NASRS Season 14 Race 3 (Zolder)

I was a bit hesitant to go through last night’s NASRS season 14 race replay from Zolder and pull out the highlights. I usually look forward to doing this the morning after the race, but I was worried last night’s race was pretty cringe-worthy. To put things in context, I qualified P3 and finished the race P5, which are both really good results for me so all good there. But, as I was racing, it didn’t seem like I was driving very well. However, after watching a lot of the replay, I think I did OK, save for a couple big-ish mistakes.

To sum things up, I never really felt comfortable in the car during the race. I think the main issue was that I got lucky and smashed my very last quali lap with, I think, the quickest lap I’ve ever done at Zolder. The main problem, though, was I was starting ahead of much faster drivers who I knew would quickly put me under a lot of pressure. Moreover, P1 and P2 both went wide in T2 so I found myself in P2 after a couple turns. It’s normally a good thing to be in P2 right at the start of a race, but I knew the guys behind me were really fast so it was just a matter of time before I was under a lot of pressure. And that’s pretty much what happened.

I should note, there are a couple chicanes at Zolder that make or break your lap. You need to really risk it and send it in the first one and, depending on your car, it can be a bit of a coin toss as to whether you nail it or end up flying off the track and spinning out. I was really struggling each time through that first chicane, holding my breath, hoping my car wouldn’t spin out. I think I was over-driving due to the pressure and was not slowing enough to get the car settled and turned in. As you’ll see in the highlights, I made it through without any issues 42 times. Unfortunately, there were 43 laps….

So, yeah, I hit the wall and messed up my car a bit with around 15 minutes left in the race. I lost a position right away and ten minutes later, succumbed to a good battle and lost another one. I don’t think I would have been able to hang onto both spots without the mistake, but I had a big enough gap that I think P4 was possible.

Anyway, the point of all of this “sim racing” stuff isn’t so much about the results, but the process. Having something you’re horrible at and then having to work at it to get better, is generally, a lot of fun. At the same time it’s also stressful racing with other humans, especially when you like them and don’t want to foul up their races if you make a silly mistake. So when you’re able to overcome your anxieties and fears and things work out, it feels pretty awesome. That’s why we race, I guess.

Next week we’re at Zandvoort, which is a really fun track to hotlap, but not the best for racing. It’s gonna be hairy, but should be fun.

Week 3 final results (Zolder)

• Qualifying: P3/41
• Race: P5/41

Here are a few highlights from the race.