We were talking about fuel strategy interesting my beefy Audi R8 took about 13-14 liters per lap so about 5-6 more per lap than your much smaller and slower S2000. My first race I posted illustrated what not to do in the pits :-D I've since re-run it but didn't like my fuel choices in that race either. I think I'll give it another go, once I get the 2nd report up.
21st July 2011
Car used: Lamborghini Countach LP400 '74
Tuning: None of which to speak. Sport soft tyres and a wing for no real reason.
PP: 505PP
Power, Weight, PWR: 349hp, 1065kg, 327.7hp/tonne
Grid:
1. M. Holcomb; Mine's Lancer Evolution '00
2. T. Negri; Opera Performance 350Z '04
3. W. Hooper; Nismo Skyline GT-R R-Tune R34 '99
4. R. Montero; Amuse Carbon R (R34) '04
5. R. Azuma; Ruf CTR2 '96
6. L. Woodard; Art Morrison Corvette '60
7. GTP_Famine; Lamborghini Countach LP400 '74
8. O. Jenkins; Amuse Nismo 380RS Superleggera
9. L. Maldonado; HPA Stage II R32
10. N. Friedmann; Nissan Option Stream Z '04
11. V. Meadows; RE Amemiya FD3S RX-7
12. S. Raynaud; Nismo Fairlady Z Z-Tune Z33 '03
Lap 1 - 9'13.310
Intersting line-up...
The significantly increased power of the Countach compared to my earlier attempts isn't enough to stop the pack pulling away like usual, though I at least stay 7th into the braking zone for turn 1. Which, for a change, I stuff up on the cold sport tyres. However, everyone is avoided and I nick up one places, making it two by beating the 380RS around the Mercedes Arena.
The R-tune is unexpectedly slow leaving the Arena and the Opera Z is unexpectedly slow entering the Kumho Kurve, which puts me up into third and on the tail of a very wayward, but very fast, Art Morrison Corvette. He puts up a fight right through to Flugplatz where, contrary to all known laws of physics, we find two separate lines and come out having changed places. Cleanly. Lawks.
And this means the chase is on to the leading Ruf CTR2 who has already pulled out seven seconds of lead. The lead doesn't fall, but it doesn't rise much until Dottinger. He adds three seconds between the gantry and the finish line.
Lap 2 - 8'57.085
And this looks like being the theme for the race. 13s deficit at the end of the GP track falls to 8s deficit at the Dottinger gantry and rises to 12s at the finish line.
Lap 3 - 9'02.083
Now I'm vaguely aware I'm being followed. There's a silvery shape behind me that I assume to be the Corvette on warm tyres, but he's not gaining all that much. In fact, while I'm busy cutting the Ruf's GP track lead of 14s down to 10s, I don't see much other than a silvery blur.
And then, halfway down Dottinger, it comes past. It's the last-starting Z-tune! I follow him through Antoniusbusche and Tiergarten and decide not to push the sports tyres on a pass through Hohenrain. I finish the lap 3rd, 15 seconds down on the Ruf.
Lap 4 - 9'05.868
More of the same - 18s at the end of the GP track falls to 12 seconds at the gantry and back up to 15s by the finish line. Ho hum.
Lap 5 - 9'14.091 & pit-in
This time, the Ruf pulls little advantage over the GP track - the gap stays at 15s at Nordkehre. The Z-tune is slowing badly and is picked off as he tiptoes around Breidscheid. The gap falls to 12s to the Ruf by the gantry and, as I dive into the pits, the Ruf makes his stop ahead of me (and the Z-tune too, behind me).
45 litres of gas have been used - 9 per lap - meaning I'll need no fuel this time out, but, in my haste to pause, photograph and resume, I hit the wrong X and 45 litres is requested. D'oh! This adds a solid 30 seconds to my pitstop time. D'oh!
Lap 6 - 9'47.024 & pit-out
I come out of the pits in... the lead? That Ruf must absolute swim in fuel. Cripes. The Ruf leaves 8 seconds later and spend the GP track distance closing the gap to six.
And then spends the Nordschleife making no gains at all. Odd. Dottinger helps him out a little and the gap is 3s at the line.
Lap 7 - 8'58.224
That's the recipe for the next lap too - the lead falls to almost nothing after the GP track, rises to three by the gantry and falls back to 2s at the finish line. The Ruf can't make the inroads, it seems.
The hour passes with me hitting Bergwerk at 6 laps plus 4'40.539.
Lap 8 - 9'00.227
More of the same - 2 seconds becomes nearly nothing over the GP track, back up to five before Dottinger and back down to two at the finish line. Unless this Ruf can find a way to keep his first stint pace, the race will be decided in this session...
Lap 9 - 9'07.364
Despite a poor lap, the Ruf holds station. Again, he closes up to almost no gap at all entering the Nordschleife and again I stretch it out to five seconds by the gantry. Again, the gap is two seconds at the finish line...
Lap 10 - 9'13.724 & pit-in
The pattern repeats and as I dive into the pits, the Ruf follows me with a five second deficit.
The pitboard tells me I've used 46 litres - 9.2 per lap - so with 54 litres left I take my "free" fuel of 17 litres (in fact this causes just about 1.5s of extra static time, so it looks like the free load is 15 litres) to give me 71 litres in the tank and I pull out with a forty-two second lead...
