La Sarthe I 24 Hours (Almost All A-Spec)

I would have done a full, real time report of this, but because "B-Spec Dumb A**" couldn't handle it I had to do the entire 24hours of LeMans, on the newer couse with the chicanes on the back stretch, in A-Spec only (minus the two hours I b-spec'd at 1x and came back to find my 2:20.xxx minute lead had become a 2 lap defacite) I did it all in one sitting, and the race finished in 24 hours, 3 minutes. (real time)

Anyways, I started the race (in a-spec obviously) at 5:30pm with my AMG Mercedes CLK-GTR Race Car, stock with oil change, chasis stiffening, and Hard Racing Tires, 820bhp, for a 61 point race using my DFP. The race started out fine and competative, and I rode around in 3rd for a while behind the R92CP and R89C for the first few hours. I spent that time better learning the car and track and except for a spin on the first lap I was driving clean. The lead changed hands between the 3 of us 16 times in the first 40 minutes (all the replay would hold) I was running consistent 3:27.xxx lap times with a fastest of 3:25.6xx. The lead R92CP was running consistent 3:27.xxx laps with me pacing him.

At the 3 hour mark I wanted to build a lead so I could sleep and let b-spec take over for a few hours. I started running 3:25.xxx with 3:23.xxx as my best lap. Finally after 3 hours of pushing I had built a good 2 minute advantage over the R92CP. So when I pitted I swapped to b-spec, and set him on level 4, and let him go. Checked back on him a half hour later and he was running 3:33.xxx laps and 3:31.xxx is the best he could do. So I changed him to Medium tires and he started running 3:29.xxx, so I was happy and left to get dinner. Came home an hour later and he was 2 laps back and going off track in almoast every turn, not to mention that he was in 3rd place. On level 3 he was running 3:31.xxx on the same medium tires, and losing just as fast. So I came back, left the mediums on, and took over.

So an hour later I'm running consistent 3:21.xxx laps with a best of 3:18.437. After 3 pit cycles, (with hards every 8-9 laps, on mediums every 6 laps) I had gotten back to 2nd place, 3:15.xxx minutes behind (and gaining 3-5 secs every lap) So since I was losing out on pit stop frequency (R92CP every 7 laps) I changed back to hards and started fighting to keep control. (didn't help that the wheel was soaking wet and my hands were sliding all over the place) My laps fell to a completely incosistent mess, and I was not gaining or losing ground. Finally I got my act together and started pulling off 3:20.xxx laps and gaining again. I realized I could gain in 40 second gaps by him pitting twice to my one stop after every 8 pit cycles.

I cought him and the lead changed hands a good 20 or more times. As He was really fast down straight and slow in turns, and i was fast in turns but not down the straights. So I could never hold a lead as he would draft me and blow me out of the water down the straights. Also we were equal thruogh the last two sectors. Also again my tires would wear out badly while trying to pass so the "pit trapping manuever" (That's what I call him pitting more often than me and instantly losing 40 secs.) didn't work. I finally cleared him and pulled away. I notice I pull away quicker after I get a 30 sec lead. I dunno whether it was me going faster or him going slower, but it was obvious. I backed off a little to save tires and not pull away so I dropped my laps down to 3:25.xxx, and held my lead at 1 minute.

Just after the 19th hour I lapped the R89C and tried to pit in. HE HIT ME SO HARD AT PIT IN THAT I SPUN THROUGH THE PIT LANE AND COULD NOT GET MY CAR SERVICED!!!!!!! I ran out of gas half way round the next lap and my 1 minute lead instantly became a 3 minute defacite!!! It was a 2 min. 30 sec. defacite initially, but I was so ANGRY that I kept making mistakes and losing time.

I got my rythm back at around the middle of hour 20. Started pulling consistent 3:22.xxx and occasionally a 3:20.xxx My fastest with hard tires was 3:19.565 (I had a funny trap time of: 1:55.555 My arms were sore, my neck was cramped, my palms were sweaty, and I was starting to lose hope, but I kept pushing 110%, and gaining ground. I ran from hour 22 to the finish with out making any mistakes, while running laps at 3:21.xxx, and "pit trapped" him on lap 388. On lap 397 I short pitted, gaining 10 seconds, knowing that the race would end in less time than it takes to run a full fuel run. We traded the lead for a few laps and the 24 hour mark passed on lap 403 and checkered flag flew at 5:33pm, a day after it started, with me 11.9xx seconds ahead.

I WAS STOKED!!!!! 24 HOURS OF RACING AND IT CAME DOWN TO 11 SECONDS!!!!!! I seriously wouldn't have won if it weren't for pit strategy, AND the last two hours of perfect hot laps I put in.

During the whole race, 3,681 miles passed and I never felt like the car was fading. I had no "shutter", or jerking back and forth with the DFP down the straights (even at 234mph) and felt totally in control.

I found the best method for car setup for endurance is to set the car up BEFORE YOU REFRESH THE CHASIS. Think about it, if the car is drivable with a bad chasis, then it will be great with a good one. They set cars up in real life anticipating this, so why not in a sim game?

