- 1,202
Hey all! Been ages since I put a report together, so apologies if it's a bit patchy..
Anyway, I've been playing HT4 for nearly 2 years now, and in all that time I've given most of the Group C and LMP driving duties to b-spec Bob, including the GT World Championship. I thought it's high time I took the plunge myself and exposed my true weaknesses in these fast cars, so I hopped in my XJR-9 and pitted myself against a McLaren F1, Toyota GT-One, BMW LMP thingy, Pescarolo C60, and another XJR-9. This lineup yields a mighty 70 a-spec points, um, over ten races. Yup, that's right, I''m racing for a lousy 7 a-spec points per event...
I'll update this thread whenever I finish an event so that you can all see the progress.
Only changes to the car have been to turn all aids off, and I bought a complete set of racing tyres.
RACE 1: Tokyo R246
Qualifying -
This is not a good start. My first event in my least favourite car category, and its on one of my least favourite tracks. I left all settings on the Jag bog standard, including running on R3s, and put a few laps in. I didn't feel like I was getting the most out of it but after 6 laps I didn't really know what to change. The car was understeering a bit but this at least was keeping it easy to drive and meaning the rear end wasn't giving me anything to worry about. The gearing felt a bit spaced out but she was pulling about 220mph on the main straight, and was just about to redline, and 3rd was high enough to accept full throttle in most places without any wheelspin, so I didn't fancy making changes there. The wings were at maximum downforce but I still seemed to be the fastest guy at the end of the straight so didn't see the point in fiddling with that. Also, the car had been fast enough to secure pole position so...
In the end I slapped a set of R2s on and took the car out again to see what diference it made. The difference was plenty of wheelspin and seven extra seconds per lap (when I managed a clean one) so the R3s went back on the car and I parked it in my grid slot.
The race -
Quite uneventful. Too much wheelspin off the line, despite starting in second gear, saw me behind the BMW into the first corner. The Jag also squeezed past and I found myself in third place for most of the first lap. Then I got on the main straight and took the lead through superior straight line performance.
I managed to build a 6 sec lead on the 2nd place XJR (it also overtook the BMW) before pitting at the end of lap 6, just over halfway. I came out of the pits on 4th, but then all the other cars ahead of me pitted, putting me in 2nd behind the C60. I was about 20 seconds behind the Pescy, who never pitted. He started to slow near the end of the race but by the flag I was still 14 seconds behind.
Result:
1st C60
2nd Me (fastest lap: approx: 1:23.5)
3rd XJR-9
4th BMW
5th Toyota
6th McLaren
Race 2: Super Speedway
Qualifying -
Left car as standard, got pole position but tyre wear was bad. This thing eats its rear tyres long before the fronts. I was beaten in the pits in race 1 so decided to try fiddle a bit and see if I could get more speed. The understeer at Speedway was substantial so that's what I focused on.
I first put R2s on the back to help the tyre wear. Then I took all the wing off both front and rear for better acceleration. I pulled the gearing down a notch or two to help it get near max, and I took the front anti roll bar down a notch to try and stop the nose from washing out. Took the car out again, and was over a second a lap slower, because I was too slow around the corners...
Back into the pits, and after lots of fiddling, I put everything back the way it was bar the gearing and tyres. Full wing and R2s on the back (R3s on the front) seemed the fastest way so that's how it was raced. The tyres were a bit tricky at low speed so I'd have to be cautious with my pit entry. Once at race speed, the tyres were fine.
The race -
A rolling start made things a bit easier and this time I kept the lead. I built the gap up to about 8 seconds from the other XJR and could extend it no further. I pitted 2 laps past halfway with the front outside tyre starting to suffer, and came out in 3rd. After a round of pitstops, I was back in 2nd, 23 seconds behind the C60, who once again didn't pit. It took me a while to get back on my best pace, though once I found it I was catching the C60 easily.
Not quite easily enough, though. At the flag he was still 5 and a bit seconds ahead.
Result: (Finishing order was the same as at Tokyo)
1st C60
2nd Me (fastest lap: approx: 28.3 secs)
3rd XJR-9
4th BMW
5th Toyota
6th McLaren
Race 3: Hong Kong
Qualifying -
I put R3s on all corners once again, pulled the gearing down to 12 auto and left everything else as is. I felt like I could do 18 laps in this car without crashing, and it was on pole again, so that was good enough for me. 2 stops required though, but the C60 was only starting in 4th so I may have a chance.
The race -
Got the lead up to 6 secs over the BMW and couldn't extend it any more. I pitted at the end of lap 6 and came out in 4th. The Toyota and McLaren were behind me, and both pitted. The XJR-9 pitted a lap or two later, putting me back into 3rd place, and then the BMW pitted on about lap 10. He came out in front of me but I overtook him at the end of that lap and found myself about 15 or 20 seconds behind the C60. Two laps later I had to pit again and found myself back in 3rd. The C60 had also pitted at around this time, but after the shuffling I found myself in 3rd, with the Pesky in 2nd and the BMW out in front. And that's how it finished. The BMW beat the C60 by 4 seconds, and me by 14 seconds. At first I thought the series was going to be between me and the C60, but now the BMW was on equal points too! I've got my work cut out for me to make something out of this series...
