- 237
(First write-up)
I should start this story off with a little background. I was born into a family of racers. My grandfather drove for the Auto Union back in the 30s. My father practically lived in his car, racing in both Germany and the US. From the time I was ten I too took an interest in racing. At age 19 I bought what would become my first race car, a '98 Mitsubishi 3000GT. It was four years ago when I won my first ever race in that car. I've won quite a few since then. A year later I found myself racing in a supercar festival in a Mercedes SLR. The team director told me if I won the series I could keep the car, it has a special place in my garage now.
My success in the supercar races earned me a spot as a test driver for Mercedes in the DTM series. Fast forward to last fall and I was raising the series championship trophy for the second time. That's when my big break came. Mercedes offered me a spot as a test driver for their World Championship team. However over winter testing budget constraints forced them to drop a driver, and that driver was me.
It didn't take long for another offer to come in, this time from Mazda. And this time, they offered me a racing seat. I eagerly took the offer and flew over to Japan for winter testing. The next few months were spent in a 787B learning the ins and outs of the worlds fastest sports cars. All the hours of testing have been leading up to this weekend, the first race of the biggest series in sports cars.
RACE 1 – Tokyo R246
The first race of the season takes place close to my new home in Tokyo. I met with several of the other drivers before testing began on Friday. From my brief but far to long time with them, I concluded that I'd hang out with my own team from now on. I've never seen a group of more stubborn and violent people in my life. On Saturday the real action begins. I watch the other cars as they run their qualifying laps. The first to go is my old team, the Mercedes CLK-LM. Following them are a Peugeot 905, Toyota 88C-V, Sauber C 9, and Pescarolo Courage C60. Finally it is my turn to qualify and I run a brilliant lap, beating the competition by over two seconds.
Sunday comes and the pressure is mounting. I make the mistake of reading the newspaper in the morning. There's an article discrediting my performance, saying I was running on softer compounds and running with less fuel. While true, I didn't need to read it. In the final pre-race meeting with my team we go over strategy. We've never driven a full race distance on these tires before. We hope they last, but just in case the pit crew is told that they might have to change them near the end. Finally I climb into my car, drive to the starting grid, and get ready for the biggest race of my life.
The start did not go as planned. The second place Toyota and third placed Sauber both leapfrogged me off the starting grid. Going into the first corner I was able to pull up beside the Sauber, only to lose my spot on the ensuing straight. For half a lap we battled before I finally put some distance between our two cars. The Toyota proved harder to catch until one corner where he misjudged the speed and was forced to break halfway through. I had to swerved to avoid him as I rocketed back into first.
My victory would be short-lived as he slipstreamed by me down the first straight and managed to get by. I retook first place in the same place he took it from me a lap later. After some time battling he managed to run me off the racing line, forcing me to slow down considerably. I dropped back to third, almost five seconds behind. The next few laps proved equally disastrous until lap 8, when the reason for my troubles became apparent. The Toyota pulled into the pits from the lead; his softer tires could not survive the entire race whereas mine were just hitting their peak.
I pulled into second place, also the now third placed Peugeot was close behind me. I mistimed my breaking into the first corner, allowing him to come close to my bumper. Into turn two he gave me a hard bump, sending my car into a spin. I recovered, angered at losing so much time and essentially putting race victory out of reach for me. I continued on in third, with the fourth place Pescarolo just behind me. At the next split I was informed that the first place Sauber had a 19 second lead on me. This would evaporate on the next lap as he to pulled into the pit for new tires. I finished the race holding off the Pescarolo until the final straight when he passed me to take second place. I finished my first race in third place 9 seconds behind the winner and 0.2 seconds out of second.
1st- Peugeot 905 (5th qualifying) – 10 pts
2nd - Pescarolo C60 (4th qualifying) – 6 pts
3rd – Mazda 787B (1st qualifying) – 4 pts
4th – Toyota 88C-V (2nd qualifying) – 3 pts
5th- Sauber C 9 (3rd qualifying) – 2 pts
6th – Mercedes CLK-LM (6th qualifying) – 1 pt
RACE 2 – Twin Ring Motegi Super Speedway
The second race also took place in Japan, but at an American-style oval track. While my father excelled at these, I could never do as well as him. I ran in practice on the same super-hard compound I ran in Tokyo and managed the 3rd fastest time of the day, with horrific understeer in the second corner. For qualifying I switched to much softer compound tires and once again took pole position.
