- 1,051
- London
- JohnsonCapote
Ok, so Id switched off the PS2 in frustration in the GTWC, and thus lost the oil/rigidity upgrades Id got for my R390GT1 black edition. I'd already done the GTAS in my Mazda 787B a few days back (won by about 6 points from the Sauber) so now I decided it was time to return to conquer it, in my beaten, old, mud-for-oil (but cool looking) R390GT1. Teh opponents:
Nissan R89C '89
Playstation Pescarolo C60 '04
Minolta Toyota 88CV '89
Gillet Vertigo '04
Jaguar XJR-9 '88
My car: Nissan R390GT1 '98 (special black edition), 722HP, R1 tires on rear/R2s on front, no oil change, no rigidity increase, no nothing since I got it pretty much, not evening a wash, and several hundred thousand miles on the clock
I will update this with each round as i race it.
Rather hoped I could go up against the Sauber again, but I remember the Jaguar was a stern opponent, and the Minolta is of course notoriously fast, and the Pescarolo known for its handling. Oh and each round had 200 A-spec points up for grabs for winning. So, here goes nothing
...
1. High Speed Ring Reverse
The pesky Gillet got in my way most of the first lap until I got onto the long final corner...and drafted right past the Jaguar and Pescarolo and right up alongside the R89C and Minolta (who was now leading) but the Minolta closed the door going into t1, the hairpin. Ran wide and the R89C slipped back by, only for me to pop him going round the looong left hander after the hairpin. I then passed the Minolta on the long final corner...and never looked back
kept getting quicker by the lap and simply pulled away from the field, running a fastest lap of 0.59.288 on the final lap. Strange...for 200 A-spec points I expected a bit more of a challenge
1. Me
2. Minolta Toyota: +13.258
3. Jaguar XJR-9 +13.7xx
4. Playstation Pescarolo +14.521
5. Nissan R89C +17.xxx
6. Gillet Vertigo +looong way back
Round 2: Fuji Speedway '80s
My favourite configuration of one of my favourite tracks, but would the Nissan enjoy it? Lack of topspeed is the main bugbear of the R390, combined with mud for oil means this should be quite a challenge - might have to hook up a draft or two 💡
Started off very well, squeezed past the Pescarolo and Gillet at the first turn then managed to sneak right into the lead come the final bend, but flying down the start finish straight i had the R89C on my rear bumper, the Minolta to the inside of him and the Jaguar inside of the Minolta. Braking early for T1 wasn't an option
thats exactly what I did'nt do, and Im grateful for the Nissan's excellant stopping and cornering power - in the 787B I simply wouldn't have been able to brake from the 3rd out of the 4 distance markers and still make the turn. From there on it was relativly straightforward up till lap 4, when an off coming off the final turn brought the Jaguar shooting up behind me on the straight but again he chickened out first on the brakes into T1. He held good behind me, but despite a (I suspect delibrate) punt under braking for T1 on the final lap I held firm and won - but it was a close thing. This time, I took home the 200 A-spec points safe in the knowledge I'd earnt them.
1. Me
2. Jaguar XJR-9 +0.728
3. Nissan R89C +6.xxx
4. Playstation Pescarolo +7.xxx
5. Minolta Toyota 88CV +8.xxx
6. Gillet Vertigo +no one knows
Round 3: Laguna Seca
Lack of practice meant I didn't have high hopes for this round, on the plus side my car was strong handling, but had a bad tendancy to wobble and sway around whilst braking in anything but a straight line...but I guess that's natural for any car. Switched to R2s all round too see what happens.
Passed the Pescarolo at T3, then got caught up with the irksome Gillet...coming out of T4 the Jaguar went inside, cut in front of him, then as I pulled alongside the Gillet he turned left into me, sending me into the Jaguar...needless to say both of us spilled off the track at T5, me recovering and right behind the Gillet and C60 whilst the Jaguar was completly spun out and stuck in the middle of the track stationary 👍 Sadly, the lack of practice curse struck again...3 straight big mistakes at the Corkscrew relegated me back to 5th place, and nothing I could do made me gain anything back.