Results:
1st BMW
2nd C60
3rd Me (fastest lap approx: 1:13.7)
4th XJR-9
5th Toyota
6th McLaren
Race 4: Seoul
Qualifying -
After the first three races I was starting to realise that I was pretty much getting beaten in the pits. I had two choices: 1) make the tyres last longer or 2) make the car faster. A few practice laps at Seoul and I had refamiliarised myself with the circuit, set a target lap time, and proven that the RM tyres will get me on a comfortable 1 stop race. Looks like I'll be hunting for some speed then... so I went back to the pits and started fiddling. I would change something, do a few laps, not like what it was doing, set that item back to default, and change something else. When the car finally got to the grid I'd dropped the front and rear ride height by 10mm, taken 10 points of the Decel on the LSD, taken 10 points off the rear wing, and fiddled at great length with the gearing. Everything else was standard. An easy pole though, and I had felt a lot faster than the other cars, so I was feeling quite confident.
The race -
An easy rolling start and off I went. My first few laps were ragged but I was still putting distance between myself and the XJR in second. After 5 laps I settled down a bit and set my fastest lap of the race on 6 or 7. At the end of lap 9 (half distance) the tyres still felt OK, so I completed lap 10 and then pitted for fresh boots. I had a 19 second lead over the XJR when I came in, and when I came out, I was in 2nd place, 3 seconds behind the XJR. This was excellent news. I was ahead of the Pesky and didn't have to stop again. I was pretty sure that the XJR in front would pit, but even if it didn't, I should be able to catch him easily and pass him for the lead. The race seemed in the bag already. One lap later I caught the XJR near the end of the main straight, and comfortably overtook him before getting into the braking area. Half a lap later, I lapped the McLaren, putting a car between me and the other Jag. The Jag pitted shortly after that, promoting the Pesky to 2nd place. Not ideal, but better than nothing. The pesky was about 16 seconds behind and I was faster. The race was already over. I built the lead up to about 30 seconds and then, at the end of the penultimate lap, the Pesky pitted
, putting the other Jag back through to 2nd! I celebrated on the last lap by indulging in a teeny bit of tentative opposite lock around that last hairpin corner, managed not to spin it, and took what I do believe is my first ever chequered flag in a Group C car, in GT4! I also lapped the Pesky, which was a bonus 
Finishing order
Result:
1st Me (fastest lap: approx: 0:48.25)
2nd XJR-9
3rd C60
4th BMW
5th Toyota
6th McLaren
Race 5: El Capitan
Qualifying -
Ooh gawd, not El Capo... second in bumpiness only to the green hell and that sandtrap on the uphill left-hander at Laguna Seca, a bit before The Corkscrew. Incidentally, Ithought it very nice of PD to personalize my copy of GT4 by naming that particular sandtrap "Alfaholic's garage". When I phoned them to thank them they said something about me parking all my cars there, which I did not quite understand. Perhaps something got lost in translation. Anyway, I digress..
I love El Capitan, but the bumps can cause lots of errors, especially if the car is stiffly sprung. I went out and did a practice lap, and when I got back to the pits (about 17 minutes later) I immediately raised the ride height and set about making the suspension softer. I made big changes in particular to the stabilizers, taking them all the way down to 2, all in an attempt to make the car more tolerant of the bumps. I took the car out again and it felt pretty good, and it was fast enough for pole, but the rear RMs were never going to last to half distance. An RM / RH combo proved too wayward, so I settled on RH tyres all round. The car still felt fast enough to keep up, so I went to the grid on a one stop setup.
The race -
I got one of my better standing starts, and by the time I reached the first corner I was in 4th place, having started in 1st..
I got past the Toyota GT-One in the first corner, overtook the BMW for second place just after the tunnel, and set about the leading C60. I got past him but outbraked myself and he went back past - twice. Third time lucky, I made a pass stick entering the main straight and completed the first lap in 1st place. I built a gap and made it to my pitstop on lap 7 without incident, and 6,5 secs ahead of the C60. I came out of the pits in 4th place behind the C60, BMW and GT-One. The BMW and Toyota pitted a lap later, putting me back in 2nd place. The gap was a bit over 20 seconds to the C60, and I was catching, but not fast enough. I decided to settle for 2nd and not risk losing points through a stupid mistake, but then the C60 pitted at the end of lap 9. It was still stationary in the pits when I passed it to retake the lead. At the first time check I had a 9 second lead over the Pesky, who was now on cold tyres, and with two laps to run, so I cruised to the finish and won by 10 seconds. The other XJR, who had been stuck behind me at the start and pushed back to 5th, finished in 3rd place, 4 seconds behind the Pesco. So it's all square at the halfway point, and everything to play for! A fantastic result for me on a circuit where I thought I was really going to struggle with a group C car.
Result:
1st Me (fastest lap: approx: 1:31.8)
2nd C60
3rd XJR-9
4th BMW
5th Toyota
6th McLaren
Race 6: New York
Qualifying -
Qualifying looked promising. I set the car up almost exactly as it had been for Seoul, since this seemed to suit the long straights and tight corners which tend to dominate a street circuit. The car felt very good, if a bit cumberome in the really tight left-left-right-left section near the end of the lap, but the RMs were never going to make half distance. I swapped to RHs, and found that I was still on the pace, but wear was still marginal. At the end of the 8th lap the rear tyres were looking orange and the lap times were growing. The reality of this problem was brought into sharp focus as I passed the McLaren on the pit straight. As I passed him on the left, we touched, and as a result I gave the barrier to my left a solid clout. My vision cleared just in time for me to watch myself go sailing past my braking marker (a shadow on the road), miles off the racing line and with the throttle still pinned. I hit the brakes hard and tried to manoeuvre the Jag over to the right, but the worn rear tyres couldn't cope and the car swapped ends in an instant before reversing into the barriers at the end. This was not good. Also, the power had dropped off a little, but the tyre wear made me think twice about performing my traditional pre-race oil change. More power would only make it worse. I went ahead and did it anyway, went back to practice and put he car back on pole. I'd just have to drive with restraint.