The race started and in was soon apparent that once again Toyota and Sauber has set up their cars to be sprinter. They quickly took the lead and raced ahead of everyone else, a good half second a lap faster than me. I continued in third, with the Peugeot close behind me but too far to reach my slipstream. On lap 16 the Toyota was forced to stop for new tires, and on lap 17 the Sauber and Mercedes did the same, leaving me in the lead and each of them a lap down. The Toyota managed to unlap itself as the race ended, with me winning my first world championship race in just my second attempt.
1st – Mazda 787B (1st qualifying) – 4 pts
2nd – Peugeot 905 (5th qualifying) – 16 pts
3rd – Pescarolo C60 (4th qualifying) – 10 pts
4th – Sauber C 9 (3rd qualifying) – 5 pts
5th – Toyota 88C-V (2nd qualifying) – 5 pts
6th – Mercedes CLK-LM (6th qualifying) – 2 pts
RACE 3 – Hong Kong
The third race took us from Japan to nearby Hong Kong. I enjoyed the sights of the city for the entire week until Friday's testing period. I posted the slowest time of the group while also tearing up my rear tires. Qualifying did not fare any better, and I prepared to start the race from the very back.
At the start of the race the front three of Mercedes, Toyota, and Sauber sped off as the two frenchmen and I battled for the bottom. Passing on this track proved nearly impossible until lap 3, when I passed the Pescarolo going onto the long straightaway and managed to pull infront of the Peugeot before the hairpin. Over this stretch I also managed to post a faster sector time than the leading Toyota. Two laps later I attempted to pass the Mercedes in the hairpin, only to be hit on my rear wheel and spun around backwards. The Pescarolo managed to slip by me without any contact and I continued in fifth.
On lap 10 my fortunes started to change. I repassed the Pescarolo and moments later was told that the Mercedes was entering the pits. I happily continued now in third place. The race leaders stopped a lap later, but I had fallen to far behind them to take first place. Over the next few laps I managed to close the gap a bit more. However, my hopes of winning faded around lap 16 as my rear ties began to lose grip and I became more concerned with not spinning out than catching those in front of me. I didn't want to stop with three laps left, so I eased up and settled into third place.
1st – Toyota 88C-V (1st qualifying) – 15 pts
2nd – Sauber C 9 (2nd qualifying) – 11 pts
3rd – Mazda 787B (6th qualifying) – 18 pts
4th – Mercedes CLK-LM (3rd qualifying) – 5 pts
5th – Pescarolo C60 (4th qualifying) – 12 pts
6th – Peugeot 905 (5th qualifying) – 17 pts
RACE 4 – Seoul Central Reverse
A month into the world championships and we're on our fourth Asian track, Seoul. Although the course reminds me far too much of Hong Kong, I find it a much easier circuit to drive. I fly through qualifying, picking up a third pole. On Sunday I meet with my team to go over pit strategy again after it hurt us so much in the last race. Ultimately we decide to stick with the no-stop strategy, and the race begins.
This time the rolling start ensures that I can keep ahead of the Toyota as the race begins. He gets close going into the second corner, but I slam the door and speed off. By the end of three laps I've stretched my lead to over two and a half seconds. From then on my only competitor was my own fastest lap time. The only cars within 20 seconds of me, the Toyota and Sauber, pit on laps 16 and 17 respectively. I cruised easily into my second win of the season.
1st – Mazda 787B (1st qualifying) – 28 pts
2nd – Peugeot 905 (4th qualifying) – 23 pts
3rd – Pescarolo C60 (5th qualifying) – 16 pts
4th – Sauber C 9 (3rd qualifying) – 14 pts
5th – Toyota 88C-V (2nd qualifying) – 17 pts
6th – Mercedes CLK-LM (6th qualifying) – 6 pts
RACE 5 – El Capitan
Following the win at Seoul the news outlets stopped writing articles discrediting my performance and started hailing me as future world champion. I found that I was the youngest person to ever win two races in the series, and the first to ever run a sub-50 second lap at Seoul. On my week off I made some public appearance for Mazda and relaxed at some of the finest hotels in Japan, the perks of being a star race car driver. After the break we flew over to America for the fifth race of the season on the El Capitan circuit.
