Japan Championship in a stock Honda S2000 Type V '00!

I've always liked the S2000s in the GT series, they're a good "Giant-killer" car. Surprisingly quick, even though they've less power than the 276HP "Gentleman's agreement" cars like the Supra, Skylines, Evos, Imprezas & NSXs. Ever since I ran Trial Mountain 2hr Enduro in GT3 in an S2000 against an NSX, and won by 2.3s , I've had the S2000 bug!

*edit* I lied, just realised my 1st GT4 S2000 experience is the replay I submitted to join the Clean Racers Coalition! You can find it here! Sorry!

Here, is my second GT4 S2000 experience!

And now for the 3rd!......

Japan Championship.

Car: Honda S2000 Type V '00 (6.2 mile used, oil changed) / FR / 256HP / 1260kg / 4.92kg/HP / Stock SM tyres.

Race 1. Fuji Speedway 90's. (200 A-spec points)

Qualified 1st, 1'46.829 lap.

Start from pole position, ahead of a field of modified 4WD monsters , a Subaru Impreza Sedan WRX STi '02 tapping 432HP, a Nissan Skyline V-Spec II '00 sourcing 405HP, a Subaru Legacy B4 2.0GT '03 showing 414HP, a Mitsubishi Evo VIII RS '03 displaying 411HP, and a Mitsubishi 3000GT VR-4 '98 laying down 407HP, giving away about 150-170HP to the rest of the field, and without the launching traction of 4WD, I know I'm going to get smoked from the start, and fully expect to get shunted by one or more of them as I get away!
Somehow, miraculously, shunting is avoided , the Skyline behind me on the grid lunges forward, but has the sense to back off again before he makes contact. The Subaru beside me and the one behind him take off sweetly, as expected from the 2 most powerful cars on the grid , and we head down to the 1st turn, with me in 3rd place. The Legacy doesn't do turn 1 well, sliding out at the 1st apex and then wiggling all over the road trying to correct it, I see the gap and go for the move around the outside of the 2nd apex, using all of the curb on the left. I nearly make it cleanly, but the more powerful Legacy has managed to straighten up, and in blissful ignorance of the fact that I'm alongside him, attempts to pull back onto the "AI" line . Back off a little to avoid too much paint scraping and he pulls ahead, still pulling across and almost forcing me off the track, as if I'm not actually there! There's a shower of sparks from the back of the S2000 as the muffler grounds out on the rumble strip! He's passed entering the sweeping right hander, and I pull away down the hill, keeping my position under braking for the tighter left hander, and gaining a little on the leading Impreza. The guy in the Legacy clearly has no mirrors, and no depth perception , as he tags my back end before we brake for the right, left, right flick before the looping turn out onto the mainstraight again. Cleanly negotiate the turns, and gain the distance that the Impreza was able to pull away on the fast section, and follow him to complete the lap, as he uses his massive power advantage to pull away.

Lap 1 Splits:- +1.8s to Impreza, in 3rd place at T1. +0.8s to Impreza, in 2nd place at T2. +0.8s to Impreza, in 2nd place at T3. Lap of 1'50.702 sees me +2.001s behind Impreza, holding 2nd place at the end of the lap.

Learning from the Legacy's inability to see me, I'm watching for him in my mirrors this time, since a nudge down the mainstraight can be catastrophic, (as I found out the 1st time I attempted this race, and the Legacy caught me in such a way that I wound up spinning across the pit exit, and ended up parked backwards in the gravel trap outside turn 1! 🤬 ) and I manage to get out of his way as he comes marauding up behind me. We're only just short of the braking area for turn 1, so I see no harm in letting him go, since I know I'll get him again under braking. It's a beautiful clean move, and too quick for him to employ any of his previous attempts to run me off the road. I've also caught the Impreza enormously in the entrance to this turn. He pulls away for a while towards T1, but I catch up a lot through the turns before T2. Out onto the fast section at the back he storms away again, only to be caught again in the turns before T3 and the chase begins again! I'm close enough to catch a bit of his draft before his raw power pulls him away. 👍

Lap 2 Splits:- +1.3s to Impreza, in 2nd place at T1. +0.27s to Impreza, in 2nd place at T2. +0.38s to Impreza, in 2nd place at T3. Lap of 1'45.845 gives a +1.075s gap to the Impreza at the end of the lap.

I'm far enough ahead of the blind Legacy now not to have to worry about him catching me, but I keep one eye on the mirror just in case! Approaching turn 1, the Impreza brakes way too early , and in a repeat of the move I put on the Legacy at the beginning of the previous lap, he's cleanly passed and reliquishes top spot, although in a very similar manner to the Legacy he chose's to ignore the fact that I'm nosing ahead of him, & on the racing line and pulls over into the side of the S2000, forcing me further onto the kerbs and back down to 2nd place! He pulls away like nothing has happened, although I'm a lot closer to him at T1 this time round. Out of the bend after T1, he gets wiggly and I slip alongside while he tries in vain to slam the door on me, there's the briefest of contacts, but he's already braking for the sweeper, which I dive into with barely a touch of the brakes and feather the throttle to guide me around safely. The Impreza begins to make a lunge down the hill, but thinks better of it in time to get on the brakes for the sharp lefthander. I pass through a checkpoint in the lead for the first time. He gains in the fast section, and loses it, and a little more before T3. Keep a close eye on the mirror down the straight as he gains hand-over-fist on me, and make sure he's going to pass me rather than ramming me. He's practically alongside, on my right, as we cross the line.

Lap 3 Splits:- +0.57s to Impreza, in 2nd place at T1. -1.3s to Impreza, in 1st place at T2. -1.4s to Impreza, in 1st place at T3. Lap of 1'45.801 gives a -0.116s gap to 2nd placed Impreza at the end of the lap.