Lap 11 - 9'30.053 & pit-out
This is vaguely disappointing now. The Ruf seemed so fast in the early stages, but now I'm out clear on my own and he only cuts the gap to 37s by the finish line.
Lap 12 - 8'57.702
Not quite a personal best, but it's enough to hold the Ruf back. The lead falls to 35s, rises back to 37s and then falls to 35s again at the finish line.
Lap 13 - 9'00.380
More of the same, though the Ruf makes no gain whatsoever - 35s rises to 38s and back to 35s at the finish line again.
Finishing this lap completes half the race distance, with 1hr 59'07.135 on the clock. I have, however, pitted only twice in this half of the race - I've got three stops in the second half. It looks like a smidge of sandbagging may be in order to get the full distance finished before the full time, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.
The top six at half race distance is:
1. GTP_Famine; Lamborghini Countach LP400 '74
2. R. Azuma; Ruf CTR2 '96
3. S. Raynaud; Nismo Fairlady Z Z-Tune Z33 '03
4. V. Meadows; RE Amemiya FD3S RX-7
5. W. Hooper; Nismo Skyline GT-R R-Tune R34 '99
6. L. Maldonado; HPA Stage II R32
Lap 14 - 9'03.305 & pit-in
The Ruf is in trouble here. 35 seconds becomes nearly 40 by the gantry and back to 36s at the finish line. By which time, of course, I've pitted and already left still in the lead. I'm now ahead on track and I've got one less pit stop to carry out, which is where most time is gained anyway...
My pit crew tell me I've got 65 litres of space in my tank, which means I've used 36 (71-35) - 9 litres per lap. I'm only doing four lap stints from now on, which require 36 litres each. I figure I may as well take on my "free" fuel of 15 litres, hit the deck with 50 in the tank and exit 9 seconds ahead of the Ruf.
Two other things of note. First, the 2 hour - half distance - mark passes with 52.865 seconds on the clock of this lap, leaving Kumho Kurve. Second, I lap the Mine's Lancer Evolution VI '00 leaving Adenauer Forst and, worse still, preserve the lapping when I leave the pits - putting the Evo between me and the Ruf!
Lap 15 - 9'27.484 & pit-out
The predictable happens and the Evo holds the Ruf up for a couple of corners - 9 seconds becomes 12. But with a set of fresh tyres against the Ruf's last lap on an old set, the time keeps on stretching, sector by sector until it reachs 24s at the gantry and he dives into the pits.
Lap 16 - 8'58.470
A great lap and the chasing Ruf is now over 90s behind me. I catch and lap an extremely wayward Art Morrison Corvette at Wipperman - he looks like he's going for five lap stints and the fifth lap is a catastrophe. For illustration, I gain the entire length of the Dottinger straight between passing him at Wipperman and the time he enters Dottinger. That's nearly 40 seconds' advantage gained in 90 seconds... Lawks.
Lap 17 - 8'58.635
The Ruf is holding his distance at 1'28 back and can make no gains at all. A pair of 8'58 laps is my best back-to-back fast lap performance so far!
Lap 18 - 9'01.625 & pit-in
And backed up with a pit-in lap just over the nine minutes means this is a very quick stint indeed!
The pitcrew tell meI've space for 85 litres. That means I've got 15 left and have used 35 - 8.8 per lap. A quick beermat calculation tells me it'll be quicker to take on most of the remaining fuel I need here and barely any next stop, so I opt for 42 litres to give me 57 in total.
When I leave the pits, the Ruf is 41s back.
Lap 19 - 9'40.988 & pit-out
The fresh tyres help me pull the gap out to 50s by the gantry again and the Ruf will be due a stop next lap. I'm starting to look down the road now to work out my final stint strategy without fear of losing.
Lap 20 - 8'56.421
As I pass the pits, I lap an unknown car who's sitting static in his garage - which by a process of elimination turns out to be the Opera 350Z. The gap to the Ruf behind me is climbing every sector until it reaches 1'07 at the finish line and he dives into the pits.
The three hour marks passes at 19 laps plus 5'42.358 elapsed, on the way through Klostertal.
Lap 21 - 9'05.737
Bit of a sloppy lap, not helped by a nearly-immobile Option Stream Z in the middle of Karussell forcing me to take the outside line. Helpful. The Ruf pops out of the pits 2'15 back and sets about closing the gap.
Lap 22 - 9'04.990
At this point it's becoming apparent that I'm going to arrive at the finish some 2 minutes ahead of the time limit. I either sandbag for 30 seconds a lap, or go for it. Seeing as I've got the gas to do it and it'll help me determine the race times of the backmarkers I've long since lost track of, I stay out for another lap. It's a little wayward, but the Ruf can only close to 2'00 by the finish line.
Lap 23 - 9'07.906 & pit-in
The usual fifth lap hilarity ensues, but it's all good in the end.
I dive into the pits 1'53 ahead. My pit crew say I've got space for 88 litres - and apparently aren't paying attention to the fact I won't get through all that - which means 12 left, so I take on 26 litres to give me 38 to finish four laps. That 5 lap stint used 45 litres - 9 per lap.