During practice I struggle to get used to the changes in altitude, finishing with only the fifth fastest time. I correct that in qualifying though and manage to secure another pole position by a healthy margin. The race beings with a standing start and I concede first place to the Toyota while blocking the Sauber behind me. At the zero-g turn I pass the Toyota again to reclaim the lead. It seemed like I was destined for a second straight win when the Toyota crashed into me heading into the first corner. I spun completely around and saw the Pescarolo slam into my front, not moving an inch off the racing line. By the next split I was in fifth place, seventeen seconds out of the lead. I catch up the the Pescarolo on lap 5, but he proves very difficult to pass, often enticing me to make bad decisions and lose time. By the time the leaders stopped for tires on lap 8 I was 23 seconds back, barely able to pass the Toyota as it rejoined the track for third place. On the second last lap the Peugeot team made a peculiar decision to change tires for the final lap of the race, moving myself and the Toyota up one spot. On the last lap I closed the gap between myself and the Pescarolo by over three seconds, but ultimately could not snatch the win, finishing 1.8 seconds behind in the silver spot.
1st – Pescarolo C60 (5th qualifying) – 26 pts
2nd – Mazda 787B (1st qualifying) – 34 pts
3rd – Toyota 88C-V (2nd qualifying) – 21 pts
4th – Peugeot 905 (4th qualifying) – 26 pts
5th – Sauber C 9 (3rd qualifying) – 16 pts
6th – Mercedes CLK-LM (6th qualifying) – 6 pts
RACE 6 – New York
Arriving in New York I immediately felt like I was victory-bound. Everything about the course seemed similar to Seoul and my blowout victory. In practice we noticed that the course was reaping havoc on my tires, this would not be a no-stop race. I qualified in pole once again, easily beating the times of other cars. Sunday afternoon came quickly I I strapped in once more, prepared to battle my five competitors for the sixth time.
The race begins and I'm launched into a battle with the Toyota and Sauber for the lead. After two laps the 88C-V runs the inside of me on the corner after the second straight and starts to disappear into he distance. Four laps later the Sauber does the exact same. On lap 8 I'm told that my times are consistently slower than the two ahead of me, but my tires are still in good shape and could potentially last the whole race. Lap 10 and my strategy starts to pay off, the two leaders dive into the pits. I take first and pray that my tires can hold out. For the next two laps I open up a ten second lead on the Toyota in second. By the end of lap 13 that's been cut to four and a half. He continues to gain on me until we cross the start/finish line neck and neck for the final lap. I pull in front before the hairpin and force him to the outside. This allows me to take a better line out of the corner and open a small lead going down the second straight. This proved to be the deciding factor in the race, he never got close enough to attempt an overtake again. I took the checked by just over a half second, with the Sauber not two seconds behind.
1st – Mazda 787B (1st qualifying) – 44 pts
2nd – Toyota 88C-V (2nd qualifying) – 27 pts
3rd – Sauber C 9 (3rd qualifying) – 20 pts
4th – Peugeot 905 (4th qualifying) – 29 pts
5th – Pescarolo C60 (6th qualifying) – 28 pts
6th – Mercedes CLK-LM (5th qualifying) – 6 pts
RACE 7 – Opera Paris Reverse
After a week off in New York we fly over to Paris for the European leg of the championship. I'd run this course several times with the DTM, but never in this direction. I learned the new course quickly in practice, setting the fastest time of the field. However at the start of qualifying I suffered from a transmission failure that gave me a DNF and forced me to start from the back of the grid. The race starts and I pass the CLK-GTR, the only good thing that would happen all day. The next lap I got by the Pescarolo for fourth, which lasted a single lap before I went wide on the first turn of turn 3 and hit a wall, dropping me a good 10 seconds into fifth. From that point on I could never get into a groove and run some fast laps. After the first round of pit stops I repassed the Pescarolo for fourth, content that at least I'd beat somebody. But my worn out tires allowed him to claw back on on the second to last lap he managed to force me to miss a turn leading into the long straightaway, instead hitting the end of a runoff and losing the battle for fourth. By the final lap my rear tires had lost any sort of grip and I ran a full twenty seconds slower than my fastest lap, allowing the Mercedes to pass me and finishing dead last.
