Mr Watton returns to simrace247.com with his weekly blogs. This week in blog #4 the racing continues along with a very personal message. 08/04/21
Hey all and welcome to another Mr Watton blog on SIMRACE247.com
It’s been another crazy week, further racing with the Chris Haye Community Races, my continued racing with GT3s & GT4s with Sim Racing Systems and an ever-increased focus on mental health which I will cover near the end of this week’s blog.
My first of the weeks racing started off Nürburgring in a GT3/GT4 community race covered by some of the fastest guys in Sim Racing. As I start to feel a little more comfortable with a new group, it’s starting to know who is quick, what they drive and the driving styles to name just a few factors. I kept with my trusty Aston Martin GT3 Vantage, all set up and this time a little more focus on fuelling.
I’ve started to split my fuel now so instead of just brimming the tank and having all the extra weight, I’ve started to be a little more cautious to give me a better edge during the first half of the race. This seemed to pay off for me this time around coming in 5th overall during the race. I must say hats off to Matthew Ferrall where we had such an intense number of laps, matching each other’s lap times more than once. Great stuff, oh and no more speeding in the pits…result!
We fly right into GT3s mid-week with Sim Racing Systems. This time was 1 hour of round 3 at a more local track, Donington. This being the GP iteration of the track, it’s getting the Fogarty Esses and the Melbourne hairpin right. These two sections really lose me time in the past so setup was crucial for me. We get 9th place in qualifying, nice to get a top ten was my initial thoughts, but I really must focus on the race. We were so much more consistent this time.
It really is paying off having some harder races at the start of the week, as this seems to focus me more on other racing. That’s not to say some of the drivers here were slow, but the consistent nature (as well as knowing where to shave off tenths here and there, I can see how some of the faster racers get so, well, fast! We get to 5th place halfway through making me feel like its Laguna Seca all over again but after pits and a slight accident we ended up 6th! Being happy is an understatement. This leaves me 7th in the championship with 3 more rounds to go.
Aston Martin GT4s this time for Round 3 at Suzuka, and boy do I love Suzuka. I love how the corners from T2 through to T7 just urge you to stay consistent. Word of the year that, consistent. I feel like I say that a lot but it sure makes sense. I knew for a fact id have competition from the Porsches. They love these kinds of tracks, but we kept pushing in the Aston Martin right up to P9. Then it was GO GO GO, 20 minutes of “chase the Porsche” it felt like, but this time we kept up with them. Unable to pass it was a matter of “stay focused and do not do anything stupid” which led us to a P7 finish. Well, at least we made some places up. Oh and I almost forgot to check the fuel, I ended up 4 litres as I crossed the finish line….eeeek! This leaves me 8th in the championship with 3 more rounds to go.
Then to top off the week it’s back with the Caterham 420R at Kyalami. With support from the wife in chat we started off in a super strong grid, 15th out of 23 I think it was. The transition from the Aston martin is always tricky, the loss of weight in the car being one factor, these cars are so tail happy if you are too eager on the accelerator. Tonight I found it wasn’t a matter of keeping up, but more taking advantage of those who were more unfortunate and ending up either in a wall or pointing the wrong way. Kyalami is a super track though and the version available for Assetto Corsa is just fantastic, and quite a good match with the Caterham. You should really try this combo out. Anyway, racing was crazy fun, and we finished a respectable 11th. I’d rather make a few places forward, than a few places back that’s for sure.
If I can mention Mental Health
We live in such crazy times and mental health is so crucial for us all. With the sad news of William Marsh`s passing, such a kind guy who I didn’t know personally but subscribed and watched so many of his great and knowledgeable videos, it’s easy to forget that there is a human being behind these cameras of ours and it’s also important to help and support each other and be as positive as possible. Having dealt with my own mental health issues I’ve learned that being nice and respectful of each other really goes a long way. We all have our daily lives that we try to get on with at the best of our abilities, but it’s also remembering to reach out to those nearest and dearest to us all to talk things through when times are hard. Having been homeless in the past and having my illness Fibromyalgia, it makes you think about how we do day to day tasks and I am very fortunate and forever grateful to those friends and family, especially those within the sim race community, to help me reach my goals and get me where I am today.
Talk to friends and family, be nice to one another, and stay safe.