1. Nissan R89C
2. Minolta Toyota 88CV +4.xxx
3. Pescarolo C60 +12.xxx
4. Jaguar XJR-9 +15.xxx
5. Me +18.xxx
6. Gillet Vertigo +long gone
Points after 3 races:
1. Me - 22
2. Nissan R89C - 16
3. Minolta 88CV - 14
4. Jaguar XJR-9 - 13
5. Pescarolo C60 - 10
6. Gillet Vertigo - 3
Round 4. Autumn Ring Reverse
Having realised my mistake at LS I decided to do a couple of practice laps at Autum Ring to familiarise myself with the track, and also gain a slight qualifying advantage. I got the pole, and basically made sure I ran a trouble-free race, which is exactly what I did. The Minolta behind me never got more than 3 seconds behind though, and at one point was under half a second behind me, so it was no easy ride. On lap 6 I had the additional trouble of having to negotiate the striken Vertigo, whom had beached himself in the middle of the track between T6 and T7. However, I resisted the immense pressure from behind and in the end won by about 2 seconds. Sorry I didnt catch the final results, so I had to kind of guess. Championship lead up to 12 points, and another 200 A-spec points in the bag.
1. Me
2. Minolta Toyota +2.xxx
3. Nissan R89C +5.xxx
4. Playstation Pescarolo +10.xxx
5. Jaguar XJR-9 +1 lap (he had to pit on the last lap)
6. Gillet Vertigo +1 lap
Round 5: Test Course (DNF)
I knew that I was about to be outclassed on the Test Course (my top speed without draft was roughly 217mph) so in the end I decided to save the battering on my engine and I quit after half a lap. Think the Jaguar won. I still have a comfortable 6-point lead on the Minolta.
Round 6: Grand Valley Reverse
One of my favourite tracks in the game. I loved it in the oft-understeering Mazda, and I knew I'd love it even more in the nimble R390. Lined up on pole ahead of my championship rival, the 88CV, with the C60 3rd, R89C 4th, Jaguar 5th (the winner from the last round) and the cannon-fodder Gillet at the rear as always. Sadly it was a standing start which meant the Minolta and R89C were leading me into the first corner and I had an angry Pescarolo staring down my exhaust pipes. Outbraked the R89C going into the tight right-hander after the second tunnel and then attempted an ambitious move around the outside of the Minolta at the final turn before being barged wide in the grass on the exit. So what did I do? Stuck right to his rear spoiler down the straight and manuevered alongside going into T1. Two into one won't go...and he realised that and backed right off. After that it was an easy race...right up until the last lap when a mistake going into T1 meant the Minolta was all over the back of me like a bad rash. I had a chance to get revenge on him for his barging earlier on as he tried a bold manuevere round the outside on the right hander after the first tunnel (T6) and had great pleasure of sending him off into the cones. Came round to win by just over a second
1. Me
2. Minolta Toyota +1.331
3. Nissan R89C +6.281
4. Jaguar XJR-9 +6.9xx
5. Pescarolo C60 +8.158
6. Gillet Vertigo +does anyone care?
Championship positions after round 6:
1. Me -42 points
2. Minolta Toyota - 32
3. Nissan R89C - 28
4. Jaguar XJR-9 - 26
5. Pescarolo C60 - 18
6. Gillet Vertigo - 7
Round 7: Suzuka
Started as Grand Valley Mk2 - me on pole, standing start, exact same grid lineup. Yet actually I was feeling a lot less confident - whilst I enjoyed racing GV, I actually quite feared Suzuka - the Degners, 180R, etc. Once again the start was a disaster, with the Minolta clear and the Pescarolo aggresivly trying to squeeze into a gap that wasn't there at T1. I managed to shove the door shut on him and tore off in pursuit of the Minolta. It was fairly level until I managed to gain a speed advantage on him going through 180R and came right up behind him going through the s-bends. We both ran wide, however I recovered ahead of him by about 1 second. Lost the lead on lap 3 however when I outbraked myself going through the same s-bend, and lost 3rd soon after when the R89C rudely punted me off at one of the corners up in the East section of the track. Also had to content with a nosey Jaguar, but in the end my slight advantage over everyone at 180R paid off and on the final s-bend was able to draw alongside the R89C, though the lack of power on my part meant I could'nt make it stick.