Lap 24 - 9'29.377 & pit-out
The Ruf has closed up to 1'14 due to the pit stop, but again my fresh tyres and his tired ones come into play as I take ten seconds from him in that lap.
Lap 25 - 8'53.385
Holy crap! New personal best by a wide margin. Not even held up by lapping the Mine's Lancer Evolution VI again, this time at Hohe Acht. The Ruf loses another fifteen seconds this lap too. And then he pits. Ouch.
Lap 26 - 8'56.148
What would have been a new personal best if not for the previous lap
As I cross the line to start the lap, I lap the immobile Amuse Carbon R sitting in the pits. The Ruf leaves his pitstop 2'57 down and I'm just cruising at this point.
Lap 27 - 9'05.049
A terribly lethargic lap (hey, why not), sees all but two of the opponent AI finish their races, which allows me to work out their race speeds. Zing. Nothing of any consequence occurs - 4 hours passes at 26 laps plus 2'08.394 elapsed - and the Countach takes the win in 4 hours, 6 minutes 56.655s
1st GTP_Famine; Lamborghini Countach LP400 '74; 27 laps, 4:06'56.655
2nd R. Azuma; Ruf CTR2 '96; 26 laps, 4:00'52
3rd S. Raynaud; Nismo Fairlady Z Z-Tune; 26 laps, 4:02'15
4th O. Jenkins; Amuse Nismo 380RS Superleggera; 26 laps, 4:04'14
5th V. Meadows; RE Amemiya FD3S RX-7; 26 laps, 4:05'32
6th L. Maldonado; HPA Stage II R32; 26 laps, 4:05'38
7th W. Hooper; Nismo Skyline GT-R R-Tune R34 '99; 26 laps, 4:06'00
8th R. Montero; Amuse Carbon R (R34) '04; 26 laps, 4:07'30
9th N. Friedmann; Nissan Option Stream Z '04; 25 laps, 4:01'12
10th T. Negri; Opera Performance 350Z '04; 25 laps, 4:01'47
11th L. Woodard; Art Morrison Corvette '60; 25 laps, 4:06'07
12th M. Holcomb; Mine's Lancer Evolution '00; 24 laps, 4:08'10
Summary
Actually too easy as it turned out. Even the "usual" frontrunners of the HPA TT, HKS CT230R and Amuse GT1 wouldn't have stopped this win - although the Lamborghini is far too slow on Sport Hards to come away from this with a win. I guess 505PP is the benchmark for Sport Softs now, but it shouldn't be too hard to improve upon.
27th July 2011
Car used: Tommy kaira ZZ-II
Tuning: Once again, a silly wing and Matte Purple, for the aesthetics. Oh and Comfort Soft tyres. Really.
PP: 586PP
Power, Weight, PWR: 529hp, 1000kg, 529.0hp/tonne
Grid:
1. M. Daugherty; High End Performance G37
2. O. Bengtsson; AEM S2000
3. R. Ostermann; Ruf CTR2 '96
4. J. Barthelemy; Mine's BNR34 Skyline GT-R N1 base '06
5. C. Estevez; Lexus IS F Racing Concept '08
6. R. Mizuno; Nismo Skyline GT-R S-Tune (R32) '00
7. GTP_Famine; Tommy kaira ZZ-II '00
8. G. Poli; RE Amemiya FD3S RX-7
9. K. Richards; Nismo 400R '96
10. G. Reynolds; Amuse S2000 GT1 '04
11. A. Kauppila; Gran Turismo Amuse/Opera Performance Gran Turismo 350Z RS
12. P. Marchi; Amuse Carbon R (R34) '04
Lap 1 - 9'30.267
Interesting line-up...
The Tommy kaira is a different beast altogether than my usual cars, and with so much additional power on tap it leaps past the S-Tune and AEM S2000 as if they weren't even there. Despite the tyre disadvantage, I send one up the inside of turn 1, outbrake everyone and come out in the lead.
This is where positional advantage comes into play - with such poor tyres I'm disastrously slow anywhere than I can't use 4th gear, but because I'm ahead it doesn't matter. The AI rarely pass in bends and prefer to wait for straight bits. And where I can use 4th gear, I'm streets ahead of all but the Ruf who doesn't have the power advantage to make it count. So long as I stay ahead, I'm gravy.
In fact the Ruf passes me in the middle of Bergwerk, but once the TK gets traction he's repassed. Fortunately he's come up with a different plan and, after following me closely through Eiskurve, nerfs me into the weeds in Pflanzgarten, which drops me to ninth.
The TK won't be held back though and passes the Amemiya through Tiergarten - 202mph through there side-by-side on Comfort tyres is not an experience to be repeated - and the Carbon R through Hohenrain to claw back up to seventh but only 12s back...
Lap 2 - 9'05.674
The G37 is passed into the GP track's first turn and that's the last interaction I have with AI this lap. The Ruf/Lexus pairing at the head of the field pull out just 8 seconds this lap, which is encouraging, to leave me 20s down.
Lap 3 - 9'10.143
Another lap of empty, while the lead AI pull out just 9s.
