[woodcote]

Hour Three - Yellow Ferrari

   

This third hour saw Damp-Wet-Damp track conditions, which is always tricky with braking points as the conditions change. Tyre choice is crucial. We had some quicker cars on the grid - the race leaders threw their Slot.it Sauber Group C into the mix, alongside Jeremy's Policar Ferrari - the Whitsun+ choice for Écurie Escargot. The classic yellow prototype was super-smooth and ate up the laps - only Ash with the Gearzilla BTCC BMW keeping in touch. The Gastropods were running their Legend and despite setting the best score for that class, lost ground on the front two. Days of Blunder were disappointed not to be up there to defend their overall lead - although their +120 lap bonus still made them firm favourites in the Handicap race.

   

Jeremy & Andy finished on 214 laps, but the drive of hour was most definitely Ash, who also broke the 200-lap mark with the Gearzilla Pirtek BMW. 

   

However, it was a tough hour for the Brake 'Til Tyre BTCC car - the team needing help from Mike to stay in the race and keep the laps ticking over...

   

Here's some video action from hours 2 & 3...



Hour Four - A suspect device lights up the race

   

The weather stayed grim for the fourth hour with Damp and Wet conditions forecast. The hour was also disrupted by two restarts after short circuits, so the full data is not available for this one. Two Slot.it Group C Porsches (Escargot & Fuller-Beans) and a fast GT3 Mustang (Gastropods) were outclassed by a not entirely legal Thunderslot McLaren M6A. We're introducing a Can-Am race to a new Digital Saturday next February, so we wanted to see how quick the Thunderslots might be. Even with the WHO legal motor, the McLaren was by far the quickest car on track all day - its 10:813 second fastest lap comparing to 12:916 for the Policar Ferrari and 12:224 for the fastest Group C (the Gastropods).

   

After their early race nightmares, this hour with the McLaren did bring a smile back on the faces of Alex and Dean - and the orange car lit up the race, barrelling through the hairpin section as if it was stuck to the track (no traction magnet - we checked)...

   

We never quite got to the bottom of the short circuits, but with the race set up as it is, it wasn't a huge issue to restart twice. It prolonged the agony for Oliver, whose borrowed Whitsun+ cars was off the pace. The Days of Blunder Camaro needed time in the garage, but the Fuller-Beans banged in their best run of the race so far with Rob's new Slot.it Porsche 962.

   


At the end of Hour Four, the McLaren had completed a massive 228 laps, giving everyone else a thrashing and lifting Brake 'Til Tyre back up to fourth overall. The Écurie Escargot Porsche 956 was second with 209 laps to maintain the overall lead. Third were Maximus Gastropodus and their rapid Mustang GT3, hitting 201 laps and moving up to the runner-up spot overall. Days of Blunder led the Fuller-Beans by one lap in the Handicap race...

   

We'll back for the final two hours a bit later...