I'm marginally 1st as the lap begins, but it's immediately down to 2nd as the Impreza surges past. 👎 Despite his willingness to shunt me, I'm trying my best to avoid contact with him, and try to keep out of his way, knowing I have the braking advantage at the end of the straight. His brake lights come on as soon as he sees the 200m marker, but I leave it later, almost at the 150m mark before my brake pedal is touched. It's a flawless move , and this time the Impreza is no where near able to cut back into me. Steam off towards T1, but he's gaining quickly on the straighter part. Clean lines, up to T2 allow me some breathing space before the Impreza gets his chance to close up on the untwisty section. I'm clean, but disappointingly slow through the chicane on this lap , and the Impreza gains more than his fair share. Once again I'm paying close attention to the mirrors for the approaching Impreza down the straight, and once again he catches me.

Lap 4 Splits:- -1.2s to Impreza, in 1st place at T1. -2.4s to Impreza, in 1st place at T2. -2.0s to Impreza, in 1st place at T3. Lap of 1'46.199 gives a lead of -0.360s at the end of the lap.

I edge right slightly as I see him approach on my left this time, once again gentlemanly avoiding blocking or contact, and again 1st place is relinquished just 4s into lap 5. The same old story at turn 1 again, he's braking at the 200m mark and I pass on his right, braking just before 150m marker, and pull away cleanly towards T1. He's too far back to make an impression, and I pull away in the twisty section before T2 again. Get the chicane right this time, and the gap remains constant at T3, the Impreza losing what time he gained in the fast section. Now it's nail biting time to the finish line!

Lap 5 Splits:- -1.0s to Impreza, in 1st place at T1. -2.4s to Impreza, in 1st place at T2. -2.4s to Impreza, in 1st place at T3. A fastest lap of 1'45.533 seals the win, -0.887s ahead of the rapidly advancing Impreza, which then rams the back of the S2000, which is now under AI control and not smart enough to get out of its way!

An excellent race, excluding Amoebic Intelligence induced contact it's clean by OLR standards, 2 wheels on track at all times. If only PD has made the AI able to react properly to cars being next to them, rather than their ridiculous need to get back in their "slot" however and as quickly as they can after a bend . It should be possible to keep this 100% clean, but it'll require a lot of mirror watching and time-costly AI dodging manouevers to avoid them driving into the back of you!

4 more races to come.....

And for those of you who'd rather watch than read, here's the replay. NTSC MAX Drive format.... I'll be attaching the race replays for each race.

Hmmm. The server issues appear to be stopping uploads at the moment. I'll try again later!

*edit* Now got the replay uploaded. Enjoy! Used Photomode for the 1st time, to take a picture of the Impreza and S2000 side by side at the finish line on the 2nd lap, but now I can't transfer it off the memory card into the MAX drive. Photomode is confirmed as useless! I know, it's the MAX Drive's fault really, but still annoying!

Race 2 replay is also attached. The race report for Race 2 is here!

Race 3 replay now attached. The race report for Race 3 is here!

Race 4 replay now attached. The race report for Race 4 is here!

Race 5 replay now attached. The race report for Race 5 is here!

Congratulations, Smallhorses! that's one hell of a race!
Also has got to be the best, most detailed write-up of a race I read to this day! It is a shame about the AI in GT4 (kinda resembles PS1 physics) but don't worry about it (as best you can)... they do that to me plenty, its one of the things that makes 200Point races so hard!
good luck with the rest of the races!

Fantastic write-up Smallhorses! 👍 Will be looking forward to the next ones! Have lately been trying to re-do many races (mostly endurances so far) with 200 a-spec points. This one is definately on my to-do list now! Good job!

Cheers!

This is one of my favourite series in GT4. I thought I was doing a good job when I completed it in a 310hp 300zx. 👍 for doing it with less, and in a stock car on top of that.

Good luck with the Twin Ring Motegi race. That was by far the tightest finish for me the last time through (my race log says I won by 0.134s with an NSX S Zero and RX7 Spirit R in the field)

Thanks, guys.
@ LeadSlead#2, it was your entry in the stock RX-7 that prompted me to try this out in something this low on power compared to the AI! And I noted that you were able to do it against a complete lineup of 4WDs.

@ Boundary Layer, I'll look forward to the Motegi race then, and I have to admit as I said above, that I did try to avoid the NSXs and the RX-7 Spirit, since I'd tried qualifying with them in the field, and the S2000 just isn't going to hang with them while they're modified, if they were stock, maybe!

Good luck Smallhorses. I always knew the Japan cup was conspiring against me, when I lost it in a Acura NSX.

Smallhorses, I think I tried it with an S2000 and lost, so massive props and free beer for you! there, a six pack!

Wow, great job with the race and writeup! I wish i could drive anywhere near as well as you! Good luck with the next races!

Japan Championship.

Car: Honda S2000 Type V '00 (6.2 mile used, oil changed) / FR / 256HP / 1260kg / 4.92kg/HP / Stock SM tyres.

Race 2. Tsukuba. (200 A-spec points)

Qualified 1st, 1'05.350 lap.

This time out, the Mitsubishi Evo VIII RS '03 splits the Subarus at the start(Impreza starts 2nd, the Legacy 4th), and the Nissan Skyline V-Spec II '00 starts 5th, while the other Mitsubishi remains at the back of the pack.
The rolling start is advantage to me here, since I'm not squandering the qualification time due to lack of traction compared to the 4WDs. As we roll away from the start, the Impreza, predictably gains on me, but being unblinkered this time, and also due to the fact that I'm directly in front of him , he taps his brakes to avoid the shunt before we both slam on the anchors for turn 1. Pull away a little to T1 and take the next hairpin very cautiously on cold tyres. Extend the lead by T2 before slowing for the right hand hairpin, cleanly out and pull away, until the Impreza's power advantage closes him up a little. He's slower than me through the looping turn before the start line, and the gap is bigger at the end of the lap.

Lap 1 Splits:- -0.506s at T1, in 1st place. -1.021s at T2. -1.542s at the end of the lap. Laptime of 1'06.770.