It's difficult to say, but the Comfort tyres seem to be fading at this point. The wear indicators are fine but there seems to be a slightly more distinct lack of grip, even compared to normal Comfort tyres. The time seems to confirm this, but perhaps I just had a ropey lap...
Lap 4 - 9'13.264
Another lap in clear air. The laptime suffers again, but the AI don't pull out as much - the advantage is just 36s at the end of that lap. There is a marked lack of grip now, but keeping the car on the island keeps the laptimes competitive and I'm thinking of pitting next lap as per the normal schedule for these races.
Lap 5 - 9'20.010 & pit-in
Most of this lap is conducted in clear air until I encounter a very slow-moving Lexus IS F at Pflanzgarten and pass him entering Karussell II. My own lap isn't terrific, but at just 40 seconds down on the Ruf, which I know takes ages in the pits, I'll take it.
Into the pits goes the Ruf and the Mine's Skyline, allowing the two S2000s to do their sixth, terrible laps. Following them are me and the Lexus. The TK is thirsty, using 59 litres in the five lap stint - 11.8 litres/lap - and since I plan to do a 4 lapper next, to hold the Ruf up until his tyres are useless, I opt for the free 15 litres.
Lap 6 - 9'33.338 & pit-out
Which is the right call. As I'm approaching his pit box, he drops onto the deck and his lollipop man holds him back rather than release him into me. Hurrah!
So now I'm third and the S2000s have a minute on me - but their tyres fade fast and the AEM is passed at Eiskurve in a cloud of tortured tyre smoke. He holds up the Ruf for me for a couple of corners, as a bonus. The Amuse is further down the road, but his advantage falls by the handful until he's just 24s ahead at the finish line and in the pits.
Lap 7 - 9'09.082
Which puts me up to 1st for the second time in the race. Let's hope the same thing doesn't happen twice...
The Ruf starts the lap 5s down on me (thanks to the AEM S2000) and quickly closes that to all but nothing by Hocheichen.
The TK pulls a 3s gap out to Aremberg and holds it to Adenauer and the Ruf claws it back again by Wehrseifen - the hour passes with me leaving Miss-Hit-Miss at 6 laps plus 4'07.304. Bergwerk to Klostertal puts 4s back on the gap, Karussell to Wipperman shrinks it back down to nothing and Galgenkopf to the finish puts 2s back onto it again - and the Ruf now has a Mine's Skyline for company...
Lap 8 - 9'07.421
And this lap is much the same as the previous with one notable exception - the Mine's Skyline passes the Ruf on Dottinger Hohe and assumes second place! That should block the Ruf for a bit
Lap 9 - 9'13.885 & pit-in
See above!
The Ruf and the Mine's squabble during the Mercedes Arena section of the GP track, but the Ruf comes out on top - just - and though he's close for much of the rest of the lap, he's not as close as he was. I dive into the pits at the end of the lap with a semblence of a lead - which vanishes as the pair behind stay out.
The pitcrew tell me my TK has burned all but 9 litres - that's 47 litres used at a rate of 11.8 litres per lap - and since I'm staying out for a full five this time round, I opt to take on 52 litres at me stop to give me some wiggle room. Here's hoping the Ruf and Mine's can't pull out enough of a lead to negate my stop...
Lap 10 - 9'58.483 & pit-out
Only now I've given myself a new and unknown problem. The Ruf's tyres are tired and he's understeering copiously - but that's allowed the Mine's to pass him. I know the Ruf takes a minute at his stop but I have no idea how long the Mine's takes and he's in the lead and he's 50s up on me at the first split... Uh-oh.
The TK, coming out into fifth, does well though on its out lap, pegging the splits until the last few sectors where first it loses a couple of seconds and then, down the long straight, gains them and some friends. The Lexus IS F is struggling again at Karussell II and is passed without drama and the Ruf and Mine's pit from 1st and 2nd, giving the Amuse S2000 the lead...
Lap 11 - 9'04.626
The Mine's and Ruf are still in the pits as I come past, with the Mine's leaving just ahead of the Ruf in 3rd and 4th and the Amuse off down the road in the lead. At this point I'm not really sure where this race is going to end up, except with me being carted off in a straightjacket.
The TK manages to hold the Amuse's advantage at 45s - even pulling it down to 42s by the finish line - while the Ruf and Mine's squabble and trade places down Dottinger. I know the Amuse's next lap will be a horror, but just how horrible and can I make the 3-lap old Comfort Softs do the job?
Lap 12 - 9'05.760
Yes. Yes they can. The Amuse loses 42s of lead coming into Karussell II and does a sterling job of holding up the chasing Mine's/Ruf combination through Hohenrain. But the Ruf has now pulled an advantage on the Mine's and my "lead" is going to be closed down pretty fast...
Lap 13 - 9'15.040
The Ruf doesn't quite make the gains I thought he would but is, nonetheless, on my tail going through Pflanzgarten. Half time passes before half distance for the first time I can remember since attempting these races - at 12 laps plus 8'28.047 elapsed, just after the gantry on Dottinger Hohe - shortly before the Mine's retakes second position from the Ruf.
Finishing this lap completes half the race distance, with 2hr 00'46.993 on the clock.
