- 7,177
- Lisboa
- FLAT_TWELVE
24 HOURS OF LE MANS
*** SETTLING OLD SCORES ***
OR
*** THE RETURN OF THE LONG TAIL ***
1.About the car
wikipedia
So ... this car did well, but was ultimately beaten by Mercedes in the FIA GT Championship, and also didn't succeed at Le Mans. Mind you, no other GT cars beat it at this track, it was a Porsche LMP. We have no Porsches in GT5 (sadly), but we do have other impressive LMP cars to battle. And the evolved CLK LM Mercedes, direct "Le Mans" spec-evolution of the Mercedes that beat this cart in many of the FIA GT races.
So, it's time to settle some scores, and that's what we'll try to do!
I took this car to this race without any other improvement than an oil change (can't do much anyway, only Stage 2 or Stage 3 Turbos I think). It seriously lacks in top speed but less power also means less tyre wear so decided to risk going with softs. And - considering my previous Nurburgring experience - I'm still praying for a few hours of rain too. A few hours past mid race I still lack a comfort gap and I'm allowed zero mistakes still ! Not complaining, just sayin'
I'm ashamed to admit it but unlike what I did at the Nurburgring and all other races so far (no aids at all), this time I kept ABS at 1. Not having ABS (I tested it) meant much longer braking distances and, most of all, much greater tyre wear. Making this car a sitting duck. So I had to choose between upgrading the car or allowing myself the minimum ABS possible and I chose the ABS, I like battling with an underpowered car.
2.About the grid
As I already stated, I went for this race with the 11th grid the game gives me.
This one:
1. J. Newton - Pescarolo Courage C60 Peugeot Race Car
2. L. Rojo - Audi R8 Race Car '01
3. G. Prieto - Pescarolo Courage C60 Hybride Race Car
4. A. Salonen - Mercedes CLK LM Race Car
5. H. David - Pescarolo Courage Judd GV5 Race Car
6. S. Thompson - Dodge Viper GTS-R #51 Race Car
7. GTP_Hun - McLaren F1 GTR Race Car '07
8. R. Calabrese - Audi R8 Team Playstation Oreca Race Car '05
9. N. Jonsson - Bentley Speed 8 Race Car
10. V. Macias - McLaren F1 GTR Race Car '07
11. Hertzog - BMW V12 LMR Race Car
12. G. Beich - Nissan R390 GT1 Race Car
Again, I find it very sad that the game has a very short list of cars available for this race (and some notable absences from that short list), but all things considered I found this to be the most demanding grid of all I found and took notes of.
3. About the race
And now (finally
) my race report. With shorter laps I found it useless to take notes of all laps and laptimes (as I done with the Nurburgring race), so this one is much less detailed. Anyway, I tried to keep what I felt was important or interesting.1ST STINT - Laps 1 to 8 - 0:00 to 0:33
Lap 1 - After the first confusing corners we hit the Hunaudiéres for the first time. All the LMPs plus the CLK LM just go away from me. I'm left battling for 9th
with the Nissan, and the Viper gets left behind, to do a lonely 24 hour race as the only true road based GT in the grid.A bit of a careless stint, I wasn't really worried with it as much as I was trying to figure out what was happening with the AIs. My tyres suffered and by the end of the 8th lap I decided to pit. To my amazement (and worry), I was already 1'24 off the leader and was the first to do pit. And became last placed car in the race
I noticed that I had spent 64 liters, so it was 8 per lap. My best lap in this stint was a very bad 3'37,431.
I couldn't tell who was leading (I suspected the R8 '01) but the running order when I left the pits was this:
1º ??? (R8 '01?/ C60 Hybride?/ C60 Peugeot?)
2º ??? (R8 '01?/ C60 Hybride?/ C60 Peugeot?)
3º ??? (R8 '01?/ C60 Hybride?/ C60 Peugeot?)
4º Pescarolo Judd
5º Audi R8 '05
6º BMW V12 LMR
7º Mercedes CLK LM
8º Bentley Speed 8
9º Nissan R390
10º McLaren F1 GTR
11º Dodge Viper
12º .... me .....
