Playing ProjectCars2 for an hour or so last night. Decent group of 10 online - chatting in English (which is
relatively unusual - there are a group who I quite regularly find myself racing with, but most of them only speak Spanish).
Following a fairly dysmal result at Circuit Of Americas (I know the track, but I don't
really know the track), we're now at Oulton Park - doing the full "International" circuit (my favourite option), with everyone in an old Mk1 Escort using a default setup to keep it as level a playing field as possible.
(Locking the option to "default setups" means one of two un-editable choices only - "Stable" or "Loose". The latter option
generally swaps the front end tracking from slight toe-in to a smidge of toe-out - to sharpen the turn-in, reduces the toe-in level at the rear, adds a bit more camber, and makes the ltd-slip diff act with a bit more aggression. "Stable" is therefore more...erm... stable, great for noobs or when you are at a track you aren't fully intimate with, but it's generally slower. Ain't nobody be wantin' that
<selects Loose> ).
Just a 5 lap race with a 10min quali session. I make 3rd. I get a decent but not perfect start, and I'm dropped to 4th by the first corner, which we all make it through OK. In the tricky downhill braking zone for cascades however, the car following me gets a bit overexcited and misses his mark - I get rammed hard in the rear, pushing me into the car I was following. 3 of us end up on the grass, and by the time I get back to tarmac I find myself in 10th (ie last) place. That's awesome.
Eldest miklet isn't usually interested, but whilst wandering past the room he stops and watches me start to fight back through the field. He's kinda fascinated by how much the car moves around compared to the GT3's he generally sees me "driving", so he stays to watch. I manage to make a couple of decent overtakes, but mostly I recover places via others spinning off or hitting each other.
Heading into the final lap I am somehow back in 4th again, with another car following close behind me. 1st and 2nd are long gone, and 3rd place is a good 20m in front of me as we barrel along the start/finish straight (which is a curve at Oulton - do keep up). I'm not likely to make that up on the last lap.
I jokingly say to the boy "Shall I switch my headlights on just as he reaches the braking zone for Old Hall - see if I can distract him?".
"He he - yeah right".
<Pause>
<Lights On>
Boy in front turns in and we watch the arse of his Escort gracefully swing out, but it's continuing well past a point of oversteer that might be considered optimal. It's a long corner with a late apex. He manages to catch the slide, but he's lost time. Unfortunately he over-corrects and suddenly dissapears off track in the opposite direction, heading directly towards the barrier. We don't even see the impact as I haven't backed off and I'm already with him, but eldest miklet and I simultaneously shout/scream/squawk expletives.
I then nearly drop it several times over the final lap because we are absolutely pissing ourselves.
Bloke following me is now right on my bumper and I need to be defensive or I'm going to lose the place. I have absolutely no idea if my lights had
any influence on the incident, but the timing was just
perfect. I'm mashing and sawing like a mofo, wiping tears from my eyes so I can locate the braking point for the final bend. I
just make the final step on the podium without the guy behind (who is presumably
not crippled with laughter) sneaking by.
That were great.
I expect that's quite extraordinary, but I suspect he'll do pretty well out of this from donations alone....