The top six at half race distance is:
1. GTP_Famine; Tommy kaira ZZ-II '00
2. J. Barthelemy; Mine's BNR34 Skyline GT-R N1 base '06
3. R. Ostermann; Ruf CTR2 '96
4. C. Estevez; Lexus IS F Racing Concept '08
5. G. Reynolds; Amuse S2000 GT1 '04
6. G. Poli; RE Amemiya FD3S RX-7
Lap 14 - 9'19.258 & pit-in
In the background I can see the Mine's and Ruf squabbling over the first corner - the Mine's wider line puts him behind on entry, but he makes the position his own on exit and through the Mercedes Arena. And then... and then, he only goes and passes me! Through RTL Kurve and Warsteiner Kurve, his better traction allows him a most random line and off he pops into the distance!
Keeping the Ruf behind me, I pit with a 4s deficit and apparently on my last litre of fuel... 60 litres of fuel gone in 5 laps - 12 litres per lap. Knowing I'm on four-stoppers until the race ends, I opt for 50 litres of fuel and let's hope the AI pitstops take longer or I'm boned.
Lap 15 - 9'53.219 & pit-out
I leave the pits in 5th - the Lexus IS F and Amuse S2000 having come past while I was immobile. The Lexus is on his last lap of a stint and royally screwed, so I get past at Kesselchen at a billionty miles an hour. The Amuse, however, is in the middle of a stint - but it's the Mine's that still has the lead, 55 seconds up the road!
The Mine's and Ruf - and the Ruf has quite the deficit now - pit in at the end of the lap, while the Amuse and I continue...
Lap 16 - 9'03.858
... up into second! The AI pitstops take longer. I'm not boned yet.
The Amuse holds fast at 15 seconds up the road from me - he neither pulls away nor is caught. Knowing that he's going to lose a minute in two laps' time, and hold up the Ruf and Mine's while I pit is helpful, because I'm still not sure which way this one's going to land...
Lap 17 - 9'06.405
The Amuse manages to draw his lead out to 21s over the course of the lap, but it's down to 17s at the finish line. Meanwhile the chasing Mine's and Ruf are closing but aren't getting quite into chasing range - and I'm vaguely aware of backmarkers approaching ahead of us all...
Lap 18 - 9'13.983 & pit-in
The Mine's is getting closer - not close enough to lunge at me but certainly visible throughout. The Amuse is getting closer too, but the other way about. I manage to pass him in the middle of Klostertal - bet you didn't know there were two lines through that (I know I didn't) and put him between me and the chasing pair. That doesn't last long as the Amuse is all over the place and the Mine's is all over me.
Dottinger proves to be my sanctuary again as, rather than fighting me, the Mine's and Ruf fight each other, swapping places repeatedly and I dive into the pits with a 2.5s buffer.
The crew tell me I've got 3 left in the tank - 48 used, or 12 per lap - and I decide to lightly overfuel to bring the Mine's and Ruf out of their stops as close to my back bumper as possible so I can hold them up and short stop on lap 22. 55 litres go in. The Amuse pits behind me and I exit in 3rd.
Lap 19 - 9'54.758 & pit-out
By the time I reach the first split, the Mine's has pulled out a gap on the Ruf and 55s on me. However, a relatively good outlap (considering the additional fuelling time) sees me pull that back to 48s by the finish line. And now there's a chase on...
Lap 20 - 9'01.020
Up front the Mine's and Ruf are being held up by a backmarker, while I'm pounding in a personal record. The lead is cut to 35s by the finish line - and the Mine's and Ruf have both just pitted...
The three hour marks passes at 19 laps plus 2'41.526 elapsed, on the way into Aremberg.
Lap 21 - 9'08.046
Promoting me back up to first (presumably for only the next two laps).
At this point I no longer have any clear idea who it is I'm racing. The car in 2nd, currently, is the Amuse S2000, some 24s back - though he closes the gap to 19s by the finish line. He'll have a poor lap 24 and need to pit. Just behind him - about 2s back - is the Mine's Skyline, who'll have pretty consistent 9'00 laps right through to the end of the race, but will pit on lap 25. A further 3s or so back is the Ruf CTR2, who can manage very fast laps indeed, but will have a sluggish lap 25 and need to pit and is fighting with the Mine's every straight.
So all I can do is make the laps while I can, short-stop on 22 and see how it all unfolds at the start of lap 26 - the final lap of this race...
Lap 22 - 9'13.935 & pit-in
The Amuse is catching me - slowly. Meanwhile I lap the other Amuse - the Carbon R - at Angstkurve - and put him between the chasing pack and I. Amusingly, he keeps up with me through the slower sections, but Dottinger Hohe comes to the rescue again and I put distance between us. When I dive into the pits at the end of the lap I'm 8s up on the S2000.
The crew say there's 10 left in the tank - 48 used at 12 per lap - and I know I need 48 to finish the race, so I opt for just 40 this time round and hope for the best...
Lap 23 - 9'47.994 & pit-out
The short stop has done the trick - on leaving the pits I'm only 38s behind the Amuse and that falls to 37s over the course of the lap. So all I need to do now is ensure I lose no more than 30s over the next two laps and hit the front at the start of lap 26 as the Mine's and Ruf pit...
