So, after a good amount of practice, it was time to enter my first race. I followed the necessary steps to enter, and once the time counted down, I joined into the server.
A five minute warm-up session greets me when I finish logging into the server. I quickly jump into the car and cruise out onto the track. These times are a great opportunity to follow around a few others for as long as possible. From this you can learn where they might possibly be quicker (and try their brake marks or race lines to see if you can match them) or where they may be slower (and then if you do find yourself racing them in the race, you may find making that crucial pass a little easier).
I was both nervous and excited - I had qualified 3rd fastest for my first race, and was hoping for a good result. As the warm-up timer reached zero, everyone was forced out of their cars and had 60 seconds to place their cars on the grid. This meant no proper roll-up laps, and that brakes and tyres were going to be cold. Just something else to add to the tension!
I quickly got my spot on the grid and waited for the countdown to expire. The race was 25 laps, and I knew that I was going to have to stay 100% focused for the entire time to have a good result. Once the countdown finished, it was time to grab first gear, put some revs on the car, and wait for the green...
And the race started! I got a pretty good start for my first go, and came roaring down into turn one - a 90 degree right hander. I negotiated this ok, trying to be really careful not to take anyone else out through cold tyres, brakes, or silly driving. I came out of turn 1 in 4th place, feeling pretty good. My heart was pounding in my chest, I swear I had never felt so nervous, even in my real-life Motorsport career. We came down the short straight towards turns 2,3 and 4. This involved a right hander over a crest into a tight s-bend (right/left). This had been a classic 'tricky' corner, as the camber tends to push the car wide through the first right hander, either wrecking your run through the s-bend or sending you off the road completely.
I managed to negotiate this section ok, and followed the cars in front of me up the short straight into another slower section, involving a left hander, into an up-hill right hander (turns 5 and 6) - the latter being the other 'tricky' part to the lap. It is a corner where you have to be very patient, as getting on the throttle too early can send you off the road on the exit. Patience is key. Under brakes into the left hander I got a little out of shape, giving the car in front of me a light tap and ending up very sideways into the corner. Managing to gather it up ok, I kept going, and managed to keep 4th place in the process.
Up over the crest of the hill comes a full hook right hander, into the final turn of the lap, another right hander which requires perfect braking and entry to get right. The main straight here is really long, and a bad exit here means watching the other cars go past you down as you take the agonising journey back towards turn 1.
Having negotiated my first lap ok, I was feeling pretty happy. Unfortunately for me though, it didn't last.
Heading into turns 2,3 and 4 on the second lap I braked to hard and ended up locking up, hitting the 3rd place car and ending up off the road. Thankfully I didn't completely take out the car I hit, but I was now at the back of the pack, and to add insult to injury, I now had damage, and was told that I had to pit to repair the damage.
I made my way back to the pits as quickly as I could - my car was no longer steering very well so this wasn't an easy task. I crawled into pit lane and slowly made my way to my own pit box, the speed limit in pit lane making it seem an eternity.
After the agonising wait, my car dropped back to the ground and I was finally able to get back out there. I now had to be extra careful, as there was lapped traffic around me and the last thing I wanted to do was wreck one of their races in the process. Thankfully, the car felt 100% again and I was able to push and try to get some good laps in.
A couple of laps later, I noticed (with the in game information) that I was in fact catching the next placed car, and at the rate I was going, should be able to catch him well before the end of the race.
As I approached lap 11 of the race, I had gotten really close to the car in front. By this point, my car felt a little squirmy, as I had been trying to push quite hard to catch the car, and it felt like my tyres were no longer at their best. I was able to make an easy pass during lap 11, between turns 4 and 5 thanks to a good exit from turn 4, and even though I was still running almost last, getting that place felt fantastic!
I knew now I had to remain focused and not panic. I didn't want to lose the place I had gained. I kept my focus and was able to go on and finish in 9th place (out of 10) - setting my fastest lap on lap 16 while I was at it. Although disappointed with 9th when it could have been much better, I still came away happy and excited for my future races in iRacing.
The next part of my blog will focus on the various highs and low I have experienced in the last 3 months of iRacing, the things I have really enjoyed, and the frustrations that have made me feel like I didn't want to renew my subscription. Stay tuned!
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