ists and phobes

pic - Santiago Barrios

Round 6 of LFR DTM2015 Series at Zandvoort - I came into this race hoping to find the pace I lost in the previous round. I have raced here before and the Practice week goes without any problems. I qualify 5th about 1 second behind the fast guys. I avoid any problems at the start and I am able to overtake and get P3. The guys ahead come in for their pitstops and I am in P1 for 1 lap, just before my own mandatory stop. I rejoin the race in P4 and it is another battle for the podium spot, but this time I am attacking and not defending. I get a couple of attempts but can't take the spot. I finish in P4.

And then comes the brain fart. During practice I had been using a shortcut to get into the pits faster during inlaps. On my cooldown lap after checkered flag, I decide to use this shortcut. The shortcut puts me ahead of the backmarkers who are still racing their final lap. I block someone and almost cause an accident, but I don't think it affected the final results. Anyway, this was totally unnecessary as I should have just parked and pressed ESC like I normally do. So I will get penalized for this stupid move and I hope it is not too harsh. 

the plot armor thickens

Round 5 of LFR DTM2015 Series at Adria, a track I've never raced at before. The first laps of practice are about learning the layout. And I don't like it all. A couple of short straights and mostly slow corners, hairpins, and chicanes. I feel sluggish and lazy around here. I can't find the pace at all.

True enough, during the free practice session I am down in the doldrums, about 2 seconds off the fast guys. Early on it's clear that the podium streak is over. I qualify P19 out of 24 cars. Seems like I am slowing down too much for the tight turns, or I am late on the power at corner exit, or both. Such a wild and wacky race, too, with a restart needed because of numerous incidents. When the race finally got underway I am in the thick of it and get hit and spin around, dropping to dead last. I recover up to P13 but out of the points.

I hate this feeling, not being able to extract my maximum, knowing there is more speed but I just couldn't find it. On to the next.

space doubt

Round 4 of LFR DTM 2015 Series at Zolder. Another race, another 3rd place. But I was closer to the fast guys this time. That's three consecutive podiums after a disastrous Round 1. I had a good practice week despite the fuming distraction. I was able to learn the track and tweak the car and got to within 1 second of the fastest times. Unfortunately I couldn't hit my best lap during Qualifying and lined up for the start in P6.

I did a good race overall, some little mistakes here and there but I kept it on. In the opening laps I had to overtake some guys ahead which came to a battle with Jose Montilla. He defended well, but I got through with a serendipitous move through the first 2 corners. That got me 3rd position and a few seconds back from the two fastest guys. I could somehow keep up with them for a while but as the time came for pitstops they had pulled away. I led 1 race lap because of the pitstop shuffle. After the mandatory stops were completed I was back in 3rd but further behind the leaders. 

I lost the rhythm and was down on pace in the last few laps. Juan Cano closed up the gap and I had to fight for the third place (again) during the final lap. We were side by side in the braking zone for the second chicane when we touched. It was a slight hit, but it was enough to send him spinning into the gravel trap. So I hang on to the 3rd place, but maybe not in the best way. 

The series standings have not been updated but I think with the podium streak and some drivers absent I move into 3rd place overall.

Concorde Fallacy

pic by Iker Vera

It's Round 3 of LFR DTM 2015 Series and we are at the legendary Spa track in Belgium. I have raced here many times before and with my car setup optimized from the previous round, the preparation for this race was straightforward and trouble free. I was able to hit my pace instantly and put in consistent lap times. I was in the top 5 during the practice session, a bit behind the fast guys, but that is also because it is long lap. I also had a lower top speed compared to the grid; while most of the drivers setup their cars for the high speed sectors, I was running a bit more wing for the twisty middle sector.

I did not hit my best lap during qualifying and lined up in 7th position for the race start. I was able to avoid the trouble in the first corner and slowly battled my way up. What I gave up in overall top speed I made up in cornering speed and stability. After some drivers ahead made mistakes and an early battle with Sebastian Aguila, I found a way past into 4th position before the pitstops. After the pitstop shuffle I moved into 3rd place. In the endgame I had to battle again with Iker Vera, and just like the previous race in Brands Hatch, he was faster but I was able to hold on for the podium finish.

livery and pic by Shoking01