So, in addition to my Nations sortie last night, I also decided to have a crack at Laguna Seca just to see if I could get any bonus points in Manufacturers. And boy was I in for a wild ride...
Knew from the early practice sessions that it was going to be tough trying to get clean runs in both qualifying and race conditions. Again, the 21:00 lobby I entered had a fairly diverse grid, including two runners from the EMEA Top 10. Set a reasonable time of 1:28.674 on my second flying lap, but had my fair share of incidents including a close call with a Subaru going through the Corkscrew and a big off on my third flier at Turn 6. This blew any hopes of further improvements out of the water - my tyres had reached a fairly worn stage on the fourth lap - and so I started down in 13th. Looking at the results table, I thought the three tenths gained before my big off would've only been sufficient to gain a couple of places, so it wasn't a bad place to be in in hindsight.
As for the race...
To sum it up, a lot went wrong my way. Tried the old-fashioned trick of starting on Hards so I could get more pace out of the Medium compounds later, but found myself losing ground very early on after sliding, touching the sand and launching up the sausage kerbs far too often. Thought there was no point trying to fight back as I dropped three places to those running Mediums, but eventually began setting consistent high-1:29/low to mid-1:30 laps through to the pitstop cycle. Finally took on Mediums on Lap 8, slotting myself neatly at the back of the pack. Began reeling in the yellow Audi TT struggling on Hards and got close enough to attempt a pass on Lap 11 just beyond the Tire Bridge. Sadly, while I had the run and the inside line to Turn 4, the TT turns into my left-hand side; there's contact, the TT goes off into the sand, and I feel compelled to slow down and let him back past out of guilt. Was hesitant to pull off another pass until we reached the start/finish straight, but once I did, it seemed like I had a clear road ahead.
While more pitstops and errors from other drivers put me in a good position to make up at least one place, I was still making a lot of mistakes on my own which lead to me falling back again. On Lap 15, I get too close to the sausage at Turn 6, bouncing and spearing off through the sand and gravel, and do almost the exact same thing again on Lap 17. Coupled with a sketchy run through the Corkscrew, and I quickly lose a place to the Lambo on slightly healthier Mediums. Ultimately crossed the line 15th for 115 points.
Wasn't too bothered about doing the last slot, as I felt that my total score would still be good enough for a top 10 finish in the Citroen rankings. Plus, it was still worthwhile gaining experience around Laguna Seca in Gr.4 machinery; can confirm that the Citroen is ideal for this circuit providing that you have the consistency to avoid the sand and sausage kerbs. As is, I have a long way to go before I can achieve that sort of consistency in any scenario...
At Season's End
Though I had only intended to do a couple of rounds, both of the recent Exhibition seasons can be summed up in one word for me:
spectacular. Yes, there were a few low points in Manufacturers, but I honestly didn't expect to get a win in each championship, or to earn and sustain an A+ rank over the course of later rounds. Even now, I still can't believe how brilliantly the Gr.1 Spa race turned out for me; nailed qualifying, nailed the race with only a few minor issues in the second stint, and made the most of an LMP1 car I felt especially comfortable in. Had plenty of thrilling battles, sampled a stable but bombastic Gr.3 car in the form of the GT-R GT3, experimented with mixed compounds while they were still enabled, and overall felt as if I'm starting to take my consistency and general pace up another notch.
And this speaks for my results as well. Victory and 3rd place in Gr.1, along with another run of regular top 10 finishes, bagged me a total of 1,124 points in Nations, enough for 59th in EMEA and 8th in the UK. While my run for Citroen in Manufacturers didn't work out as smoothly, it still lead to a hard-fought Gr.3 victory on my 'debut' at Sardegna, propped up by additional 6th place finishes for each version. To put it simply, both versions are nimble, economical, well-balanced cars, even if they aren't the most predictable to handle or the fastest in a straight line. And even if my general lack of experience round Laguna Seca stopped me from improving my score at the final hurdle, I can still feel satisfied with my total of 977 points. Finishing 150th in EMEA and 4th for Citroen, despite having two mediocre showings at Monza and Maggiore GP II, is a fine bonus to add to my Nations dream run.
Not likely to take part in Exhibition Season 3 other than the occasional race I actually fancy doing; want to focus on other things outside of GT Sport while recharging my batteries for the next main seasons.
Until then... good luck and Happy New Year to you all!
