Showdown at Laguna Seca

My first write-up....

Laguna Seca 200 Miles

Laguna Seca is above and beyond my most favourite track in GT4. I love how deceptive the corners are. They appear to be fast, sweeping corners; when in fact, they are much slower.

In choosing a car for this race, I simply picked the car I was having the most fun with at the time. I never really tried to match it up to the field. After exhausting myself successfully through the F1 Championship, I took my lucrative financial position (4.4M in earnings – lost badly at the ‘Ring) on a shopping spree. I purchased everything from a MG TF 160 ’03 to a BMW M5 ’05. The crown jewel of my purchases arose out of my obsessive testing of each of my new cars. The HKS Genki Hyper Silvia RS2 (D1GP) ’04 was an absolute blast to drive. It was quick and agile, and I absolutely loved how it slides through the turns.

I grabbed the keys to my HKS Silvia and drove on down to my favourite track to match it up against the big American boys. The field consisted in running order:

1. Chevrolet Camaro SS ‘00
2. Saleen S7 ‘02
3. Ford GT ‘05
4. Pontiac GTO 5.7 Coupe ‘04
5. Chevrolet Corvette Z06 (C5) ‘00
6. HKS Genki Hyper Silvia RS2 (D1GP) ‘04

I entered the race with the car untouched from HKS, right off the showroom floor with red and yellow rimmed S3 tires and all.

Notes: Lead/Behind times coming into the pits are taken from the 3rd stage split time, while Lead/Behind times coming out of the pits are taken from the 1st stage split time (I did not use the Start/Finish line as that would skew results with cars still in the pit lane at that time)

Lap 1

One of the most important laps of the race, this is where I get a feel for the competition. It is quite apparent by the time I hit the corkscrew that my main counterparts are going to be the Saleen S7 and the Ford GT. They are currently running 1-2 with myself in 4th place. At the final hairpin I am able to swing inside on both cars and take the lead. I take off into the distance and start accumulating a comfortable lead.

Lap 10

Due to the wear and tear of my tires, it appears that my pitting strategy will be every 10 laps. That leaves me with 8 pit stops. Currently, I am unaware of the pitting strategy of my rivals. I entered into the pits with an 18 second lead on the Saleen S7. I’ve decided to take 4 fresh tires and leave out the gas. I exit the pits in 3rd place 10 seconds behind the S7. The next few laps I make very little progress as I am on cold tires and it appears that the S7 and Ford GT are flying on warm tires

Lap 16

The Ford GT takes his first pit stop and I move into 2nd place. This puts him on a 16-lap strategy, scheduling him 5 pit stops throughout the race. That means 3 less than the HKS. I will be in tough making up that extra time.

Lap 20

Second pit stop. I have used the last 4 laps to put some distance between myself and the Ford GT. By the time I exit the pits, I am clinging on to 2nd place. I now have a 30 second gap between myself and the first place S7. The S7 has yet to pit. At this point, I am unsure if I will be able to win simply based on pitting strategy.

Lap 22

The S7 finally pits. A 22-lap strategy leaves on 3 more pit stops for the S7, 4 less than my strategy. At this point, I pass him while he’s leaving his pit stall and I have a 7 second lead on the Ford GT.

Lap 22-29

Now in first place since I lost the lead on my lap 10 pit stop. I now realize the importance of increasing my lead while I have the opportunity. Simply maintaining pace will not amount to a victory. I must overcome my extra pit stops.

Lap 30

I move in for my 3rd pit stop. I am 17 seconds ahead of the Ford GT. I take some fuel and tires and head back out for Lap 31 11 seconds behind the Ford GT. It appears that the S7 has fallen behind a little bit in 3rd place.

Lap 32

The leader, Ford GT, takes his 2nd pit stop. I was not able to gain any time on laps 31 or 32 with my cold tires. The Ford’s pit stop shuffles the field putting the HKS in 1st place 16 seconds ahead of the S7, while the Ford GT slips to 3rd.

Lap 30-37

I slowly increase my lead lap by lap consistently putting up low 1’29.xxx laps. This has given me a 28 second lead. On lap 37 I record my first fast lap at 1’28.597. I have made my second primary objective of the race to get under 1’28.000.
Lap 40

I make my 4th pit stop with a 34 second lead. At this point I have made 4 pit stops, the Ford GT – 2 pit stops, and the S7 – 1 pit stop. I exit the pits with an 8 second lead on the S7. This is the first time I’ve entered and exited the pits with the lead. I am starting to believe that I can win this race despite my pitting strategy.

