Participants: 4 + 8 Legend AI
Qualifying: P3
Race: P2
Objective: Finish 10th or better PASSED
Qualifying:
Run 1 Slight damage to front wing after I locked up under braking coming out of the pits too fast and got into the barrier. 1:37.759 on the option tyre, good for P2. Run 2 Go out again on options with enough time for 1 hot lap. As I start my hot lap, Jaegermeister pips me and I drop to P3. I clock a 1:35.446 and get back into P2 behind FrenziedSine. Benny is on a hot lap as time expires and I'm doing my in lap. He JUST pips me for P2 by THREE THOUSANDTHS OF A SECOND. On PRIMES. Well done, sir. *clap clap* I was still extremely pleased to out qualify Jaegermeister, who only managed a 1:36.647, 1.2sec slower.
Race:
Lap 1 Get a fantastic jump at lights out. I keep Jaegermeister behind me going into turn 1. Benny goes way wide into the runoff giving me P2. FrenziedSine goes wide as well, but recovers quickly enough to keep me behind him. He then gets wide into the runoff at turn 7 and I go by to claim the lead!!! Lap 2-3 Holding on to P1. Lap 4 Set the early fast lap of the race! Lap 5 Defending against FrenziedSine. Lap 6 FrenziedSine gets DRS on me coming down start/finish, but WAY overshoots on the inside trying to outbrake me into turn 1. I say a thank you prayer that we didn't collide and drive on still in P1. Lap 7 Defending against FrenziedSine. The tries an outbraking maneuver again on the inside at turn 14 and overshoots across in front of me into the runoff. Another thank you prayer for no collision. Still P1!!! Lap 8 Major mistake as I overshoot the pit entry and end up back out on track. Surely in real life this would have gotten me a major penalty? At least I didn't take my front wing off on the pit wall. I thought for sure I was going to. Jaegermeister does get by though. Down to P2. Fortunately, FrenziedSine has pitted behind me. Lap 9 Pit stop for new options. Come out P6. Lap 13 Having passed a couple of AI drivers while they pitted, I am running in P4 (but last of human drivers). Up ahead, benny has gone off at turn 17. He comes back on track just in front of me, but his tires must be gone because he gets sideways out of turn 19, letting me past for P3. Lap 15 Scary moment when an AI car coming out of the pits hits me as I'm going past the exit. Tires skid, but thankfully I save myself from spinning. Up ahead, Jaegermeister destroys his car and the safety car comes out. I am now P2. I decide to take a strategic gamble and pit now for primes. It just might have paid off too... Benny goes past and I come out just behind him in P3. Then I make a major mistake going too fast out of the pit exit and I take my front wing off going wide into the barrier. Really. The safety car holding up the field is a blessing somewhat, but I'm gutted about the opportunity lost. Lap 16 Go into the pits for a new wing and drop one spot to the AI, dropping back to P4. My crew has fitted some scrubbed options. Time to make some hay and see what I can salvage. Lap 19 Another safety car! Pass FrenziedSine while he's pitted for P3. Lap 21 I passed one of the AI cars while they were pitted to get P2. Telemetry has been showing benny in P1, and I see him on screen driving behind the safety car. The game suddenly unlags and I find that I am actually the one in the lead! I must have passed benny while he was pitted or something and didn't know it because of lagged telemetry. Through a little luck with the safety car I have the lead back, and FrenziedSine and I are about to start round 2 of our duel when the safety car goes in at the end of the lap. I get a good jump at the restart and the fight is back on. Lap 22 Defending as FrenziedSine and benny swap back and forth behind me. Lap 23 I've been doing a good job of making my car as wide as possible and holding FrenziedSine back but I make a mistake, a mental lapse, and distracted, I brake too late for turn 7 and get wide, letting him by. Damn. Back to P2. I've got benny right on my tail, and one stop yet to make, but I get a gift when he goes wide into the runoff at turn 8 and drops way back behind at least one AI car. Lap 29 Final planned pit stop. I ask for primes, which should get me to the end of the race. AI driver gets by just as I'm coming out, dropping me down to P3. Lap 30 Get P2 back from AI coming out of turn 13 (pretty much the same pass that FrenziedSine made on me to take away the lead back on lap 23). Lap 38 Benny destroys his car. Another safety car! Scary moment when I take turn 18 a little too hot, but I keep it out of the wall and get back under way without losing much. With benny out and the AI no threat, I decide to make an extra stop to ensure I have tires that will easily make it to the end. Lap 40 I've caught up with the queue behind the safety car before the restart. I'm within about 6sec of FrenziedSine when the green flags wave. Lap 41 By turn 14 FrenziedSine has added another 3sec to his lead. He's too fast. 6sec per lap faster than I am on max revs. Lap 46 Finish P2 under the lights at Marina Bay on the lead lap!
This race was a lot more fun than I expected with only 4 real human beings. It was also pretty fun racing at Singapore when the real life Grand Prix had just taken place earlier that day. There was no shortage of drama, that's for sure! It was more outlast than outrace for me, but knowing the nature of Singapore, and its ultra low margin for error, I figure my P2 and how I got it means a little more than it would somewhere else. I certainly appreciated the help I got from the safety car! Whether it was a worthy, honest podium or not, I came away from it really happy because I felt that I was able to demonstrate another real step up in my racecraft. And I had a race with no spins! Finally! I do know its likely that I would have at least beaten benny for P3. I don't think that he had the pace to catch me before the end, so his crash out was moot. Jeagermeister? Well, he made a serious mistake that I didn't. You have to be able to keep it out of the wall, and its becoming clearer to me that I excel at that kind of discipline. My only DNFs were both at Monaco, one of them a rookie mistake, and the other a freak touch of the wall (I consider what happened that time to be more of a glitch). That discipline is earning me positions and creating opportunities over "faster" drivers. What's really been putting a smile on my face though are the words FrenziedSine himself had to say on the forums post-race:
"Great racing from both SLIDERZ and Benny who must have the widest cars on the planet but sill kept it clean."
"SLIDERZ still did a great job of stealing the lead and driving sensibly. I was thinking to myself the whole time I can't let a girl beat me and I don't want to mess up her race either by running in to her."
"I was probably desperate at that point...making so many passing attempts (that I couldn't make stick) that I probably thought it was now or never."
So I did well enough to get him frustrated back there eh? Hehe...Really means a lot to me since defending properly against real human players is still so new to me, and something I've really been concentrating on improving. I take it as a huge compliment coming from a driver who is so much better than I am. Did a great job once again in the early laps keeping it controlled and on track, capitalized cleanly on mistakes by the other guys, and really did a good job defending. I was also happy to see that starting on options worked out for me. Super happy with this race! And all under the lights at Marina Bay...
By the way, here's Jaegermeister's race edit video... It gives a good look at the defending I was doing against both he and FrenziedSine in the opening laps of the race.
Race Department Random Fun League Stats
Starts: 6
Finishes: 5
Best Grid: P3
Best Race: P2
Podiums: 2
Wins: 0
Points: 65
League table rank: 5th of 10
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Race Department Lifetime Club Stats
Starts: 10
Finishes: 8
Best Grid: P3
Best Race: P2
Podiums: 2
Wins: 0
Points: 84
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