After making several changes to its setup in practice, the Z was ready for qualifying. Apparently, I was still day dreaming about the Maxim photos of Megan Fox I saw at the airport, 'cause I flat out hit the breaks too late for the first turn. We were on the bubble after the first qualifying run and the pressure was on to improve the second run. Some unholy thoughts about Margaret Thatcher canceled out the Fox issue and I laid down a strong run; good enough for Second.
My strategy when leading in the tandem runs was simple: haul ass into the breaking zone and force the second driver to match my speed, and then get a good line through the hairpin to carry momentum away from said chase driver. When following, I'd be careful about breaking too late into Turn 1, while trying to stay in Third gear through the hairpin (avoiding an extra shift) to stay very close through the finish of the track. This strategy would be enough against Takatori and Sherman, but a little more luck was needed with JR.
After I gained an advantage on JR and his Mustang in my lead run, JR made a mistake in front of me on his lead and barely went three tires off-course. His wide line threw me off a little, and I just plain dropped the ball and lost my drift behind him. JR really got the short end of that three-tires-off rule and we both got no points for the run. Since I already had the advantage from our first run, I swiped the brow and moved on. That was close!
I went back to my game plan in the finals with Rhys, knowing that he wasn't going to try anything tricky. He'd rely on his car's outright speed and I'd rely on the grip from mine. In the first run, he shadowed my line but I pulled away slightly on the second half of the course. When following, I remained 100% committed. I dove hard into the braking zone and was lucky enough to stick on his bumper all the way through the finish. I knew after the run that I had the win; it was an awesome feeling.
The next stop is the most committal track in the series, Irwindale, where the Rockstar/AEM team will get a chance to make Formula D history by backing up a title championship.
Rockstar
www.rockstar69.com
AEM
www.aempower.com
Tanner Foust
www.tannerfoust.com