Lap 24 - 9'05.908
The Nismo 400R is lapped at Hatzenbach while, up ahead, the lead changes hands - to the Mine's Skyline - at Kallenhard. I manage to pass the ailing Amuse S2000 at Brunnchen and now the gap is 25 seconds to the leaders who have yet to pit... Entering Dottinger I catch sight of the Gran Turismo 350Z RS and pass him entering Antoniusbusche, crossing the line still 25s back...
Lap 25 - 9'06.288
Just a lap of ploughing into the gap - my efforts reduce the deficit to 23s by the finish line.
Lap 26 - 9'10.920
And of course the lead pair have pitted. I inherit the lead - a lead which turns out to be 40s from the Mine's Skyline when he leaves the pits. He slowly pares down the gap and is briefly halted by the Gran Turismo 350Z RS. 4 hours passes at 25 laps plus 7'18.355 elapsed - entering Pflanzgarten for the last time - and the lead is only cut to 32s at the finish. The Tommy kaira, on Comfort Softs, takes the win in 4 hours, 1 minute 52.585s!
1st GTP_Famine; Tommy kaira ZZ-II '00; 26 laps, 4:01'52.585
2nd J. Barthelemy; Mine's BNR34 Skyline GT-R N1 base '06; + 32s
3rd R. Ostermann; Ruf CTR2 '96; +34s
4th G. Reynolds; Amuse S2000 GT1 '04; +1'00
5th C. Estevez; Lexus IS F Racing Concept '08; +2'00
6th O. Bengtsson; AEM S2000; +3'00
7th G. Poli; RE Amemiya FD3S RX-7; +3'10
8th M. Daugherty; High End Performance G37; +5'00
9th P. Marchi; Amuse Carbon R (R34) '04; +5'30
10th R. Mizuno; Nismo Skyline GT-R S-Tune (R32) '00; +6'00
11th A. Kauppila; Gran Turismo Amuse/Opera Performance Gran Turismo 350Z RS; 25 laps + 40s
12th K. Richards; Nismo 400R '96; 25 laps +3'30
Summary
I had no idea where this race was even going halfway through. With 20 minutes left I was in 4th place, but by that time I was probably confident I was going to win in the end, perhaps. If I ever think of doing a race on Comfort Softs again, shoot me.
I made one for a race at the UKGTP LAN. The standard car was dull as. With a brake balance of 5/6 it was hilarious.
Edit: Race Report - pictures and accurate race times to follow when I'm less busy/tired:
14th October 2011
Car used: Ford Focus RS '02
Tuning: Not much - almost stock car (oil, sports exhaust to save me listening to a droney four pot for four hours), almost stock settings (+1 on front brakes, 95% on the power limiter to offset the gain from the exhaust). Matte Purple, for the aesthetics again and racing soft tyres.
PP: 444PP
Power, Weight, PWR: 229hp, 1050kg, 218.1hp/tonne
Grid:
1. Z. Valentine; Gran Turismo Skyline GT-R '01
2. F. Andersen; Nismo Skyline GT-R R-Tune (R34) '99
3. K. Weeks; Art Morrison Corvette '60
4. B. Leitner; Mine's Lancer Evolution VI '00
5. J. Nadel; Mine's BNR34 Skyline GT-R V-Spec N1 base '00
6. T. Pozzi; Nismo Fairlady Z Z-Tune '03
7. GTP_Famine; Ford Focus RS '02
8. F. Mercer; Gran Turismo Amuse/Opera Performance Gran Turismo 350Z RS
9. G. Henry; Amuse Carbon R (R34) '04
10. C. Copeland; AEM S2000
11. E. Schwarz; Ruf CTR Yellowbird '87
12. P. Butler; Nismo 380RS Superleggera
Lap 1 - 9'22.715
Interesting line-up...
This "being left standing at the start" lark seems familiar, but some close battling (a little too close - I've not raced in a while and I can't judge stopping distance any more, it seems) sees the little Focus claw up to 2nd by Dottinger, just 5s down on the R-Tune. The finish line sees that climb to 10s, but it's good enough.
Lap 2 - 9'08.884
I'm shortly joined by the Mine's Skyline who passes up the inside of the hairpin, only to be comprehensively outbraked around the outside. That's the last I see of him this lap...
I am however joined by a Z-Tune. No matter - he's stuck there until I understeer out of road at Brunnchen. D'oh.
Lap 3 - 9'09.500
A relatively quiet lap sees no action on my screen, save a change of lead up ahead. I'm now running around 20s down which is fine by me at this point.
Lap 4 - 9'17.501
It certainly seems as if the tyres are going off now, but I can't work out where I lost the time. My splits to the leaders are nudging 30s, which I'd expect. I make an executive decision to do another tour...
Lap 5 - 9'38.659 & pit-in
Though I can see where I lost time on this lap! The tyres aren't totally roasted yet, but a couple of moments at Hocheichen - which allows the Mine's past (only to retake the place on Quiddelbacher Hohe, of all places) - and on entry into Galgenkopf which utterly ruins my straight for me and drops me down to 5th (the Mine's and the Nismo 380RS come past).