Clean through turn 1, making full use of the kerbing and gap at T1 is still growing. Tyres are still warming and I'm careful to avoid mistakes in the second sector, a fractional gain for the Impreza by T2. Complete the lap cleanly and as the tyres continue to warm, the Impreza finishes the lap with a gain of exactly 1/10th s from the split at T1. 👍

Lap 2 Splits:- -1.896s at T1, in 1st place. -1.868s at T2. -1.796s at the end of the lap. Laptime of 1'06.136.

Same again, gap up slightly at T1. Down by 2/10ths s by T2, tyres are starting to get green and the Subaru loses a little as we round out the lap with him exactly 7/100ths closer than at the end of the previous lap! First lap in the 1'05 arena.

Lap 3 Splits:- -1.846s at T1, in 1st place. -1.645s at T2. -1.726s at the end of the lap. Laptime of 1'05.839.

Great line through turn 1 puts a little breathing space between us an the gap grows to over 2s for the first time , by T1. It's more or less constant through T2 and then drops a little in the 3rd sector, though I finish lap with a 1/10th s overall gain.

Lap 4 Splits:- -2.029s at T1, in 1st place. -1.950s at T2. -1.827s at the end of the lap. Laptime of 1'05.709.

Maintain the exactly 1/10th s gain at T1 over the previous lap, and grab almost 2/10ths s more by T2. Braked a little too hard for the last turn this time round and afford the Impreza a massive gain at the end of the lap, and he's exactly 6/100ths s closer than the end of the previous lap, although my laptime has fallen again.

Lap 5 Splits:- -2.129s at T1, in 1st place. -2.302s at T2. -1.767s at the end of the lap. Laptime of 1'05.342.

The Impreza is starting to lap quicker on warmer tyres now, and for the first time he's gained a little by T1. He's flinging the Scooby into turns with reckless aplomb now, but it's working for him, and he gains an enormous 6/10ths s by T2! I'm starting to get nervous as I can see him getting closer in the mirror, and I miss the kerbing on the apex of the last hairpin for the first time in a couple of laps. Still clean with all 4 tyres on the track though, and the Impreza gains still more into the looping turn, before his new-found enthusiasm catches him out and he runs wide onto the grass just before the kerbing that crosses the finish line. He's still gained from the T2 split though, and the gap is less than a second for the first time since T1 of lap 1! A little disheartening since I've yet again dropped my laptime, and it's now in the 1'04s!

Lap 6 Splits:- -1.629s at T1, in 1st place. -1.022s at T2. -0.997s at the end of the lap. Laptime of 1'04.970.

Marginal gain by T1, but the Impreza is pushing hard again, to make up for his mistake. I'm driving the tyres off the S2000 and trying desperately to maintain the lead, I'm rewarded with a miniscule gain at T2 this time round. The Impreza gains a little but seems to brake hard in the middle of the last turn to avoid a repeat of last lap's grass tracking! He's lost just under a 1/10th s over T1 split at the end of the lap.

Lap 7 Splits:- -1.054s at T1, in 1st place. -1.096s at T2. -1.148s at the end of the lap. Laptime of 1'05.004.

Really quick to T1 this lap, although the gain over the Suby is fractional! A slight gain for him at T2, then he storms up to the back of me by the final turn, having caught my draft. Concentrating a little too hard on my mirror, I overcook the exit of the turn an get over the kerbing and onto the grass with all 4 tyres for a fraction of a second. I'm able to hold it though, but it's allowed the Impreza to get closer still. I kick myself (mentally!) for this lapse.

Lap 8 Splits:- -1.153s at T1, in 1st place. -1.081s at T2. -0.717s at the end of the lap. Laptime of 1'05.049.

The Impreza is flying now, gains further still by T1, although he's slithering a little in the second sector and drops back by T2. Out of the last hairpin he's flying, and obviously getting desparate, as he's not so careful in avoiding me this time. As I brake for the last turn he tags the back end of the S2000, drops back for a fraction of a second and then tries a crazy lunge around the outside, which leaves him understeering wildly off into the gravel trap! The Mitsubishi Evo slips by on a clean line as the Impreza lurches back onto the track, narrowly avoiding the Evo's back end! His shove has helped me break my lap record though!

Lap 9 Splits:- -0.460s at T1, in 1st place. -0.907s at T2. -1.340s at the end of the lap, now over 2nd placed Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VIII RS '03. Laptime of 1'04.936. 👍

The Evo charges through the last lap, and gains at every sector , but it's too little too late, and another clean but more cautious lap sees me home safely with the win.

Lap 10 Splits:- -1.322s at T1, in 1st place. -1.066s at T2. -0.618s at the end of the lap. Laptime of 1'05.273.

A less exciting race, in that I led from start to finish, however, I'm still annoyed that due to that momentary distraction it's not OLR standard clean , but since I lost, rather than gained time from the grassbound excursion, it's clean enough to be submitted in the Stock Car Race Comparison/Challenge thread later. 👍

Replay is attached in Post #1.

Smallhorses, are you sure about those power figures? They should be putting out low 300hp, not low 400s. I think you just made a mistake, and then repeated it a couple more times.

Ebiggs

Smallhorses, are you sure about those power figures? They should be putting out low 300hp, not low 400s. I think you just made a mistake, and then repeated it a couple more times.

Click to expand...

No, I'm right , enter the Japan Championship and preview the races. It'll tell you what the last car in the replay you watch is using. In this case the AI cars are modified from their stock (~300HP levels as you mentioned 👍 ) to about 100 - 150HP higher. (~405 - 432HP) The preview also tells you what tyres they're using, in this case SM. If they were only running at stock levels, there's no way the S2000 would accrue 200 A-spec points per race.

I, however, haven't touched my S2000, it's had an oil change & that's it. I'm using the stock tyres, SM that came with it too.

Smallhorses

No, I'm right , enter the Japan Championship and preview the races. It'll tell you what the last car in the replay you watch is using. In this case the AI cars are modified from their stock (~300HP levels as you mentioned 👍 ) to about 100 - 150HP higher. (~405 - 432HP) The preview also tells you what tyres they're using, in this case SM. If they were only running at stock levels, there's no way the S2000 would accrue 200 A-spec points per race.

