off my pace. In the back of my head, I was certain the safety car would come out, and I had no intention of going back in the pits.
With around 3 to go, I'm guessing he was going to let me by because I caught up to him quickly at the hairpin. At the exit, he touched the dirt and his car spun right into my lane. If I was at a faster pace, it would have been likely that I would have rammed right into him. However, I hit the brakes just enough that I could steer the car around. From there, it was smooth sailing for a victory of 20+ seconds.
Honestly, I would have had a much tougher time in D1, but I'll take wins any way I get them. 👍
(And for the record, I did a few lame donuts and a polish victory lap after the race)