Lap 44

I record a new fast lap at 1’28.567 chipping of 3 hundredths of a second. At the end of Lap 44 the 2nd place S7 takes his 2nd pit stop. He was 18 seconds behind the HKS at this point. His pit stop allows the Ford GT to move up into the 2nd spot 20 seconds behind the HKS.

Lap 48

The Ford GT takes his 3rd pit stop. He enters the pits 26 seconds behind the HKS. Remarkably the Ford GT exits the pits still in 2nd place, 54 seconds back. What has happened to the S7?

Lap 50

Making my way around the track for my final lap before my 5th pit stop, the HKS spins out at the top of the corkscrew with a 59 second lead. By the time I make it to the pits my lead has fallen to 55 seconds. Will those 4 seconds cost me? I exit the pits to begin lap 51 with a 29 second lead on the Ford GT. There is still no sign of the S7.

Lap 54

I record a new fast at 1’28.387. I am starting to make some progress on a sub-1’28.000

Lap 60

On this lap as I reached the corkscrew, I approached it much more gingerly. I made it through the corkscrew fine, however I was much slower than in prior laps. However, in the previous 10 laps I was able to consistently race laps in the high 1’28.xxx’s. This is a good improvement on the low 1’29.xxx’s from earlier in the race. At the time of my pitstop the HKS was 46 seconds up on the Ford GT. My pit crew made a serious mistake accidentally topping up my gas to the full load as opposed to the usual 50 litres. This mistake costs me around 4 seconds. That is now 8 seconds of lost time. I am already handicapped due to the pit stops. I can’t afford any more lost time. Fortunately, I leave the pits with a 15 second lead on the Ford GT and knowing the Ford GT will pit on lap 64.

Lap 64

To no one’s surprise, the Ford GT pits while behind 18 seconds to the HKS. The S7 resurfaces to the competition moving into 2nd place 44 seconds behind the HKS. The Ford GT has slipped to 3rd.

Lap 67

The second place S7 pits. This is unusual, as the S7 had been pitting every 22 laps. Does this mean he won’t have to pit again? That would leave the S7 with only 3 pit stops to my 8. At the time of the pit stop, the I am holding a 55 second lead. The Ford GT moves into 2nd, 1 minute behind the HKS.

Lap 69

Unbelievably I have lapped the S7. He has really fallen off the pace and appears destined for a guaranteed 3rd place finish.

Lap 70

I make my 7th pit stop with a 1’04 lead on the Ford GT. While in the pits, the S7 unlaps himself. I have made it my third objective to lap the S7. I leave the pits with a comfortable 36 second lead knowing that myself and the Ford GT both have one pit stop left – Lap 80. I am officially in control of the race.

Lap 74

With my big lead in tact, I decide that I am going to really push for my sub-1’28 lap. I braked late on one turn and I slid hard into the dirt. This mental error cost another 6 seconds.

Lap 76

I am inching closer to 1’28. I record a new fast lap of 1’28.082. Only 8 hundredths of a second to go!

Lap 77

I fly down the straightaway quickly approaching the S7 and Corvette. The S7 is battling the Corvette in an attempt to lap him. The S7 makes a move inside. I decide that I will join the battle and made a move outside the Corvette. The Corvette slides to the right in preparation for the 1st turn hairpin. I run out of road and end up sliding off the track. I recover, and by turn 5 I have passed the Corvette and lapped the S7.

Lap 79

The Ford GT makes an unexpected pit stop 1 lap early. At that time he is 47 seconds behind the HKS.

Lap 80

While the Ford is pitting on his 79th lap, I am making my way around the track on bald back tires. I approach the daunting corkscrew attempting to lap the Camaro SS in the process. I brake far too late and slide right into the wall. By the time I reverse and get back on course, I have lost 8 seconds. That is a grand total 22 seconds lost on mental errors. The Ford GT exits the pits, at this time I am entering the pits. My temporary lead is 1:15, while my exit lead time is 43 seconds. With 10 laps to go and a 43 second cushion, I decided the next 10 laps will be focused on my sub 1’28.000 lap goal.