1. Minolta Toyota
2. R89C +6.762
3. Me +6.859
4. Jaguar XJR-9 +8.431
5. Pescarolo+ 12.xxx
6. Gillet Vertigo +nowhere!
Round 8: Infineon Raceway (stock car course)
One of my favourite tracks, and a tough one to overtake on, so all I had to do was grab pole and stay ahead on the track. I also know that the AI (especially the Jaguar) are very dumb and love randomly skidding off the track at T3 and T4.
Unfortunatly so did I, but mysteriously whereas the AI seemed to, if anything gain some speed across the grass, my R390 didn't enjoy it at all. Lead for the first 2 laps before throwing it all off at T3 and being royally barged aroudn by the Toyota and R89C as I rejoined, I proceeded to have the most frustrating battle ever with the R89C - whatever I managed to do, he managed to do something almost superhuman to keep his position. I even punted him clean off the track at T4 and he rejoined in front of me missing the wall by under an inch! Finally beat him though. Frustratingly the Minolta is now only 2 points behind having scored twice as many points as me (16 to my 8) in the past 2 rounds.
1. Jaguar XJR-9
2. Minolta Toyota +8.xxx
3. Me +12.xxx
4. Nissan R89C +13.xxx
5. Pescarolo C60 +15.xxx
6. Gillet Vertigo +lost
Round 9: Le Mans 1 (chicanes)
3rd fastest in qualifying (and guess who was 2nd
) meant I wasn't overly optimistic for the race, however i absolutly adore the la sarthe track and the fact it was the chicane version certainly suited my R390 better than the II version, with no chicanes.
From the start I couldn't handle the car right. I completly blew it when I lowered the downforce on the car, and it handled as if the oil had gotten on the tires - one corner it oversteered, the next understeered. It took me 3/4 of the race to even get away from the damn Gillet. I'd completly lost confidence in my machine and as a result the rest of the field had ran away. It didn't help that the Gillet had stupidly tried to go 3-abreast with me and the Pescarolo on the straightaway after Mulsanne, causing me and him to spin spectacularly. Meanwhile, the Minolta won, which means my hopes for the championship have pretty much gone. I wondered at the start of the series if I had bitten off more than I can chew, and it seems I have
.
Points after Round 9:
1. Minolta Toyota - 58
2. Me - 52
3. Jaguar XJR-9 -47
4. Nissan R89C - 40
5. Pescarolo C60 - 26
6. Gillet Vertigo - 10
Round 10: Nurburgring
In order for me to even tie for the championship lead, I had to win and the Minolta had to come 3rd. I remember from my previous championship that the Jaguar was strong here, but a mistake late on in the race meant I could slip by. I also decided enough was enough and FINALLY gave my car the oil change it needed. HP straight away shot up to 798 (and sadly a drop in A-spec points to 145) but would it be enough?
Early signs were very promising - scored a pole with a PB of 6:13.xxx and discovered that the GroupC AI's tires began to give up on lap 2 - moved past the Nissan R89C just before the first Karrusel turn after he had nearly spun out and I noticed in the aformentioned race with the 787B that the Jaguar had a tendency of crashing at a certain corner, don't know the name of it. So theoretically, all I had to do was keep it on the track and not wreck - easier said than done
I stuck to my strategy, led first the Nissan, then the Toyota, then the Jaguar round the first lap without a single major mistake, except for a hair-raising moment right at the end of the lap where I took across the grass at the end of the long straight, but managed to keep it together and carried on headed into lap 2 with the Jaguar around 5 seconds behind...then my first major mistake. A minor stack off the track and that distinctive purple-and-white shape in my mirrors managed to hold him off until about 3/4 way round, when as anticipated the GroupC cars's tyres began to wear out 👍 by the time I hit the final long straight, I had the Pescarolo 11 seconds behind. Maybe I still could snatch the championship...it all depended on where the Toyota finished.
1. Me
2. Pescarolo C60 +14.566
3. Jaguar XJR-9 +20.003
4. Minolta Toyota 88CV +1.xx.xxx
5. Nissan R89C +1.xx.xxx
6. Gillet Vertigo +everyone had gone home by the time he finished
So that meant the final championship standings were:
1. Me - 62
2. Minolta Toyota - 61
3. Jaguar XJR-9 - 51
4. Nissan R89C - 42
5. Pescarolo C60 - 32
6. Gillet Vertigo - 11
I'd won by just one point. I couldn't actually believe it - after the debacle of LeMans I thought I had blown it. Safe to say now that my awesome R390GT1 gets a well-earned break for the moment until I take it endurance racing...not quite LeMans yet, but Im thinking Infineon or perhaps Fuji?