The Race -
The rolling start made this easy. I kept the lead without being challenged into the first corner, and set off carefully up the road. By the end of the second lap I already had an 8 second lead over the second place C60, and I was still driving carefully while warming the tyres up! I turned the wick down completely, avoiding wheelspin and oversteer - inducing kerbs at all costs in an effort to preserve my tyres. This worked out well. At the start of lap 9 I still had a lead of just under 8 seconds from the C60, and the tyres looked good for another lap. I put my foot down and posted my fastest time to the second sector so far. I pitted at the end of the lap, 10 seconds ahead of the Pesky at that last checkpoint. The Jag XJR-9 pitted from 3rd just as I was pulling out, and I reentered the race in 2nd place and about 5.5 seconds behind the C60. The BMW was now right behind me in third... good thing I'd upped the pace on my in lap otherwise I'd have been stuck behind it.
I'd made it past half distance and didn't know if the C60 was going to pit or not. He was only 6 seconds ahead, and I thought that even if he doesn't pit, I can catch and pass him and still last to the end of the race on my current set of boots. I got the gap down to 3seconds and the C60 pitted. This put me back in the lead with a 20 second advantage over the Jag, which had managed to pass the C60 while it pitted. The win was pretty much in the bag. The car felt fast and stable though, so I kept my foot down for the last few laps to take a pot at the fastest lap. I finished a half a minute ahead of the other Jag to take a hat-trick of wins and the championship lead.
Result:
1st Me (fastest lap: approx: 1:23.3)
2nd XJR-9
3rd C60
4th BMW
5th Toyota
6th McLaren
Race 7: Opera
Qualifying -
This, I knew, was going to be a hard one. I quite like this circuit, but in a Group C car? I'm used to the circuit because I've competed here a few times in the 1000 Miles! event. But that's in a slow, pre 1970 car. Not a 970bhp winged monster. Then, to add insult to injury, I notice that we'll be circulating in the opposite direction
. Oh well, better start learning the track....
45 minutes later the suspension's been raised and softened, the stabilizers are only a notch or two away from being left in the pits entirely, the wings are at max downforce plus an extra squeeze for luck, and the gearbox has ben fiddled to suit the Vmax of just under 190mph. Also, for the first time in this campaign, I will be negotiating a couple of corners in 1st gear. Pole position is in the bag and I will be starting on RHs, which give a 1 stop run with even less margin than I had at New York. They are also much slower than the RMs, and I would have run them instead except the RMs would actually need 3 stops! Still, I'm starting from the front, and it is already apparent that it is really difficult to overtake here, so 1 stop it is, to lessen the risk of getting stuck behind a slower car.
The race -
Rolling start again, and I wasn't challenged for position. The BMW was in second place, and the lead went up to about 5 seconds and then stabilized. I wasn't on the absolute ragged edge, as I needed to make sure the tyres made it to half distance, but I was pushing pretty hard, so when the gap started to come down, there wasn't a lot I could do about it. Then it started fluctuating. The other XJR pitted out of 3rd place at the end of lap 7, and he hadn't been far behind me either. I made it to half distance and pitted at the end of lap 9, 3.5 seconds in the lead. I came out in 3rd behind the BMW and C60. The BMW pitted at the end of that lap, but he emerged from the pit exit just as I was turning in to that corner, and he had managed to stay ahead of me. How he managed it I don't know. I tried to get past him quickly while his tyres were still cold, but mine were still cold too, and it wasn't happening. The C60, now leading, pitted at the end of the next lap, and this time I was confident of at least retaining 2nd, but he emerged in front of me too! There wasn't a lot of room between the BMW and me but the C60 found it, and parked his car in it as he came out of the pits. This was a serious setback so I yelled "Banzai" and shoved my Jag down the inside at the next corner. The pass stuck, and I resumed my harassment of the BMW. This paid off a lap later when I went past on the inside into the hairpin immediately after the start / finish line. Back in front then, but all this fighting had taken its toll on the tyres and I was worried about them lasting the distance. I started the second last lap on yellow rear tyres and with a lead just under seconds, so I backed off a bit. I'd rather have some rubber left in the last lap should I need to fight off a last minute challenge from the BMW. At the start of the last lap the lead was 2.5 seconds and the tyres still felt OK so I pushed a bit harder to try and keep the BMW at arms length. It worked, and he must have made a mistake near the end of the lap because he had dropped back to 4.5 seconds by the finish. The C60 was third, another 4 seconds off. The other XJR had been closer than I had realised as well, only to have his race ruined by pitting on the second last lap.
It's been quite a turnaround for me. Three races in and I had an awful lot of work to do. Now, with three races to go I have a 12 point lead and 2nd place is already guaranteed. The Pesky can still win the championship by winning the next three races, but now it's him who has all the work to do.
Result:
1st Me (fastest lap: approx: 1:15.6)
2nd BMW
3rd C60
4th XJR-9
5th Toyota
6th McLaren
Race 8: Suzuka
Qualifying -
For some reason, whatever racing game I've played, I've always struggled to keep on the black stuff at Suzuka. GT4 is no exception. My biggest problem is dipping the outside wheel into the dirt when braking, and spinning as a result. Rather like Sato did at the US GP, in fact. I went out on an almost standard setup, very similar to what I'd used in New York in fact, and set a target time. More experimentation showed that I would be a lot faster with less wing, if I could actually complete a lap without crashing! Eventually I gave up and settled on the slower but grippier setup which helped me out in the corners. Qualified it on pole and got ready to go on a one-stopper. Stupidly I forgot to record the tyre type for this one but I think it was RHs.