Lap 82

I successfully knock off 4hundredths of a second on my lap to clock a 1’28.047 time. Can I push the HKS under 1’28??

Lap 87

Objective 2 – Mission Accomplished. I ripped around the track at a 1’27.965 time. A truly spectacular lap.

Lap 90

Objective 3 – Mission Accomplished. On the last hairpin, I slipped inside the S7 Saleen to put him 1 lap down once and for all.

End

Objective 1 – Mission Accomplished! I win the race with a 1’07 lead on the Ford GT.


Total Time – 2:18’40.980
Fast Lap – 1’27.965 (Lap 87)
A-Spec Points – 46

Interesting format: strictly down-to-business. I supose that body-kitted Japeniese car stuck out like a sore thumb in a field of Americans? Was it fun?

Great write up with lots of good info on lap times and pit schedules.

nice! i like the format you wrote it in i have yet to try the LaGuna Seca 200.....maybe this weekend once i finish the F1 series....currently on race 10/15 and doing one per day.....

I did Laguna this weekend as well, however you did it in a more fashionable manner. I used the Jaguar race car you win from one of the european championships. I was able to break 1:27 a couple of times but obviously I had way more hp than you. Great job and good writeup.

Thanks guys...It was an absolute blast to drive...most fun I've had in an enduro race

I just B-Specced this race with the Audi Lemans Quattro running stock, save for R1's all around. II had the same field except a Shelby Series 1 replaced the Vette. After a few laps, the running order was:

1st-S7
2nd-GT
3rd-LM Quattro (Bob)
4th-Series 1
5th-Camaro SS
6th-GTO

B-Spec Bob held at a ten second deficit until the GT pitted on lap 16. He then moved up to second. The pit light went on at lap 18, but I wanted to see if I could match the Saleen's pit schedule. I remembered from this write-up that it slackened later, but I couldn't reme,ber the pit strategy. I ended up letting Bob pit on lap 20, relinquishing second place. He left pit lane 32 seconds behing the S7. On lap 22, the S7 pitted, allowing Bob and the GT to each move up a spot. Nothing happened in the top three until the GT pitted on lap 32, moving Bob up to first and the S7 up to second. Bob pitted on lap 38 this time through, figuring it wasn't worth it to stay out. Bob leaves the pits in third again. On lap 44, the S7 pits, moving back to third. Just as what happened to mymkovski, the S7 was a non-factor after its second pit stop. Halfway through the race, the order is:

1st-GT
2nd-LM Quattro (Bob) approx. +15 sec.
3rd-S7
4th-Series 1
5th-Camaro SS
6th-GTO

The GT, as expected, pits on lap 48, and Bob grabs the lead. He spread the gap to about ten seconds before pitting on lap 57. Once again, he loses the lead, but, once again, takes it back on lap 64 when the GT pits for the fourth time. Now the scary part. On lap 72, four laps before I expect to pit for the last time, with a twenty second lead, Bob inexpicably spins out in Turn 3. He had not gone off the track at that turn once, and he proceeded to lose twelve seconds off his lead. However, he pitted on lap 76 as planned without any further miscues. The GT took the lead as a result of the pit, but pitted for the last time on lap 80. As Bob rounded the hairpin on lap 81, the GT pulled out right in front of him! NOOOOOOOO!!!!! Fortunately, with the GT on clod tires, Bob passed him easily and ran the rest of the race without incident. Final order:

1st-LM Quattro (Bob); approx. 2:19'30
2nd-GT; approx +12 sec.
3rd-S7; unknown
4th-Series 1; +1 lap
5th-Camaro SS; +3 laps
6th-GTO; +6 laps

Bob is now 9 for 9 on enduros! Hi-five! 👍

nice write up style for such a long race. compact yet still a good read
well done

Nice write-up, just the highlights, flows well and exciting to read 👍

Heh, and I used Renault 5 Maxi Turbo Rally Car to conquer whole lacuna seca

nicely done!!!!! its not too long nor too short,

Hey thanks guys...nice to see my thread revived after a few weeks of my accomplishment.

Hope to write up another one in a similar format in the near future. Quite possibily the 4h Roadster race or the 1000km Suzuka race. Haven't decided yet.