[kneebon5]

Audi TCR (IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge) - Week 2 - Oulton Park Circuit - Island

Week 2 in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge brought the series to Oulton Park on a version of the track I had not raced on before. I got some decent practice in, and joined the first race of the week, which only had 23 people sign up for it with max fields of 20, so two splits were formed putting me as the #7 car in the slower split.


In qualifying I had some really good pace, but on both laps, hit the grass slightly after Turn 1, causing my lap time to be invalidated. With this i started at the rear of the field of 9 cars, (1 car was DQ'd from the event in qualifying, the other didn't show up)


From here my plan was to survive and just get what i could on this narrow goat path of a track. Coming out of the first turn, I nearly put myself 3 wide but was smart enough to back out of it, but was able to get two positions through the first bend. Out of the second turn, a driver went wide into the grass, advancing me up to the 6th spot. On entry of the hairpin, the car in 5th drove deep into warm tire braking markers, leaving him no traction for turn in, opening the door for me on the inside. Midway through the hairpin 4th position struggled to get the tires to grip up on exit as he went slightly wide onto the curb, advancing me into 4th by the end of the third corner.


At this point, I felt like my luck was going to be good for the race since I had instantly erased my bad qualifying, but it only got crazier from here. The next lap the top three battled into the hairpin slowing themselves down. Through the chicane, the lead two cars made contact sending one off, moving me up to third. The new lead duo continued to battle and on the next lap through the hairpin made contact, allowing me to take the lead in two and a half laps from the 9th spot, without ever having to really pass anyone. From this point on I hoped to manage my tires, but one of the lead cars started to gain on me. In my normal fashion I ended up getting a slow down penalty on the last lap and had to defend hard, but still ended up taking the checkers for my second win of the season.