A Dream 24 Hours For Truswell (Pt. 2)

Kabort Motorsport was in a race against the clock...In as little as 12 hours - Friday's Skippy Race at Donington Park would be starting - so whilst Truswell celebrated, cheered on a socially distanced podium and had a glass of champagne with fellow podium-standers Darren Wood and Conway, the team would be packing up the SRF (Spec Racer Ford) and the equipment taken to the track.

Due to social distancing rules, only essential members of the team were allowed to attend Truswell's first win - and due to the insignificance of the race, it was held behind closed doors with only team and media members allowed in the facility.

An hour after crossing the line in pools of sweat, Truswell and three others arrived at the airport - the Truck, doing a considerably slower speed - was still on the road. It was a 10hr flight to Birmingham. This would be tight.

Tracking at Kabort's HQ showed that this was Truswell's flight coming in to Land at Birmingham at 3am in the morning

According to anonymous reports, Truswell had managed to sleep throughout the duration of the entire flight and only awoke moments before landing.

a mere two hours and fifteen minutes later, Truswell was at Donington, all suited up and practicing for what would be (unbeknown to him) the race in which he'd score his first official win.

It was an early start for Truswell

Qualifying

Only two laps, there was very little to report about, other than Truswell had an incredibly successful session - a 1:22.981 putting him 6th on the grid.

The Green light would illuminate, and the race was underway, 17 fully laden Skippies had just been unleashed for 19 chaotic Laps.

At the back of the grid, a fair few would be taken out by a start shunt, but up front, Truswell was going strong.

He'd lose a position to Condouret after putting a wheel on the grass on the exit of Starkey's Bridge.

Into , Burger would pull alongside Truswell, before passing him shortly after. In Truswell's slipstream, and close enough to capitalise on his comprimised corner, Day also managed to slip past along Starkey's Straight.

Burger's move at Coppice comprimised Truswell's run onto Starkey's Straight

Truswell would start the second lap in 8th, in total only losing one position due to P2 spinning on the inside of Coppice, and Bateman jump-starting.

Truswell was eager to make a charge - and on cold tires and a crisp track, his competitors were making mistakes - Over the course of the lap, Truswell would gain three positions through others' mistakes.

Condouret (1) and Burger (4) spin as Mansilla Salas manages to get ahead of Truswell through the Craner Curves

Truswell's race would continue to go from strength to strength, as whilst chasing down Salas, he'd pass the leader stranded by the side of the track - he'd just suffered an absolutely heart-breaking spin.

It was a race to forget for Simon Walker as this spin would cost him the race win.

Lap 4 was Truswell's shot at glory - Mansilla Salas had fired off wide after going much too deep into The old hairpin. Around the same corner - clipping the exact same blades that cost him 7th, Truswell stormed around the outside of the slow Iberian

Truswell (right) dangerously storms into 4th

But Salas wasn't going to give up that easily.

Using the slipstream gained on the backstraight, Mansilla Salas would dive down the inside of Truswell for turn one - Truswell returning to the outer edges of the top 5.

This was not a bad thing however, with 3rd only just out of reaching distance, Truswell "hitched a ride" on the back of Mansilla Salas' slipstream, and the both of them closed down on Madrid in 3rd.

But Truswell pushed too hard...

After just cutting the first part of Coppice, the stewards gave Truswell a two second slow-down penalty (slow down for a second or two, and give back the advantage gained) - allowing 6th-placed man Morihiro to briefly get passed, however this action was undone at the start of the 6th lap, when Truswell would have the advantage of slipstream, and more confidence on the brakes.

Truswell made quick work of the #6 of Morihiro

Into The Old Hairpin, Salas ahead would follow a backmarker too deep into the corner, and whilst the backmarker got away with clean tyres and lost time, Salas lost much, much more...

Firing off into the grass on the outside, he'd then spin to the grass on the inside - not only losing 4th to Truswell, but the top 5 entirely.

Madrid, who Truswell had been chasing for a fair portion of the race had to react to Mansilla Salas spinning across the track ahead of him - Truswell however, being much further back behind the drama, did not, and was able to use the momentum from a clean and tidy previous corner to propell himself past Madrid at a very unlikely spot...Turn 6.

But moments like these don't last forever - and despite being a rash divebomb, Morihiro's "move" into the final chicane stuck, and Truswell's third was swiftly taken away. But Truswell is a patient man, and despite taking 2 entire laps, and going deep into The Old Hairpin like Morihiro did, Truswell was able to stay where he was - gaining a position from Morihiro - who'd gone in a lot deeper, however, losing a position from Day who'd taken the corner properly...

Truswell would hunt Day down for the next 6 laps...until the unthinkable happened...

Throughout the race the leaders had closed up - Truswell and Day were closing in on the leader, and lap by lap Truswell was getting closer and closer to Day. On lap 15 (of 19) Truswell was close enough to attempt a move.

Into McLeans Day braked slightly earlier than Truswell, allowing Truswell to close up the tiny gap there was between them, and pulled to the inside, to try for a move on exit or shaping up a move into Coppice or the straight after...but fate had other ideas.

Miraculously, aside from Truswell losing a wing-mirror, no cars involved in this accident were severely damaged.

Truswell would escape this accident in 2nd with Day just behind in third.

With just four laps to the checkered flag - the pressure was on to catch the leader - and even if Truswell didn't manage to catch Stuckey - it had anyway been an absolutely phenomenal performance from him.

By the start of Lap 18, Truswell was only just getting the remains of Stuckey's Slipstream, and throughtout this lap, Truswell only applied more pressure...and finally on lap 19 - on the final lap- Truswell finally got his chance.

Using Stuckey's slipstream on the start/finish line Truswell would be able to slip past on the braking into turn one - Stuckey tried his best to get back past Truswell, but try as he may, it wasn't enough and Truswell kept his Skippy ahead and for the first time in his iRacing Career crossed the line in first in an Official Race!!! Mosport (Canadian Motorsport Park) showed that Truswell had potential, and Zolder showed he had the same pace as leaders - but these past 24 hours - really proved the confidence we all had in him,

Post-Race Donuts don't exactly work in a Skippy...

Too bad there wasn't a massive crowd to chant Truswell's name....

Joining Truswell on the podium were fellow brits: Tony Stuckey and Richie Day - both also put in a faultless performance on this beautiful sunny Friday morning.

Race Results

1st: Robin Truswell (GBR)

2nd: Tony Stuckey (GBR)

3rd: Richie Day (GBR)

4th: Kaneda Morihiro (JPN)

5th: Ivo Burger (DEATCH)

6th: Jorge Mansilla Salas (ESP/Iberia)

7th: Manuel Madrid (Iberia)

8th: Perry Newhook (CAN)

9th: Claudio Cavalensi (ITA)

10th: Gledison Teixeira (BRA)

11th: Frederic Condouret (DEATCH)

DSQ: Bertrand Quenet (FRA)

DNF: Steven Bateman (USA)

DNF: Simon Walker (USA)

DNF: Andree Salazar Lazo (Iberia)

DNF: Marc Garcia (USA)

DNF: Max Hart (GBR)

DNF: Fabio Reinero (ITA)