pressurized carbon

OEL Prototype Challenge Round 3: 300 km of Le Castellet - Well, I finally finished a race in this series. As usual it was 2nd behind the ET. I just couldn't match his speed; he was around 2 seconds faster per lap. I did lead the race for a few laps when ET crashed at the end of his first stint and had a long pitstop for repairs. That got me in front, but he erased the advantage soon enough and was more than 40 seconds ahead by the finish.

Meanwhile, preseason testing has begun for F1 Classic World Championship - Season 2002. I'm gonna run with the newcomer team Toyota. As a replacement driver the previous season I hit a podium streak, so I think I will do well over the full series this time. With the 17-race schedule, we will be racing into next year.

deflating the plaything

 

VeeRace Imola 24 Hours - Around 16 hours remaining, I've been driving in the dark for about 2 hours, and my eyes have started glitching. The video screen appears to ripple slowly, points of light sprout into little trails, and I can't spot my braking and turning cues. I'm slipping and sliding away, going off the track, and I've hit the wall a couple times. So, I park the car and retire from the race. 

I underestimated the darkness. I didn't do enough practice laps in these conditions. Maybe if this race had been run on a track with lighting facilities like Abu Dhabi or Bahrain, I could have persisted. Still, I appreciate VeeRace for staging such an ambitious event. Big thanks to the admins and all the drivers for this rare chance to test my limits. 

casket base

 

I signed up for the VeeRace Imola 24 Hours. I will attempt a solo drive to the checkered flag at this big event. I finished a 24 hours solo drive before, a long time ago, so I know it can be done. The main concerns are my fitness (as I am much older now), the wear and tear on my hardware, and the reliability of my Internet connection. 

I know it's foolish to take on this race alone, when there are many drivers available to form a team, and there is even a VeeRace Community Team that I can join. But I do not want to bring a team down with my unstable connection. Although driver swapping is an integral part of rFactor 1, if the active driver gets disco'ed, the car gets DNFed and nobody else can reconnect and resume the race for that car. 

I have been waiting for a challenge like this for many years now. Anybody can do a quick race, but when the endurance aspect is introduced, it becomes a true competition and the great ones come forward. For that last little bit of meaning and purpose I might still have, I must take this chance.