2ND STINT - Laps 9 to 18 - 0:33 to 1:08
Lap 9 - Got the Viper.
Lap 10 - I guess all the guys pitted and I suddenly became 4th, and only 47 seconds off the leader (the C60 Hybride)!
(this told me that the leader lost at least more 30 seconds than me in the pits. It was nice to get this info. Hope was restored
I took great care of my tyres, trying to match their 10-lap stints, something I achieved, going for the pits only at the end of the 18th lap. In the process I managed to get close to the Oreca R8, get towed by him during the fast sections and get him in the Porsche Curves. I became 3rd! Best lap down to a 3'33,xxx, thanks to that R8's tow
Lap 18 - By this lap I was again 1'20 off the leader and I pitted (alone). Added 77 liters and left the pits in 6th place, between the BMW (5th) and the Bentley (7th).
3RD STINT - Laps 19 to 28 - 1:08 to 1:44
Left the pits about 2'40 behind the leader. Did 2 laps on my own and then they pitted (not sure if all in the 20th lap) and got 3rd position back, but with the Oreca R8 and the Bentley close by.
During this stint there was a leader change that I could see because I was 3rd. The C60 Hybride pitted in lap 27 (was he doing 9-lap stints and I was so far back that I didn't notice? Possibly).
By the end of this stint I was therefore in 2nd place, but I had a huge LMP train behind me
. This train was released because, again, I pitted before their time was due.4TH STINT - Laps 29 to 38 - 1:44 to 2:22
Left the pits in 8th place, between the C60 Peugeot (7th) and the CLK LM (9th). After I regained 3rd place, but lost to 5th by the end of the stint because the Oreca R8 and the Bentley got past. My mistakes helping. entered the pits 2'00 behind the leader
5TH STINT - Laps 39 to 49 - 2:22 to 3:04
I managed 11 laps this time!
Left the pits in 8th place again.
The R8 '01 and the C60 Hybride keep turns in leading, their different strategy shows. I guess it's only a matter of time until the R8 gets one pitting less and assumes the lead definitely.
By the end of lap 39 the C60 Peugeot and the BMW pitted, I became 6th (3'09 behind the leader).
By the end of lap 40 the Oreca R8 and the Courage Judd pitted, I became 4th. The leader pitted too, my gap to him was reduced to 1'45.
By the end of lap 42 the Bentley pitted (finally) and I got 3rd again.
I went for the pits at the end of lap 49 in 3rd place, but already 2'10 behind the leader.
6TH STINT - Laps 50 to 60 - 3:04 to 3:44
11 laps again, but this time it was a stupid decision, the 11th lap was a mess ....
Anyway, left the pits in 7th, between the Judd (6th) and the C60 Peugeot (8th).
By the end of that 50th lap the BMW pitted and I got 6th.
By the end of the 51st lap the Oreca R8 and the Judd pitted, I got to 4th.
By the end of the 53rd lap it was the Bentley and there I was in 3rd again.
During lap 56 I lapped the Nissan (10th).
I went for the pits still in 3rd place but with a very bad last lap. Entered the pitlane again 2'20 behind the race leader (R8 '01). If this trend isn't reversed I'll end up being lapped.
And no signs of rain anywhere.
7TH STINT - Laps 61 to 70 - 3:44 to 4:20
To my surprise, 4th (Oreca R8) and 5th (Bentley) pitted just behind me so I left the pits still in 3rd position. Some 3'10 behind the leader, that meaning ... almost lapped.
But the leader(s) pitted in the following lap (61) and, since they lose about 90 seconds doing it, my gap to them was again reduced to 1'40.
Just as a curiosity, I lapped the C60 Peugeot (8th) during the 64th lap.
When I pitted, 2nd placed car (C60 Hybride) was in the pits, but left litle after. Anyway, the Bentley passed both of us into 2nd place and the Oreca R8 passed me into 4th.
Overall classification at this point
1st - Audi R8 '01
2nd - Bentley
3rd - C60 Hybride
4th - R8 Oreca '05
5th - ... me ...
