Free Web NovelChapter 317: Race Weekend | Sunday | Race III
{Fatih is backing up the pack. Keep trying to remain close to Jewiss to make a move when the opportunity arises,} Simmons’s race engineer updated him on the situation as he continued chasing Jewiss for the final podium position in lap ten of the twelve-lap race.
{Okay,} he answered on the long straight as he was still being bathed in the rainwater being expelled by Jewiss’s tires, making only the rear rain light of his car visible. As they reached the peak of the elevation on the straight and started going down, his mind was now in full-focus mode, ready to make a move at any opportunity.
Many drivers who have been in his situation, where if he overtook the driver in front of him, he would be the reason for them to lose their title, would most likely continue chasing and looking for an opportunity due to both their competitiveness and the chance to advertise themselves to the team.
Although it was the same for him, his situation made it even more necessary for him to do his best to make this move and secure that podium. This was his second year in F4, and after finishing seventh in the previous season, he had improved and had already secured a third-place finish in the title race at the end of this current race.
But although that might have been enough for him to not try and be the reason someone loses the title, he needed that podium win to offset the bad season he was having in F3, where he was currently 19th in the standings. This F4 season was the only place he could show his capability and not have his F3 results affect him negatively.
.....
Jewiss, on the other hand, was now pushing and taking more risks, trying to open a gap from Simmons.
{How much is the gap, and how much has he slowed Hoggard down?} he asked, his voice making it clear that he was pushing, just from his breathing.
{He is cutting down a minimum of two seconds in each corner,} his race engineer answered.
{Fuck! WHAT IS HOGGARD DOING, NOT MAKING AN OVERTAKE IF HE IS DRIVING THAT SLOWLY?!} he said, feeling annoyed when he heard the information. He made the calculation in his mind and saw that his hope that the remaining two and a half laps wouldn’t be enough was completely wrong.
Based on the two-second loss for every corner on a track with nine turns, he was going to be losing eighteen seconds of lap time. That meant, at the very least, his and Simmons’s group would meet Fatih’s group on the final lap.
.......
"And it makes sense that he is not feeling good at all, as Fatih is now masterfully wasting time while teetering on the edge of legality," Justin said as the feed showed Fatih slowing down heavily into the final turn of the track.
He moved to the middle of the track to block any dive attempt from Hoggard before turning and leaving not enough space on the inside line, while also subtly moving to squeeze the outside line once Hoggard attempted to make a move. This left him no choice but to either keep the same pace until the end of the corner or slow down and try to make a move on the inside, which Fatih could then just accelerate away from.
"They lost four seconds during that final corner sequence! Fatih, who is controlling the lead pace and Hoggard like a marionette for the past half lap, is starting lap eleven ahead!
HOGGARD IS TUCKED BEHIND FATIH’S SLIPSTREAM AS THEY PASS THE START-FINISH LINE! AS THEY APPROACH THE BRAKING ZONE, FATIH HAS TO COMMIT TO A RACING LINE, AND HE CHOOSES THE INSIDE! HOGGARD MOVES OUT OF THE SLIPSTREAM INTO THE OUTSIDE LINE! WHO IS GOING TO BRAKE LAST AS BOTH OF THEM WAIT FOR THE OTHER TO BITE THE BULLET?!
WITH FATIH HAVING MORE EXPERIENCE DOING IT IN THESE CONDITIONS! OOOOH MY GOD! THEY BRAKE EXTREMELY LATE AS HOGGARD TRIES TO BRAKE LATER THAN FATIH! FATIH LOCKS THE FRONT TIRES UP AND HE IS SLIDING, BUT IT IS WORSE FOR HOGGARD, WHO LOCKS ALL FOUR TIRES AND GOES INTO THE GRASS BUT MANAGES TO HOLD IT AND IS NOW RECOVERING BACK ONTO THE TRACK!
MEANWHILE, FATIH BARELY MAKES IT AFTER NEARLY OVERSTEERING INTO THE CORNER, AS HIS RIGHT-SIDE TIRES DIPPED INTO THE GRASS!
