Dakinca Enjoys Fiesta at Spanish Grand Prix
on January 08, 2017
It was an unseasonably warm 34 degrees Celsius with hardly a
cloud in the sky in Montmeló as the Formula One World Championship
dropped the green flag to begin the 1972 season. 10 drivers from 4
countries took to the starting grid in GSR's first Formula One
visit to the brand new (and seemingly futuristic) Circuit de
Catalunya.
In qualifying, Colton set a blistering lap time of 1:44.941 to claim the pole and pocket a very valuable bonus point.
On the start, the 10 drivers screamed away from the starting line dicing for position while trying to keep in mind that they had 25 gruelling laps ahead of them. All cars made it though the first few turns clean aside from a minor tangle between the #7 of BCK and the #14 of DeadArm.
On lap 2 however, turn 1 was the scene of perhaps the most ugly accident we've seen in recent memory as Samson and Throwaway locked wheels while battling for 3rd, sending Samson's car
spiralling end over end until coming to a stop upside down. Emergency crews were quick to respond, put the fire out and rush Samson to the hospital. As of press time there has been no word on his condition.
At the front of the field, Dakinca and Colton battled hard in the early laps; often swapping positions multiple times per lap. On lap 4, disaster struck as Dakinca and Colton touched wheels while speeding down the front stretch, causing Colton to lose his left rear tire. After starting the day with such promise, his day was done, finishing a disappointing 9th.
After the race a dejected Colton had this to say--"He (Dakinca) came over just a bit right in front of me...I swung the car out...my car shot straight up into the air. It all happened very quick."He quickly walked off in disgust to hit the showers.
As the laps began to dwindle down, the fiery Costa Rican, Manuel held a firm grip on 2nd position and inched toward his 1st place teammate, Dakinca. Meanwhile, a furious battle for 3rd was taking shape as BCK reeled in the defending series champion, Blonde. In the closing laps the two Formula One veterans would swap positions several times and often raced side by side, refusing to give an inch to the other.
As the chequered flag fell, Dakinca was able to hold off
Manuel by 4 seconds; completing the 1-2 sweep for Matra Racing;
while BCK narrowly held off Blonde to claim the final spot on the
podium despite having to deal with suspension damage sustained in
the closing laps.
After the race, thrilled teammates Manuel and Dakinca could not be reached for comment. The word around the garage is they went into the streets of Barcelona to celebrate.
We were able to catch up with BCK after his podium finish--"We had problems at the start, but we recovered nicely and were able to challenge Blonde for 3rd. Car started to go away, but we were able to bring home a good podium finish for Raptor Racing."
Blonde--"It's disappointing to be so close to the podium only to let it slip away like that, but after starting 10th it would be impossible to say I'm not happy with 4th."
Formula One rookie, Dead Arm finished 6th--"If BCK didn't take me out in turn 1 I would have won", he joked. "Nah, it was a good run, was gaining on Throwaway for a while there but made a few too many mistakes."
The series will take to the streets of Monte Carlo on January 21st for the prestigious Monaco Grand Prix
After the race, thrilled teammates Manuel and Dakinca could not be reached for comment. The word around the garage is they went into the streets of Barcelona to celebrate.
We were able to catch up with BCK after his podium finish--"We had problems at the start, but we recovered nicely and were able to challenge Blonde for 3rd. Car started to go away, but we were able to bring home a good podium finish for Raptor Racing."
Blonde--"It's disappointing to be so close to the podium only to let it slip away like that, but after starting 10th it would be impossible to say I'm not happy with 4th."
Formula One rookie, Dead Arm finished 6th--"If BCK didn't take me out in turn 1 I would have won", he joked. "Nah, it was a good run, was gaining on Throwaway for a while there but made a few too many mistakes."
The series will take to the streets of Monte Carlo on January 21st for the prestigious Monaco Grand Prix
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