I, however, haven't touched my S2000, it's had an oil change & that's it. I'm using the stock tyres, SM that came with it too.

Click to expand...

Oh, I never knew they were tuned. I just thought I always picked a slower car than the AI, at least on Fuji. Sorry about that.

Ebiggs

Sorry about that.

Click to expand...

No worries! Enjoy the reports or the replays!

Smallhorses

No, I'm right , enter the Japan Championship and preview the races. It'll tell you what the last car in the replay you watch is using. In this case the AI cars are modified from their stock (~300HP levels as you mentioned 👍 ) to about 100 - 150HP higher. (~405 - 432HP) The preview also tells you what tyres they're using, in this case SM. If they were only running at stock levels, there's no way the S2000 would accrue 200 A-spec points per race.

Click to expand...

I'll vouch for Smallhorses accuracy here. I previewed the series several times before I entered it in a mild 300zx, and I was shown RX7's, NSX's, and Skylines all topping the 400hp mark.

To be honest Smallhorses, I was expecting you to run away with the Tsukuba race a bit more than you did, given the nimble handling of the S2000 compared to how the AI runs an AWD. But I'm glad you didnt as it makes for a more interesting read.
I suppose you were losing more time on the front and back straights than what I had predicted you would.

On to Tokyo and Motegi
Good luck running those long straights

I'll grab all your replays at the end of your series to have a look at your driving technique.

And yet again he wins an awesome race! Congrats man.

I know something costing 5000 credits that would make the back end of your S2000 a little less dented.
It is called " Non Overtaking System" or "NOS" for short and prevents the AI from getting too close to your rear end. 👍

Smallhorses! - Uncle Harry said a bad word!

Uncle Harry

I know something costing 5000 credits that would make the back end of your S2000 a little less dented.
It is called " Non Overtaking System" or "NOS" for short and prevents the AI from getting too close to your rear end. 👍

Click to expand...

Don't worry about the dents, I'm collecting insurance details!


NOS doesn't belong on a stock vehicle. I'm pretty disappointed it's in the game at all. 👎
50 odd percent complete, over 40000 A-spec points, and not a sniff of Nitrous used yet! 👍 As I said before, an oil change is about the limit of my modifications, and its 100 times cheaper than the Nitrous bottle!
The S2000 is too enjoyable to drive stock to ruin in this unfair way.

I like playing with (bad word here) in the practice mode, for top speed stuff and 1/4mile runs, its fun like that... but with circuit racing, its a little weird and unordinary

Smallhorses, keep doing race reports - you write them up better than anybody I've seen!

Smallhorses

Don't worry about the dents, I'm collecting insurance details!

Click to expand...

If the insurance company was like real life your claim would not be paid as you were racing at the time of the incidents. 👎

Makes me smile when I think about people wanting to have to pay for damage in GT games and insurance cover.
It is a credit to your driving 👍 Smallhorses not to use NOS, and I always enjoy your write ups.

Uncle Harry

If the insurance company was like real life your claim would not be paid as you were racing at the time of the incidents. 👎

Click to expand...

Oh well, the "whole bunch of money I saved on my car insurance by switching to GEICO" should cover the costs!

*edit* It's just occured to me that since you're "Down Under", you probably haven't a 🤬 clue what I'm talking about! Do a web search for GEICO adverts, if you're interested, they're usually good for a laugh.

Japan Championship.

Car: Honda S2000 Type V '00 (6.2 mile used, oil changed) / FR / 256HP / 1260kg / 4.92kg/HP / Stock SM tyres.

Race 3. Tokyo R246 Reverse. (200 A-spec points)

Qualified 1st, 1'57.883 lap. -6.993s over 2nd place, enormous surprise given the high speed nature of the track, and trying to cleanly pass the Skyline during the lap! So surprised in fact, that I go back to the settings page to make sure my mechanics haven't been and raided on of the Michelin trucks in the pit lane for racing tyres! Sure enough since the only tyres I own for this car are the ones that it came with, the SMs are still on the car. Something fishy going on here though.... (then again since we're in Tokyo, it might just be the Sushi I had for lunch! )

For this race, the grid lines up with the Subarus in 2nd and 3rd, the Evo in 4th, Skyline 5th and the backmarking 3000GT down in 6th place again. Once again a standing start, and with the Impreza behind me, I'm not expecting the leniancy that I got from the Nissan driver at Fuji! I'm also expecting the "blind" Legacy driver to leave me breathing boxer exhaust as he launches from 2nd place!I soon discover what was fishy, and no, it didn't involve a kipper in the exhaust pipe, but the sandbags that the AI were running as ballast in qualifying have been emptied all over the pole position starting spot! I get away as quickly as possible without wheel spin, but the 4WDs amazing traction has them sprinting past me, the Impreza surging away from 3rd place and passing on my right as the Legacy passes on the left. I'd been watching the mirror and wanted to avoid becoming the filling of a Subaru sandwich, so I stayed in the centre of the track, and watched them disappear. The Evo squeezes through on the left too! Figuring the Skyline & 3000GT can't be far back I check the mirror again and sure enough they're getting ready to pass, and I stay where I am. The Skyline driver is much more of a gentleman 👍 than the Subaru louts, 👎 and realising we're approching the narrower section before the 1st turn and he thinks twice about his pass, and backs off. Sadly for him the 3000GT driver isn't clairvoyant and runs into the back of him, causing him to nudge me, a couple of times! The 3000GT and Skyline swap a bit of paint before the Skyline has another go at the back of the S2000 under braking for the turn. We climb the hill through the narrow section and I'm in 4th place but swarming all over the back of the Evo, and he's dispatched to 4th place in the double apex left before we drop down the hill again for the fast right-left flick that the AI, for some obscure reason, insist on braking for ! I gain so enormously and unexpectedly on the 2nd placed Legacy that I'm forced to jump on the brakes myself through the left part of the flick, but it's too little too late and I give his rear bumper a tap to remind him how it feels! I stick to his back end like glue through the looping left by the sports stadium and get alongside him before the left-right combo that comes next. I brake later than him, but once again he ignores the fact that I'm slightly ahead and pulls over into me, but backs off and lets me go when he realises I'm there!
I'll have to have words with Honda about the S2000 about the paint job on this car....I can see it now....

