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Post 23 Jan 2018, 7:15 pm

Drivers, feel free to post here.
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NASCAR Driver (Pro V)
 
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Joined: 08 Apr 2002, 9:45 am

Post 23 Jan 2018, 8:03 pm

Sure, I'll go...

Build: The Mistral Straight was just asking for a 180 (or even 200). Decent accel would be needed to get to 180 but big brakes did not seem necessary. I should note that Doug did very will with an underpowered car - that's a good thing when different builds can lead to success.

Bid: Just looking to be somewhere in the middle with a bid of 4 skill. Second to last row - meh.

Lap 1: My early goal was to get through the hairpin with some slip potential. I ceded a single slip to set up a potential double. It worked but barely. I had to perform a forced pass to use that double. A little luck is usually needed to do well in most races and I got some there. That maneuver put me in front of the chase pack, several paces off the leaders. I started to close in on the leaders after the du Pont corner.

Lap 2: Marshall put himself in a bad spot in T14 going into the first corner. Not what I was expecting and potentially very bad for me if he blocks the line next turn. Thank you, Marshal, for keeping that line open! Now I had to haul in Fabio and Doug over whom I had a wear advantage and a bigger car. I made the move to the front after getting a double slip from Fabio on the Mistral.

Lap 3: Smooth sailing for the rest of the race. I was a bit worried about Jeff catching me if he were willing to take a risk or two. Once he broke his brakes, the win was a lock.

Track impressions.

I really like this one. It has some flaws but there is one feature that no other track comes remotely close to having. The Mistral Straight. I feel that if you can set up the right double slips at the right time, the race can be won on the straight. You can also get a pretty good groove on this track with some opportunities to play from behind. The potential double slips facilitate that strategy.

Flaws? I suppose I miss the racing lines. This track only had two - I like the challenges posed when fighting for the lines. Better than Rouen, though, with none. Also, I'm not entirely sure I like the aligned corners that allow for lane changes midway. They add some interest and more decision-making opportunities so maybe it's just a matter of getting used to them. We've seen them occasionally on other tracks but not to this extent.

Anyway, as I've already said to the field, I believe this one cracks my top five (I've probably raced about 25 tracks). The Mistral Straight makes this one special. I'm sure there's some internal bias from winning and perhaps the shine will wear off over time but for now, I can't wait to run it again.

Finally, Brad, thank you for running a great race! I think you've got this RM job down pat.
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NASCAR Driver (Pro V)
 
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Post 24 Jan 2018, 6:22 pm

I'm not that great on memory here with the race, but I can definitly think of a couple things in the end.

1. First and foremost I bungled the build. As I look at it, I would of been better off just going 200 top with less skill, as having to burn it for such just didn't go my way.

2.I have to do a better job with slips with a track like that. I struggled so hard to keep up when I missed them, and they were such a big part of this.

Outside of that, well, at least I don't seem to be at risk of dropping. Just need to race well in Estoril.
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Post 25 Jan 2018, 9:50 am

I had raced this track once before at PrezCon summer and completely failed to chase down Jim Fleckenstein who got out front and was able to make it hard to pass in the corners. So I tried the same thing and just barely got 2nd.

Having Fabio dogging my every move made for good racing, but may have also made it hard to be as efficient as I could. Although I would have to go back to the tape to see if there were specific spots that I lost out due to the traffic.

Largely though, I think being stuck in or right behind a pack is hard on this track because of the corners. My strategy was to get out on front of that early. Mike noted in his commentary that he was able to get in front of the main pack early on.

That seems key to me.