Initially sought to use the 919 for Nations, but found the TS050 much easier to drive in FP and decided to stick with it for test lobbies.
17:00 race (with
@Lost Sheltie) was essentially a one-make Toyota lobby; the only opposition came from three Audi R18s. Conserving battery energy on qualifying out laps was easy, but getting through the kink without hitting the barrier was another matter. Pitted twice for Mediums to ensure I wouldn't be caught out by tyre wear, but had a big shunt after exiting the pits the second time. Turned my hazard lights on and stayed to the right on the run to the first corner, but did not anticipate a fellow Toyota rapidly approaching in my rear-view mirror and
following me to the right on what I assumed was a flying lap. Had to swerve into the gravel, but couldn't avoid getting rammed from behind before crawling my way back onto the track. Had enough time to get another lap started, eventually clocking a 1:26.878 to start 4th.
In practice lobbies, I found that the Toyota could easily manage a one-stop, so decided to carry out the same strategy here. Despite early pressure from a fellow UK player, the race turned out to be very straightforward. Follow the top three, look after the tyres/fuel/battery, and keep out of the barriers at all costs. There were a few instances where I made minor mistakes - including two offs at the kink - but overall I was really satisfied with my consistency, putting in regular 1:27 and 1:28 laps while gaining as much as 3.2 laps' worth of fuel by the time of my stop at Lap 10. The only other real issue I had was trying to refil the battery meter after the stop, which compromised my pace somewhat along with a messy run through the kink on my out lap. The 5th-placed Toyota gets a better run coming to the final corner, and sweeps round the outside of me as I try to stick to the inside to avoid contact.
From that point onwards, it was a case of bringing the car home in one piece. That being said, I wasn't far off the Audi and Toyota in 3rd and 4th respectively, and my early fuel saving allowed me to take more liberties with higher revving and lower fuel mixes as the stint went on. I hadn't realised this until the end, but the Audi had not taken on Hards at the time of his stop, which improved my chances of regaining my starting position considerably.
Having set another string of consistent high-1:27s, I witness on the penultimate lap the 4th-placed Toyota lighting his rears up coming out of turn 9. He slides into the barriers, allowing me to retake the place and head for home. Only after hounding the Audi to the line did I learn of his grave mistake; the resulting 20-second penalty instantly promoted me to 3rd place and a season-high score of 246 points.
I returned to Sardegna with low expectations, but despite a few rough patches and the feeling that the Toyota is getting a
little too common in Gr.1, this was an especially great way to round off Nations for the season. Time will tell what the 21:00 Manufacturers has in store...