The race -
Standing start again, and I dropped to 5th rather quickly. Took the two cars in front of me through the esses section, then past the BMW for second place coming out of the last turn in that section, where the AI seem to be a bit slow. I got on to the C60's gearbox soon after that and followed him around the hairpin. He seemed a bit slow in that long right hand bend leading into Spoon so I swallowed hard, put my foot down and headed for the outside
. The Jag had enough grip to stay on the track and 1st place was mine. I pitted the end of lap 5 but did not have a huge lead. Came out of the pits in 5th, ahead of only the McLaren. The Toyota and XJR-9 were right in front of me by the end of lap 6 and then they both pitted, putting me up to 3rd. I was about 15 seconds behind the C60 and was really aiming for 2nd place, as I just didn't want to push too hard and throw the race away. The BMW pitted on lap 7 and 2nd place was mine. This would do just fine... then the C60 pitted at the end of lap 8 and handed victory to me on a plate. I cruised home to the flag, but not before a heartstopper of a moment exiting Spoon with a little too much throttle 
Good result, and this pretty much ties up the championship. I have a 16 point lead with two races remaining, so I only need one 3rd place in one race and an easy 6th in the other to take a points win.
Result:
1st Me (fastest lap: approx: 1:43)
2nd C60
3rd BMW
4th XJR-9
5th Toyota
6th McLaren
Race 9: Grand Valley Speedway
Qualifying -
Went for a stiff setup again, but dropped the downforce a lot. Got pole on the RMs, and though the RHs didn't quite feel on the pace, they were required equipment for a single stopper, so I raced on RH tyres front and back. Not too worried about being a bit off the lead place as I only need 3rd place...
The race -
Again a standing start... I need more practice at these. I immediately dropped to 4th place and settled there, the other Jag once again stuck behind me at the start. Overtook the McLaren over the blue bridge for 3rd place, and then blew past the BMW for second place on the main straight at the start of lap 2. I took the lead from the C60 on lap 2 at the hairpin but overcooked it and half spun, losing the lead in the process. By lap 3 the other Jag had made it past the BMW and was now hassling me for 2nd. He got past in the twisty bits but I got back past him on the main straight. On lap 4, he passed me again, and again I got 2nd place back on the main straight. On lap 5 the Jag resorted to violence and rammed my rear quarter while I was exiting a slow right hander after the 2nd tunnel. The resultant wild spin dropped me to 4th behind the BMW, while the other Jag carried on happily in 2nd
Then, at the end of lap 7, the Jag spun, all by himself, on the last hairpin and parked against the barrier. Sucker. 
I pitted on that same lap, and came out still in 3rd as the other Jag pitted some time behind me. The race was pretty much over at that point. The BMW and C60 both pitted but remained ahead of me. The other Jag eventually started to catch up near the end but not enough to trouble me, and I cruised home to 3rd place and a guaranteed championship win!
1 race left and I only need 1 point to secure the championship. Therefore all I had to do was actually finish the last race! Well, more on that later.....
Result:
1st C60
2nd BMW
3rd Me (fastest lap: approx: 1:41.4)
4th XJR-9
5th Toyota
6th McLaren
Race 10: De La Sarthe
Qualifying -
Got pole again, but it was hard work. Set downforce to minimum, and set suspension soft and high. Gone for outright speed on straights as I reckon that's the key around here. RH tyres will just about get me through the 4 laps without stopping, so I'll roll on those. The Jag's felt rather nervous the last couple of races. While it used to feel planted, safe and dependable, it's now got a habit of twitching into sudden and massive oversteer at apparently random moments. It's also getting worse. It's done over a thousand miles now so perhaps it's feeling the need for a chassis refresh...
The race -
Rolling start again
. I kept the lead onto the main straight and then planted it. The other Jag was in second place. I made a mistake near the end of the first lap and the Jag got past me, but I flew back past him on the Mulsanne 
. Unfortunately my happiness was shortlived. I got a bit of understeer in the sweeping section just before the pits, failed to gather it up, went onto the sandtrap and spun. Didn't collect any armco or tyres but it was enough to drop me down to 4th behind the Jag, C60 and BMW. I was close enough to take 3rd from the BMW on the Mulsanne straight on lap 3, and, as the championship was secure and the other Jag was out of reach, I would really have just brought the car home safely at this point, and settled for 3rd. In fact I didn't do that, and I finished 2nd, 20 seconds behind the Jag, but the reason behind this will be explained shortly. The story's not quite over yet, so keep an eye out for the Parallel Universe thread!
Result:
1st XJR-9
2nd Me (fastest lap: either 3:20.5 or 3:28.5. Can't read my own writing..)
3rd C60
4th BMW
5th Toyota
6th McLaren
Points standings will always be updated here at the bottom:
1st (76 points) Jaguar XJR-9 (me)
2nd (64 points) Pescarolo C60
3rd (46 points) Jaguar XJR - 9
4th (44 points) BMW
5th (20 points) Toyota GT-One
6th (10 points) McLaren F1 GTR
EDITED: Tyres in Tokyo Qualifying were incorrectly identified as N2 and N3. They were actually R2 and R3. I'd love to be so good that I could finish 2nd in this race on N3s though...