6th - BMW V12 LMR
7th - Courage Judd
8th - C60 Peugeot
9th - CLK LM
10th - Nissan R390
11th - McLaren
12th - Viper
8TH STINT - Laps 71 to 80 - 4:20 to 5:00
Lap 72 - One lap later the Bentley and the Oreca R8 pitted and I regained my usual (by now) 3rd place. 2'32 behind the leading R8.
Lap 73 - Leader pits, the gap gets reduced to 1'00.
Lap 75 - Headlights on. The night is coming.
Lap 77 - Big shunt trying an impossible overtake of the R390. Where are the blue flags when we need them ???
Gap to leader increases to 1'20.Lap 79 - C60 Hybride pits and I get to 2nd place !
Lap 80 - Poor lap, I enter the pits 1'35 behind the leader.
9TH STINT - Laps 81 to 88 - 5:00 to 5:29
Leave the pits in 5th again (Hybride, Oreca R8 and Bentley passed me), 2'40 behind the leader.
Lap 82 - Overtake the Oreca R8 on the track. 4th now.
Lap 83 - Bentley pits. 3rd now. Leader pits. I'm 1'10 behind again.
Lap 88 - Unpredictable circumstances such as a puncture or a suspension problem (all hell broke loose in my house with my kids having a discussion between them and my wife bursting into the room where I play saying "... You must do something!" ... ) make me lose concentration, have a nasty crash with a lot of time lost trying to recover the car and spinning in the process ... I head for the pits 2 laps sooner than scheduled, pretty much enraged myself and thinking this could mean I had lost any chance of a win in this race. Entered the pits 1'30 behind the leader.
10TH STINT - Laps 89 to 99 - 5:29 to 6:10
Lap 89 - Left the pits in 4th, between the Bentley (3rd) and the Oreca R8 (5th). 2'40 behind leader.
Lap 92 - Caught the Bentley and got towed by "him" to a fantastic best lap ever (still unmatched) of 3'27,634. If this was for real I would've destroyed the engine with so much of the lap running rpms well above the redline. Almost 370 kmh! LOL ... passed him in the Porsche curves and regained 3rd place.
Lap 93 - Leader (R8 '01) pits, I'm back to 1'10 adrift.
Lap 98 - 2nd placed car (C60 Hybride) pits also, and I gain his position on track. I'm going for a 11-lap stint, need to recover a "synch pitting" with the leaders so I can be sure of where I am in relation to them.
Lap 99 - I pit. In 2nd place. About 1'20 behind the leader.
11TH STINT - Laps 100 to 110 - 6:10 to 6:50
Lap 100 - Left the pits in 3rd position, 2'35 behind the leader.
Lap 103 - Leader pits, gap is now 0'50 !!!
Lap 106 - Caught and passed 2nd place (C60 Hybride). His tyres were probably shot, he pitted at the end of that same lap.
Lap 110 - Back to the pits. In 2nd place, about 1'10 behind the leader.
12TH STINT - Laps 110 to 120 - 6:50 to 7:27
Lap 111 - Left the pits still in 2nd place (first time this happens), about 2'20 behind the leader.
Lap 113 - Leader pits. Gap back to about 1'00.
Lap 120 - I pit. Gap increased slowly but steadily to 1'30, small mistakes not helping ...
13TH STINT - Laps 120 to 130 - 7:27 to 8:05
Lap 121 - Left the pits some 2'40 behind the leader.
Lap 123 - Leader pits, gap back to 1'10 ... We have a stalemate situation ... meanwhile the Hybride caught me.
Lap 126 - After a 3-lap battle, the Hybride pits. Fewww, I nearly lost the car a couple of times during this ...
Lap 130 - I pit. 1'21 behind leader. WILL IT EVER RAIN !?!?!?!?!?!?!!????
14TH STINT - Laps 130 to 141 - 8:05 to 8:45
lap 131 - Leave the pits still in 2nd, 2'45 behind the leader.