1st – Sauber C 9(1st qualifying) – 30 pts
2nd – Peugeot 905 (2nd qualifying) – 35 pts
3rd – Toyota 88C-V (3rd qualifying) – 31 pts
4th – Pescarolo C60 (4th qualifying) – 31 pts
5th – Mercedes CLK-LM (5th qualifying) – 10 pts
6th – Mazda 787B (6th qualifying) – 45 pts
RACE 8 – Suzuka Circuit
Following the debacle in Paris, we flew back to Japan to get ready for Suzuka. Friday's practice does not go well, I become quite familiar with the track's many gravel run-offs. By Saturday I had somewhat remedied the problem and put in the third fastest time in qualifying. I lost third off the start, only to regain it on 130R later the lap. We continued in this order until lap 7, when the Toyota pit from the lead, and lap 8 when the Sauber did the same. I had no trouble holding off the Pescarolo, now 6 seconds behind me, to take the checkered flag once more.
1st – Mazda 787B (3rd qualifying) – 55 pts
2nd – Pescarolo C60 (4th qualifying) – 37 pts
3rd – Toyota 88C-V (2nd qualifying) – 35 pts
4th – Peugeot 905 (5th qualifying) – 38 pts
5th – Sauber C 9(1st qualifying) – 32 pts
6th – Mercedes CLK-LM (6th qualifying) – 11 pts
RACE 9 – Grand Valley Speedway Reverse
We get a week of before traveling to Canada, home of the series' penultimate race at Grand Valley. During this week I hear all about how great I am in the news. I have to admit, most of it is pretty flattering. As the 17 point leader with only two races left I only need four more points to clinch a championship win. I get off to a great start on what could be the biggest weekend of my life. In Saturday's qualifying I easily take pole position, although I now know that really equates to a third place start.
The race begins, and to my surprise the Sauber is not quick enough off the start to jump ahead of me. I catch the Toyota a few turns later and take the lead. The three way battle at the front continued for almost the entire race, with the Toyota, Sauber, and myself each taking turns in the lead. On lap 8 the Toyota withdrew from the fight, and the next time around the Sauber followed suit. The other three would also pit before the race was over, handing me the easy win. The roar of Mazda fans and employees drowned out my engine as I rounded the final corner and head to the finish, the youngest ever world champion.
1st – Mazda 787B (1st qualifying) – 65 pts
2nd – Sauber C 9 (3rd qualifying) – 38 pts
3rd – Toyota 88C-V (2nd qualifying) – 39 pts
4th – Peugeot 905 (4th qualifying) – 41 pts
5th – Pescarolo C60 (6th qualifying) – 39 pts
6th – Mercedes CLK-LM (5th qualifying) – 12 pts
RACE 10 – Circuit de la Sarthe I
For the final race of the season we head to the birthplace of the World Championship, the Circuit de la Sarthe near Le Mans, France. I spend the week ahead of time under the media spotlight, giving me very little time to prepare for the race. In qualifying I can't catch a draft going down the Mulsanne and am relegated to fifth place on the grid. The four contenders for the #2 spot line up ahead of me. The Sauber, who must win if he's to win silver in the series, sits on pole. Behind him are the Toyota, Peugeot, and Pescarolo, each of whom could afford a second place finish provided the Mercedes or I win the race. Behind me s the Mercedes, a car who's eight sixth place finishes and lack of a podium highlight it's horrendous year.
I grabbed fourth form the Pescarolo off the start and started to reel in the leaders. I flew by the Peugeot at the start of the Mulsanne and over the next few kilometres we traded spots several times. The two leaders were doing the same thing ahead of us, but doing it almost 5 seconds a lap quicker. This continued until the end of lap 3, when the Toyota pulled into the pits but the sauber did not. At the same time I collided with the Peugeot as he tried to pass me and ended up skidding across the lawn, losing second place by quite a margin. We crossed the finish line in this order, the Pescarolo holding off the Toyota by the two tenths of a second.
1st – Sauber C 9 (1st qualifying) – 48 pts
2nd – Peugeot 905 (3rd qualifying) – 47 pts
3rd – Mazda 787B (5th qualifying) – 69 pts
4th – Pescarolo C60 (4th qualifying) – 42 pts
5th – Toyota 88C-V (2nd qualifying) – 41 pts
6th – Mercedes CLK-LM (6th qualifying) – 13 pts
Championship Results
1st – Mazda 787B – 69 pts
2nd – Sauber C 9 – 48 pts
3rd – Peugeot 905 – 47 pts
4th – Pescarolo C60 – 42 pts
5th – Toyota 88C-V – 41 pts
6th – Mercedes CLK-LM – 13 pts
Total A-Spec points: 720 (144*5)
I should start this story off with a little background. I was born into a family of racers. My grandfather drove for the Auto Union back in the 30s. My father practically lived in his car, racing in both Germany and the US. From the time I was ten I too took an interest in racing. At age 19 I bought what would become my first race car, a '98 Mitsubishi 3000GT. It was four years ago when I won my first ever race in that car. I've won quite a few since then. A year later I found myself racing in a supercar festival in a Mercedes SLR. The team director told me if I won the series I could keep the car, it has a special place in my garage now.
