My random thoughts on the race:
Build - I’m convinced of the advantages of a flexible car that can still function with damage. I typically break something and this race was no exception. That also means no running from the front. I chose middle this time (60 ss, small bid) hoping to be at the hairpin in 2 turns.
The aggressiveness in T4 & T5 resulted from not having a detailed plan - I was going to run an opportunistic race and I saw opportunity. A chance roll in a slow corner was a worthy risk and kept me in the front pack.
Arghhh… blown brakes in the early going. I made them work with only a few subsequent brake rolls.
Hitting the exit row in Scheivlak is worth spending wear on - it’s the only place you can really accelerate out of. Rando took a naked chance to do that late race and it paid off.
The 120 corners on the backstretch kept the 180 engines in check. Without those, Rando and Tim would have run away with this. Of course, without those, there would have been more 180’s on the track. Or even 200’s…
Overall impression: A fun track with lots of open racing. Merino’s tracks often blend long straights with slow (check… really slow) corners, presenting a different challenge than most of Doug’s tracks. We’ll see some more examples of this in the Fall Squall.
Finally - congratulations to Rando, who was one pip away from a win, and Tim for riding their big engines onto the podium from the back of the field. To the CFR newcomers, Kelly & Joe, I hope you both had fun and learned a bit more about this lovely game. Tim and Kevin - I’m glad we pulled you into this format. It’s not quite as good as ‘in person’ but has the advantage of bringing people together from anywhere. Will & Don: Always in the mix and always fun to drive against.
See y'all on the track again, some in less than 2 weeks.
Drive fast & take chances!
Mike
Build - I’m convinced of the advantages of a flexible car that can still function with damage. I typically break something and this race was no exception. That also means no running from the front. I chose middle this time (60 ss, small bid) hoping to be at the hairpin in 2 turns.
The aggressiveness in T4 & T5 resulted from not having a detailed plan - I was going to run an opportunistic race and I saw opportunity. A chance roll in a slow corner was a worthy risk and kept me in the front pack.
Arghhh… blown brakes in the early going. I made them work with only a few subsequent brake rolls.
Hitting the exit row in Scheivlak is worth spending wear on - it’s the only place you can really accelerate out of. Rando took a naked chance to do that late race and it paid off.
The 120 corners on the backstretch kept the 180 engines in check. Without those, Rando and Tim would have run away with this. Of course, without those, there would have been more 180’s on the track. Or even 200’s…
Overall impression: A fun track with lots of open racing. Merino’s tracks often blend long straights with slow (check… really slow) corners, presenting a different challenge than most of Doug’s tracks. We’ll see some more examples of this in the Fall Squall.
Finally - congratulations to Rando, who was one pip away from a win, and Tim for riding their big engines onto the podium from the back of the field. To the CFR newcomers, Kelly & Joe, I hope you both had fun and learned a bit more about this lovely game. Tim and Kevin - I’m glad we pulled you into this format. It’s not quite as good as ‘in person’ but has the advantage of bringing people together from anywhere. Will & Don: Always in the mix and always fun to drive against.
See y'all on the track again, some in less than 2 weeks.
Drive fast & take chances!
Mike