Lap 132 - Leader pits (odd, he only did 9 laps this time). Gap reduced to 1'21
Lap 141 - I pit. Worthy of notice is: a) I made another 11-lap stint. b) During this stint I lapped 5th placed car, the Oreca R8. I'd never imagine this possible c) I managed to not only keep the gap to the leader, but even to reduced it slightly to 1'15 ... I'd say some towing from the Oreca car helped
15TH STINT - Laps 142 to 151 - 8:45 to 9:23
Lap 142 (start)- Left the pits 2'20 behind leader.
Lap 142 (end) - Leader pitted. Gap reduced to 0'50
Lap 151 - I pitted, 1'00 behind the race leader.
16TH STINT - Laps 152 to 161 - 9:23 to 10:00
Lap 152 (start)- Left the pits 2'05 behind leader.
Lap 142 (end) - Leader pitted. Gap reduced to 0'30
Lap 151 - I pitted, 0'40 behind the race leader.
(Don't know if you guys noticed this ... but I'm catching him
)17TH STINT - Laps 162 to 172 - 10:00 to 10:40
Lap 162 (start)- Left the pits 1'30 behind leader.
Lap 162 (end) - Leader pitted. Gap reduced to 0'10 !!!!!! I can see his tail lights in the darkness !!!!
Lap 166 - I lapped the Bentley (4th place). Again, some "towing" allowed me to do an excellent sub 3'30 lap (3'28,238) and keep the pressure. Nothing like seeing the car ahead to make us focus on going faster!
Lap 172 - pitted, 0'08 behind the race leader !!!! I'm going to leave the pits before him!!!! I'M GOING TO TAKE THIS RACE'S 1ST POSITION FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE THIS BLOODY RACE STARTED !!!!!!!!
Video of this historic moment ... I know I posted it already but it really deserves to be placed here also.
[YOUTUBEHD]56Yde_BcHPI[/YOUTUBEHD]
18TH STINT - Laps 173 to 183 - 10:40 to 11:22
Lap 173 - Left the pits leading the race, with about 0'20 to 2nd place.
Lap 183 - I pitted, 3 seconds still in front. Funny that he also made a 11-laps stint ....
19TH STINT - Laps 184 to 193 - 11:22 to 12:00
Lap 184 (start)- Left the pits leading the race, with about 0'20 to 2nd place.
... many mistakes later ...
Lap 193 - I pitted, in second place, 0'40 behind the race leader. He pitted also.
20TH STINT - Laps 194 to 203 - 12:00 to 12:36
Lap 194 - Left the pits in second place about 0'10 behind the race leader.
Lap 203 - I pitted, in second place, 0'15 behind the race leader. He pitted also.
(Race lead incoming
)21ST STINT - Laps 204 to 213 - 12:36 to 13:14
Lap 204 (start)- Left the pits leading the race, with about 0'15 to 2nd place.
... many mistakes later ...
Lap 213 - I pitted, back in second place, 0'30 behind the race leader. He pitted also.
(I think he learned how to punt me off ... he brakes later than me and sticks the nose in. If I don't give up, he'll spin me and send me deep into the gravel trap ...
)22ND STINT - Laps 214 to 223 - 13:14 to 13:51
Lap 214 - Left the pits right behind race leader.
Lap 223 - I pitted, in second place, 0'16 behind the race leader. He pitted also.
(third overtake in the pits about to happen. We're locked in fight, both in the pitlane and out on the track. And by the looks of it we may be doing this for many hours more)
23RD STINT - Laps 224 to 233 - 13:51 to 14:28
Lap 224 - Left the pits in first place, 0'15 in front of 2nd place.
(dawn already, headlights went out during this stint)
Lap 223 - We both pit, with me in second place, right behind him.
Comments at this stage: Only a couple of hours past mid race and still with almost 10 hours of racing to do, I must say this has been a very, very intense racing experience. No time to breathe or relax, the pace of the R8 is relentless and only the shorter pitting allows me to keep up with him. But if I act stupid or have occasional brain fades he goes away.
I need to do about 3 to 4 consecutive stints without mistakes and very good pace. That's the only way for me to get rid of his company and gain some "laptime-cushion". Like the one I had by the last lap of the Nurburgring race. But draft is a very powerful weapon in this race and it is easier for the Audi to keep on mine, than it is for me to keep on his.