EDITED AGAIN: I had the points for the Jag and BMW wrong at 28 / 24 instead of 27 / 25, at the end of New York
Anyway, I've been playing HT4 for nearly 2 years now, and in all that time I've given most of the Group C and LMP driving duties to b-spec Bob, including the GT World Championship. I thought it's high time I took the plunge myself and exposed my true weaknesses in these fast cars, so I hopped in my XJR-9 and pitted myself against a McLaren F1, Toyota GT-One, BMW LMP thingy, Pescarolo C60, and another XJR-9. This lineup yields a mighty 70 a-spec points, um, over ten races. Yup, that's right, I''m racing for a lousy 7 a-spec points per event...
I'll update this thread whenever I finish an event so that you can all see the progress.
Only changes to the car have been to turn all aids off, and I bought a complete set of racing tyres.
RACE 1: Tokyo R246
Qualifying -
This is not a good start. My first event in my least favourite car category, and its on one of my least favourite tracks. I left all settings on the Jag bog standard, including running on R3s, and put a few laps in. I didn't feel like I was getting the most out of it but after 6 laps I didn't really know what to change. The car was understeering a bit but this at least was keeping it easy to drive and meaning the rear end wasn't giving me anything to worry about. The gearing felt a bit spaced out but she was pulling about 220mph on the main straight, and was just about to redline, and 3rd was high enough to accept full throttle in most places without any wheelspin, so I didn't fancy making changes there. The wings were at maximum downforce but I still seemed to be the fastest guy at the end of the straight so didn't see the point in fiddling with that. Also, the car had been fast enough to secure pole position so...
In the end I slapped a set of R2s on and took the car out again to see what diference it made. The difference was plenty of wheelspin and seven extra seconds per lap (when I managed a clean one) so the R3s went back on the car and I parked it in my grid slot.
The race -
Quite uneventful. Too much wheelspin off the line, despite starting in second gear, saw me behind the BMW into the first corner. The Jag also squeezed past and I found myself in third place for most of the first lap. Then I got on the main straight and took the lead through superior straight line performance.
I managed to build a 6 sec lead on the 2nd place XJR (it also overtook the BMW) before pitting at the end of lap 6, just over halfway. I came out of the pits on 4th, but then all the other cars ahead of me pitted, putting me in 2nd behind the C60. I was about 20 seconds behind the Pescy, who never pitted. He started to slow near the end of the race but by the flag I was still 14 seconds behind.
Result:
1st C60
2nd Me (fastest lap: approx: 1:23.5)
3rd XJR-9
4th BMW
5th Toyota
6th McLaren
Race 2: Super Speedway
Qualifying -
Left car as standard, got pole position but tyre wear was bad. This thing eats its rear tyres long before the fronts. I was beaten in the pits in race 1 so decided to try fiddle a bit and see if I could get more speed. The understeer at Speedway was substantial so that's what I focused on.
I first put R2s on the back to help the tyre wear. Then I took all the wing off both front and rear for better acceleration. I pulled the gearing down a notch or two to help it get near max, and I took the front anti roll bar down a notch to try and stop the nose from washing out. Took the car out again, and was over a second a lap slower, because I was too slow around the corners...
Back into the pits, and after lots of fiddling, I put everything back the way it was bar the gearing and tyres. Full wing and R2s on the back (R3s on the front) seemed the fastest way so that's how it was raced. The tyres were a bit tricky at low speed so I'd have to be cautious with my pit entry. Once at race speed, the tyres were fine.
The race -
A rolling start made things a bit easier and this time I kept the lead. I built the gap up to about 8 seconds from the other XJR and could extend it no further. I pitted 2 laps past halfway with the front outside tyre starting to suffer, and came out in 3rd. After a round of pitstops, I was back in 2nd, 23 seconds behind the C60, who once again didn't pit. It took me a while to get back on my best pace, though once I found it I was catching the C60 easily.
Not quite easily enough, though. At the flag he was still 5 and a bit seconds ahead.
Result: (Finishing order was the same as at Tokyo)
1st C60
2nd Me (fastest lap: approx: 28.3 secs)
3rd XJR-9
4th BMW
5th Toyota
6th McLaren
Race 3: Hong Kong
Qualifying -
I put R3s on all corners once again, pulled the gearing down to 12 auto and left everything else as is. I felt like I could do 18 laps in this car without crashing, and it was on pole again, so that was good enough for me. 2 stops required though, but the C60 was only starting in 4th so I may have a chance.
The race -
Got the lead up to 6 secs over the BMW and couldn't extend it any more. I pitted at the end of lap 6 and came out in 4th. The Toyota and McLaren were behind me, and both pitted. The XJR-9 pitted a lap or two later, putting me back into 3rd place, and then the BMW pitted on about lap 10. He came out in front of me but I overtook him at the end of that lap and found myself about 15 or 20 seconds behind the C60. Two laps later I had to pit again and found myself back in 3rd. The C60 had also pitted at around this time, but after the shuffling I found myself in 3rd, with the Pesky in 2nd and the BMW out in front. And that's how it finished. The BMW beat the C60 by 4 seconds, and me by 14 seconds. At first I thought the series was going to be between me and the C60, but now the BMW was on equal points too! I've got my work cut out for me to make something out of this series...