*At Dodgy Dave's used car lot*
"What colour did you say it was?"
"Oh Sir, now this one we call 'AI Invisible Black', it's guaranteed not to be seen by the AI, even on the brightest sunny days!"
"Hmmmm, and it's the only 6.2 mile special you have?"
"Why, yes it is Sir! It's available these 7 days only, and I can't imagine we'll see another for the next 100 weeks or so!"
"Bugger. I'd better take it then!"
*thinks* 💡 Maybe some creative bumper stickers will alert the AI to my presence!
*takes the car to a signwriter*
"I'd like you to put the following message on the back bumper please. 'KEEP BACK, I'VE GOT THE ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE DODGING SYSTEM!'
"Right you are Sir!"
*goes back later*
"All done, though it was a little long, and we had to abbreviate it a bit, but they certainly won't miss it!"
*looks at back of car, which now reads 'KEEP BACK, I'VE GOT A.I.D.S.!' in enormous yellow letters, then decks the signwriter*
"Forget it, paint it back the way it was, you complete & total muppet!"

..... Anyway, I'm into 2nd place with a couple of bends to go in the lap and I'm gaining on the Impreza down to the last turn before the straight. He pulls away down the straight, and I'm powerless to prevent it. I check the mirrors for the approach of the Legacy and pull way over to the right to make sure I'm out of his way. He drops me to 3rd again just as we finish the lap.

Lap 1 Splits:- +1.505s at T1 in 3rd place. +0.856s at T2 in 2nd place. Laptime of 2'10.328 leaves +1.378s gap to Impreza, and I'm in 3rd place.

Lose out on pace to the Subarus down to turn 1, and I'm keeping a close watch on the mirror for signs of the Evo, and he's not far behind. He hasn't gained enough by the braking point of turn 1 to make a move though, while I've gained what I lost on the Scoobys under braking, more AI dodging is required to avoid the Legacy wiggling across the track out of the turn! Stay close up the hill, and put the same move on the Legacy through the double apex left that I used on the Evo on the previous lap, to take back 2nd place by T1. 👍 Gain on the Impreza through the fast right-left flick, and I'm close enough to outbrake him cleanly in the right hander that turns you towards the sports stadium. Pull away through the looping left turn and get the next set of bends spot on to open up a 2s advantage by T2. Given the straightline difference between me and them, I'm going to need all the time I can grab!


Lap 2 Splits:- +0.790s at T1 in 2nd place. -2.170s at T2 in 1st place. Laptime of 1'59.700 leaves -1.088s gap to Impreza, and I'm holding 1st place, just!

I'm keeping right along the straight down to turn 1. There's 4 lanes, I'm not in the extreme right lane, but the 2nd from right. There's 2 empty lanes to the left. It's acres of room, but, curse that signwriter, the Impreza piles straight into the back of me! I'm actively trying to avoid being hit, and yet he manages it! I'm suddenly entering the braking area for turn 1 about 15 - 20mph faster than I'm prepared for! Take a very wide line with a lot of tyre screeching, but it's a clean line too! It's unnerved me though, and in the next fast right-hander before the hill climb there's the most minor of grazes on the kerb outside the bend, with my left rear tyre, which blows my "clean except for AI contact" race attempt. It's the 15th time I've attempted to do this 100% clean, and I've learnt enough about the AI to know it's never going to happen unless I suddenly become SuperHuman! (Which isn't in my present plans! ) Despite the minor speed loss up the hill because of the scrape, I'm still able to stretch the gap back above 2s by T1. I pull away further through the turns towards the stadium, but I've still got that nagging fear of being tagged by the AI, and I catch myself looking at the map to see how far behind they are for just a fraction of a second too long. I've drifted wider than I should out of the looping left hander, and I brush the yellow/black striped barrier just after the Bridgestone Bridge, with the right front wing, which definitely makes the race unclean and costing me a little speed. It's not a problem though, as looking back from T2, I see the Impreza overcook the right-hander and clobber the wall hard, with the Legacy breathing down his neck. Finish out the lap cleanly.

Lap 3 Splits:- -2.100s at T1 in 1st place. -4.168s at T2 in 1st place. Laptime of 1'58.155 leaves -3.248s gap to Impreza, and I think I've wrapped up 1st place despite their straightline advantage now.

Clean, but more careful 1st sector this time leads to only a small gain by T1. 2nd sector is equally cautious and I damned near make the same mistake as last lap while looking for the AI on the map, miss the same section of yellow/black Armco by the thickness of a human hair! Still gain a bit by T2. Complete a clean, and surprisingly the fastest lap of the race.

Lap 4 Splits:- -3.376s at T1. -4.019s at T2. Laptime of 1'58.007 (Mr Bond would be proud! ) leaves -3.046s gap to Impreza.

Just 1 more clean lap will see me home & dry, and I'm not about to go for a lap record with so much at stake! Cautious through the 1st turn, and the double apex left and I've lost a little time to T1. Don't attack the kerbs in the ferocious manner that I was in the first few laps this time round, and take care to steer well clear of the Armco after the stadium turn 💡 , still gain a little at T2 as the Impreza wallops the wall coming out of the turn before the checkpoint again.
Cross the line to take 1st place, having left over 1/2 a second on the track compared to my previous lap.

Lap 5 Splits:- -2.692s at T1. -3.271 at T2. Laptime of 1'58.525 gives a victory over the Impreza by 2.322s.

Points standings after 3 races:-

Honda S2000 Type V '00 30 points
Subaru Impreza Sedan WRX STi '02 16 points
Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VIII RS '03 11 points
Subaru Legacy B4 2.0GT '03 11 points
Nissan Skyline V-Spec II '00 7 points
Mitsubishi 3000GT VR-4 '98 3 points

Replay is posted in Post #1.