****************** December 7th UPDATE ******************
24th STINT - Laps 234 to 243 - 14:28 to 15:06
Lap 234 - Left the pits in first place again. 2nd place leaves 15 seconds later.
Lap 239 - He gets me at Arnage.
Lap 240 - I get him at the Tertre Rouge, he gets me half way down the Hunaudieres, I get him after Mulsanne ... slipstream battling an entire lap but I regained the lead braking for the Porsche Curves and didn't lose it again
Lap 243 - I enter the pits as race leader. He enters also, some 3 seconds behind.
25th STINT - Laps 244 to 253 - 15:06 to 15:42
Lap 244 - Left the pits in first place again. 2nd place leaves 15 seconds later. Again.
Lap 244-253 - Kept the lead, with some 5 seconds.
Lap 253, braking for Mulsanne - Braked a millisecond too late, visited the sand trap and lost my lead
Lap 253 (end)- Entered the pits behind the leader.
Comments at this stage: we are pretty much locked in battle and I see no way out of it, unless rain shows up. But there's no sign of that happening. And to be locked in battle isn't good for me. Because I'm human, I do mistakes, while the bloody R8 is driven by a Cyborg. So ... He will battle to the end. And I will have to do the same, avoiding mistakes.
26th STINT - Laps 254 to 263 - 15:42 to 16:20
Lap 254 - Left the pits in first place with 2nd place a few seconds behind.
Lap 254-263 - Kept the lead, battling it out lap after lap.
Lap 263, Porsche Curves - Messed up. Battling the entire stint really destroys the tyres
Lap 263 (end)- Entered the pits a few seconds behind the leader.
27th STINT - Laps 264 to 273 - 16:20 to 16:57
Lap 264 - Left the pits in first place with 2nd place right behind me.
Laps 264-273 - Again LOCKED IN BATTLE (check the video below, sorry for the poor quality)
[YOUTUBEHD]6wXJjIeDyp4[/YOUTUBEHD]
Lap 273 (end)- After gaining a few seconds, again the wrecked tyres and my own ... errmmm ... tired mind
made me do a mistake exiting the second chicane. Audi got me, passed me, but I managed to regain the lead shortly before pit entrance. So, this time, I entered the pits in the lead. 28th STINT - Laps 274 to 283 - 16:57 to 17:36
Lap 274 - Left the pits in first place with 2nd place 15 seconds behind me.
Laps 274-283 - Again LOCKED IN BATTLE
Lap 283 (end)- I managed to enter the pits in the lead for a second consecutive time, but again with the tyres completely shot and losing in this last lap the handful of seconds I had managed to keep during the entire stint. It becomes frustrating to not find a way out of this battle, I'll have to try something
29th STINT - Laps 284 to 294 - 17:36 to 18:16
Lap 284 - Left the pits in first place with 2nd place 15 seconds behind me.
Laps 284-293 - Again LOCKED IN BATTLE but ... I did all I could to save the tyres. I have this suspicion, maybe all imagination, that the Audi is in fact being faster because we are close to each other on the track. For all readers of this report that have experienced the basics of B-Spec, it's as if the proximity of my car makes the AI driver enter the "red area" of the aggressiveness slider. So I decided to try to get "out of synch" with him and pit only a lap later. I do need the tyres to comply with my plan and so I drove as smooth as possible. The Audi passed me eventually but I didn't lose much. ANd, come the end of lap 283, I could do one more and so I watched the Audi pit, but didn't follow suit.
Lap 294 - Alone at last!
By pitting the Audi lost 1'30 and that's the last gap I see when I end my lap entering the pits.30th STINT - Laps 295 to 305 - 18:16 to 18:55
Lap 295 - I leave the pits and the first gap I see on screen is 20 seconds. That's good.
Laps 295-303 - I kept the gap. Maybe it was traffic ... maybe I was right
One thing is certain, this time I definitely had the tyres to do, quite easily, 11 laps again. And so I did, further enhancing my "outofsynchness" with the Audi.Lap 303 - The Audi pitted, and suddenly I had a lead of nearly 2'00, that lasted 2 laps.
