The El Capitan 200 final segment added

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vtec_guy

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THE​
EL Capitan 200!​
Race Writeup​
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------​

September 8th 2005: Pre-race research​

1. Planning the race.​
I've decided to A-Spec the El Capitan 200 endurance race. But I wanted to have a long challenging race with lots of battles for track position. So in order to find the perfect car for this race, I have to do a few race previews to see what kind of weight, power, and torque groups the competition fall into.
I've decided to watch 4 race previews and record every different car that I see each time. Then i'll work out the average power, weight and torque figures that I need to work off when setting up my car.

**WATCHES RACE PREVIEWS**​

2.Travelling to dealerships.​
Ok, after 4 race previews and a lot of fast jotting, I have collected 13 names. I now need to travel to the US for a pair of V10 powered venomous snakes, a 'Vette, and a supercharged Shelby, followed by visits to Italy for a German powered supercar, Korea for a 'Spirra', Germany for a Beamer and a Silver Arrow, and finally, sportscar mecca, my home country of Great Britain for an Elise, a couple of TVRs old and new, and a beefy old Aston.​

After travelling the world to collect the cars' statistics from their dealerships, I dusted off the old calculator and got to work on the figures I had to find out how fast my car will need to be, how heavy, and how much punch will the engine need to pack (torque).


3.Here's where it gets complicated.​
Average BHP: 392 Average KG: 1374 Average FtLb: 372​


Above are the average BHP, KG and FtLb figures I worked out using the info I collected on the cars earlier. But remember, the average is only the rough midpoint between the fastest, lightest car I recorded, and the slowest, heaviest car I recorded. So a car that matches these figures probably wouldnt be capable of getting 1st place.
This means I'd have to alter these figures slightly. My theory is that my car will be capable of a top 2 finish if it has either 60% more power than the average (10% more power than the fastest car). Or if it had up to 20% less weight than the average. I decided to choose handling over power, so i've decided to tune my car as close as possible to the 392BHP and 372FtLb averages. But try and strip my car out to up to %20 lighter than the average. Now, onto the next thing, still with me?
Now it's time to go car hunting! First of all i'll visit the used car dealership to see if there are any bargain specimens up for sale.


4.Which one do I choose?!?!​
After browsing for quite some time, i'd made a decision, the car of choice? A 1997 Toyota Supra RZ in Super Red IV. In stock form the torque figure was almost spot on, being just 50FtLb short of the average.​
img00007wz.jpg

I've driven and fine tuned many of the delectable 6 cylinder japanese sports cars before in GT4 and have learnt from experience that their engines have massive tuning potential, so I knew that reaching the 400BHP mark wouldnt be a problem. The car was only just too heavy for me to lighten it to the 1099 kilo mark (20% less than the average) but that should be balanced out by the expected increase of torque once I begin to tune it.
Now I just need to head down to the Toyota Racing Development garage tomorrow and pick up the parts I need.

Cya then!
vtec​
 
THE​
EL Capitan 200!​
Race Writeup​
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------​

September 9th 2005: Preparing the car​

1. 1 more day!!!
​
After paying a visit to Toyota Racing Development this morning, I had picked up and fitted a racing chip, racing intercooler, racing exhaust, and up to stage 3 weight reduction. Unfortunately, race restrictions say your car must be fitted with road or sports tires in order to compete. So I bought the best of what I had to work with, S3s.
I was considering also purchasing the fully customisable suspension service until I saw the new torque figure. After bolting on all those parts, the amount of torque had sky-rocketed. It now stood at 467FtLb, that's 95FtLb more than the average that I was aiming for.
Luckily, though, the stage 3 weight reduction left the car weighing 254 kilos over what I was aiming for (the average minus 20%) so it should counter out some of that extra torque I got from tuning.
​
2. Final preparations.