Thanks for reading
Nissan R89C '89
Playstation Pescarolo C60 '04
Minolta Toyota 88CV '89
Gillet Vertigo '04
Jaguar XJR-9 '88
My car: Nissan R390GT1 '98 (special black edition), 722HP, R1 tires on rear/R2s on front, no oil change, no rigidity increase, no nothing since I got it pretty much, not evening a wash, and several hundred thousand miles on the clock
I will update this with each round as i race it.Rather hoped I could go up against the Sauber again, but I remember the Jaguar was a stern opponent, and the Minolta is of course notoriously fast, and the Pescarolo known for its handling. Oh and each round had 200 A-spec points up for grabs for winning. So, here goes nothing
...1. High Speed Ring Reverse
The pesky Gillet got in my way most of the first lap until I got onto the long final corner...and drafted right past the Jaguar and Pescarolo and right up alongside the R89C and Minolta (who was now leading) but the Minolta closed the door going into t1, the hairpin. Ran wide and the R89C slipped back by, only for me to pop him going round the looong left hander after the hairpin. I then passed the Minolta on the long final corner...and never looked back
kept getting quicker by the lap and simply pulled away from the field, running a fastest lap of 0.59.288 on the final lap. Strange...for 200 A-spec points I expected a bit more of a challenge 1. Me
2. Minolta Toyota: +13.258
3. Jaguar XJR-9 +13.7xx
4. Playstation Pescarolo +14.521
5. Nissan R89C +17.xxx
6. Gillet Vertigo +looong way back
Round 2: Fuji Speedway '80s
My favourite configuration of one of my favourite tracks, but would the Nissan enjoy it? Lack of topspeed is the main bugbear of the R390, combined with mud for oil means this should be quite a challenge - might have to hook up a draft or two 💡
Started off very well, squeezed past the Pescarolo and Gillet at the first turn then managed to sneak right into the lead come the final bend, but flying down the start finish straight i had the R89C on my rear bumper, the Minolta to the inside of him and the Jaguar inside of the Minolta. Braking early for T1 wasn't an option
thats exactly what I did'nt do, and Im grateful for the Nissan's excellant stopping and cornering power - in the 787B I simply wouldn't have been able to brake from the 3rd out of the 4 distance markers and still make the turn. From there on it was relativly straightforward up till lap 4, when an off coming off the final turn brought the Jaguar shooting up behind me on the straight but again he chickened out first on the brakes into T1. He held good behind me, but despite a (I suspect delibrate) punt under braking for T1 on the final lap I held firm and won - but it was a close thing. This time, I took home the 200 A-spec points safe in the knowledge I'd earnt them.1. Me
2. Jaguar XJR-9 +0.728
3. Nissan R89C +6.xxx
4. Playstation Pescarolo +7.xxx
5. Minolta Toyota 88CV +8.xxx
6. Gillet Vertigo +no one knows
Round 3: Laguna Seca
Lack of practice meant I didn't have high hopes for this round, on the plus side my car was strong handling, but had a bad tendancy to wobble and sway around whilst braking in anything but a straight line...but I guess that's natural for any car. Switched to R2s all round too see what happens.
Passed the Pescarolo at T3, then got caught up with the irksome Gillet...coming out of T4 the Jaguar went inside, cut in front of him, then as I pulled alongside the Gillet he turned left into me, sending me into the Jaguar...needless to say both of us spilled off the track at T5, me recovering and right behind the Gillet and C60 whilst the Jaguar was completly spun out and stuck in the middle of the track stationary 👍 Sadly, the lack of practice curse struck again...3 straight big mistakes at the Corkscrew relegated me back to 5th place, and nothing I could do made me gain anything back.
