I’m a sucker for finales. it doesn’t matter what I’m watching, if it’s the final sport/episode/occasion of the season, I’m in. I’m all in. I don’t want all the main points, both. Simply inform me who we’re cheering for and who we’re cheering towards, and let’s get to watching. Hockey? Soccer? Determine skating? Darts? Oh yeah, let’s go. Some actuality courting present? Jasmine! How do you not see you’re manner too good for Brad! Don’t go down the Funyuns Slide To Matrimony with him! Get your ass to the Fritos Scoops Reunion Room and inform Josè you need him again!
Heading into final weekend’s Petit Le Mans, it was no completely different. I’m not what you’ll think about a Racing Man, however come on, it was the final race of the season. Sure, I used to be there with Porsche, however they couldn’t pressure me to cheer for his or her staff. If I needed to drag for Acura, what had been they going to do? Kick me out? I imply, it most likely would have been impolite to overtly pull for Acura round a bunch of Porsche folks, however I write for Jalopnik, dammit. You’re not going to inform me what to do.
Nonetheless, I truly was pulling for Porsche. They weren’t within the lead after the final race, however they had been shut sufficient that they really had a shot at successful. Acura and Cadillac weren’t going to go down and not using a struggle, however come on, who doesn’t love a come-from-behind victory? A scrappy underdog eeking out a win within the final race of the season to take the entire thing? I’m all the time going to be right here for that.
To start with, I used to be filled with optimism. If Porsche received, I’d be proper there to see it. We’d get to have fun, and I’d have an unbelievable story to jot down. Additionally, Jenson Button would possibly present as much as have fun with us, which I’d not have complained about within the least. And 4 hours in, it regarded like I’d truly get my excellent story. Porsche’s Quantity 7 automotive was in first and had fairly a lead over the second-place Cadillac.
Sadly for each Porsche and my odds of changing into finest pals with Jenson Button, Petit Le Mans isn’t a four-hour race. Or a five-hour race. It definitely didn’t assist that the Quantity 6 Porsche was concerned in a crash that took it out of rivalry. They had been capable of get it again out on the monitor, however as I used to be (conveniently) catching up with previous pals proper at Flip 7, the 6 automotive as soon as once more sustained an excessive amount of harm to proceed racing and needed to be towed off the monitor proper in entrance of us.
Nonetheless, no less than the 7 automotive was nonetheless in rivalry. And because the hours handed, it regarded prefer it nonetheless had an opportunity the win. With simply over an hour to go, a Cadillac/Acura crash shook issues up and sadly despatched Acura’s driver to the hospital. The race had been occurring for a full 9 hours, and everybody was exhausted, however that was not the time to get distracted or go away early. All it could take was one other handy crash, and Porsche would even have it.
Besides that handy crash by no means occurred, and similar to that, after 10 hours, it was time to return to the automotive and sit in a large visitors jam as we tried to go away the monitor. It was such a bizarre feeling having spent the overwhelming majority of my day prepared one thing to occur, getting my hopes up after which seeing them dashed earlier than my eyes. Is that this what TCU followers felt like again in January? No, they knew they had been going to lose earlier than the second half was even over. This was worse. If only some issues had gone in another way, Porsche would have received. However I suppose that’s simply racing.