My success in the supercar races earned me a spot as a test driver for Mercedes in the DTM series. Fast forward to last fall and I was raising the series championship trophy for the second time. That's when my big break came. Mercedes offered me a spot as a test driver for their World Championship team. However over winter testing budget constraints forced them to drop a driver, and that driver was me.
It didn't take long for another offer to come in, this time from Mazda. And this time, they offered me a racing seat. I eagerly took the offer and flew over to Japan for winter testing. The next few months were spent in a 787B learning the ins and outs of the worlds fastest sports cars. All the hours of testing have been leading up to this weekend, the first race of the biggest series in sports cars.
RACE 1 – Tokyo R246
The first race of the season takes place close to my new home in Tokyo. I met with several of the other drivers before testing began on Friday. From my brief but far to long time with them, I concluded that I'd hang out with my own team from now on. I've never seen a group of more stubborn and violent people in my life. On Saturday the real action begins. I watch the other cars as they run their qualifying laps. The first to go is my old team, the Mercedes CLK-LM. Following them are a Peugeot 905, Toyota 88C-V, Sauber C 9, and Pescarolo Courage C60. Finally it is my turn to qualify and I run a brilliant lap, beating the competition by over two seconds.
Sunday comes and the pressure is mounting. I make the mistake of reading the newspaper in the morning. There's an article discrediting my performance, saying I was running on softer compounds and running with less fuel. While true, I didn't need to read it. In the final pre-race meeting with my team we go over strategy. We've never driven a full race distance on these tires before. We hope they last, but just in case the pit crew is told that they might have to change them near the end. Finally I climb into my car, drive to the starting grid, and get ready for the biggest race of my life.
The start did not go as planned. The second place Toyota and third placed Sauber both leapfrogged me off the starting grid. Going into the first corner I was able to pull up beside the Sauber, only to lose my spot on the ensuing straight. For half a lap we battled before I finally put some distance between our two cars. The Toyota proved harder to catch until one corner where he misjudged the speed and was forced to break halfway through. I had to swerved to avoid him as I rocketed back into first.
My victory would be short-lived as he slipstreamed by me down the first straight and managed to get by. I retook first place in the same place he took it from me a lap later. After some time battling he managed to run me off the racing line, forcing me to slow down considerably. I dropped back to third, almost five seconds behind. The next few laps proved equally disastrous until lap 8, when the reason for my troubles became apparent. The Toyota pulled into the pits from the lead; his softer tires could not survive the entire race whereas mine were just hitting their peak.
I pulled into second place, also the now third placed Peugeot was close behind me. I mistimed my breaking into the first corner, allowing him to come close to my bumper. Into turn two he gave me a hard bump, sending my car into a spin. I recovered, angered at losing so much time and essentially putting race victory out of reach for me. I continued on in third, with the fourth place Pescarolo just behind me. At the next split I was informed that the first place Sauber had a 19 second lead on me. This would evaporate on the next lap as he to pulled into the pit for new tires. I finished the race holding off the Pescarolo until the final straight when he passed me to take second place. I finished my first race in third place 9 seconds behind the winner and 0.2 seconds out of second.
1st- Peugeot 905 (5th qualifying) – 10 pts
2nd - Pescarolo C60 (4th qualifying) – 6 pts
3rd – Mazda 787B (1st qualifying) – 4 pts
4th – Toyota 88C-V (2nd qualifying) – 3 pts
5th- Sauber C 9 (3rd qualifying) – 2 pts
6th – Mercedes CLK-LM (6th qualifying) – 1 pt
RACE 2 – Twin Ring Motegi Super Speedway
The second race also took place in Japan, but at an American-style oval track. While my father excelled at these, I could never do as well as him. I ran in practice on the same super-hard compound I ran in Tokyo and managed the 3rd fastest time of the day, with horrific understeer in the second corner. For qualifying I switched to much softer compound tires and once again took pole position.