Lap 305 - I pitted. Almost without fuel, I need to remember that with 11-lap stints I need to fill at least to 80 liters to be safe. Anyway, my cunning plan to avoid an endless battle that was very risky for me ... is paying off. But I've still got 5 hours to race.
By the way ... no signs of rain, the skies keep brightly blue.
****************** December 12th UPDATE ******************
31th STINT - Laps 306 to 316 - 18:55 to 19:36
Lap 306 - I leave the pits and the first gap I see on screen is 50 seconds. Nice ...
Laps 307-314 - This is funny, if I'm not mistaken he did a 11-lap stint, only stopping in lap 314 (should be 313). Anyway, this time I actually gained on him, and before he pitted the gap was raised to 1'05
Lap 314 - The Audi pitted, and that gave me a temporary lead of 2'40, that lasted 2 laps.
Lap 316 - My turn to pit, again managing a 11-lap stint.
32nd STINT - Laps 317 to 326 - 19:36 to 20:14
Lap 317 - I leave the pits and the gap I see on screen is 1'25. I'm getting that comfy lead I so much wanted a few stints ago ...
Laps 317-325 - I'm amazed by this, but definitely the Audi is trying to do 11 lap stints also. Again, he lost time (maybe it was me pushing it also in this stint). And we end lap 325 with a gap around 1'30. After he pits, predictably, the gap mounts to 3'05
Lap 326 - It wasn't wise to try again the 11th lap, my rear left tyre was too worn out. So, I pitted at the end of the 10th lap.
33rd STINT - Laps 327 to 337 - 20:14 to 20:55
Lap 327 - I leave the pits and the gap I see on screen is 1'50!
Laps 327-336 - Again he does 11 laps!!! This time I didn't behave and so I lost nearly 20 seconds during these 10 laps. When he pits the gap was reduced to about 1'30 again. And again, for the last lap of this stint, the gap mounted to 3'05.
Lap 337 - I pitted. Not a good lap though, I had a costly spin at the Tertre Rouge corner. About 10 seconds lost there.
34th STINT - Laps 338 to 348 - 20:55 to 21:36
Lap 338 - I leave the pits and the gap I see on screen is 1'40 ...
Laps 338-347 - Same story, again the Audi did 11 laps. This time our gap was kept and I was more careful with the tyres. Audi pitted at the end of lap 347, gap mounted to a new record of 3'10!
Lap 348 - My turn to pit. Again not a good last lap for me, but with less than 2h30 to go I think I'm safe to win this one now
35th STINT - Laps 349 to 358 - 21:36 to 22:15
Lap 349 - I leave the pits and the first gap I see on screen is 1'50 seconds.
Laps 349-357 - Lost time in this stint but gap was kept above 1'30 until the Audi pitted, giving me a 3'00 lead.
Lap 358 -My turn to pit. I decided not to risk the 11th lap again, basically I'm now taking the car to the finish line, it'll take a catastrophe for me to lose this race now.
36th STINT - Laps 359 to 368 - 22:15 to 22:54
Lap 359 - Gap to Audi is 1'48.
Laps 359-367 - Good stint, before Audi pits gap was increased to 1'55. After he pits I'm almost one lap ahead (3'15), but then I pit too.
Lap 368 - Nearly ONE HOUR to go. Now I know that this race will go down to the record book of GT5 endurance racing as a 100% dry one.
37th STINT - Laps 369 to 378 - 22:54 to 23:33
Lap 369 - Gap to Audi is 2'05.
Laps 369-377 - I'm already waving to the crowd
funny that the Oreca Audi and the BMW caught me while having their own nice battle. I just followed them and watched them doing it. Audi recovered some 20 seconds in this stint, gap was reduced to 1'45 before he pitted in lap 377.Lap 378 - My turn to pit. Did my calculations and assumed the race would end by lap 376 or 377. Wasn't totally sure because (again) the "clock-bug" showed up. This time there was a "1 minute gap" between the race timer and the countdown timer. This one was exactly one minute ahead of the race timer so ...
