This was the first weekend that we actually raced together. I tried to explain what warm up would be like, but there is no substitute for the experience. When he came back, he had a huge grin on his face and said “That was really fun!”
Qualification was uneventful for him too, and due to my getting stuck behind some people I couldn’t pass, he ended up with a slightly better qual time than I had, which meant he started the race in front of me.
That actually worked out well, as I was able to have some affect on how many cars would try to pass him at once. I’ve seen this done much better than I did (by one of the best drivers), but I still had some positive effect. Then, coming around turn 2, there were two BMW E46’s on my tail. They passed me between 2 & 3a. Between 3a & 4, the first one made a clean pass on Chris. But, I knew the second one was going to go for it as well. I couldn’t warn him. All I could do was watch. As Chris was heading for the apex of the turn, the second E46 “went deep” – that is, stole the apex and forced one of two options – a collision, or Chris to go wide (and lose position). Fortunately, at the last minute, Chris chose the latter.
After the race, I asked Chris if he hadn’t seen the E46 or what? He replied “Oh, I saw him. I just didn’t think anyone would be crazy or stupid enough to try a pass there.”
Welcome to racing.
His only other comment? “After warm up and qual, when I thought about how you talked about how nuts it is out there, I thought you were just losing it. But, you were right. What a Shit Show!!” (read: “Golly, that was hectic.”)
Given that he knew what to expect, Sunday was much less eventful.