ShmoGT / Pagani Zonda R '09
http://www.teamshmo.com/Tunes/Pagani/race/Pagani-Zonda-R-'09.php
Stage 1: Stock Model
716hp@7.5, 1070kg, 646pp @ 0.0 miles
Drivetrain: MR
Weight Distribution: 46/54
(Why do some cars list a Brake Balance Controller in their parts list when all cars have them in GT5?)
Painted (Ferrari) Verde. For some reason, like the Caterham, the wheels on this car cannot be changed or painted. Bummer.
Standard Setup
Sports Soft tyres (as per the tune, the car comes stock with Racing Hards.)
Trial Mountain (Reverse):
It is most definitely a rear heavy car, it is a MR after all. But the downforce makes corner entrance very sharp (very un-MR like), but in corner exit I can feel the heavy back end respond to throttle to keep it down. Before I feed it too much and recovery becomes unmanageable. It is very easy to get this car sideways toward the exit of a corner.
Eight laps later: ok, now I get it. This car is much more like a YellowBird than a Garaiya. The throttle isn't just delicate and enough to send the car sideways on any corner. It can quickly overheat the tyres (almost always the rear) on an even relatively short corner. What was smooth and consistent throttle at the beginning of the corner can quickly overheat the tyres by the end of the corner.
If the car does start to go sideways, gently, Gently! I lift my foot just a smidge and use the steering to correct any slip. I found that any use of the throttle, besides that slight lift, will send the car into an unrecoverable spin. I have to wait until after a recovery when the car is fully stable and straight before throttling up.
I honestly didn't expect such character from a stock supercar. Pedal steering (both brake and throttle) plays an important role is steering. Cool.
The tyres don't last long. Eight laps of hot lapping is too much. Lol. Still, the rear tyres still perform when only 3/4 of the "life" is left. At least it is as easy to feel the limit with 100% as with 75% rear tyre life.
The breaks are wonderful. Very short stopping distance for the speed this car performs at. Trail-braking is likewise easy at high speeds.
Deep Forest: 1:13.789
Some how very predictable and unwieldy at the same time.
The c'e slaloms make any corrections to the car devastating. By the time I correct the problem (almost always over throttling). I'm way off my line and second behind my ghost.
Now that I understand the car better after TMr I'm not so much spinning out as losing my line, despite the influence of the c'e corners.
Turn-in is precise, even with pedal steering. Mid-corner is heavily influenced by turn-in and tyre heat needs to be balanced by throttle steering (keeping the rear planted). Corner exit is again the problem child. The longer I spend on a track the better I know the correct speeds for each corner and the better I can keep the car just below its limit.
If I spent hours I would be able to keep the car at its limit instead of just below. But, hay, I'm no alien.
Autumn Ring: 1:17.452
I was able to up my ghost by 0.5sec by the first T line but couldn't maintain it. This car is surprisingly agile and quick as long as I don't get throttle happy.
The car likes to enter a corner hot and use trail-braking to rotate around the tighter U corners. On my best lap I was able to slide smoothly into the cars throttle attitude on entry and maintain the same angle through a late apex on through to full throttle on exit. While in mid-corner the front tyres seemed to heat evenly and slowly up to a nice almost pink, white hot.
The slaloms is another story. The chaos that this car is capable of must be tamed through these quick movements. Only on the triple right apex at the end can I get anywhere near applying throttle for speed.
This car feels well balanced between refining my line lap after lap and keeping on the line and in control.
Cape Ring Full: 2:34.174
It took me a couple of restarts (something I don't usually do) before I got a clean sporting lap. Then I decided to push it and try for an alien time. It took me three laps. On the second lap, as I crashed, I learned the secret: brake control. Instead of my usual quick on and off, but as smooth as possible use of the brake I found that the car favored a faster application and slower lift-off. I shaved 3.3 seconds on that alone.
This is an excellent mid-speed track for this car. Most of the corners bring out the cars attitude.
All-in-all: A very accurate, massively overpowered, slightly rear heavy supercar with alot of personality.