Results:
1st BMW
2nd C60
3rd Me (fastest lap approx: 1:13.7)
4th XJR-9
5th Toyota
6th McLaren
Race 4: Seoul
Qualifying -
After the first three races I was starting to realise that I was pretty much getting beaten in the pits. I had two choices: 1) make the tyres last longer or 2) make the car faster. A few practice laps at Seoul and I had refamiliarised myself with the circuit, set a target lap time, and proven that the RM tyres will get me on a comfortable 1 stop race. Looks like I'll be hunting for some speed then... so I went back to the pits and started fiddling. I would change something, do a few laps, not like what it was doing, set that item back to default, and change something else. When the car finally got to the grid I'd dropped the front and rear ride height by 10mm, taken 10 points of the Decel on the LSD, taken 10 points off the rear wing, and fiddled at great length with the gearing. Everything else was standard. An easy pole though, and I had felt a lot faster than the other cars, so I was feeling quite confident.
The race -
An easy rolling start and off I went. My first few laps were ragged but I was still putting distance between myself and the XJR in second. After 5 laps I settled down a bit and set my fastest lap of the race on 6 or 7. At the end of lap 9 (half distance) the tyres still felt OK, so I completed lap 10 and then pitted for fresh boots. I had a 19 second lead over the XJR when I came in, and when I came out, I was in 2nd place, 3 seconds behind the XJR. This was excellent news. I was ahead of the Pesky and didn't have to stop again. I was pretty sure that the XJR in front would pit, but even if it didn't, I should be able to catch him easily and pass him for the lead. The race seemed in the bag already. One lap later I caught the XJR near the end of the main straight, and comfortably overtook him before getting into the braking area. Half a lap later, I lapped the McLaren, putting a car between me and the other Jag. The Jag pitted shortly after that, promoting the Pesky to 2nd place. Not ideal, but better than nothing. The pesky was about 16 seconds behind and I was faster. The race was already over. I built the lead up to about 30 seconds and then, at the end of the penultimate lap, the Pesky pitted
, putting the other Jag back through to 2nd! I celebrated on the last lap by indulging in a teeny bit of tentative opposite lock around that last hairpin corner, managed not to spin it, and took what I do believe is my first ever chequered flag in a Group C car, in GT4! I also lapped the Pesky, which was a bonus Finishing order
Result:
1st Me (fastest lap: approx: 0:48.25)
2nd XJR-9
3rd C60
4th BMW
5th Toyota
6th McLaren
Race 5: El Capitan
Qualifying -
Ooh gawd, not El Capo... second in bumpiness only to the green hell and that sandtrap on the uphill left-hander at Laguna Seca, a bit before The Corkscrew. Incidentally, Ithought it very nice of PD to personalize my copy of GT4 by naming that particular sandtrap "Alfaholic's garage". When I phoned them to thank them they said something about me parking all my cars there, which I did not quite understand. Perhaps something got lost in translation. Anyway, I digress..
I love El Capitan, but the bumps can cause lots of errors, especially if the car is stiffly sprung. I went out and did a practice lap, and when I got back to the pits (about 17 minutes later) I immediately raised the ride height and set about making the suspension softer. I made big changes in particular to the stabilizers, taking them all the way down to 2, all in an attempt to make the car more tolerant of the bumps. I took the car out again and it felt pretty good, and it was fast enough for pole, but the rear RMs were never going to last to half distance. An RM / RH combo proved too wayward, so I settled on RH tyres all round. The car still felt fast enough to keep up, so I went to the grid on a one stop setup.
The race -
I got one of my better standing starts, and by the time I reached the first corner I was in 4th place, having started in 1st..
I got past the Toyota GT-One in the first corner, overtook the BMW for second place just after the tunnel, and set about the leading C60. I got past him but outbraked myself and he went back past - twice. Third time lucky, I made a pass stick entering the main straight and completed the first lap in 1st place. I built a gap and made it to my pitstop on lap 7 without incident, and 6,5 secs ahead of the C60. I came out of the pits in 4th place behind the C60, BMW and GT-One. The BMW and Toyota pitted a lap later, putting me back in 2nd place. The gap was a bit over 20 seconds to the C60, and I was catching, but not fast enough. I decided to settle for 2nd and not risk losing points through a stupid mistake, but then the C60 pitted at the end of lap 9. It was still stationary in the pits when I passed it to retake the lead. At the first time check I had a 9 second lead over the Pesky, who was now on cold tyres, and with two laps to run, so I cruised to the finish and won by 10 seconds. The other XJR, who had been stuck behind me at the start and pushed back to 5th, finished in 3rd place, 4 seconds behind the Pesco. So it's all square at the halfway point, and everything to play for! A fantastic result for me on a circuit where I thought I was really going to struggle with a group C car.Result:
1st Me (fastest lap: approx: 1:31.8)
2nd C60
3rd XJR-9
4th BMW
5th Toyota
6th McLaren
Race 6: New York
Qualifying -
Qualifying looked promising. I set the car up almost exactly as it had been for Seoul, since this seemed to suit the long straights and tight corners which tend to dominate a street circuit. The car felt very good, if a bit cumberome in the really tight left-left-right-left section near the end of the lap, but the RMs were never going to make half distance. I swapped to RHs, and found that I was still on the pace, but wear was still marginal. At the end of the 8th lap the rear tyres were looking orange and the lap times were growing. The reality of this problem was brought into sharp focus as I passed the McLaren on the pit straight. As I passed him on the left, we touched, and as a result I gave the barrier to my left a solid clout. My vision cleared just in time for me to watch myself go sailing past my braking marker (a shadow on the road), miles off the racing line and with the throttle still pinned. I hit the brakes hard and tried to manoeuvre the Jag over to the right, but the worn rear tyres couldn't cope and the car swapped ends in an instant before reversing into the barriers at the end. This was not good. Also, the power had dropped off a little, but the tyre wear made me think twice about performing my traditional pre-race oil change. More power would only make it worse. I went ahead and did it anyway, went back to practice and put he car back on pole. I'd just have to drive with restraint.
