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| This is still the third Rubber Class race of the day.
I get another opportunity to pass the #92 Chevette... |
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Okay, so I blew the previous passing attempt because I caught a
wheel in a rut. That was my mistake. It happens.
But I sense that #92 is allowing himself to be distracted by watching me in his rearview mirrors too much. It's merely a matter of time before he makes a big enough mistake to allow me to get past. He should spend more time concentrating on getting his lines right in order to stay ahead of me on merit of his speed. Instead he seems to be compromising his lines everywhere just so he can deliberately hold me back. |
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Another opportunity to overtake presents itself immediately.
In the final left hander leading to the start/finish line, the ice surface has been polished really, really slick. I make sure to back off early and approach this corner cautiously, whereas #92 plunges in with a lot of steam on. From this view, it looks as though I've lost ground to #92. But I'm a firm believer in the principle of a slow entry leading to a faster exit from the corner. |
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If this was the final dash to the finish line, #92 would have easily
beaten me. He's nearly at the line now, whereas I'm still really slow at
this point.
However, the flagman at the finish line is holding up the board indicating we still have one more lap to go. #92 was much faster through this left turn, but he is now scrabbling for grip on the far right where the surface along the normal racing line is buffed smooth as glass. By sacrificing speed through the corner, I've managed to hook onto the traction available over here on the left side of the track. I have better grip for acceleration, plus I'm now set up with a much better line into the following right hander which is critical for the run onto the long front straight. |
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#92 has again approached his turn from too shallow an
angle. On the slippery ice surface, he's struggling to get his car
around the sharp right turn. Immediately after this there is a
sweeping left turn, then the long straight to the hairpin.
#92's line will force him to make a big right/left S-turn, whereas my wider approach should let me run a much straighter line through both corners from here. As a result, I have MUCH better acceleration onto the straight than #92. |
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Taking full advantage of my line for better acceleration, I'm
gobbling up the distance between our cars at a surprising rate!
Because #92 approached this right hander from too tight on the right side of the track, he's now drifting wide and left on the exit. He's blown the following left hander as well, because he'll be approaching that turn positioned too far to the left side of the track. I'm expecting he will subsequently slide wide to the right on the exit of the left hander as we start down the long straight. |
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For this to work, I really need to slip by him on the left.
Come on. Drift over to the right side NOW, please... Except the unpredictable #92 surprises me again! He really is MUCH slower than me at this point. I'm closing on him at an alarming rate, whereas he's driving slowly enough that he has no problem staying left to block me again! Screw that. If he gives me just a couple of inches of room on the left, I'm going to punch my way through... |
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I wait until the absolute last millisecond, then I have no other
choice than to swing around the outside of him to the right.
And DAMN! Just then #92 yanks his steering even further left making his car wider as the tail swings out to the right and into my path. I come within a whisker of hitting him. And I'm screwed again... |
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Because I was forced to alter my trajectory in midcorner, I now run way
off line to the right on the exit.
I even manage to get outside of the berm, onto the untravelled black ice surface hidden under the loose snow, where there is ZERO traction. I only just barely avoid stuffing my car into the outside snowbank. That was close. |
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With my momentum advantage gone, I look over to the left and glare in frustration at #92 as he once again manages to stay alongside, again blocking the inside line all the way down the straight and into the upcoming hairpin turn to the left. | ||
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