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BTW, I've just figured out how to capture replays with Movie Studio 2 (GPL2AVI didn't work for me) so I might have a very short movie to show off...
Anyway, there was a very low turnout for tonight's race, only nine drivers by my count. I qualified 8th and was up to 5th after a few laps. But a spin and overheating the entry into the hairpin dropped me back to 6th, only to make up that position again a few laps later when someone towards the front spun and I got by. On the last lap, the car in front of me spun and rejoined a few seconds in front of me. As he was on a full tank and cold tires, I closed in on him until I was right behind and closing on the back straight. I had to lift through the corner to keep from running into him and he protected the inside line going into the right hander at the end of the straight so I was unable to get by under braking there. But I managed a late apex and got underneath him at the exit and as we reached the turn in point into the right hand kink on the front straight I was ahead of him by nearly a half a car length. But I had to back off earlier than he did in order to hold my line through the kink so we were dead even as we turned in. I held my line pretty decently, or so I thought. I knew that he would have the speed advantage for the drag race to the finish line and I nervously checked my mirrors--and saw him spinning off into the French countryside. I hadn't felt a thing. I took the checkered flag and checked my replay--sure enough, on my end there was no contact. His right front tire came a few feet from my left front, but apparently it was a collision on his end and he finished last as a result. I felt pretty bad and I wonder if I should have backed off and conceeded the position. I suppose it's just one of them racing deals, as those nascar boys would say. On the topic of nascar, I can't believe that they'd take a 1/4 inch off the Ford spoilers. I simply cannot stand all the Ford guys--any driver in nascar, really--complaining about how their car is at a disadvantage. Well then, that's the manufacturer's fault, isn't it?! Too bad for you. What's the point of having different manufacturers in nascar if you're going to nullify any advances in the cars that they make? It's ludicrous. I heard the nascar prez saying something like, "They're racers. They step into the car and expect to be able to win." Well, what about the manufacturer's competition? Let's make sure that's fair competition, too (with the emphasis on the world "competition"). I mean, I don't see Minardi coming up to Bernie begging to be allowed to bolt on a turbocharger. |
