Last few moments before the racing session starts, Gilles has in mind that if this doesn't end well then everything that he has done this weekend will be useless, no matter how well he feels behind the steering wheels in those magnificent high speeds. Starting from tenth position, which is placed on the inside line of the track, he is watching the race marshal till they let the race begin.
"Gentlemen, start your engines!" as Gilles starts his engine, it doesn't satisfy his mind this time. No, this time his focus is targetted just on the race, visualising how he is going to pass one racer after another, where he is going to brake, how hard is he going to brake and where he is going to press the throttle pedal again.
"Ready!... Set!... Go!"
In a battle of the sound of the fan crowd's cheering and the sound of the fierce engines, the wheels of the racing cars spin and start to move! Gilles and the driver on ninth position overtake a driver with engine issue from each side and then they go side by side into the first right handed turn. Gilles tryes to brake later than his oponent and then twitches his steering wheel into a skid to set his car into the direction of the first corner and then turns his car into the following left corner. What he didn't expect was to find his oponent beside him on the inside line of the next turn again due to braking earlier than normal and going throught the corners more smoothly, he then goes out of that corner in front of Gilles. After this, he then chases his oponent for the rest of the lap till the last two fast corners, Gilles' weakness on this circuit.
The racer in front of Gilles brakes in the corner before those crucial corners to hang in the inside line, Gilles sees a gap on the outside line and goes there, they drive into the first fast corner side by side. Gilles has the oportunity of having higher speed and it seems that he will get past his oponent. But going into the second turn he finds himself on the outside line without a chance to get on the inside line, so he brakes out of fear before the corner. He ends up behind his oponent once again.
For the rest of the second lap Gilles finds himself stuck behind the driver, even thougth he is faster than him, he just can't find a way to get past his defense, it seems that everything depends on what is going to happen in those two last crucial corners again. During this lap Gilles notices, that due to the car in front of him is slower, the cars just keep getting away, he understands that if he doesn't pass this driver, he doesn't stand a chance to get at least on the sixth position, position necessary for getting any points.
In the corner ahead of the two crucial turns, Gilles tryes to overtake the racer throught the outside of the corner. The racer tryes to block him by late braking but his tires lock up and he starts sliding, Gilles didn't have any way to pass him but to slow down and hope his oponent goes further on to the outside line or even to go off the track and then pass him throught the inside of the corner. The racer twitches his steering wheel into a skid to hardly keep himself on the track. Understanding what Gilles is trying to do and that if he lets him on the inside line, he is not going to have any way to hold his position. He decides to turn sharply into the corner and pushing Gilles out of the track.
"What the hell?" he says to himself because in consequence of this act his car slows down due to driving on the grass, it didn't come out well even this time for Gilles and he finds himself behind his oponent again.
As the result of their nonstop fighting for the eighth position, the racers ahead of them keep getting further away more and more. Gilles' vision of getting points in the first seems to fade away.
For the rest of the another round Gilles can't get past him again, when he tryes to overtake him in a "U" shaped right handed turn on the outside line and the driver in front of him just pushes him again so he keeps his position. This snaps something in Gilles' mind and he decides to not tolerate this act anymore.
In the turn ahead of the two crucial and deciding corners, Gilles tryes to overtake him throught the outside of the corner again and the racer blocks him again and stays in front of him but it cost him his position on the inside line. He returns to the inside line but not fully this time, his rear wheel right beside Gilles' front wheel. He tryes to push him out of the track again but Gilles doesn't simply back off this time and pushes against him too, disrupting his coordination, causing him to go more towards the outside line, leaving Gilles enough space get beside him again. Gilles goes wide before entering the next turn and pushes his oponent right next to the barrier. As they enter the corner, Gilles slightly slows down to get on the inside line, his oponent trying to do the same but he hits the brakes too hard causing his tires to lock up and his rear starts to spin towards the inside of the track and then it hits the barrier. His right rear wheel falling apart due to this and after spinning many times his car stays stuck in the middle of the track, causing red flags and restart of the race in the order of positions it is now!
There is still hope to get points for Gilles! Apart from a feeling of guilt for causing this to the racer, a wave of relief and newgained hope hits Gilles' body as he sees this.
To be continued in the second part of this chapter!