Two old ladies, click click click.
Here's Pat's video to show you what I mean. You can follow the report and watch.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwvdqvuh-tY&t=41s
I had practiced well for the final race. It's still a nice challenge to try and better your PB.
34.6 or so was not easy to beat but I did it with new insights of taking corners and a very old setup that works well at Silverstone.
I didn't expect to get a 33.6 in the end but am well happy with it! To be right behind Herr Engelman (33.5 in the 3.2 CSL is an honor.
It also showed me how near perfect a lap you must do to get such improvement and to get 33.8 in qualy was very satisfying.
The whole team did very well in qualy and we were all ready to go!
Of course it helps when you have no weights while most of the competition has weights from their great racing earlier. I pushed away the dreaming of an overall victory but I would try hard to get near the podium.
On server 2 I got pole with heavier people quite behind me so I hoped to et a good start and gain time, especially on the two stoppers so I could perhaps counter their advantage, which seldom worked this season.
Right, lets race!
Good start and after some slower warming up laps I could slowly drive away in first position.
I looked at XD timing a lot to see who would challenge me. No real mistakes but it took some time to get a 34.
First it was Dimi who was second and then Droker and then I saw that name again....senor Heizen!
We all had seen how he broke the field at Bathurst and although I had no idea how heavy he was, he was the one to watch! Kratzer was a bit slower and much heavier than me but he could gain in the stops so drive fast Caspar!
The lead to Heizen was 12 seconds and I hoped to get good pistops to stay close.
First stop was 23,5 seconds, good for me.
After Pat had pitted I was still 8 seconds ahead but had some dudes to attack like Seppl. Heizen gained on me and I had to, after lapping some galant guys, work hard to keep the gap above 10 seconds. When I had a free track it worked and the gap was 13.8 seconds when I went in on lap 39 (almost forgot to look at fuel...)
OK, waiting for tyres and fuel to get done......45 seconds! Maybe normal but it felt like a day!
Where will he be....?
When Pat went in I was 51 seconds behind....still 6.2 after he pitted.
Dang......he didn't take tyres???? That can be interesting in the remaining half of the race!
Fast JB pitted for his second stop so I was in the lead again and on lap 49 I caught up with mr. Heizen! Ok Pat, lets see....
On lap 50 turn 3 he signalled me to pass!? What???
I took it but at T5 Pat looked like he was challenging me again and I was puzzled and went wide so he passed me back.
After that it was game on and we raced like we had done so many times before. I studied his lines etc. but couldn't find a gap. He made no mistakes and the acceleration of the Escort was still phenomenal.
The chase lasted until lap 57(!) when I went in for the final full tank. came out 42 seconds behind.
Pat pitted on lap 61 and I was still 42 seconds behind! After his stop (17 seconds!!) it was 6.2 again.
Oh ,man, exciting! I was very tired but locked in in the zone and got closer and I hoped to have enough laps left to fight well.
Pat had very old tyres now and I made some bad laps but I caught him on lap 68......of 74....
On that same lap I went for it in T6 fast righthander as I knew I had to take every opportunity. I didn't dare count on his car being slippy now with old tyres.
But it was a bad one. Hoping not get a cut yet powering out on the inside I hit the Escort hard! BANG! Nooooo!
My heart sank to the bottom when I saw Pat hitting the barrier hard! I was broken. I waited and waited in hope that he was alive......he was and he sprinted by me like it was a 5 lap race! Great! We were still leading.
I had no intention to fight again with his probably damaged car so I stayed behind and we would finish like that. I had no hopes that we had a chance to challenge server 1 after all the time lost in the chase and the crash so what's there to gain?
But Pat had other ideas. He wanted to let me by and have my moment of glory. Very kind but I didn't accept it.
Then the charade started....
Like two old women we weren't accepting the lead and even went of track in clumsily dealing with that. An embarrassing scene in the racing world....
But that's how it was and even on the finish line we both braked to let the other win. haha, we're a joke!
But, respect was high and that's something too.
Pat won 0.08 seconds in front.
When Micha put up the overall results.....Pat was 2nd and I was 3rd! What???
And what's more, winner Girindus had only 21 seconds on us. I was proud to have the fastest qualy time and fastest race lap (I think)
Man, we should have been tougher, killers so to speak.
But we weren't, we were silly friends on a great racing track in ABB's wonderworld of ETCC.
Thanks for the fun Pat!
And team Unstoppable Oldstars, Harald, Roger and Rene thanks for all the fun and support! Great result on last race too!
Grats to Ballesta for the title, fantastic. These guys ca do it in almost any car! Grats podium!
Thanks a million to the orginisation, unbelievable!
See you in a bit!
Silly old CasparGTL
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mates from from International Channel of TS, the Ballesta Racing!!!. Three consecutive titles and with different cars. It is to remove the hat!. Congratulations to Cool Racing for having a tremendous season, with a very close finish and "not suitable for the faint of heart"!!