The race started and in was soon apparent that once again Toyota and Sauber has set up their cars to be sprinter. They quickly took the lead and raced ahead of everyone else, a good half second a lap faster than me. I continued in third, with the Peugeot close behind me but too far to reach my slipstream. On lap 16 the Toyota was forced to stop for new tires, and on lap 17 the Sauber and Mercedes did the same, leaving me in the lead and each of them a lap down. The Toyota managed to unlap itself as the race ended, with me winning my first world championship race in just my second attempt.
1st – Mazda 787B (1st qualifying) – 4 pts
2nd – Peugeot 905 (5th qualifying) – 16 pts
3rd – Pescarolo C60 (4th qualifying) – 10 pts
4th – Sauber C 9 (3rd qualifying) – 5 pts
5th – Toyota 88C-V (2nd qualifying) – 5 pts
6th – Mercedes CLK-LM (6th qualifying) – 2 pts
RACE 3 – Hong Kong
The third race took us from Japan to nearby Hong Kong. I enjoyed the sights of the city for the entire week until Friday's testing period. I posted the slowest time of the group while also tearing up my rear tires. Qualifying did not fare any better, and I prepared to start the race from the very back.
At the start of the race the front three of Mercedes, Toyota, and Sauber sped off as the two frenchmen and I battled for the bottom. Passing on this track proved nearly impossible until lap 3, when I passed the Pescarolo going onto the long straightaway and managed to pull infront of the Peugeot before the hairpin. Over this stretch I also managed to post a faster sector time than the leading Toyota. Two laps later I attempted to pass the Mercedes in the hairpin, only to be hit on my rear wheel and spun around backwards. The Pescarolo managed to slip by me without any contact and I continued in fifth.
On lap 10 my fortunes started to change. I repassed the Pescarolo and moments later was told that the Mercedes was entering the pits. I happily continued now in third place. The race leaders stopped a lap later, but I had fallen to far behind them to take first place. Over the next few laps I managed to close the gap a bit more. However, my hopes of winning faded around lap 16 as my rear ties began to lose grip and I became more concerned with not spinning out than catching those in front of me. I didn't want to stop with three laps left, so I eased up and settled into third place.
1st – Toyota 88C-V (1st qualifying) – 15 pts
2nd – Sauber C 9 (2nd qualifying) – 11 pts
3rd – Mazda 787B (6th qualifying) – 18 pts
4th – Mercedes CLK-LM (3rd qualifying) – 5 pts
5th – Pescarolo C60 (4th qualifying) – 12 pts
6th – Peugeot 905 (5th qualifying) – 17 pts
RACE 4 – Seoul Central Reverse
A month into the world championships and we're on our fourth Asian track, Seoul. Although the course reminds me far too much of Hong Kong, I find it a much easier circuit to drive. I fly through qualifying, picking up a third pole. On Sunday I meet with my team to go over pit strategy again after it hurt us so much in the last race. Ultimately we decide to stick with the no-stop strategy, and the race begins.
This time the rolling start ensures that I can keep ahead of the Toyota as the race begins. He gets close going into the second corner, but I slam the door and speed off. By the end of three laps I've stretched my lead to over two and a half seconds. From then on my only competitor was my own fastest lap time. The only cars within 20 seconds of me, the Toyota and Sauber, pit on laps 16 and 17 respectively. I cruised easily into my second win of the season.
1st – Mazda 787B (1st qualifying) – 28 pts
2nd – Peugeot 905 (4th qualifying) – 23 pts
3rd – Pescarolo C60 (5th qualifying) – 16 pts
4th – Sauber C 9 (3rd qualifying) – 14 pts
5th – Toyota 88C-V (2nd qualifying) – 17 pts
6th – Mercedes CLK-LM (6th qualifying) – 6 pts
RACE 5 – El Capitan
Following the win at Seoul the news outlets stopped writing articles discrediting my performance and started hailing me as future world champion. I found that I was the youngest person to ever win two races in the series, and the first to ever run a sub-50 second lap at Seoul. On my week off I made some public appearance for Mazda and relaxed at some of the finest hotels in Japan, the perks of being a star race car driver. After the break we flew over to America for the fifth race of the season on the El Capitan circuit.
