After two months of GPL-ing, I finally decided to have a go at Grand Prix
race at Monza. 68 laps.
Qualifying was a piece of cake. Two months of hotlapping rewarded me with a
pole position.
After a couple of start crashed where at worst 15 cars were demolished (!) ,
I finally survived the first lap. Better yet, I was nr 1.
I held the first position until lap nr. 35, when a slight disaster occured
in the Parabolica. I was about to brake pass a car one lap behind when my
wheels locked up, and I slid off into the sand trap. A lead of 9 sec
disappeared, and I suddenly found myself 8 seconds after the leader,
Guerney.
6 laps before the finishing line, a passed Guerney in the Curva Grande.
Again I was in the lead, a position I held for the rest of the race. I won
by 2.68 seconds!
I was completely exhausted after this thrilling experience. 1 hour 43
minutes of extreme consentration. My hands were trembling, and my arm pits
were annoyingly wet.
This game is demanding. In addition to struggling with a hugely overpowered
car, you must fight a groving lack of concentration. One bad gear shift, and
BOOM... You're out of the race with a blown engine. If consentration fails
and you brake just a tad too late, you easily end up with a three wheeled
car, and you are out of the race.
Furthermore, patience pays. Overtaking needs to be planned. For a hotlapper
like me, it is hard to accept having to wait for the right opportunity to
pass. The guts keep telling me to pass immediately, while the brain is
telling me to be patient. Luckily, the brain won this fight for my arm's and
leg's attention.
Winning at Grand Prix level fills me with pleasure. Now it is time to move
on to another track.
Jon