My Settings:
Tires: Racing Hard (R2) front and rear
Suspension:
Spring rate: front-9.0; rear-8.0
Shocks: bound: front-7; rear-6. rebound: front-6; rear-7
Toe: front- (+2); rear- (-2)
Aids:
ASM: over-0; under-0
TCS: level 2
LSD:
Initial-10; Accel-30; Decel-30
That's all I changed. Everything else is default setup.

Today, (a day later) my arms hurt like hell, and I just got over some Carpel Tunnel I had in my left ring finger.

This is long so please do not quote all of it.

Nice write up 👍 Sounded like an exciting race. When I get my DFp (sometime this week hopefully) I'll have to try this. Once again good write up 👍

OUTSTANDING rsmithdrift!!!

GREAT Write-Up of a GREAT Race!!! That's all we can ask for! 👍 Keep 'em Coming!...O.G.

Hey no prob you guys. Thanks for the comments. My arms still hurt from it. I just had to tell someone what a exciting race that was. I still can't believe I did it. Nor can I believe how much fun an endurance race can be. (this was my first) Also, the fact that it was such a workout amazes me. Who knew a video game could be so tireing? Anyways I'm doing another endurance this weekend, so if it's good I'll post how it went. Again thanks guys.

Man as soon as I get a dfp i'll make my last enduro on la sarthe. all those write-ups make me wanna race but with a ds2 it wouldn't as fun .

I edited. I forgot to add the changes to driving aids. ASM turned off and TCS on level 2. I started the race the first time at 5:00pm with TCS off but after 5 laps I realized that it just wasn't going to work and that they used TCS in real life so I quit and restarted with TCS on 2 and it made a huge difference in consistency and tire wear.

DON'T DOWNPLAY TCS. THERE'S A REASON THEY WERE ALOWED TO USE IT. You try driving a 900bhp car for 24 hours w/o it and see if you make it. That's why the newer cars that aren't allowed to have it are limited to 600bhp.

Congratulations on your amazingly close win. Excellent write-up. Reads just like a real endurance race, where stuff happens but you keep your head down and keep working to that 24th hour.

Nice to read a write-up from someone who doesn't need the Minolta Toyota with stage 4 turbo to win.

Congratulations again. Well deserved.

Indeed a very nice write up. I've done the GTWC with this thing stock (power AND settings (unlike what you did with settings)) and won 9 out of 10 races. This car IS capable to do things like this, unlike most people said.

I still need motivation to star playing GT4 again and when I do that, I'll try to win the McLaren, because I think that car is good enough to win with it, but since I haven't tested it so far, I can'r be sure about that yet.

Hey every one.

I'm new to this forum, but certainly not new to the game.
I was wondering what DFP is?
and Rsmithdrift talked about sleeping whilst putting the game on B-spec mode, whenever i use B-spec it performs so badly that i change back to A-spec otherwise i'll lose time and places, I'm 1 hour and five minutes in, driving my pescarolo C60 playstation courage, im in the lead by around 2 minutes ten seconds and rising, but im getting pretty tired and my eyes are killing me i too need to get to sleep. How did You set up your B-spec manager system thing?

Thanks.

Ollie

Hiya Ollie: 👍 WELCOME to the GTP Forums!
"DFP" = Driving Force Pro...the wheel designed by Logitech for GT4.
As to your B-Spec dilemma...you can switch over at any Pit Stop...Under "Tire" & "Fuel" there's another button. If you don't have a lot of B-Spec points do NOT set his speed above "3" + don't forget to set him to "Overtake!" (This menu will pop up as you leave the Pits.) Good Luck...O.G.

Thanks alot old geezer. 👍

One more thing, when in B-spec mode and you enter the pits that little box comes up and asks if you want x tyres or refuel. how do you disable it, or bipass it? because otherwise it doesn't go away and you just sit in the pits.


thanks.

after a couple of seconds it will go away and your pit crew will make the changes

dam, took me 5 days to do the Nurburgring race, i did it with Pescarolo cause i want to use the same car for all 3 of the 24 hour races.

Olliebucknollie

Hey every one.

and Rsmithdrift talked about sleeping whilst putting the game on B-spec mode, whenever i use B-spec it performs so badly that i change back to A-spec otherwise i'll lose time and places, I'm 1 hour and five minutes in, driving my pescarolo C60 playstation courage, im in the lead by around 2 minutes ten seconds and rising, but im getting pretty tired and my eyes are killing me i too need to get to sleep. How did You set up your B-spec manager system thing?

Thanks.

Ollie

Click to expand...

Hey, dude, WELCOME!!!

Erm, like I said, I only had him on B-Spec for 2 hours and didn't get to sleep in that time. I was planning on letting him b-spec it overnight. BUT, he was so slow that after those 2 hours he lost 2 laps. So I had to finish it up. He did moderately well if I kept changing his pace around the track monitored his pit stops and etc. SOON AS I LEFT HE COULDN'T STAY ON TRACK OR DO ANYTHING. He does best for me if I have him on Medium tires, level 3 in the first chicane, level 4 everywhere else until the last sector that I do on level 5.

thanks for the help

beautiful write up..i had a similar battle like u with my McLaren F1 GTR