Trailing sparks from his under tray with a deep growl from his normally asperated engine Championship leader blasts through Eua-Rouge with a slight lift as the car bounces off the tarmac. Behind, Katier, up from 4th on the grid is looking more secure, foot flat to the floor as she gains on the leader through this awsome test of commitment.
Behind Yuriko is also less commited than the second placed R8, already losing ground to the lead pair. Katier's commitment gives a noticeable speed advantage onto the long straight and she's already taking chunks of distance out of the lead car.
Alongside now, sparks flying from their undertrays as speeds approach 190 mph Katier calmly brakes for the approaching chicane.. Jafo a touch later.. too late and Yuriko also misses her point and the R8 is through into the lead.
Behind Suzy closes in on Yuriko's 3rd placed R8 with Crippy and Sulla not far behind. Nella is already some way back as the field heads for the twists and turns of the challenging 'infield' section of the track.
Katier quickly settles into a smooth line, opening up a few car lengths back to Jafo. Behind them Suzy is really harassing Yuriko, and into the bus stop she cuts the corner and slips into 3rd.
At the start of Lap 2 Yuriko outbraked herself badly into the hairpin and shunted Suzy into Jafo. Yuriko came out of the mess just in second place with Suzy in third ahead of Crippy and Sulla.
Jafo, however, was now last having lost his rear wing. Suzy repassed Yuriko with a smooth pass in the same spot as Katier on the previous lap. Suzy was on a real charge at this stage and soon caught up with the Leader, the pair having already dropped Yuriko to the tune of a few seconds with Crippy and Sulla further back.
Sulla seemed curiously a little slow at this stage, making no inroads into Crippy ahead and maybe even seeming content in her place.
On Lap 4 Yuriko once again braked way too late, but this time just sailed past the lead two cars and onto the grass. She rejoined behind the pair who were now not far behind the delayed Jafo, almost a lap down.
Start of Lap 5 and Suzy was through, slipping neatly inside Katier into T1. Katier wasn't about to give her lead up so easy though and with the part of the track ahead that she excelled at, it was no surprised to see her coming right back at the Black and Red car.
In a near copy of the Lap 1 pass she retook the lead from Suzy who unsurprisingly continued to harass the R8. She tried to slide inside through the challenging pouhon corner, got up on the curb, spun and lost her wing.. challenge over.
At this stage Katier now looked settled, holding her lead back to Yuriko at about 3s with Crippy and Sulla further back. Then on Lap 10 Katier approached the 80-90mph chicane just as Nella was going through. Nella seemed to go left, so Katier lifting slightly in response to the slow car, went right. Nella then changed line and Katier couldn't avoid the back of the tail ender.
The Half spin was fortunately light as Katier had scrubbed her speed down to 63mph, about 30mph slower than normal.. but it still delayed her to the tune of several seconds and Yuriko was through into the lead.
Katier and Crippy then pitted and unfortunatly for Katier she made a hash of the exit, crossing the white line two fast and getting a stop-go..
She then repeated the crime a lap later forcing a 3rd stop on the next lap.. but not before - fuming and confused at how her race had fallen apart she missed the turn-in near the end of the lap and crashed heavilly.
Little damage was done but she was sufficiently delayed to be left out of the battle for the lead.. and what a lead battle it became.
The reason for Sulla's early lack of pace was soon obvious, she wasn't stopping. Yuriko came out just ahead of Crippy and the two set to work battling hard.
Over the next few laps Crippy and Yuriko swapped place before on lap 19 she made it stick. By now it was obvious the race would run to 21 laps. One less than predicted by Katier, and it was also obvious Sulla was in severe trouble. She was losing time hand over fist to the chasing pack, doing 2m09 and 2m10s laps against Yuriko's 2m04's and 5's...
RACE ON!!! One lap to go and Yuriko was right with her and on the very last lap she slipped through to gain her first ever win. Overall an action packed race with mixed fortunes for three drivers who'd got their cars dialed in very well for this circuit. Yuriko winning, Katier fourth and Suzy fifth. Sulla's one stop strategy was aided by the latter's two's misfortune or perhaps she would have struggled to finish in the top 5. Crippy's smooth run netted the final podium position.
Grats to Jafo for winning the championship with an impressive five wins.
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