Hello, fellow race (GPL) fans!
I am still trying to get my pulse down after passing Jimmy on the last lap
(of 17) to win my home Grand Prix. Details follow.
I am still using the Lotus Advanced Trainer, and will be for a while, so...
I qualified on the pole at 1:13.01, a mere one-hundreth of a second faster
than Clark, and Hill filled the next spot with 1:13.13. This was my very
first pole position, and I intended to make full use of having no one in
front at the green flag. The start was uneventful, despite the fact I lost
two positions to my Lotus teammates. Clark began to pull away from Graham
and I, and within two laps I was all over Hill. On the fifth lap, I pulled
alongside him going down the Front Straight, and outbraked him into The
Outer Loop (ohhhhh...NOW I see the "reward" you guys were talking about -
the sheer tension in the half-minute surrounding a pass of one of the
greatest drivers of all time, and the glee in seeing him in your mirrors! I
still remember letting my breath out - I didn't realize I had been holding
it - when I saw him behind me). I pulled away from him by about 0.3 seconds
a lap. Jimmy was still comfortably in the lead, and I was 2.5 seconds back.
I gained on him over the next ten laps, and was less than a second behind
for 4 laps straight. Then came the event.
With two laps to go, I was a half-second back from Jimmy Clark, and I was in
Position 2. I thought to myself, "this is a big improvement from my last
race here (a few weeks ago) - I had qualified fifth, and finished eighth
after two spins. So I should be happy to be on the podium, and to be
mentioned in the 'Newspaper.'" Then I saw it: a Cooper, about a
quarter-mile up from Clark. Previously, I had run races so short, lapped
cars didn't come into play. Thinking I could somehow use this to my
advantage, I started turning quick laps - the kind of stuff that inspires a
newbie (me?) - and settled barely a quarter-second off Jimmy's angled
tailpipes. The Cooper got closer and closer, until all three of us almost
lost it going into the "90." Last lap. I was ducking and diving around
Clark, and trying to see where the Cooper was (not cheating by using the
replay). Coming out of the Esses, I was presented with Clark being help up,
and I quickly moved over to the right. The only thing I was concentrating
on was "make quick shifts." We were wheel-to-wheel going into The Outer
Loop, with the Cooper in front of us, making a triangle formation. I wasn't
able to outbrake Jimmy into the corner, and he nearly cut me off in his
frustration to get my the tailender. Somehow, I got an extremely fast exit
out of the Loop - I think I let them go a bit ahead, then punched it.
Whatever I did worked.
Still concentrating on quick shifts, I again pulled alongside Clark, and
dragraced him down the Back Straight. I didn't see him in the mirrors until
I got alongside the Cooper (and I realized just how long a straightaway that
is). I was safely ahead of both cars going into the Speed Trap, and took it
easy for the rest of the lap. Clark finally got past the poor Cooper at the
Big Bend, and finished about 1.2 seconds behind me. As I crossed the line,
I hit the spacebar to punch my***into the air. What a thrill!
My next project? Kyalami, South Africa.
- John P. Wilson :|:
- Downshift http://www.geocities.com/MotorCity/Garage/1123/index.html
- Ten Cylinders, Six Gears, Four Wheels, Two Wings, and one Brave Heart.
Congrats....
Well told story BTW
Joe Walsh
Supercity Internet Services
great recap! i think that you're pretty ready for the GP cars. ; - )
Now Thats what racings all about. :)
Scots_man
>Hello, fellow race (GPL) fans!
>I am still trying to get my pulse down after passing Jimmy on the last lap
>(of 17) to win my home Grand Prix. Details follow.
>I am still using the Lotus Advanced Trainer, and will be for a while, so...
Quoted text (7 lines)
> I am still trying to get my pulse down after passing Jimmy on the last lap > (of 17) to win my home Grand Prix. Details follow. > I am still using the Lotus Advanced Trainer, and will be for a while, so... > I qualified on the pole at 1:13.01, a mere one-hundreth of a second faster > than Clark,How come my CC's usually qualify with times of 1:11.xx while I am at
113.xx ? I am also driving in the Advanced trainer races.
Thanks,
Cyriel
On Fri, 30 Oct 1998 10:49:54 -0700, David Ewing