THAT WAS BRAVE BUT ALSO DANGEROUS! AND IT SEEMS LIKE FATIH IS NOT PLANNING ON STOPPING AT ALL!" Justin shouted as the feed showed Hoggard driving slowly on the drenched grass, feathering the throttle as he tried to rejoin the track while Fatih, who would normally have opened a gap, was driving slowly on the short straight on the exit of turn one, as if he was on a cool-down lap.
"He is waiting for Hoggard to rejoin the track and waste more time. It is the first time in my life I’m seeing a driver go this far to slow another driver down, and his turn one attempt has worked wonders.
Even now, they are losing seconds, and by the time Hoggard returns to the track, they have lost eleven seconds, and the gap to Jewiss’s group has fallen to just eight seconds. What looked like a last-ditch attempt on Fatih’s side has now borne its fruit, as the wide gap has been closed in turn one.
But it was a very risky move from him because if Hoggard couldn’t keep control and ended up beached in the gravel, Jewiss would have moved to P2 and made it even harder for him to win the title, as two drivers would then need to overtake him," Brad, who was calmer than Justin, explained the situation and how nearly catastrophic it almost became.
"He has to do everything in his power to increase his chances, and this was one of them," Justin said as Fatih once again slowed Hoggard into the hairpin by pushing him on the outside line once he rejoined the track.
....
He did the same on Graham Hill Bend, then again on the Surtees turn as they entered the long straight. By the time they reached the peak of the elevation on the long straight, the Jewiss group finally appeared in their rear-view mirror.
{What happened? Why are they this close?} Jewiss asked on the radio when he saw the mist in the air with a red light flashing in front of him on the straight.
{Hoggard went off in turn one, losing eleven seconds, before Fatih resumed his shenanigans,} his race engineer updated him.
{What is the race director doing, letting him do all of that and not doing anything about it?!}
{We have reported him for dangerous driving, so we have to wait for them to make a decision.}
{F********CK!}
{We can still win this. So keep an eye on Simmons, as you will most likely reach Fatih’s group in the final sector.}
......
"And Jewiss’s race engineer is right! Fatih is frustrating Hoggard to the limit in turn five, parking the car in the apex of turn six and reducing the gap down to four seconds as they head into turn seven! With the change of elevation and blind entry, Hoggard can’t make a blind move into the corner and now has to remain behind Fatih! freeωebnovēl.c૦m
Fatih takes advantage of that, slowing them down by three more seconds, and phase one of his hard work has finished as the group of four is now entering the final straight before the final corner to start the final lap! But the work is not over, as Simmons has to make the overtake and Hoggard has to keep his position against Jewiss, which is also a possibility!
SO WHAT CAN HE DO TO ENSURE HIS DESIRED OUTCOME IS THE ONE THAT HAPPENS?!" Justin asked the question as they arrived at the final turn, where Hoggard once again attempted a move on the outside, which Fatih moved to cover. But it turned out to be a fake from Hoggard, who then moved to the inside, as Fatih had already used his one defensive move.
"AND IT HAS BACKFIRED FOR FATIH, AS HOGGARD NOW HAS THE INSIDE LINE, AND HE CAN’T SLOW HIM DOWN WITHOUT BREAKING THE RULES! BUT IT SEEMS LIKE HE IS NOT EVEN ATTEMPTING TO DO ANYTHING AS HE LETS HIM THROUGH! OOOOOOOOOOOOH, HE HAS GIVEN UP HIS LEADING POSITION TO COVER JEWISS, WHO WAS ON THE OUTSIDE LINE, AND HE LETS SIMMONS THROUGH! OH MY GOD, WHAT IS HE THINKING GIVING UP TWO POSTİON WHEN THEY ARE ABOUT TO START THE FİNAL LAP?!"
....
Seraphina, watching everything unfold from the grandstand, saw Hoggard coming out of the final corner ahead, with Simmons following, Fatih emerging in third, and Jewiss in fourth. She couldn’t help but nearly lose her footing from anxiety, worried that Fatih might have bitten off more than he could chew, as he was now two seconds behind the leading group.
It wasn’t much different for the rest of the family present, as his grandmother had to take a seat to avoid fainting or losing the strength in her legs.
But the crowd was reacting very differently, as no one could even converse with one another due to the deafening cheers.