Me and the Supra were almost ready for the endurance race tomorrow. It was time for the final touches. A quick oil change left the Supra pushing out 390BHP, the perfect amount. I'm posting my current progress on GTP. Now I just need to chill out, adapt to the car, and wait for the big race tomorrow.​

Cya then!
vtec
 
lol all in good time. The brighton speed trials are tomorrow (brighton is my hometown) and im gona be there pretty much all day filming and getting pics for GTP. Ive got a whole load of vids and pics of events ive been to that i need to upload, ill get em up soon.

Oooops! drifted off topic a little there, Ill probably do the race today and write it all up over the weekend or just do it on sunday and write it up for the evening. Sorry about that, but you like it huh?

EDIT: Ok i've done the race, finished the write up and now I just need to get replay photos before I can post it all. I can tell you know it's a very exciting race and I included every exciting little detail. It should be up tonight if not early tomorrow morning.

This is GCSE C grade skills put to the test here, watch this space lol.
 
vtec_guy! Don't spoil this by tuning the Supra. From used stock form, only an oil change is needed to make this car capable of victory here. Keep the SM tyres on, enter/exit/re-enter the race about 5 - 7 times and you should come up with a lineup with the Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport (C4) as your closest competetion. It's a close, exciting race that involved taking the lead during the last couple of laps and a winning margin of about 13s. 200 A-Spec points not to mention 1/4million Cr and Minolta Toyota Prize car.
Look here for the field & result. ;)
Good luck whichever way you decide to try it. :cheers:
 
Hey, V-TEC Guy, 's Ed

I've done this race twice in the last few days (building up money for the Black Beauties...) using a brand new Honda NSX-R (in black, 'snice).

Like Smallhorses says, don't overdo the tuning. I had a BRILLIANT race (well the first half at least, eventually I overhauled him on pit strategy) against a surprisingly poky Lotus Elise Motorsport, AND I ONLY HAD 345BHP. 400bhp and you'll kill them.

The first race was a doddle, 'cos the Lotus wasn't there, but in the second, I really had to concentrate to catch him (made a bit of a booby on the first lap, putting me in a sandtrap somewhere, quite a good strategy if you want to be under pressure...), and once I passed him I had the devil of a job pulling away. You'd think you'd got rid of him, then suddenly BOOM, at the end of the straight, he'd be there, all green and ugly like some kind of four wheeled frog, in your mirror, doing the crappy AI thing -"I'll pass you in a sec, I've just got to boot you up the arse first..."

Honestly, all I had was stage 1, chip, stage 2 weight reduction (1117kg). I even left the std 'zorst on it, cos it sounds better. Oh and I did have a proper gearbox, clutch and flywheel, I find they feel pedestrian without. And a choice of sports tyres, hard and medium (gives you flexibility in the race).

It's very difficult to get a close endurance race - a second a lap over 60 laps is a minute's advantage at the end. If you're behind, you'll always be behind, to win you've got to be faster, that's what it comes down to in the end.

Enjoy it though, it's a great track. (figs: 345bhp, 1117kg, 276lb.ft)
 
I've already done the race and finished the writeup. Im just waiting ot upload the race photos to go with the writeup. The finished piece will be up at some point tomorrow. The car was a bit too fast for the competition but I still managed ot have an exciting race when i had ot plan my pit startegies in order to come in first. You'll see tomorrow, or if you dont mind having no pics then I can put it up right now.
 
I am waiting eagerly for the final pics and writeup. Myself, I used a TVR T350C (stock) and had a great, 198 a-spec point, race against the motorsport elise. Won by less than a lap which is pretty close by the standards of this game. Great write-up so far!
 
Thanks dude, ill try to get the pics up tonight. but if my sisters mp3 player isnt here, ill just upload the writeup for now and then add the pics later...
 
THE
EL Capitan 200!
Race Writeup
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


September 10th 2005: Race day!