During practice I struggle to get used to the changes in altitude, finishing with only the fifth fastest time. I correct that in qualifying though and manage to secure another pole position by a healthy margin. The race beings with a standing start and I concede first place to the Toyota while blocking the Sauber behind me. At the zero-g turn I pass the Toyota again to reclaim the lead. It seemed like I was destined for a second straight win when the Toyota crashed into me heading into the first corner. I spun completely around and saw the Pescarolo slam into my front, not moving an inch off the racing line. By the next split I was in fifth place, seventeen seconds out of the lead. I catch up the the Pescarolo on lap 5, but he proves very difficult to pass, often enticing me to make bad decisions and lose time. By the time the leaders stopped for tires on lap 8 I was 23 seconds back, barely able to pass the Toyota as it rejoined the track for third place. On the second last lap the Peugeot team made a peculiar decision to change tires for the final lap of the race, moving myself and the Toyota up one spot. On the last lap I closed the gap between myself and the Pescarolo by over three seconds, but ultimately could not snatch the win, finishing 1.8 seconds behind in the silver spot.
1st – Pescarolo C60 (5th qualifying) – 26 pts
2nd – Mazda 787B (1st qualifying) – 34 pts
3rd – Toyota 88C-V (2nd qualifying) – 21 pts
4th – Peugeot 905 (4th qualifying) – 26 pts
5th – Sauber C 9 (3rd qualifying) – 16 pts
6th – Mercedes CLK-LM (6th qualifying) – 6 pts
RACE 6 – New York
Arriving in New York I immediately felt like I was victory-bound. Everything about the course seemed similar to Seoul and my blowout victory. In practice we noticed that the course was reaping havoc on my tires, this would not be a no-stop race. I qualified in pole once again, easily beating the times of other cars. Sunday afternoon came quickly I I strapped in once more, prepared to battle my five competitors for the sixth time.
The race begins and I'm launched into a battle with the Toyota and Sauber for the lead. After two laps the 88C-V runs the inside of me on the corner after the second straight and starts to disappear into he distance. Four laps later the Sauber does the exact same. On lap 8 I'm told that my times are consistently slower than the two ahead of me, but my tires are still in good shape and could potentially last the whole race. Lap 10 and my strategy starts to pay off, the two leaders dive into the pits. I take first and pray that my tires can hold out. For the next two laps I open up a ten second lead on the Toyota in second. By the end of lap 13 that's been cut to four and a half. He continues to gain on me until we cross the start/finish line neck and neck for the final lap. I pull in front before the hairpin and force him to the outside. This allows me to take a better line out of the corner and open a small lead going down the second straight. This proved to be the deciding factor in the race, he never got close enough to attempt an overtake again. I took the checked by just over a half second, with the Sauber not two seconds behind.
1st – Mazda 787B (1st qualifying) – 44 pts
2nd – Toyota 88C-V (2nd qualifying) – 27 pts
3rd – Sauber C 9 (3rd qualifying) – 20 pts
4th – Peugeot 905 (4th qualifying) – 29 pts
5th – Pescarolo C60 (6th qualifying) – 28 pts
6th – Mercedes CLK-LM (5th qualifying) – 6 pts
RACE 7 – Opera Paris Reverse
After a week off in New York we fly over to Paris for the European leg of the championship. I'd run this course several times with the DTM, but never in this direction. I learned the new course quickly in practice, setting the fastest time of the field. However at the start of qualifying I suffered from a transmission failure that gave me a DNF and forced me to start from the back of the grid. The race starts and I pass the CLK-GTR, the only good thing that would happen all day. The next lap I got by the Pescarolo for fourth, which lasted a single lap before I went wide on the first turn of turn 3 and hit a wall, dropping me a good 10 seconds into fifth. From that point on I could never get into a groove and run some fast laps. After the first round of pit stops I repassed the Pescarolo for fourth, content that at least I'd beat somebody. But my worn out tires allowed him to claw back on on the second to last lap he managed to force me to miss a turn leading into the long straightaway, instead hitting the end of a runoff and losing the battle for fourth. By the final lap my rear tires had lost any sort of grip and I ran a full twenty seconds slower than my fastest lap, allowing the Mercedes to pass me and finishing dead last.
