My day went wrong at qualification. I qualified 14th out of 15 with a time of 1'11.7 where as pole was won with a 1'10.4. Looking at the video, its easy enough to blame by driving. I lose most of my time currently on the 1st hairpin. After the first 2 laps, I un-stabilize somehow on entry into this corner each time, and waste time and corner controlling over-steer on entry, only then to suffer under-steer mid-late corner and hold on too much steering to the end result of exit over-steer. Its all quite subtle but its slow and I have to figure it out to go faster. If you don't exit the first hairpin at the right speed, it effects entry into Dunlop which effects the exit and the missed acceleration all the way to the top of third before the 2nd hairpin. I lose time elsewhere too but that is the biggest section right now that I need to work on and it all goes back to how I take the last part of the S curve before the first hairpin perhaps.
In the race, I got a decent start but made the classic mistake of braking too early (in the usual spot but not going at usual speed) and ended up on the outside of 2 other cars on the first corner. I tried my best to keep my position but the other cars were coming out wide and I had to back off to save my paint. Into the first hairpin in last place, I noticed it was looking pretty slow on the inside so I went out and around only to see a car spinning out along the grass on the outside a tad close to my line but I kept on the gas anyway and made up 1 place plus the car that spun out. 13th then.
The back straight saw more excitement as the car in 11th missed 3rd gear and the car ahead of me got through on the last corner but I wasn't up for it. I got along the outside of him then in the first corner again but it nearly cost me my 13th place as the car behind got up my inside where he stayed until the 1st hairpin again where I had the best line and back he went again.
I tried up the outside of the 2nd hairpin, drafting on the back straight but I couldn't make it passed. As the laps went on, the tires got less and less grip and more gaps started to show as the cars in front missed their braking points under pressure. The car two cars ahead was particularly slow around the first hairpin and I was thinking about how to capitalize on it for a few laps. Lap 8, saw the leader of the race spin out on the last corner and I'd improved to 12th place.
Finally on lap 10, I decided to take a peek up the outside of the first hairpin just to see what the grip was like but my car just went from under me. I guess it was something to do with riding half on the bank and half off and going a little too fast without the aid of the bank to aid cornering. Anyway, I lost the back, countered and then countered more before sticking both feet as a lost cause and then sticking it in reverse as fast as possible to get out of the way of the back markers who would all be on the inside (and I was stopped mid-to-outside).
Once safe, I set off in pursuit and to try and set a faster lap and see if I could find out what the hell I was doing wrong. At least I think I managed to remember what I was doing on Dunlop and curb some of the entry over-steer into the first hairpin.
Coming off the circuit after 15 full on laps always feels amazing though. Juergen - my good mate - took some photos of me and remarked that I looked like a man who had just won the race by my smile and not someone who had come in bringing up the rear.
Its the car I think. It's just too much fun to drive. It challenges you everywhere to wring the most from it and squeeze out every last bit of performance from both you and the car. You can't do that in many cars these days. It's a super car :-)
So thanks to Mazda for giving us this great car, Brains for the race, D-Technique for all their help and being such a great team, Yoshida-san for his help and support on the day and Juergen for his fantastic photos. Congrats to all the winners, I am very jealous and I'll be back to claim my part of the glory again soon!
Next party race is September 5th!
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