1. Race Day!
​
I’ve just finished a15 minute test session with the car at El Capitan and it’s looking good! I’ve set the Anti Spin Mechanism (ASM) to 0 and turned the traction control (TCS) down to 4. The car is handling great through the corners and occasionally it likes to treat me with some sideways action over the crests and undulations of the course. What can I say? Lets Race!!
​


2. The Race Begins!
​
Here we go, just a matter of minutes until the race begins and the anticipation disappears. The grid is as follows:

1 TVR T350C ‘03

2 Shelby Series 1 Super Charged ‘03

3 Mercedes AMG SL65 ‘04

4 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 ‘00

5 Dodge Viper GTS ‘99

6 Toyota Supra RZ ‘97

I’ll report back on every pit stop. I’ve strapped my hydra pak (used for cycling) to the seat of my cockpit so I can drink while racing (pic below). Here we go, WISH ME LUCK!
​


3. Pit Stop 2
​
Wow this has been exciting. I span the wheels big time off the start line which postponed the overtaking process a little. I didn’t start overtaking until about half way round the first lap when I ran wide down the mountain descent and overtook the battling Viper and Corvette. With some clever use of throttle control I managed to beat the SL65 and T350C through the high-speed corners where a lift-off is usually compulsory if you don’t want to hit the wall.

So that just left the Shelby Series 1. That extra torque my car gained after tuning really began to show here. We both had similar straight-line speeds but as soon as we reached the end of a corner I was right on his ass. As many people know the AI in GT4 aren’t brilliant when it comes to professional overtaking manoeuvres so it took me a couple of laps to get past him. Up ‘til now I had just been taking it easy and trying to take clean smooth lines through each corner to avoid contact with other cars, but now, with the open road ahead of me and ages until I’d be lapping anyone I decided to really go for it!

My two left wheels ran over the sand on the high-speed left of turn 4 and threw me into a drift. I counter steered carefully and smoothly, lifted off the throttle, caught the drift and slammed my right foot back down, and then turn 5 was on me…

The Shelby was now 13 seconds behind me! Was this going to be another walk over endurance race? I was soon going to find out.



My first pit stop,

WHAT’S THAT?!?! I can hear a V10 wailing in the distance. I peered over the pit wall to just catch the Shelby screaming past me. I had no time for a pit report, I had to get back after him! He was 15 seconds ahead of me when I reached the end of the first sector, he didn’t pit for another 3 or 4 laps, but when he did, then I got my revenge.

…Out of the final corner, I caught the Shelby in the corner of my eyes as I flew past the pit lane entrance. Down goes the right foot again.

Over the next 5 laps I had opened up a whopping 22 second lead! But as I approached the last sequence of bends, the car started to let go in the corners. I looked at my tire heat indicator and they were a deep orange. So far I had been running on racing mediums, and since I had such a big lead on the Shelby, which appeared to be running on hard tires, I decided to go for racing softs to give the patriotic muscle car a pitting advantage. It seems as though I had misinterpreted what an endurance race should be like. It’s not all about constantly battling for track position. It’s about pit strategies, preserving your tires and getting just the right amount of fuel to last you to the next stop, it’s about ENDURING!

….pit speed limiter off….
​


4. Pit Stop 3.
​
I took it easy on the out lap from my second pit stop to let the Shelby catch up a little, since the timer was still showing it as being 23 seconds behind.

After lapping the AMG SL65, and some more unintentional drifting, I started to get trouble from the car when trying to take that first right kink flat out. On two occasions I clipped the bridge wall on the exit and sent myself into an uncontrollable spinning frenzy. Once I gained control I slowly began to push harder and harder again. By the time my tyres had worn their way back into that deep, glowing orange tone, the gap between me and the Shelby had narrowed it’s way down to just 15 seconds. I took the risk of driving on gripless tyres and pursued for 2 more laps until I opened up the gap to a healthy 19-second lead.