1st – Sauber C 9(1st qualifying) – 30 pts
2nd – Peugeot 905 (2nd qualifying) – 35 pts
3rd – Toyota 88C-V (3rd qualifying) – 31 pts
4th – Pescarolo C60 (4th qualifying) – 31 pts
5th – Mercedes CLK-LM (5th qualifying) – 10 pts
6th – Mazda 787B (6th qualifying) – 45 pts
RACE 8 – Suzuka Circuit
Following the debacle in Paris, we flew back to Japan to get ready for Suzuka. Friday's practice does not go well, I become quite familiar with the track's many gravel run-offs. By Saturday I had somewhat remedied the problem and put in the third fastest time in qualifying. I lost third off the start, only to regain it on 130R later the lap. We continued in this order until lap 7, when the Toyota pit from the lead, and lap 8 when the Sauber did the same. I had no trouble holding off the Pescarolo, now 6 seconds behind me, to take the checkered flag once more.
1st – Mazda 787B (3rd qualifying) – 55 pts
2nd – Pescarolo C60 (4th qualifying) – 37 pts
3rd – Toyota 88C-V (2nd qualifying) – 35 pts
4th – Peugeot 905 (5th qualifying) – 38 pts
5th – Sauber C 9(1st qualifying) – 32 pts
6th – Mercedes CLK-LM (6th qualifying) – 11 pts
RACE 9 – Grand Valley Speedway Reverse
We get a week of before traveling to Canada, home of the series' penultimate race at Grand Valley. During this week I hear all about how great I am in the news. I have to admit, most of it is pretty flattering. As the 17 point leader with only two races left I only need four more points to clinch a championship win. I get off to a great start on what could be the biggest weekend of my life. In Saturday's qualifying I easily take pole position, although I now know that really equates to a third place start.
The race begins, and to my surprise the Sauber is not quick enough off the start to jump ahead of me. I catch the Toyota a few turns later and take the lead. The three way battle at the front continued for almost the entire race, with the Toyota, Sauber, and myself each taking turns in the lead. On lap 8 the Toyota withdrew from the fight, and the next time around the Sauber followed suit. The other three would also pit before the race was over, handing me the easy win. The roar of Mazda fans and employees drowned out my engine as I rounded the final corner and head to the finish, the youngest ever world champion.
1st – Mazda 787B (1st qualifying) – 65 pts
2nd – Sauber C 9 (3rd qualifying) – 38 pts
3rd – Toyota 88C-V (2nd qualifying) – 39 pts
4th – Peugeot 905 (4th qualifying) – 41 pts
5th – Pescarolo C60 (6th qualifying) – 39 pts
6th – Mercedes CLK-LM (5th qualifying) – 12 pts
RACE 10 – Circuit de la Sarthe I
For the final race of the season we head to the birthplace of the World Championship, the Circuit de la Sarthe near Le Mans, France. I spend the week ahead of time under the media spotlight, giving me very little time to prepare for the race. In qualifying I can't catch a draft going down the Mulsanne and am relegated to fifth place on the grid. The four contenders for the #2 spot line up ahead of me. The Sauber, who must win if he's to win silver in the series, sits on pole. Behind him are the Toyota, Peugeot, and Pescarolo, each of whom could afford a second place finish provided the Mercedes or I win the race. Behind me s the Mercedes, a car who's eight sixth place finishes and lack of a podium highlight it's horrendous year.
I grabbed fourth form the Pescarolo off the start and started to reel in the leaders. I flew by the Peugeot at the start of the Mulsanne and over the next few kilometres we traded spots several times. The two leaders were doing the same thing ahead of us, but doing it almost 5 seconds a lap quicker. This continued until the end of lap 3, when the Toyota pulled into the pits but the sauber did not. At the same time I collided with the Peugeot as he tried to pass me and ended up skidding across the lawn, losing second place by quite a margin. We crossed the finish line in this order, the Pescarolo holding off the Toyota by the two tenths of a second.
1st – Sauber C 9 (1st qualifying) – 48 pts
2nd – Peugeot 905 (3rd qualifying) – 47 pts
3rd – Mazda 787B (5th qualifying) – 69 pts
4th – Pescarolo C60 (4th qualifying) – 42 pts
5th – Toyota 88C-V (2nd qualifying) – 41 pts
6th – Mercedes CLK-LM (6th qualifying) – 13 pts
Championship Results
1st – Mazda 787B – 69 pts
2nd – Sauber C 9 – 48 pts
3rd – Peugeot 905 – 47 pts
4th – Pescarolo C60 – 42 pts
5th – Toyota 88C-V – 41 pts
6th – Mercedes CLK-LM – 13 pts
Total A-Spec points: 720 (144*5)
