Race Day today in Paul Ricard with Qualifying 1 in the morning and Race 1 in the afternoon. The day started reasonably well qualifying 8th in the field of 15 for Race 1. With the track nice and dry, the times were incredibly close, with less than a second covering 2nd through to 12th position.
Photo credit: Fotospeedy
I didn’t get the best launch off the line in Race 1, over-anticipating the wheelspin and releasing the throttle too much meant the car bogged down off the line, meaning I lost quite a few spots before the first corner. Fighting hard to maintain my position, I did drop another couple spots by the end of the first lap, leaving me in 14th place. After this I managed to pick up the pace and settle myself into a rhythm, and over the next few laps, I fought back to gain 2 positions into 12th and on the back of a pack of 5 or 6 cars.
Photo Credit: Fotospeedy
I was closing in on the cars in front and looking good to challenge for another few spots, but unfortunately without warning, my gearbox failed and I was stuck in 4th gear forcing me to retire from the race.
Thank you to all for the support and messages I have been receiving over the past few days, and thanks to the team who are working late at the track to have everything on the car ready to go for the morning.
Overall a pretty tough day, but I will learn from today’s experiences and come back tomorrow stronger!
