26-06-2007, 11:30 PM
(This post was last modified: 26-06-2007, 11:36 PM by Alexfighter.)
This story is bout luck. Good and Bad. How multiple factors, little stones in the paths of many may contribute in favour of only one.
I qualified third, which was more than I expected but left me in good position for the trick first corner, but not much more. I knew some of the people I had behind would be faster than me in the race.
And that happened. I made a horrible start and were 9th in a couple of laps, but after a couple of people ran wide or spun, I took the pace I wanted for the race and attacked the man who would be my main rival (and I knew it even before the race started), Daniel Gaspar. I went for him, took a draft and overtook him.
Since then the race was more or less calm. We ran mostly together. Most of the times I made a little gap in 2nd and 3rd sectors, but my 1st sector isn't too good and he recovered. Sometimes I did better and opened a gap, but hen sometimes he did better and closed it. At one time I did a bad lap and he did a good one, we ran wheel-to-wheel in the last corner and continued onto the first. In most cases, I would simply lift and let him pass, but I don't know why (maybe because I knew I wouldn't overtake him again) I took it to the limit, and could protect the position.
Well, the race continued its pace. Through the first 19 laps we ran together and gaining positions with teh retirements of the leaders, but my history of luck started in that lap: 19.
After the chicane, I throttled a bit too much and spun. I had about 1,5 gap with Daniel, and fortunately I saved the spin without damage but... I don't know why, when I was in the right side of the tarmac and Daniel should have passed through the left, he hit me. Watching at the replay, I think he also lost a bit of control and went directly to me. He took the worst part, losing a wheel. I thought my race had ended, but I just had rear suspensions damage, mostly in the right.
I was third at that moment, and 11 long laps were in front of me. With that damage, which made me 6-8 seconds slower, I knew even the 8th would pass me. But there ended the bad luck. I just concentrated on cruising and let pass anyone closing to me. In more than one occassion it was hard because he wouldn't know I had problems and was dangerous to fall to a side of the track and lift, because he would follow me to draft. But I could do it.
And then, started my good luck. If you watched the results, you've seen I finished third. Why? That's it. With several laps to go, I was 5th. 6th position passed me and 7th was about 12 seconds behind, and catching me 4 seconds a lap, that left me about 4 laps to go and I would be 8th (he was paired). But then, 5th position had an accident and it seems he got damage. I overtook him and it was meant to be a close fight, a fight of crippled boys. In fact, when he got the pace again he was closing on me. That retarded 7th and 8th position but they all were right behind me with 3 laps to go. "This has no remedy" - I thought - "I'll end 8th".
And then started the miracles. The crippled 6th went to overtake me and the other two were behind. I thought that if I pushed the first of them, the other would try to overtake him and something could happen. Yes, I am evil, but I was clean. Everyone got his space and only the tension would defeat any of us. Both overtook me in the first of the inner left-handers, and the second, the one with the car intact tried to kill two birds on a shot. But the crippled one had the inner side of the track and as his car wasn't in the better condition, he slipped and both touched. I was 5th again.
That left me with an advantage of 6 seconds with two laps to go. If I ran like hell, I could come home in 5th position. I was doing it. I was doing it. They were catching me but the gap would be enough. I was doing it.
I was happy enough with that position given the luck I had, but in last lap, the spotter told me I was fourth! Someone was out of race. And then I saw I was catching the Ferrari in front. "It's not possible, it's not possible. I'm not gonna overtake him". But he was slower. I thought he might had a crash and suspension problems, and he wasn't give my his position without a fight. But he was even slower and left space. He was out of fuel! Poor. I could see how he stopped the car a few meters from the finish line. But I was third.
Oh my god. That was luck. Good and Bad. Very bad for the crash I couldn't understand, but rewarded later with good luck. I don't like a podium this way. If I hadn't any luck at all I could have done it anyway. Curiously, my finish result would have been almost the same (second), but I don't like it anyway.
But I thought I had to share this story with you. Because some of you had the bad luck. A little moment of bad luck, one, just one. It's not signifficant. But to have all those episodes of luck one after the other, I thought it was worth telling it.
