Juxtaposition In June: (Pt. 2: An Incredibly Tough Week)

Welcome back.

Last week was a tough one.

On top of my rig breaking in multiple aspects, my racing adventures were just as abhorrent - out of the 6 races I planned to do that week (3 official, 3 leagues), not a single one went well.

Throughout the week, my wheel/wheelbase began to move on the metal platform it sits on/part of the rig, my pedal-base wobbles around and I'm getting input from the brake pedal when not touching it/when on gas, which slows my top speed down.

I got an absolutely exceptional deal on the rig I have now - and I couldn't begin to afford a new set of pedals...or rig for that matter - so the only solution I knew was to use some good old paper and foam and to wedge it in the gaps where the wheel and the pedal moved.

Yes, it did work - and now all I have to deal with is the flickering brake input - but I'm aware that soon my rig could very well be held together by paper and string instead of have any functionality whatsoever!

Tuesday, 30th May, 2023

The 30th May was a very bitter-sweet day.

The sweet part was the fact that 4 years ago, on this day, I founded Kabort Motorsport.

It's been a wild old 4 years with many ups and downs - but it's still running still going strong (or well...still going at least).

The not so great part was the QRT Finale at Hockenheim.

Long story short, I had absolutely no pace.

Out of 8 in the GT4 Class, I finished 6th (two didn't complete a lap.

The race ended with me finishing last of the runners - my average pace was a second off Pope who finished ahead of me (Denise would have won the championship anyway, even if I hadn't crashed at Charlotte Roval) - Pope being a further second off from the car ahead.

Pope did struggle/spin - but still managed to finish ahead of me.

Proceedings in the QRT GT3/GT4 Battle Tour ended with Gergely inevitably taking the win for the GT4 Class (by a country mile) with me and Pope in second and third.

Even if I had won at Charlotte, Denise's pace at Hockenheim was too strong for me to match - and he eventually beat me in the championship by 4 points.

QRT have already announced a new season starting in mid-June - but certainly a sour way to end the league/season.

I also had a job interview - only the 3rd/4th one I've ever had - but it was half an hour away in Ventnor, but at this rate, I'm so desperate, I'd take any job I'm offered.

Wednesday 31st May, 2023

My week only got worse from here - I went from competing badly - to not competing at all - on Wednesday, I battled through my driving lesson with a piercing headache, but come race-time for DML, I called it quits and headed straight to bed.

I don't know what came over me, but I was feeling rough - stomach was fine, just felt like death, simple things.

Thursday 1st June, 2023

Heading into Thursday, the week didn't improve - that night's VRG race was cancelled/postponed due to the host having prior commitments - maybe a weekend of official endurance racing will go down a bit better? Saturday 3rd - Sunday 4th June

If you were to have a jammed brake pedal in your racecar - which drastically slowed the car on straights - which three circuits would you least want to drive? Spa?

Nurburgring?

Le Mans?

Monza? Well...that weekend, I raced at 3/4 of those circuits (excluding Monza) - and as expected, it was a hellish weekend.

Spa

In Week 12, I made my IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge debut at Spa - and had it not been for my...brake problem, it would have been a good, exciting, fun race.

Sadly (?), it was an all-GT4 split, with not a TCR in sight - meaning the "multiclass" element was lost.

I qualified 23rd/25 (whom completed laps) - 39 entered the race.

For the first 6 laps, I plummeted down the order - by Lap 7 Laps in and I was in 29th/38th.

I'd stay here until the first round of pit-stops - I'd end up 17th, before I needed to pit.

I'd come out in 26th, and only gradually improve to 22nd.

It would have been interesting to see where I would finish had I not been dragging my brake down the many straights.

The final lap was very interesting as I almost ran out of fuel, but by cutting the final corner, I just spluttered over the line.

Le Mans

Probably the straightest circuit on the service (more straights than corners!), I was asked to race at Le Mans as a favour/payback for asking Spencer to race GT4 with me.

I'll admit, I did have fun...mostly - but as the LMP2 is a skill-level higher than the GTE, the drivers in LMP2 are typically more skilled and have a higher iRating. Whilst I may be 1500 iRating in GT racing (GT4, GT3, GTE) - I do wish that I was up against other drivers also having their LMP2 debut, but favour completed, I will be happily skipping back over to GTE!

What WAS interesting was the fact that it was my first EES (European Endurance Series) finish since April 2021!

I failed to set a representative qualifying time, and started 11th/13th in class - and finished 7th/10th in class - much of the work being done by Spencer who HAD pace.

But I didn't crash the car...badly - no, seriously, I bought the car home - and for a debut that's not half bad.

Nurburgring Nordschliefe

The Nurburgring Nordschliefe is difficult at the best of times - but when your wheel/wheel base is loose, brake inputs blipping sporadically - you're in for a rough ride.

Rule 1 of motorsport is not to hit your team-mate.

Rule 2? Don't bin it on the first lap.

With no team-mate to hit, I had one very simple job. And I binned it.

After pitting for repairs, I was overtaken by the leading two Toyota GR86's which were also in our split - I had a long day ahead of me.

Unfortunately, I can't see classes in the lap-chart, but we barely bothered the Top 5.

We started 11th and finished 7th in class (out of 15 cars) - 7th is also where we finished at Le Mans - so whilst not brilliant - it's not last, and we actually finished, so I suppose that's the only positivity that can be pulled from this...weekend.

And just like that the tough weekend was over - next week was Week 13 - I needed that!