Euro FH: Monaco

My half favourite track, and the worst race ever!

About the only thing of main importance is to apologise to Enis for a stupid pace lap error that punted him out of the race! Sorry.
It was totally my fault! (can't chat or apologise in the race)

When the grid moved off for the pace lap Roman drove off right along-side me, it seemed as if he thought he should be ahead of me, probably due to that dumb rFactor Yellow message that tells you who to stay behind - which is not the true car that is one position ahead. (It is designed for dual row pace lap). So that surprisingly enough is what set up the whole sequence to the punting.

I held my ground to Turn 1 and Roman dropped back, but I still wasn't sure what he was really thinking so I kept a tab on his gap time from there on. Up around the left 'sweeper' I was 1.3sec ahead. So it seemed he was staying back fine now.

Down the short straight chute I was merrily staying safely back from Enis and then I see Roman ZOOMING up in my mirror and also smoking tires!! So I am thinking he is making a quick squirt to shoot past me for that position, but he has locked up his brakes and is heading straight for me!
Which the replay shows that a move to pass was not the overall true case at all, but right then in real-time I am thinking he is going to ram me with brakes locked!

I had the room to make a slight surge forward with safety, to give an extra car length in case he could not stop, but about then I have no idea what really happened in real-time!
I went to brake to resume the speed matching with Enis, but I could not slow the car enough as expected and had to veer right to try to miss him - but didn't quite. After that incident was done I realised it was most likely because I was still in 2nd gear instead of 1st (due to the panic part) and the revs/sounds and prior evasive process must have fooled, confused, me in that 1sec under that frenzied bit of worry and pressure!

I still ALMOST managed to get past... but not by a wheel width! Bah.

I am sure, now, that Roman wasn't doing that at all!
The replay suggests he just surged forward so he could jam on the brakes to warm them up. But to ME... it was a view of death coming! And I messed up the 'slowing down' bit after my own surge to avoid that.
DOH.

The race began and I got a drive thru penalty for that pace lap punt, which was deserved. And even that is not enough to make up for it! Though I had slight car damage to make me pay something for it!
I spent the first 8 laps (whole race really) fuming over how stupid that punt was, and it was a battle to drive well and make myself re-focus 100% on the deadly track time and time again.

From there on I had a big job to recover ground to catch Craig, but the slight damage was making it tough to drive fast and survive for sure. Though I was edging back time bit by bit.
That damage eventually led to a slip somewhere, and I clipped the rear and got more serious damage which really made it tough then. But I could still lap very well, with a ton more focus needed to keep it under control!
I made it to 2nd place, but could only match Craig's pace anyway - with that high difficulty and danger of damage. And when I was about 35sec clear of 3rd I decided to slow down a bit and just assure 2nd.

Of course THAT is when you stuff up MORE than ever....
On the very first run through the fast chicane at the slower speed it had me run over the curb and the car jumps more than when doing it very fast, and the rear end damage hated that idea! It just broke free worse than it ever did even at full pace (DOH) and clouted the left exit wall for far more serious damage.

About 6 laps to go and 35sec back to 3rd was evaporating more than 10secs a lap then! No hope to hold 2nd, or 3rd even, and I could see 4th was about the best I would be able to maintain then. So I limped home.

A disaster race.... and probably deserved Last anyway!

Yet another DNF for me :-)

I was up into 4th pos and then I lost concentration for a split second into the chicane and that was it.
Hit the wall and wings and wheels were flying all over the place. Glad you got by the wreckage Roberto :-)

Can't wait to see how it goes in my independent chapter with a full race distance on this crazy track LOL

Apology accepted Peter. I was pissed off at the time, hence the sarcastic remark, am cooled down now.

Damn these super wide rear tires LOL , brushed the left side wall on last chicane and the rear bounced to the right , before i knew i was heading towards the wall and ripped out my left front suspension. Limped to pits but they couldn't fix the damage so i parked it there and waited for the race to end , then limped over the finish line while i was still in pit lane... Well , can't blame the car anyway , my Rebaque was performing well and i was hanging on in a 2nd place but race was over way too early... :|

Ah well , it was a good warmup for the US event... Found another place which i should look out for the next time... :p

Grats to Craig for the win and the rest of the podium too...

-----
Samuel

Thanks Enis. I know how you must have felt!! Which made me feel just as bad! But can never correct the problem.
I'll owe you one! hehe

(one "Free easy passing" voucher, redeemable for any race. lol)

Grats to Craig, well done.

After zhe start I was behind Craig on P2 and planned to drive safe and slow till finish. At turn 1 I was a little bit late on brakes and decided to take the safe way into the straight exit and return later to track. Didnt know that these stupid modders changed this exit from tarmac to sand. I was that slow and still couldnt stop the car there. Crazy. Destroyed my front wing and steering there. Did a slow lap, spun in T1 and Roberto crashed into me. the car was not driveable anymore and so I parked it.

@Peter, lol, you are looking too much into your rear mirrors ;-)
I warmed up my tires and brakes with pressing throttle and brakes at one time, that causes sometimes smoke :D Was miles away from you in this case. Sorry if this made you nervous.

@Roberto
First, you should stop talking shit about who wrecked you and other stupid stuff at the server because you was behind me and wrecked me after I spun!
Second, you should turn on your brain next time if a damaged car is in front of you which is out of pace. It was not necessary to fight because I would have let you pass on the straight up like the others before.

OK so it is one thing to join a race at the last minute with no practice when you have driven the car before, another to download a new setup, for a new car, on a new track, and try to do anything. Especially in a 1979 GP car at Monaco FFS!

Learned my lesson there LOL

Chill down m8,
I can avoid other mistakes (as i did), but you were in trouble, Allen passed you before t1 and you made loong risky braking thus this made you spin on the outside. Your wreck was evitable (by you), but you went back to line when I (and others) came and you slammed the door BUT this made you overdo.
Just this...
You spin because you went back in line in wrong time/place AND you spin because of this...don't blame me.

Well after 5 laps and this silly accident I drove with 45° wheel bent to the right, what a pleasure at Monaco! lol
Grats to all survivors, but sometimes races here are not fun (e.g. not today).

I dont blame You for my spin! It was my own fault. And this is the difference between us two. You blamed me for wrecking you. And this is stupid nonsense because you was behind me, just accept it. My car was damaged, I slowed down and let everybody pass on the straight before entering T1. Sorry if I did not stopped my car, gave up racing and waited for the king Massa.