... when race timer would reach at 23:59:00
... countdown timer would reach 0:00:00 although we were one minute short.
Anyway, just to be safe I added 70 liters of fuel.
38th STINT - Laps 379 to 387 - 23:33 to 24:00 (or was it 23:59
)Lap 379 - Gap to Audi is 2'00.
Laps 379-387 - Gap was again reduced a bit (lots of waving at the crowd here
) and went down to 1'50.Suddenly I got a litle nervous because I understood that the countdown timer reached ZERO when I was at the Porsche Curves, but the race clock was still at 23:59. And I thought that I could mess up the entire race by finishing it BEFORE 24:00 but AFTER the countdown had reached ZERO. You never know what kind of consequence a bug has ...
But indeed what happened was that at the end of lap 387 I crossed the S/F line at 23:59:20something and the race ended right there!!!
THE RACE IS OVER
***
THE WINNER IS
***
GTP_HUN
***
DRIVING THE BEAUTIFUL
***
MCLAREN F1 GTR LONG TAIL
***
LE MANS 24H WINNER AT LAST
CLOSING WORDS
Some people say this is THE endurance race, even within GT5's career. Som others say the Nurburgring race is THE one. I done both almost back-to-back, and I have to say they both stand out as two very different challenges.
It's hard to write in English precisely what I feel about both races, but I'll say this, and maybe some of you understand. Both races last 24 hours. But, pardon the stupid analogy, if the Nurburgring one is a Paris-Dakar Stage, lasting a full day, the Le Mans one is a complete leg of a WRC, also lasting a day, but much more "intense" in every corner, every slide, every braking, every accelerating.
At the Nurb we get more an "endurance" feel, and because of that we always think consistency over speed. The possibility of mistakes is much greater, but their consequence is much smaller (or so it seems). It's physically tiring to do this race, and we reach its end with a feeling of almost amazement like "Did I really do this? Wow, I can now say I belong to the "enduurance club"
At Le Mans, we don't get this. The track is much simpler, we don't have important elevations changes, we don't have so many corners, the laps are big but not HUGE. But this also makes for a different kind of mental attitude in this race.
Instead of the pleasure we get in The Nurburgring for doing a full section of corners like if we were sailing them, and feeling their flow, turning the wheel to one side, then the other, then again, and repeat, braking, accel, gear up, gear down, gear up, gear down ....
... We get a intense experience of starting each straighline section already anticipating how hard it will be to do the next corner with the required precision. Precision in the braking point (and how much to brake), in the turning point, in the apex-moment, in the back-to-throttle (and how much to press it) ... then repeat, while engaging all gears up to 6th because we are in a straight line again.
I say they are equally great races and both should be attempted by all here.
With this race I end my Endurance career. Until Spec x of GT5, or GT6, or some other worthy racing game replicates more or better races in this genre (Kaz, please please, create a Spa 6 hours/1000 Kms race
I started loving these races with the old Le Mans game (referred in this thread too) and, besides whatever useful info anyone wants to find from my reports, I only have one thing to say: If you love the challenge of endurance racing, try to use cars that get you in the race, and not outside. Game completion is fine, but is it worth the many boring hours of driving a Formula GT or a X2010/11 in races? Everyone is entitled to play the game as they want, but I think it's a waste that the fear of losing makes someone prefer boredom at the wheel or controller.
In this race I reached the first position almost half way into it (between hour 10 and 11). And afterwards I spent HOURS in battle, a couple of mistakes could mean I would lose the race the end. I managed to overcome all of it and I won the race. I'm glad I did, but I would have loved this race anyway.
As I did love my first try at the first endurance race I completed in this game (Tsukuba 4 Hours). A race I finished 2nd, but made a report of it and anyone that reads it will understand I loved that race.
But enough, I'll write no more about this
And finally now I hang my gloves.
Farewell, Long Tail, was nice to drive you to a Le Mans win. Was long ( pun intended
) due! 
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I had to fire every driving aid on to get it back to the pits lol.