Diving into the pits I find the Z-Tune and R-Tune are both already in. I've used 40 litres of fuel in my 5 laps (8 per lap, stats fans), so elect to take on nothing but my free 15 litres and sod off. Duly sodding off I pass both and find myself in 4th on track, leader of the pitted cars!
Lap 6 - 9'33.574 & pit-out
Oddly, I'm only 40s down on the leaders and gaining as the sixth lap on their tyres proves stupid as usual. The AEM S2000 in 3rd runs out of them at Pflanzgarten which allows me past and, thankfully, puts something wayward between me and the Z-Tune on my bumper. Crossing the line I'm 3rd...
Lap 7 - 9'08.487
... but quickly promoted to 1st as both the Mine's and 380RS are getting new rubber. The Z-Tune is glued to me, but my wide Focus and sticky tyres preserve the advantage.
The hour passes with me on the apex of Kallenhard at 6 laps plus 3'49.167 and a Z-Tune less than a second behind me!
Lap 8 - 9'10.509
Another lap with mirrors full of Z-Tune until he takes his chance to pass on Dottinger... I say "takes his chance". I mean "takes a run up from Galgenkopf, rams me out of the way and buggers off". Roll. Eyes.
Lap 9 - 9'18.814 & pit-in
The 3rd place R-Tune keeps a curiously respectful distance until Antoniusbusche where he comes sailing past, only to be undone by braking into Tiergarten. I dive into the pits on a split second decision to divide my fuel load and save static time.
The crew tell me I've now got 43 in my tank which means I've used 32 - 8 per lap - so I order a new set of racing softs, 15 more litres of gas (that's 58 in the tank for a 40 litre, 5-lap stint) and head back out in 4th just ahead of the 380RS and behind the Mine's...
Lap 10 - 9'37.135 & pit-out
The Z-tune has 41s gap when I depit and I know he's going to struggle on his fifth lap on those tyres. With the R-Tune going to pit too, that'll put the Mine's in effective race leadership ahead of his stop on Lap 12 (and mine on lap 14)... Hmm.
The gap is gradually sliced down - despite a lift-off oversteer moment at Hohenrain - down to 30s when the lead pair both pit. I cross the finish line in a narrow fourth...
Lap 11 - 9'09.555
Promoted immediately to 2nd as I pass the pit boxes. The 380RS tries to send a pass up the inside of the hairpin but fails and now I see the lead the Mine's has for the first time... 23s.
I decide to only keep pace with the Mine's rather than catch him - I have a full pit stop sequence advantage over him at the moment and since I'm on a five lap run I need to preserve my tyres - and indeed the gap stays between 18s and 21s for much of the lap. But then something surprising happens... he pits!
Lap 12 - 9'13.110
So, with just a few metres of this lap gone, I'm promoted to 1st and that changes my tactics - I'm no longer preserving a gap to a car I have advantage over, but building a lead. Eep.
The 380RS follows me round and he's 4s back but, despite my slowing, he's losing ground on his shattered tyres. He's passed for position by the Z-Tune just before Pflanzgarten, which sets about tearing into my lead... 11s becomes 7s by the top of Dottinger and 0.8s by the line. Double eep.
Lap 13 - 9'15.780
So, here we are again. Wide Focus and race rubber keeping the Z-Tune at bay... Half time passes again before half distance - at 12 laps plus 8'11.557 elapsed, just before the gantry on Dottinger Hohe.
Finishing this lap completes half the race distance, with 2hr 01'04.223 on the clock. And a lead of 0.1s..
The top six at half race distance is:
1. GTP_Famine; Ford Focus RS '02
2. T. Pozzi; Nismo Fairlady Z Z-Tune '03
3. F. Andersen; Nismo Skyline GT-R R-Tune (R34) '99
4. J. Nadel; Mine's BNR34 Skyline GT-R V-Spec N1 base '00
5. P. Butler; Nismo 380RS Superleggera
10. C. Copeland; AEM S2000
Lap 14 - 9'20.554 & pit-in
Surprisingly the Z-Tune can't make enough of an impression in the bends to use his advantage on the straights - or just plain can't pass through Kesselchen - and I pit from the lead (although I end the lap in 2nd).
The pit crew say I've got 18 in the tank. From here on in I'm running 4 lap stints so I only need 32 each time. 20 litres go in for 38 in total.
Lap 15 - 9'37.750 & pit-out
I leave the pits in 4th behind the Z-Tune, Mine's and R-Tune - though the R-Tune is passed going from the GP track back onto the Nordschleife. With a 30s lead, the Z-Tune isn't even as far ahead as the time I spent into the pits and, gradually, the time tumbles to just 9s by Dottinger Hohe. As he pits the Mine's takes the lead and it's that I'm 16s down from...
Lap 16 - 9'03.792
At this stage I have no idea what the Mine's pit strategy is. He's done a 6 lap first stint and a 5 lap second stint, so he's possibly coming in on this lap. Either way, I'm on fours and that means I can nail my tyres' balls to the wall.
Which, with that new personal best, I clearly do.
Lap 17 - 9'09.922
And the Mine's pits. D'oh! Having got his lead down from 16s to 6s in a single lap, I think he's now out of the equation (and, potentially, he'll pit in on the last lap!). The 380RS assumes 2nd and the Z-Tune third. It's now all about the laptimes!