Japan Championship.

Car: Honda S2000 Type V '00 (6.2 mile used, oil changed) / FR / 256HP / 1260kg / 4.92kg/HP / Stock SM tyres.

Race 4. Twin Ring Motegi - Road Course. (200 A-spec points)

Qualified 1st, 2'16.366 lap.

I know this track better than Tsukuba having spent 8hrs of Endurance racing here pitting my stock, except for a change to SH tyres, 190HP Toyota Sprinter Trueno GT-Apex (AE86) Shuichi Shigeno Version '00 against a field of Tuner specials with ~100HP more than me!
I also know, that like Tsubuka, this'll be a rolling start race, so grid position up against the HP advantage of the 4WDs is paramount here. Takes 2 qualifying laps rather than the usual 1, as I overshot the last turn on the 1st lap and lost time digging myself out of the gravel trap. Still this is qualifying, not the race, and Boundary Layer's comments earlier have made me very anxious about this race....

This time the Impreza has taken back his 2nd spot on the grid, but it's the Skyline that surprises by filling in 3rd place ahead of the Legacy. Either this track doesn't suit the Mitsubishis or they're just toying with us all again, but they start in 5th and 6th, predictably the 3000GT is bringing up the rear.

This is a rolling start, so not as much nervousness when the lights go green, however, it's a longer straight before the 1st turn than at Tsukuba, and I'm expecting to be caught by the Impreza. I hope that, like Tsukuba I can lead from start to finish again, & I'm hoping to get that 100% clean race under my belt just once in this championship. Since I now know that the Impreza driver is as blind as the Legacy driver when it comes to the back of the S2000, I'm keeping an eye on the mirror just in case! He gains as expected towards the first bend, and gets as close as he'll ever come under braking. My line through the first turn, while far from perfect, is clean and smooth and allows me to accelerate cleanly away down the next straight, the Impreza lurches through the turn and drifts out toward the kerbing costing him a little time, before he plants the throttle and reels me in, but he doesn't get anywhere near close enough to try passing! Again, I'm able to put some distance on the rest of the field through the double apex left that follows, and speed off down the next straight and through the first checkpoint. Navigate the turn before the bridge well and head off towards the sweeping left/right combo that follows. The Impreza puts his HP to good use and gains a lot, but then is inexplicably slow out of the bend towards T2 and I've gained nearly a second on him through there! Good job, since it's the next part of the track I'm worried about. The sharp left after T2 leads to a small straight, the right hairpin, and then the long back straight which is the S/F line for the East Short Course here. The high HP cars will definitely close up here. Sure as eggs is eggs, they do, but not quite as much as I thought. Cleanly finish the rest of the lap, maintaining 1st place, although the gap to the Impreza is under 2s again by the end of the lap.

Lap 1 Splits:- -1.142s at T1, in 1st place. -2.095s at T2. -1.950s at T3. Laptime of 2'18.594 leaves a gap of -1.737s to Impreza.

Lap 2 starts as predicted with the Impreza gaining in the straights, 👎 but losing in the bends, 👍 as I make better lines and use of the kerbing for all the turns up to the 1st checkpoint and I show a marginal gain of less than 1/10th s on the Impreza. He makes a small powerslide coming out of the turn under the bridge, which costs him a little, but then he's right back on his pony and gaining up to the left/right before T2. Once again he's faster into the left, but slower out of the right than I am, and my lead grows to over 2s again, and though it drops again, even though I'm still 100% clean to T3, it's still a shade over 2s at this checkpoint too. Maintain the cleanliness to the end of the lap where the 2s gap is pretty much stationary.

Lap 2 Splits:- -1.811s at T1. -2.377s at T2. -2.107s at T3. Laptime of 2'16.126 leaves a gap of -2.178s to Impreza.

Tyres are nicely green now, as they were for my 2nd qualifying lap. Since I've just beaten my qualifying time on the previous lap, on tyres that were still warming up, I have high hopes for this lap, though I've still got that "keep it 100% clean" mantra going round in my head! Almost turn in too early for the second apex of the double apex left turn before T1, and get 2 wheels over the kerb onto the grass! 2 wheels stay firmly planted on the rumble strip though, so it's still clean, and a small shower of sparks exits the back of the S2000 as the muffler contacts the concrete briefly! It's a quick sector too, and I've gained over half a second by T1! Romp through the turns towards T2 as quickly as possible too, and gain another 3/10ths s on the Impreza at the checkpoint, pushing my cushion up over the 3s mark for the first time. Keep up the hot pace to T3 too, although the gap drops down below the 3s mark again. I'm still 100% clean to this point, and driving the S2000 as hard as it demands to be driven! It's gripping like a demon and I scratch off the bends to the finish line, nailing every one cleanly, and sure enough, the lap record drops. The Impreza is driving better too though, and lops off almost 6/10ths s of my lead by the S/F line.

Lap 3 Splits:- -2.731s at T1. -3.088s at T2. -2.910s at T3. Laptime of 2'15.765 leaves a gap of -2.349s to Impreza.

This is it then, just over 2 minutes and 13 bends between me, the finish line, and hopefully another clean lap to make it 4 out of 4. I feel I've still got enough of a cushion over the Impreza that the victory is secure, and having done what I set out to do last lap, I can calm down a little on this lap. That said, I start running wider & wider at the first turn, but the S2000 digs in, and goes before I even get close to the gravel trap. It also means I've got a good fast run towards the double apex left, and I'm clean & quick through there too, to add a whopping 1.63s to my lead over the Impreza by T1! I'm somewhat more cautious through the turns toward T2 this time, and it shows, for the first time in the 4 laps, I've lost, rather than gained time on the Impreza between T1 & T2, albeit a measly 3/100ths s gain for him! Now there's 6 turns, and lots of straight between me and the finish line, I can't chuck this away now, surely.....
2 wheels slide over the kerb on the turn before T3, but the S2000 is just too surefooted to let the race go to waste, 👍 and it steadies itself nicely before easing back down onto the tarmac. Gap is down a little at T3, but unless the Impreza has a secret bottle of Nitrous that he's keeping, the race is all but over! Joyfully & cleanly finish out what I expect to be another lap in the 2'16 arena, 👍 and I'm very surprised to see the timer come up showing only 2/100ths s above the 2'14s!

