Despite finishing second, I've just had the most amazing race in iGPManager, with my rl-friend winning his first race. Here's the race report, if you like:
The iGP LIGA circus landed in Barcelona, and settled nicely. After the training, it was time for the qualifying session; Hobart Pedersen, the championship leader and driver for Raven Racing, was out first and put a 1:19.311 on the time sheets. His closest rival, Gabriels Ozols, failed to get close after making a mistake in the Caixa hairpin. Instead, it was Taia who got passed, with four tenths of a second. Kristensen, on soft tyres, went true but it was Fabian Zimmermann from Pop Kite who charged onto pole in 1:18.862.
Race day - and after the warmup lap in which no less than six cars retired, it was the same Zimmerman that lead the field and pulled away by over a second a lap. Eventually, some eight seconds behind, the battle for second started, with Kristensen, Taia, Pedersen, Laakso, Becker, Belmonte, originally in that order, all in close contention and often changing position. Belmonte was found to be charging through the field, until he made his pitstop. All came in except Taia and Pedersen, who where heavy on fuel. Pedersen, due all the overtaking on him, was now 3.5 seconds behind Taia, but was slowly closing in, some tenths per lap.
It didn't take long for those two to put in some fast laps on low-fuel, but it still Zimmermann, on his soft tyres, who was the fastest of the pack - and closing in again on the two leaders. Taia and Pedersen pitted for their first and final stop, adding lots of fuel to their cars, as Zimmermann continued pounding the stopwatch. When they came out, he was five seconds ahead, and pulling away a second a lap on the forthcoming laps.
Taia and Pedersen where much closer now though, as the rest of the two-stoppers caught up with them. When Zimmermann made his stop, he put Taia back in the lead, while the whole top 7 was within three seconds of eachother. Overtakes where made from p3 to 7, but the pack disintegrated when all but Zimmerman, Pedersen and Taia made their pitstops. With 10 laps to go, there where now three contenders for victory, with Taia in first, followed by Pedersen who was a second behind, followed by Zimmerman, another two seconds further. With some space, Zimmermann put in the fastest lap and was right on the tail of Pedersen, and unable to get passed, his tyres warmed up and he started to lose time. Taia and Pedersen could barely get their hards up to temperature, but slowly pulled away.
Then, with five laps to go, it was Pedersen who reached the back of Taia - he was clearly the fastest of the two by now, in the first and second sector of the circuit, but losing in the last sector. Every lap until the last he dived out of the slipstream before the Caixa hairpin, but every time, it was Taia who closed the gap and pulled away in the final sector. Pedersen just couldn't get passed, and finished, after a gruesome 45 minutes, just three tenths behind Yassine Taia who won his first Grand Prix for Raigara Racing Team! Gomes put in the fastest lap of the race, but it was to no avail - he finished in 7th.
Taia moved up to third in the driver standings, just five points behind Ozols, who finished fourth in Catalunya. Pedersen meanwhile leads Ozols by 23 points.
Next race is Sunday, for the illustrious Grand Prix of Monaco!