Some hesitation over tyre choice, and the refilling of my fuel tank cost me precious seconds this time. And then the thing I had been waiting for, that wailing supercharged American V10 screaming bye…. Lets go!
​


5. Pit Stop 4.
​
I’m now past the halfway point in the race. A couple of laps after my previous pit stop I was hunting down the SL65 again for another lapping. I exited the final corner about 2 car lengths away from him, so I hopped into his slipstream. As we came out onto the grid straight I noticed the Silver Arrow taking a rather strange line, on the right. But still, I sat their happily closing in on him in his slipstream…

But then, it occurred to me, HE’S PITTING! His brake lights came on and I swerved round to the left hand side and brushed side panels with him. I drove cautiously onwards…

A few laps later when a pit stop was almost due, a black car with white stripes caught my eye off in the distance. It was that infamous V10 snake, the Viper GTS!

Once I had caught right up with it and was on the verge of overtaking, my eyes drifted towards the horizon again, and there was yet another car. This time it was the bright yellow glow on the Chevrolet Corvette Z06. But unfortunately I had to pit. So I lifted off the throttle a little as I came out of the last corner and trailed the Viper into the pits. Wait, the Viper was pitting?! This was about to turn into a battle of the pit crews. It started to remind me of the famous pit lane battles that I always see when I watch the Australian V8 Touring Cars.

The tyres were changed, who’s jack would drop first? It was the Viper, closely followed by my Supra. Fortunately for me, my pit crew were nearer to the pit lane exit than the Viper’s so I didn’t fall behind him much at all. Once I exited the pits I got right on the Viper’s case. But once I reached the end of the first sector and the position board popped up (I use the simple view) I saw that I was in second place. That Shelby! I completely forgot!



Here we go again…
​


5. Pit Stop 4.
​
This is it, the final stop. From now on it’ll be one hard push towards the finish. On entering the pit lane I had a 49 second lead on the Shelby so this should be a simple clean run to the finish. Since the last stop I have lapped the T350C for the first time, the ‘Vette for the second time whilst it was pitting, and now I’ve got the SL65 to chase for it’s third lapping. The SL’s weight is really showing in this race (over 2 tonnes), but unfortunately it’s power isn’t (600BHP!). It just goes to show that power isn’t everything.

Not a lot else has happened since the last stop to be honest. The car’s holding in there very well. I haven’t had any problems since the turn 1 problem that I talked about in the 3rd pit stop report.

I’ve nearly gotten through the whole litre of water that I put in my Hydra Pak at the start of the race. It really does make endurance racing easier. Now the only reason I need to get out of the seat is to type up these reports. Anyway, my tires are changed; I have 3 little blocks left on the fuel meter. Hopefully that’ll last. See ya at the finish line for the race summary!
​


6. The Happy Ending.
​
After an emergency refuelling pit stop, 11 laps before the end of the race. And yet another SL65 lapping, I’ve reached the finish! It’s been an exciting race full of crashes, pit lane battles, drifts, and the ultimate battle of all, the Shelby Series 1 vs. the Toyota Supra. Who reigned overall? I’ll let the results board speak for me.
​
1. Toyota Supra RZ ‘ 97

2. Shelby Series 1 ‘03

3. TVR T350C ‘03

4. Chevrolet Corvette Z06 (C5) ‘00

5. Dodge Viper GTS ‘99

6. Mercedes AMG SL65 ‘04


​
Yes, I did it.

200 Miles in 2 hours, 11 minutes and 49 seconds. And the car didn’t miss a beat!

I never saw the Shelby ever again after that last pit stop report. Once I had really started to put my foot down at the end. I opened the gap up to 1 minute and 12 seconds!! I really enjoyed this race despite only ever really battling against one car. If this has perhaps inspired anyone to try this combo, I suggest you just get the sports exhaust for the Supra amongst all the other things I bought. That should keep it nice and competitive. But either way, I really enjoyed this race. I can safely say that it’s the best solo A-Spec endurance race I’ve ever done. I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I’ve enjoyed writing it.