As the lap is coming to a close, I lap the Mine's Lancer Evolution leaving Schwalbenschwanz and never see him again. No wonder he's last.
Lap 18 - 9'16.995 & pit-in
The pit crew say I've got a whole 7 litres left, so I opt for 35 to split the load a bit
Lap 19 - 10'02.062 & pit-out
I head on out in third - just a few seconds behind the Mine's Skyline and only 30s down on the Z-Tune on old tyres...
An inexplicable spin at Hedwigshohe drops me 15s off the pair of them, but I should still make it back in the last pitstop. I hope. Better go flat out again then...
Lap 20 - 9'03.353
Flat out, aye!
Three hours passes at the crest of Flugplatz with 19 laps, 2'24.702 elapsed and, for the first time, I'm not in first place as the hour ticks over. In fact I'm third. Lawks.
The Z-Tune pits at the end of the lap and I'm chasing down the Mine's again...
Lap 21 - 9'11.491
A relatively meh lap, but I've decided to save the tyres for a good in-lap (after that screaming previous lap). The gap to the Mine's falls nonetheless as he's on his fifth lap with that set of tyres and he dives into the pits at the end of the lap with a 15s advantage...
Lap 22 - 9'20.112 & pit-in
As I lap the Art Morrison Corvette at Aremberg, it's make or break time. With the advantage the Mine's had I need to do a good lap and a good stop to come out in front - keeping an advantage is easier than passing and making one... The Z-Tune passes while I'm in the pits (I briefly lap the Yellowbird as he's stopped, but he leaves ahead), but he's got another stop to make and he's out of the picture.
The crew say I've got 10 litres left and I'm not going to make the line on lap 26 before the 4 hours is up. I need 22, I take 23 and the new rubber...
Lap 23 - 9'37.870 & pit-out
And out I come with no more than a second advantage over the Mine's and the now-fourth Nismo 380RS. A little dicing between them on the hairpin allows me to stretch a small lead and all I need to do now is preserve the tyres long enough to fend off the Mine's on lap 26...
Lap 24 - 9'06.407
It seems that the Mine's can't actually keep pace with the Focus - through the twisties I build such a lead that, despite the massive straight line deficit, the Mine's never closes up enough to pass before the next corner. We hold effective station, with no more than 5s between us at any point of the lap.
Lap 25 - 9'09.832
And so it is on lap 25 too - the Mine's can't hang on to make the straights pay off. The Z-Tune's lead is torn to shreds as his tattered tyres make another tour - 46s at the end of lap 24 becomes just 17s by the gantry - and in he goes at the end of the lap.
Backmarkers nearly come into play as the Opera 350Z stamps on the brakes leaving Pflanzgarten to avoid a very sideways Yellowbird. Both are lapped without much fuss and left to hold up the Mine's for me.
Lap 26 - 9'12.557
Hoof on gas time. I have to make my last-lap tyres pull enough of an advantage over the Mine's last-lap tyres to avoid being passed down Dottinger Hohe for a catastrophic race failure...
4 hours passes leaving Brunnchen at 25 laps plus 6'55.637 elapsed and a 5 second lead over the Mine's. That becomes 7.7s at the gantry. That becomes 2.2s at Antoniusbusche. That becomes a big, white shape in my rear view mirror - but there's nothing he can do as I take the win by feet and tenths in 4:02'16.920.
As a bizarre sidebar, even though the time was up two minutes since, the Mine's pits in just as I predicted back on lap 17. This makes the advantage nearer 5 seconds, but I think that's close enough for a practically stock FWD hatchback against tuner beasts after four hours of pain.
1st GTP_Famine; Ford Focus RS '02; 26 laps, 4:02'16.920
2nd J. Nadel; Mine's BNR34 Skyline GT-R V-Spec N1 base '00; [tbc]
3rd T. Pozzi; Nismo Fairlady Z Z-Tune '03; [tbc]
4th P. Butler; Nismo 380RS Superleggera [tbc]
5th F. Andersen; Nismo Skyline GT-R R-Tune (R34) '99; [tbc]
6th C. Copeland; AEM S2000; [tbc]
7th G. Henry; Amuse Carbon R (R34) '04; [tbc]
8th Z. Valentine; Gran Turismo Skyline GT-R '01; [tbc]
9th F. Mercer; Gran Turismo Amuse/Opera Performance Gran Turismo 350Z RS; [tbc] +1 lap
10th E. Schwarz; Ruf CTR Yellowbird '87; [tbc] +1 lap
11th K. Weeks; Art Morrison Corvette '60; [tbc] +1 lap
12th B. Leitner; Mine's Lancer Evolution '00; [tbc] +1 lap
Summary
This probably should have been more of a win than it was. A bit of driver-origin dumbness lead to a lot of time being lost through excursions on the two fifth laps and the 15s I lost at Hedwigshohe on lap 19 nearly lost the race for me. The Focus ended up a bit more twisted than I'd normally like and I'd probably try this race again maybe by shedding some weight and building up the rear with ballast to prevent lift-off oversteer - the cause of so many of my little incidents...
Must've been down to great driving to win in a Countach.
