Hi everyone
Here I will share my experience about the race at Lausitz, Germany. Sorry for taking so long for this but the days have been quite busy and work never stops.
After a long 11h drive we arrived on Thursday evening at the track. Sun was shining and we started to set up our camp. This took us around 2h and then we had everything setup, what we could setup that evening. So it was time for a beer and then we were off to the hotel.
Setting up the tents and pit stuff
Next morning we got up quite early and the sun was all gone. It was raining and the temperatures were far away from what I would call summer. This was especially bad for our supporters on site since they spend usually much more time outside then the drivers. But Alain and me tried to get everybody equally often into the race cars so they could experience some warmer temperatures and of course some fun.
Alain, the passengers and me having fun in the practice
Friday was all about practice. The judges wanted to see some crazy long extensions on the straight with only one manji and some close encounter to the wall. So that was what we gave them at the end of the day. 🙂
Alain leading a nice train
The evening brought some relaxed talks with beers and chinese food. Jumyyyy
Saturday morning after getting up I looked out the window and monsoon had just arrived. It was pouring like crazy. As we arrived at the track our small merchandise tent was blown to pieces. Other booths were strucked even harder and some of their big tents were gone completely. At this point it was impossible to work on the cars since the ground was covered with 2-3cm of standing water. Crazy stuff.
Alain and me decided to stay with the setup we had on the cars. Since it was been raining on Friday too we not even had to switch tires.
During the day I heard that some of the drivers already packed their stuff together and took off. They probably had enough of being wet or damaged their cars too hard.
Crazy amounts of water were on the track
The conditions were really not easy. Grip levels were changing on track all the time and driving without a heating system to keep fog off the inside of the front screen didn’t make things easier. I can tell you now having to defog the screen manually after every lap really does not help. This is a pain in the ass and can get really dangerous if you are drifting in 3rd gear close to a wall.
This were the shoes of choice for most people, although most did not have such a style factor as mine here
After a long break in the afternoon where we had us some nice lunch and bought some stuff at a local mall to help with the fogging problem. We returned back at the track and soon qualification started.
When it was my turn I was really focused. I started with my first quali run and just took it easy. I tried to get close to the clipping points and was not too aggressive.
My second run I stepped the game up a little. I initiated earlier into the first corner and drove more aggressive and closer to the clipping points. This run felt better then the first but still had potential for more.
The third and last qualification run is always all balls out for me if I get the first two right. So naturally I initiated even harder on the first turn. I almost lost it but got back on the throttle and that kept me on the track. Attacked the clipping points, aimed for the next one and oh no understeer, hit the throttle and spin. Too bad. This one would have been a good one.
Getting good angle on the main straight
So after this we got off track back to the pits. There I parked the car and got ready for the briefing.
When we arrived at the briefing room the results were out. I started to look at the lower part of the paper and could not see my name. So I went up the ladder and still nothing. I already started to think, daaam I did not qualify. Then it hit me. I qualified 1st. Wohoooooo.
My first run gave me a solid 87 points. My second one 93 which set me up in first.
I was stunned that this gave me top qualifier.
Now it was time for the briefing. This briefing would give us all the details for the next days twin battles.
During this briefing I was still amazed that I got the top spot for now but also realized this does not mean anything at this point. So I started to check who my opponent might be and started to think about tactics.
Focused at the briefing
This evening we had another great german dinner and we analyzed some of the footage we had. I went to sleep early (around midnight) since I was dead tired and wanted to be ready for what was coming next day.
So come next day it was still raining which was totally ok with me. I really did not want to have crazy different conditions to what was the day before. As we started with the last training session prior to the battles I started to watch out for my competition. I drove behind my possible battle match ups and saw that it might be difficult to follow since they had a really slow pace and did not connect the straight. So I was setting up a strategy how to conquer this problem.
Some last practice with Alain
Then it was time for batteru (this is jap-english for battle 😉
After the mini top 32 where the last top 16 spots got settled I knew who my competition was. I soon got ready for the battle against Carola in her S14. She was driving solid all weekend long but was rather slow on the main straight, but I thought about this prior and set up some tactic in my mind.
So first battle off the line.
I am leading.
I am thinking: nice and easy, nice and easy, just do your thing.
Initiate and there we go.
Keep it going.
Ok we can go a little faster.
Switch over and get to the outer clipping.
Get on the throttle for the main straight.
More throttle.
Switch with full throttle.
Stay on it.
BRAKE, brake, e-brake, brake, e-brake
One last switch and you are done.
Nice and easy
And I am through.
After the first run I looked into my mirror and saw that I had a nice lead.
Alain tells my over the cb that I got 8:2. Nice.
So we line up for the second run where Carola leads.
We take off.
Full concentration.
Initiate.
I get closer to her.
Little more.
Switch over and I am on the inside.
I could actually overtake here.
NO OVERTAKING ALLOWED, have to brake.
Daaam line is fucked.
Get on the daam throttle.
She straightens, I get closer and try to maintain drift.
Really fucked up line right now.
Switch over and still on the throttle.
Daaaaam I get really close.
BRAAAAAKE or I will hit her.
Understeer, oh no.
E-brake to get understeer away while still on the brakes.
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
I spin.
Then I said various not so holy words in my car. Gladly there was no cam in there.
I still could not believe how I fucked up and was remembering my tactic that I was thinking about. Unfortunately too late, I totally forgot about it at the starting line to run 2. So I just killed myself from the battles and what worse bitter sweet experience is there then qualifying first and ending up 16th.
Well I got my revenge in Rd5 but more on that another time.
Thanks to everybody who helped that weekend: Alain, Alex, Aline, Jo, Romano, Sven
Also thanks to Lisa Linke for the pics.