The Race -
The rolling start made this easy. I kept the lead without being challenged into the first corner, and set off carefully up the road. By the end of the second lap I already had an 8 second lead over the second place C60, and I was still driving carefully while warming the tyres up! I turned the wick down completely, avoiding wheelspin and oversteer - inducing kerbs at all costs in an effort to preserve my tyres. This worked out well. At the start of lap 9 I still had a lead of just under 8 seconds from the C60, and the tyres looked good for another lap. I put my foot down and posted my fastest time to the second sector so far. I pitted at the end of the lap, 10 seconds ahead of the Pesky at that last checkpoint. The Jag XJR-9 pitted from 3rd just as I was pulling out, and I reentered the race in 2nd place and about 5.5 seconds behind the C60. The BMW was now right behind me in third... good thing I'd upped the pace on my in lap otherwise I'd have been stuck behind it.
I'd made it past half distance and didn't know if the C60 was going to pit or not. He was only 6 seconds ahead, and I thought that even if he doesn't pit, I can catch and pass him and still last to the end of the race on my current set of boots. I got the gap down to 3seconds and the C60 pitted. This put me back in the lead with a 20 second advantage over the Jag, which had managed to pass the C60 while it pitted. The win was pretty much in the bag. The car felt fast and stable though, so I kept my foot down for the last few laps to take a pot at the fastest lap. I finished a half a minute ahead of the other Jag to take a hat-trick of wins and the championship lead.
Result:
1st Me (fastest lap: approx: 1:23.3)
2nd XJR-9
3rd C60
4th BMW
5th Toyota
6th McLaren
Race 7: Opera
Qualifying -
This, I knew, was going to be a hard one. I quite like this circuit, but in a Group C car? I'm used to the circuit because I've competed here a few times in the 1000 Miles! event. But that's in a slow, pre 1970 car. Not a 970bhp winged monster. Then, to add insult to injury, I notice that we'll be circulating in the opposite direction
. Oh well, better start learning the track....45 minutes later the suspension's been raised and softened, the stabilizers are only a notch or two away from being left in the pits entirely, the wings are at max downforce plus an extra squeeze for luck, and the gearbox has ben fiddled to suit the Vmax of just under 190mph. Also, for the first time in this campaign, I will be negotiating a couple of corners in 1st gear. Pole position is in the bag and I will be starting on RHs, which give a 1 stop run with even less margin than I had at New York. They are also much slower than the RMs, and I would have run them instead except the RMs would actually need 3 stops! Still, I'm starting from the front, and it is already apparent that it is really difficult to overtake here, so 1 stop it is, to lessen the risk of getting stuck behind a slower car.
The race -
Rolling start again, and I wasn't challenged for position. The BMW was in second place, and the lead went up to about 5 seconds and then stabilized. I wasn't on the absolute ragged edge, as I needed to make sure the tyres made it to half distance, but I was pushing pretty hard, so when the gap started to come down, there wasn't a lot I could do about it. Then it started fluctuating. The other XJR pitted out of 3rd place at the end of lap 7, and he hadn't been far behind me either. I made it to half distance and pitted at the end of lap 9, 3.5 seconds in the lead. I came out in 3rd behind the BMW and C60. The BMW pitted at the end of that lap, but he emerged from the pit exit just as I was turning in to that corner, and he had managed to stay ahead of me. How he managed it I don't know. I tried to get past him quickly while his tyres were still cold, but mine were still cold too, and it wasn't happening. The C60, now leading, pitted at the end of the next lap, and this time I was confident of at least retaining 2nd, but he emerged in front of me too! There wasn't a lot of room between the BMW and me but the C60 found it, and parked his car in it as he came out of the pits. This was a serious setback so I yelled "Banzai" and shoved my Jag down the inside at the next corner. The pass stuck, and I resumed my harassment of the BMW. This paid off a lap later when I went past on the inside into the hairpin immediately after the start / finish line. Back in front then, but all this fighting had taken its toll on the tyres and I was worried about them lasting the distance. I started the second last lap on yellow rear tyres and with a lead just under seconds, so I backed off a bit. I'd rather have some rubber left in the last lap should I need to fight off a last minute challenge from the BMW. At the start of the last lap the lead was 2.5 seconds and the tyres still felt OK so I pushed a bit harder to try and keep the BMW at arms length. It worked, and he must have made a mistake near the end of the lap because he had dropped back to 4.5 seconds by the finish. The C60 was third, another 4 seconds off. The other XJR had been closer than I had realised as well, only to have his race ruined by pitting on the second last lap.
It's been quite a turnaround for me. Three races in and I had an awful lot of work to do. Now, with three races to go I have a 12 point lead and 2nd place is already guaranteed. The Pesky can still win the championship by winning the next three races, but now it's him who has all the work to do.
Result:
1st Me (fastest lap: approx: 1:15.6)
2nd BMW
3rd C60
4th XJR-9
5th Toyota
6th McLaren
Race 8: Suzuka
Qualifying -
For some reason, whatever racing game I've played, I've always struggled to keep on the black stuff at Suzuka. GT4 is no exception. My biggest problem is dipping the outside wheel into the dirt when braking, and spinning as a result. Rather like Sato did at the US GP, in fact. I went out on an almost standard setup, very similar to what I'd used in New York in fact, and set a target time. More experimentation showed that I would be a lot faster with less wing, if I could actually complete a lap without crashing! Eventually I gave up and settled on the slower but grippier setup which helped me out in the corners. Qualified it on pole and got ready to go on a one-stopper. Stupidly I forgot to record the tyre type for this one but I think it was RHs.
