LAP #1:
It's lights out for Race #2 at Yas Marina. I'm no fan of Yas Marina but the short straight of the start/finish line does have a stadium feel to it. This pic needed to be captured quickly because we lost
@ZoomZoomMf shortly after the lights went out.
LAP #1:
Some light contact between a pair of cars exiting Turn 2 unsettled a couple and forced others wide but nobody's race was ruined and it was back to business in short order.
LAP #1:
Exiting the chicane on Lap #1, @we can see
@Crunchy Taco's car having a spin and in the background and in the forefront,
@Noob01_lmdead is about to overtake
@JakeMk8 to move into 6th place. A pretty good half-lap by
@Noob01_lmdead who would have started at the back of the field after his Race #1 win.
LAP #1 - Lead Change:
Still on Lap #1 and seconds later, it's a Viper on Viper overtake as
@llNovall powers himself past
@Kgffy and into the lead on the straight between Turns 8 and 9.
LAP #3:
@llNovall and
@JDMKING13 are running 1st and 2nd.
@Kgffy, in 3rd, is getting back on the throttle upon exiting the hairpin on Lap #3 as he's got
@DublDee chasing him. Right behind him is
@socalnatv and
@Noob01_lmdead in a door-to-door battle. We haven't seen the last of those two.
@Bologna_Duc,
@Phlano099 and
@bublyman also pictured running 7th through 9th.
LAP #5:
I might not be displaying many "Lead Change" pics in this race but that doesn't mean the racing wasn't any good. The battle for 3rd was intense all race including in this moment where the power of American machinery was on display as
@Kgffy's Viper was boxed on either side by
@socalnatv and
@DublDee's Corvettes. They're 3-wide and giving themselves plenty of space to fight it out.
In fact, the top 5 places are currently occupied by American cars.
LAP #6:
Seeing
@Kgffy trying to settle a car is a sight we've all become familiar with but he can't be faulted on this occasion. He took a light tap on the track's last turn as fought for control as he begun Lap #6. Concessions were made and the action resumed with very little delay.
LAP #6:
It's Event #1 of this new season and we can already conclude that
@llNovall's secret recipe worked again. It's Lap #6 and pictured below are two Z4's, a Viper and a AMG locked together exiting a chicane in positions 7 through 10.
LAP #9:
On the preceding straight,
@Crunchy Taco motored himself past
@CdnSweetTee to move into 12th. And just a couple seconds behind them is
@cesarr64 hard on the brakes.
LAP #11:
@DublDee, currently running 5th is asking a lot of his Corvette. He's well into the chicane's braking zone and the unburned fuel accumulated from the drop in RPM ignites in a pretty blue flame. (I'm no mechanic, had to google exactly what causes this - lol)
Just behind him is
@Phlano099 in 6th.
Side Note - I've been meaning the capture a pic like the above for quite some time. I previously said that
@DublDee looks his "Sunday best" in yellow but the color his livery and Pro-Class decals (plus the fact it's a Corvette) and matching blue flame had me determined get a moment like this. I don't play with the camera filters (yet) but thought I'd maintain a fair level of glare and haze in the pic. Personally, one of my favorites. Moving on....
LAP #13:
A costly spin by
@Bologna_Duc who was running 7th but got onto some of the blue (teal?) paint exiting the spoon shaped Turn 9. He would drop a couple positions and resume in 9th.
LAP #14:
@llNovall has been leading since the half way mark of Lap #1 but it hasn't been an easy drive. The sight of the fierce fight that broke out behind him will put him somewhat at ease.
@JDMKING13,
@socalnatv and
@Noob01_lmdead have embarked on an epic battle for 2nd. Maybe more paint that positions were exchanged but it was door-to-door-to-door for several laps.
LAP #17:
Similar spot on the track and they're still going at it on the final Lap. It's been so intense that it allowed
@DublDee and
@bublyman to enter the picture and detracted from the good action that just just behind them that included a
@bublyman vs
@Phlano099 sequence and a
@DublDee vs
@bublyman sequence. I tried to go back and forth between all the battles in the Race Broadcast but you guys made it difficult on me.
LAP #17:
In our 2025 season, eventual winner
@llNovall waited until the last Event to win his first race but not in 2026. His Viper rewards him with a big win at Yas Marina.
@llNovall is joined by
@JDMKING13 and
@socalnatv on the podium.
(Positions 2 through 6 all came home within 1.5 seconds of each other)
The Fastest Lap bonus goes to
@Noob01_lmdead with a 1:52.727. He was clearly the fastest here at Yas Marina. His time edges out
@bublyman's 1:52.921 and
@Bologna_Duc's 1:52.925.
www.gtplanet.net