Be sure to see another write up by me in the future when I get the time to A-Spec another one of GT4’s 200 mile races. This is vtec_guy signing off! :-P


​
 
I called my sister and shes staying at a friends house tonight so I cant use her mp3 player ot upload the photos today. So I decided to end the waiting and post the last section of the race write up and add the pics tomorrow or whenever I can get them up. The race was pretty easy as many of you predicted/knew. But I still enjoyed it and I hope you still find the writeup remotely exciting. Let me know what you think peeps.
 
NICE WRITE UP there vtec... Fun reading, musta been fun swapping places with the Shelby the whole way... Cool...

I have a fairly good competitor for this race too, I'll post a race report when I finally get round to doing it...
 
I'll look forward to it Vix, I found the 200 mile race to be the perfect length in order not to get bored. Ill probably do a write up on the New York 200 soon. It'll be cool describing the corners by their locations in the city.

btw I asked this in a thread a while ago but lost the thread, is that you in your avatar? :-P And do you have any pics of your RX2? I dont think i've seen one of those before.
 
Me too, I'll let you in on the secret a little... it's a Sileighty!!!

And the sexy arse, is not mine... Mine's similar, just not as ... ummmm, Tight, yeah, that's the word...!! :sly: 👍
 
wha? so your RX2 is really a Sileighty? I saw one of htem on Cardomain, they is lookin pimpin' (talking about the RX2).

And it's a pity about the arse, well, at least it's similar:D.
 
No no no!!!... hehehe

The Sileighty is the car I'm gonna use for the El Captain... Run's similar lap times to the Elise and pits on the same laps...

And yeah, the RX2 is pimping... Specially when it looks nothing like the STD one. (wide body kit for racing)...

I'm still trying to get pics of it, each time I take my camera to a race, something goes wrong :crazy: Not my luck... 1st time, I took pictures without my CF Card :(

Second time, I hadn't charged the batteries :yuck:

Guess it comes with being blonde... :indiff:
 
vtec_guy
lol cool, what colour is your RX2?

damn lesbians are cool!
Click to expand...

HEHE, atm, Any colour I want it (not painted yet) still Silver (metal colour) lol... I'll be painting it soon... Possibly Red...
 
Not bad!! But i wonder how you spin wheels with TCS at 4 (I only use that high a setting for 800bhp racing machines). As other people have said, more intense races can be had. I had a blue Motorsport Elise filling my mirrors for 11 nail-biting laps - even lost the lead once. But I held on for a minute advantage by pitting once less than the Elise during the race. 200 points and a Minolta :)
 
this is a very fun race to do. Not to menchine that you get the Minolta...ONE(hint hint) of the best cars in the game. It is definatly the first race of the enduros to do
 
Damn ViXeN you should have had him going! Said "Yeah, of course that's my arse!"
I was taking bets on how soon vtec_guy would have booked his Heathrow to Jo'burg ticket, if you had!!!!
Even if your bio would suggest absolutely no interest, except maybe a shared passion for GT4, he's still at that hormonally charged age!!! :lol:
 
:ill: REALLY???? hehehe YIKES!!!

hehe, I suppose I coulda led him on a little...

I'm still gut checking with the idea of posting my pic up here, not sure if I want to, but if I did... you could all judge for yourself... ;) :scared:
 
Smallhorses
Damn ViXeN you should have had him going! Said "Yeah, of course that's my arse!"
I was taking bets on how soon vtec_guy would have booked his Heathrow to Jo'burg ticket, if you had!!!!
Even if your bio would suggest absolutely no interest, except maybe a shared passion for GT4, he's still at that hormonally charged age!!! :lol:
Click to expand...

haha, if she did I would've happily gone along with it even if I knew it wasnt true.
 
Damn, Father Jack looks pretty damn scary, I don't think I'm quiet that scary... lol...

I had a bad experience once when posting my pic on the forum, some dude recognised me and well... Not COOL!!!
 

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