The race -
Standing start again, and I dropped to 5th rather quickly. Took the two cars in front of me through the esses section, then past the BMW for second place coming out of the last turn in that section, where the AI seem to be a bit slow. I got on to the C60's gearbox soon after that and followed him around the hairpin. He seemed a bit slow in that long right hand bend leading into Spoon so I swallowed hard, put my foot down and headed for the outside
. The Jag had enough grip to stay on the track and 1st place was mine. I pitted the end of lap 5 but did not have a huge lead. Came out of the pits in 5th, ahead of only the McLaren. The Toyota and XJR-9 were right in front of me by the end of lap 6 and then they both pitted, putting me up to 3rd. I was about 15 seconds behind the C60 and was really aiming for 2nd place, as I just didn't want to push too hard and throw the race away. The BMW pitted on lap 7 and 2nd place was mine. This would do just fine... then the C60 pitted at the end of lap 8 and handed victory to me on a plate. I cruised home to the flag, but not before a heartstopper of a moment exiting Spoon with a little too much throttle Good result, and this pretty much ties up the championship. I have a 16 point lead with two races remaining, so I only need one 3rd place in one race and an easy 6th in the other to take a points win.
Result:
1st Me (fastest lap: approx: 1:43)
2nd C60
3rd BMW
4th XJR-9
5th Toyota
6th McLaren
Race 9: Grand Valley Speedway
Qualifying -
Went for a stiff setup again, but dropped the downforce a lot. Got pole on the RMs, and though the RHs didn't quite feel on the pace, they were required equipment for a single stopper, so I raced on RH tyres front and back. Not too worried about being a bit off the lead place as I only need 3rd place...
The race -
Again a standing start... I need more practice at these. I immediately dropped to 4th place and settled there, the other Jag once again stuck behind me at the start. Overtook the McLaren over the blue bridge for 3rd place, and then blew past the BMW for second place on the main straight at the start of lap 2. I took the lead from the C60 on lap 2 at the hairpin but overcooked it and half spun, losing the lead in the process. By lap 3 the other Jag had made it past the BMW and was now hassling me for 2nd. He got past in the twisty bits but I got back past him on the main straight. On lap 4, he passed me again, and again I got 2nd place back on the main straight. On lap 5 the Jag resorted to violence and rammed my rear quarter while I was exiting a slow right hander after the 2nd tunnel. The resultant wild spin dropped me to 4th behind the BMW, while the other Jag carried on happily in 2nd
Then, at the end of lap 7, the Jag spun, all by himself, on the last hairpin and parked against the barrier. Sucker. I pitted on that same lap, and came out still in 3rd as the other Jag pitted some time behind me. The race was pretty much over at that point. The BMW and C60 both pitted but remained ahead of me. The other Jag eventually started to catch up near the end but not enough to trouble me, and I cruised home to 3rd place and a guaranteed championship win!1 race left and I only need 1 point to secure the championship. Therefore all I had to do was actually finish the last race! Well, more on that later.....
Result:
1st C60
2nd BMW
3rd Me (fastest lap: approx: 1:41.4)
4th XJR-9
5th Toyota
6th McLaren
Race 10: De La Sarthe
Qualifying -
Got pole again, but it was hard work. Set downforce to minimum, and set suspension soft and high. Gone for outright speed on straights as I reckon that's the key around here. RH tyres will just about get me through the 4 laps without stopping, so I'll roll on those. The Jag's felt rather nervous the last couple of races. While it used to feel planted, safe and dependable, it's now got a habit of twitching into sudden and massive oversteer at apparently random moments. It's also getting worse. It's done over a thousand miles now so perhaps it's feeling the need for a chassis refresh...
The race -
Rolling start again
. I kept the lead onto the main straight and then planted it. The other Jag was in second place. I made a mistake near the end of the first lap and the Jag got past me, but I flew back past him on the Mulsanne . Unfortunately my happiness was shortlived. I got a bit of understeer in the sweeping section just before the pits, failed to gather it up, went onto the sandtrap and spun. Didn't collect any armco or tyres but it was enough to drop me down to 4th behind the Jag, C60 and BMW. I was close enough to take 3rd from the BMW on the Mulsanne straight on lap 3, and, as the championship was secure and the other Jag was out of reach, I would really have just brought the car home safely at this point, and settled for 3rd. In fact I didn't do that, and I finished 2nd, 20 seconds behind the Jag, but the reason behind this will be explained shortly. The story's not quite over yet, so keep an eye out for the Parallel Universe thread!Result:
1st XJR-9
2nd Me (fastest lap: either 3:20.5 or 3:28.5. Can't read my own writing..)
3rd C60
4th BMW
5th Toyota
6th McLaren
Points standings will always be updated here at the bottom:
1st (76 points) Jaguar XJR-9 (me)
2nd (64 points) Pescarolo C60
3rd (46 points) Jaguar XJR - 9
4th (44 points) BMW
5th (20 points) Toyota GT-One
6th (10 points) McLaren F1 GTR
EDITED: Tyres in Tokyo Qualifying were incorrectly identified as N2 and N3. They were actually R2 and R3. I'd love to be so good that I could finish 2nd in this race on N3s though...
EDITED AGAIN: I had the points for the Jag and BMW wrong at 28 / 24 instead of 27 / 25, at the end of New York
