“Your gains are lost in an abyss that is general progression across board” Sounds poetic doesn’t it? But here follows the context…
The previous race meeting saw sufficient progress from the first race. Power figures remarkably improved but were not 100% correct where the ideal power would be made on the rev range. Fast forward to round three, and we've decided to get the car back onto the dyno at NDT Racing and spend more time tuning the car appropriately from a lower open throttle position, which makes a difference. So when F1 suggests doing away with Friday practice, one wonders where the priority lies—entertainment or giving the teams sufficient time to get the setup right. You need to time on the track to diagnose the best setup. I digress. Back to the Polo. With the change, an issue which would rear itself would be the question of wheelspin. My race two start would feature here. More on that later.

The significant changes and qualifying

The notable changes between round two and round three included the gear linkage modification, which turned the shifts from a magic wand type of situation to something that had a much shorter throw to deliver more precise gear shifts. This was, however, a foreign feeling, getting used to it when it felt like the car wanted to go into the third gear from fourth gear. Not ideal. Additionally, bushes on the front right suspension assembly were changed, which altered the handling to something different but better than before, especially around the middle sectors of the track. Again, just another thing to get your head around. All this meant confidence was lacking going into the Friday afternoon qualifying session. This showed with the P5 that I landed up with. Again, not ideal, but I knew acclimatisation would click in the race. It's always like that. Full disclosure…I prefer the Saturday packed events where everything happens on one day and allow a night for the lessons to marinate that you can take into the next day, but such is life. 

Race One – The positives.

Here's a weird thing to wrap your head around. Your advancement is difficult to measure against anything else when everyone else is improving at the same time. Your gains are lost in an abyss that is general progression across board. Something you need to toil with within the mind. It's never a linear equation but is positive for the series. The start was an excellent positive again, getting away off the line well and sticking to the car's bumper in front.

The single-light starts are great! Rounding turn one, I found Marc on the outside, somewhat compromised. Allowing space and with him taking a preference to the right-hand side of my car again, we made contact, and he had the inside line going into turn one. Rubbing is racing. What ensued through the next seven laps was a cat-and-mouse game of myself trying to stay in the tow of Marc's car but lost out when a stricken Class A car shuffled its way through turn 3's apex, including a missed gear shift out of turn two (A hangover from the linkage setup I was still getting used to). Such are the margins which would mean that Marc could edge a gap, forcing me to concede to P4 for the race, making up one place from the start. All in all, it was a mammoth effort and an effort I could hold my head up high over it. Finally, some return.

Race two – Freudian slips

An inverse grid and a different format than the success ballast used in prior years meant I would start on the front row with a three-light start separating the three classes. A first for me and something that sends your heart beating through my chest. Somehow it's always easier to start on the back foot and chase. Lights out and, fuck…I fluffed it. Remember that power delivery issue I mentioned earlier? I hadn't quite gotten the hang of it yet, which resulted in too much wheelspin off the start line, followed by me bogging down and allowing the two polo sixes to sneak through before I consolidated P4 with Marc behind me. A.K.A the usual suspects!

All I had to do was keep him behind for the next seven laps, and a potential podium beckoned. No pressure. Daniel in the Mk1 would get a cracker of a start and lead into turn one, but I managed to get passed on lap two still with Marc behind. Four laps would pass before. Eventually, Marc made a move stick down the main straight, clearly outgunning my car with the rate at which he passed, taking advantage of my terrible exit owing to defending my position into turn 5—a rather frustrating moment, given that the move was not made under braking or corner exiting. I could only sit there and watch as a power differential makes you the sitting duck. Marc would defend his way to a narrow margin of 0.9 seconds ahead at the end of the 8-lap chase. In hindsight, we should have instead worked together to catch and put pressure on the front two and then scrapped it out on the last lap.

The beauty of GTI challenge is that every opportunity is a chance to lose it or gain something. Given that everyone is on the same spec, make a mistake, and you get punished hard. The way it should be. You might only get one opportunity, making it a great series. I'm reminded of that once more.

Regardless, the day rendered a P4 overall in Class out of 6 competitors, which says one thing at face value, but what counts more is that we're now able to build on the base and improve on the platform. The negatives…well, the past month has been a mare regarding work pressures stealing away from testing time. Not being able to get out and practice as much is a contributing factor, but it is one that is challenging to manage when work is what pays for it all. Work always comes first and is the hand that feeds.

So much effort has been put in by everyone at MRD and myself to get here, and the success points from the weekend make it all worth it. It is something that I’m thankful for. The highlights were that overall, race pace was a personal best, and I was getting more used to the car's handling characteristics and identifying where my strong points are and where opportunities lay. Last, let's not forget the quickest lap I've ever done in that car with a 1.29.6. Podiums may be one thing, but that feeling of accomplishment and personal development ranks top. The next race will be on the 22nd of April.

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