Lap 4 Splits:- -3.979s at T1. -3.949s at T2. -3.674s at T3. Laptime of 2'15.020 leaves a gap of -3.376s to Impreza.

Well chuffed with these laps, 100% clean, and pretty quick! Although starting from 1st on a rolling start makes all the difference in this, relatively, underpowered masterpiece, it's a shame the AI wasn't a little closer to make a little more excitement. Oh well, it's onto Japan's finest track next, and I'm hoping for a great race there since it's a circuit of 2 halves, tight & twisty, to my advantage to begin with, then fast and open in the 2nd half, and with a standing start, to the delight & advantage of the AI drivers .....bring it on!

Replay will be added to Post #1 later....

Japan Championship.

Car: Honda S2000 Type V '00 (6.2 mile used, oil changed) / FR / 256HP / 1260kg / 4.92kg/HP / Stock SM tyres.

Race 5. Suzuka Circuit. (200 A-spec points)

Qualified 1st, 2'29.303 lap.

Back to business as usual for the Subarus as they line up 2nd and 3rd, Impreza ahead of the Legacy. The Nissan sits 4th and the Mitsubishis lie 5th & 6th again, and I don't need to tell you in which order, surely! Again shunting is expected from the start, and the first 2 bends here are some of the worst for AI cutting you up, so it doesn't bode well! Still, after the shunt at Tokyo, the back of the S2000 is pretty much dead, and since this race is a formality now, and I know I have the championship winnings coming my way, I'm not going to make so much of an effort to get out of everyone's way this time. I'm holding my line and they'll have to go round me, which is a novel idea for the AI!

So, it's away from the start, the Impreza launches like a rocket, and I'm once again pleasantly surprised! Someone has had words with the Legacy driver, and he backs of before hitting the back of me this time, 💡 as I keep to the left of the track rather than pulling to the centre to let them all fly by! The Skyline surges by, and the Legacy is passed by the 2 Mitsubishis. He pulls out to go round me, rather than through me for a change, and rubs bumpers with the Evo, which causes the Evo to swerve back harder than he normally would have to get back onto the line for the first bend, and he catches the front of my Honda, forcing me off onto the grass! A minor miracle of car control later, and I've just managed to avoid getting the back end in the sandtrap, which would have bogged me down with no hope of a reprieve. Phew! I'm down in 6th place though! I'm actually able to get past the Legacy into 5th out of the 2nd apex, but he tags my back end to remind me he's there! Into the twisty part and I'm able to squeeze cleanly by the Evo in the first left/right part, up into 4th. I'm alongside, and easily ahead of him for the next left/right, but he turns into the back of me for good measure anyway! I back off a couple of times in the right hander to avoid the back of the 3000GT and start to pull alongside him towards the uphill lefthander. I'm used to the AI braking here, and I expect the heavy 3000GT to be no exception, so I make a dive for the kerbing inside the bend. He doesn't back off though, and we come together mid-bend, which, while unintentional, is totally my fault, sorry! He's a little mad, but I've come out ahead of him, into 3rd place and head off to catch the lead pair. I'm about a second and a half behind the leader at T1. The Skyline brakes enormously early for the hairpin and I surge up the inside into 2nd place, he gives me a nudge as we power away. I stick religiously to the dark line round the right of the track in the next section, if the Nissan wants past, he's going to go the long way! He tries it too, and is just about alongside before we enter the hard braking area for the 3rd gear double apex lefthander, but I outbrake him easily for both apexes and gain a little on the leader. 👍 Out onto the really fast backstretch and the Impreza uses all of his 432HP to stroll away from me. The gap has opened to over 2 and a half seconds by T2, even though I've gained a place. I'm under no illusions that this is going to be a hard fought race. I'm watching the mirror carefully for signs of the Skyline, but he's too far back to present any challenge. Further back still, the Evo is pushing the 3000GT all over the road to try and reclaim 4th place, while the Legacy remains the surprise backmarker, though he wasn't helped in any way by avoiding me at the start! Keep things tidy for the remainder of the lap, and gain a lot under braking for the tight right/left chicane. Finish out the lap in 2nd place having chopped a full second & a bit off the lead since T2! 👍 I'm also pleased that except for the bit of forced grasstracking at the beginning of the lap, the rest of it, bar the AI contact, which I have to take some blame for this time, is clean.

Lap 1 Splits:- +1.495s at T1, in 3rd place. +2.798s at T2 in 2nd place. Laptime of 2'33.248 leaves +1.507s gap to the leading Impreza.

The rest of the field gain in leaps & bounds on me down the S/F straight, but not enough to make any sort of move. I'll leave them to fight over the scraps! The Impreza has similarly extended the gap in the straight though. Clean through the 2 righthand apexes at the beginning of the lap, and then I close right up on the Impreza through the twisty section, as I thought I would. He does brake, twice, for the uphill lefthander, that I was expecting the 3000GT to slow down for on the previous lap, and I have to tap my brakes and move outside him to avoid touching. He skates on and off the kerbs after the next two bends, the fast right, followed by the slow right and on under the crossover and I'm able to stick close to him, taking the bends cleanly. The gap is way down to under 1/2 s at T1. Not close enough to attempt a pass at the hairpin this time though, and he romps away through the shallow turns up the incline. Once again I gain through the double apex left before he, predictably pulls away towards T2. Cleanly finish out the lap, once again having gained plenty of time under braking for the tight chicane.

Lap 2 Splits:- +0.486s at T1, in 2nd place. +2.528 at T2, in 2nd place. Laptime of 2'27.229 leaves +1.679s gap to the leading Impreza.

