Gaizka just on fire here. So what else is new?
Clive survives a couple of dramas to claim P2.
Tago a good run to P3.
Well done, chaps.
Can't say why Paul was a no-show. Too bad. We could have used him.
Gutted that Quico couldn't take the start. Considering that this is his baby, a true tragedy.
Sorry to have lost Xuggy on Lap07 to a shunt that pruned off the left-front wheel. Bad luck there.
In pre-race trials, I had set a best of 1m49.99s and hoped to improve on that in official qualifying. That plan went to the dumper early on as I experienced the intermittent glitch that has been surfacing over the last six weeks or so. This is a complete loss of sound coupled with the keyboard becoming non-functional. To deal with this, short of pushing the cpu reset button, I have found that the only solution is pull over and try to blow up the engine. As noted, I cannot return to the menu as the keyboard is dead. If you passed me parked on the infield down there just beyond Fangio in qualifying, that was my attempt to blow the engine. It gets mighty hot I can tell you. I've seen upwards of 400°F before it fails. Luckily, it did fail and put me back to the menu where normal service was restored. PHEW!
Off the grid, I managed to get ahead of Xuggy and follow Tago over the first lap. I edged away from Xuggy and tried hard to stay with Tago. Too hard. On Lap06, I ran out of brakes and talent to skate off the road at Nuvolari and drill the barrier there quite hard. Lucky to have survived that. This was a little wake-up call to mind my P's & Q's for the remainder of the race and just get it home safely. I fully expected to be lapped in this considering the speed of Gaizka and Clive and wasn't in the least surprised to see the red Ferrari in my mirrors on Lap19. Pulled over and let Gaizka pass without drama on the home straight.
On to the Isle of Man and the Mountain Course for our season finale. It's sure to be a thriller!
Those who do not learn from history will be condemned to relive its mistakes.