Jakebandy8 started 16th and finished third in Monza D1, gaining 13 places. It tied MSRT MagHeXC's Brazil recovery as the largest recorded gain through Season 1 Round 2.
TheMekanic17 won the race from fourth for Red Bull and SomaticCoast375 climbed from sixth to second. Jake's route was longer than either, yet it ended on the same podium.
Thirteen places, shared at the top
Across the opening two rounds, Jake and MagHeXC shared the benchmark on 13 positions gained, followed by GMDD VINKE95 on ten, Poulparindo4256 on seven and Trident65 on six. The record had existed for one round; Monza already had an equal.
The recovery also placed Jake third in a D1 race won by the new championship leader. TheMekanic left Monza on 43 points, nine ahead of SomaticCoast.
A second third place leaves a two-point deficit
Jake also finished third in D2 after starting from pole. Ranga20063239 won from second, taking the D2 standings lead on 43 points to Jake's 41.
Monza gave Jake two podiums with opposite geometries: 13 places gained in D1, two places lost in D2. The combined result was less photogenic than a win and more useful than a weekend spent explaining one away.