PD: Sorry this time I only wrote in English. It was too long to translate it. Maybe tomorrow if you need it/want it.
I qualified third, which was more than I expected but left me in good position for the trick first corner, but not much more. I knew some of the people I had behind would be faster than me in the race.
And that happened. I made a horrible start and were 9th in a couple of laps, but after a couple of people ran wide or spun, I took the pace I wanted for the race and attacked the man who would be my main rival (and I knew it even before the race started), Daniel Gaspar. I went for him, took a draft and overtook him.
Since then the race was more or less calm. We ran mostly together. Most of the times I made a little gap in 2nd and 3rd sectors, but my 1st sector isn't too good and he recovered. Sometimes I did better and opened a gap, but hen sometimes he did better and closed it. At one time I did a bad lap and he did a good one, we ran wheel-to-wheel in the last corner and continued onto the first. In most cases, I would simply lift and let him pass, but I don't know why (maybe because I knew I wouldn't overtake him again) I took it to the limit, and could protect the position.
Well, the race continued its pace. Through the first 19 laps we ran together and gaining positions with teh retirements of the leaders, but my history of luck started in that lap: 19.
After the chicane, I throttled a bit too much and spun. I had about 1,5 gap with Daniel, and fortunately I saved the spin without damage but... I don't know why, when I was in the right side of the tarmac and Daniel should have passed through the left, he hit me. Watching at the replay, I think he also lost a bit of control and went directly to me. He took the worst part, losing a wheel. I thought my race had ended, but I just had rear suspensions damage, mostly in the right.
I was third at that moment, and 11 long laps were in front of me. With that damage, which made me 6-8 seconds slower, I knew even the 8th would pass me. But there ended the bad luck. I just concentrated on cruising and let pass anyone closing to me. In more than one occassion it was hard because he wouldn't know I had problems and was dangerous to fall to a side of the track and lift, because he would follow me to draft. But I could do it.
And then, started my good luck. If you watched the results, you've seen I finished third. Why? That's it. With several laps to go, I was 5th. 6th position passed me and 7th was about 12 seconds behind, and catching me 4 seconds a lap, that left me about 4 laps to go and I would be 8th (he was paired). But then, 5th position had an accident and it seems he got damage. I overtook him and it was meant to be a close fight, a fight of crippled boys. In fact, when he got the pace again he was closing on me. That retarded 7th and 8th position but they all were right behind me with 3 laps to go. "This has no remedy" - I thought - "I'll end 8th".
And then started the miracles. The crippled 6th went to overtake me and the other two were behind. I thought that if I pushed the first of them, the other would try to overtake him and something could happen. Yes, I am evil, but I was clean. Everyone got his space and only the tension would defeat any of us. Both overtook me in the first of the inner left-handers, and the second, the one with the car intact tried to kill two birds on a shot. But the crippled one had the inner side of the track and as his car wasn't in the better condition, he slipped and both touched. I was 5th again.
That left me with an advantage of 6 seconds with two laps to go. If I ran like hell, I could come home in 5th position. I was doing it. I was doing it. They were catching me but the gap would be enough. I was doing it.
I was happy enough with that position given the luck I had, but in last lap, the spotter told me I was fourth! Someone was out of race. And then I saw I was catching the Ferrari in front. "It's not possible, it's not possible. I'm not gonna overtake him". But he was slower. I thought he might had a crash and suspension problems, and he wasn't give my his position without a fight. But he was even slower and left space. He was out of fuel! Poor. I could see how he stopped the car a few meters from the finish line. But I was third.
Oh my god. That was luck. Good and Bad. Very bad for the crash I couldn't understand, but rewarded later with good luck. I don't like a podium this way. If I hadn't any luck at all I could have done it anyway. Curiously, my finish result would have been almost the same (second), but I don't like it anyway.
But I thought I had to share this story with you. Because some of you had the bad luck. A little moment of bad luck, one, just one. It's not signifficant. But to have all those episodes of luck one after the other, I thought it was worth telling it.
PD: Sorry this time I only wrote in English. It was too long to translate it. Maybe tomorrow if you need it/want it.
![[Image: gilesjn7.gif]](http://img105.imageshack.us/img105/8036/gilesjn7.gif)