First part of the third lap goes in the same way as the last, the Impreza pulling away down the S/F straight to stretch his lead, and me rubber-banding it back down again through the twisties. I'm no where near as close to him as we go through the uphill lefthander this time though, and I'm beginning to wonder how on Earth I'm going to catch him, nevermind pass him! It looks like a 2nd place trophy will be added to my collection from Japan at this rate. The S2000 isn't going to go down softly though, an I vow to make a fight of this all the way to the line! Then something truly unexpected happens, I don't know if the Impreza driver was surprised by how much I'd gained on him when he checked his mirror, or what, but even though I'm approximately 0.7s behind him, he runs well wide through the faster righthander, scoots over the kerb, and a soon as his passenger-side (RHD Subaru, remember? ) tyres touch the sand, he begins to slew to the left and spin out. Some nifty braking and a huge wiggle to the right for me, and I'm just able to avoid him coming back onto the track facing the wrong way! Manage to hold onto the brakes for the tighter right, keeping it tidy and head under the crossover to T1 in 1st place! I'm not expecting the Impreza to lie down lightly though, an feel I should keep charging as much as possible to guarantee the win. The Nissan has taken over 2nd place at T1, but he's nearly 4.5s behind. 👍 As far as I can tell, looking back in the replay from the exit of the hairpin, it appears the Impreza has rejoined in 4th place and is pushing the 3rd placed Legacy hard under braking for the hairpin.

(I actually watched the replay again from the Impreza's perspective and he rejoins in 3rd place, after a rather bizarre complete stop on the grass, on the opposite side of the track to the sandtrap, followed by some reversing before he rejoined the track ahead of the Evo. What I mistook for the Impreza catching the Legacy under braking, is actually the Evo catching the Impreza, the Legacy remained back in 5th place at this point.)

Move up towards T2, with the Skyline gaining the whole time. He lops off a startling 1.7s from my lead by the 2nd checkpoint! Maintain my tidyness to complete a 2nd clean lap in succession, and even with the "Impreza-avoidance" manouever factored in, its only a little over a 1/10th s slower than the previous lap!

Lap 3 Splits:- -4.472s at T1, in 1st place. -2.714s at T2, in 1st place. Laptime of 2'27.375 leaves -3.159s gap to 2nd placed Skyline.

Once again, I'm heading into the last lap of a race with a healthy, if somewhat unexpected lead , so I'm not going for fastest lap heroics, and want to keep this lap clean too! Delightfully tidy, if a little slower through the first sector, and I still show nearly a second gained over the Skyline. He responds in the second sector though, and my cautiousness shows as he takes a 2 second bite out of my cushion! Still, it's the same old scenario again, keep the rest of the lap neat and another 10 points are heading my way. The Skyline seems to gain more this time up to the chicane, and he's quicker than last time through there too. I finish out the lap, exactly 2/10ths s slower than the previous one, but that's not bad for consistency, 3 consecutive laps within 3/10ths s of one another, 👍 and the win is mine! Wooohooo!

Lap 4 Splits:- -3.995s at T1, in 1st place. -1.962s at T2, in 1st place. Laptime of 2'27.575 leaves -2.352s gap to the Skyline who grabs 2nd spot on the podium, and nips into 3rd place overall, with the recovered Impreza rounding out the podium places for this race and 2nd spot overall.

Run down the pitlane at the end of the cool down lap, and offer an apology and a substancial part of my race prizemoney to the driver of the 3000GT as compensation for the contact we had on lap 1. He's happy enough with the apology, what a gentleman! The prizemoney he's made from 5 x 6th place finishes has made him enough to afford the racing chip he was after to give him the little extra power he felt he needed to be competetive here and he says he's hoping to win next time! 👍 Wish him luck, and pay for the scratches to be removed from his car, before going to collect my prizemoney, and a tasty looking Nissan 350Z Concept LM Race Car '02!

Final points standings:-

Honda S2000 Type V '00 50 points
Subaru Impreza Sedan WRX STi '02 26 points
Nissan Skyline V-Spec II '00 17 points
Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VIII RS '03 16 points
Subaru Legacy B4 2.0GT '03 16 points
Mitsubishi 3000GT VR-4 '98 5 points

Miles completed, including qualifying:- 113, leaving exactly 119.2 miles on the clock.

Thanks for taking the time to read my reports, and your kind words afterwards!
Until next time.....

wow. I have to say I'm suprised at the results of the Tokyo race.
I know from experience that the AI is horrifically slow on all portions of the track that aren't the front straight - but I thought their speed advantage there, and their acceleration out of the corners would have been enough to keep the race a bit tighter.

Good job. Humorous write-up. 👍

Race 4 is up in the spot I "reserved" for it before! Linked in Post #1 and the replay will be up soon too!

great write-ups, Smallhorses... the S2000 is a wonderful car... very nicely mannered going around a course--makes me prefer it to the NSX at times, which can seem downright twitchy in comparison... that it's a RWD and a Honda makes it, um, gooder... 👍

drat! my intimidation tactics have proven fruitless at motegi



I suppose the AWD field must just suffer from significantly more understeer at this track than the NSX and RX-7 I found myself pitted against. (certainly it wouldn't just be my poor driving )
On my run I had a 2s lead on the nsx coming into the last lap. At that point the AI finally quit sandbagging the thing and made a whole-hearted effort to overtake me - cutting my lead down to 0.1xx seconds at the finish.

But still, for a stock power S2k I'm extremely impressed that you found enough of a time advantage in the turns to keep cars with 150+more hp behind you on the long straights.

again, a 👍

edit:
yup, I just checked my race log. I never had a gap greater than 2.5s at the start of any lap vs the NSX. And I was running laps consistently in the low 2'11 range - final time of 8'47.113.
The NSX just plain hauls there.

Race 5 is up in the spot I "reserved" for it before! Linked in Post #1 and the replays for races 4 & 5 are posted in Post #1 too!

That's all folks!