1. Nissan R89C
2. Minolta Toyota 88CV +4.xxx
3. Pescarolo C60 +12.xxx
4. Jaguar XJR-9 +15.xxx
5. Me +18.xxx
6. Gillet Vertigo +long gone
Points after 3 races:
1. Me - 22
2. Nissan R89C - 16
3. Minolta 88CV - 14
4. Jaguar XJR-9 - 13
5. Pescarolo C60 - 10
6. Gillet Vertigo - 3
Round 4. Autumn Ring Reverse
Having realised my mistake at LS I decided to do a couple of practice laps at Autum Ring to familiarise myself with the track, and also gain a slight qualifying advantage. I got the pole, and basically made sure I ran a trouble-free race, which is exactly what I did. The Minolta behind me never got more than 3 seconds behind though, and at one point was under half a second behind me, so it was no easy ride. On lap 6 I had the additional trouble of having to negotiate the striken Vertigo, whom had beached himself in the middle of the track between T6 and T7. However, I resisted the immense pressure from behind and in the end won by about 2 seconds. Sorry I didnt catch the final results, so I had to kind of guess. Championship lead up to 12 points, and another 200 A-spec points in the bag.
1. Me
2. Minolta Toyota +2.xxx
3. Nissan R89C +5.xxx
4. Playstation Pescarolo +10.xxx
5. Jaguar XJR-9 +1 lap (he had to pit on the last lap)
6. Gillet Vertigo +1 lap
Round 5: Test Course (DNF)
I knew that I was about to be outclassed on the Test Course (my top speed without draft was roughly 217mph) so in the end I decided to save the battering on my engine and I quit after half a lap. Think the Jaguar won. I still have a comfortable 6-point lead on the Minolta.
Round 6: Grand Valley Reverse
One of my favourite tracks in the game. I loved it in the oft-understeering Mazda, and I knew I'd love it even more in the nimble R390. Lined up on pole ahead of my championship rival, the 88CV, with the C60 3rd, R89C 4th, Jaguar 5th (the winner from the last round) and the cannon-fodder Gillet at the rear as always. Sadly it was a standing start
which meant the Minolta and R89C were leading me into the first corner and I had an angry Pescarolo staring down my exhaust pipes. Outbraked the R89C going into the tight right-hander after the second tunnel and then attempted an ambitious move around the outside of the Minolta at the final turn before being barged wide in the grass on the exit. So what did I do? Stuck right to his rear spoiler down the straight and manuevered alongside going into T1. Two into one won't go...and he realised that and backed right off. After that it was an easy race...right up until the last lap when a mistake going into T1 meant the Minolta was all over the back of me like a bad rash. I had a chance to get revenge on him for his barging earlier on as he tried a bold manuevere round the outside on the right hander after the first tunnel (T6) and had great pleasure of sending him off into the cones. Came round to win by just over a second 1. Me
2. Minolta Toyota +1.331
3. Nissan R89C +6.281
4. Jaguar XJR-9 +6.9xx
5. Pescarolo C60 +8.158
6. Gillet Vertigo +does anyone care?
Championship positions after round 6:
1. Me -42 points
2. Minolta Toyota - 32
3. Nissan R89C - 28
4. Jaguar XJR-9 - 26
5. Pescarolo C60 - 18
6. Gillet Vertigo - 7
Round 7: Suzuka
Started as Grand Valley Mk2 - me on pole, standing start, exact same grid lineup. Yet actually I was feeling a lot less confident - whilst I enjoyed racing GV, I actually quite feared Suzuka - the Degners, 180R, etc. Once again the start was a disaster, with the Minolta clear and the Pescarolo aggresivly trying to squeeze into a gap that wasn't there at T1. I managed to shove the door shut on him and tore off in pursuit of the Minolta. It was fairly level until I managed to gain a speed advantage on him going through 180R and came right up behind him going through the s-bends. We both ran wide, however I recovered ahead of him by about 1 second. Lost the lead on lap 3 however when I outbraked myself going through the same s-bend, and lost 3rd soon after when the R89C rudely punted me off at one of the corners up in the East section of the track. Also had to content with a nosey Jaguar, but in the end my slight advantage over everyone at 180R paid off and on the final s-bend was able to draw alongside the R89C, though the lack of power on my part meant I could'nt make it stick.
1. Minolta Toyota
2. R89C +6.762
3. Me +6.859
4. Jaguar XJR-9 +8.431
5. Pescarolo+ 12.xxx
6. Gillet Vertigo +nowhere!
Round 8: Infineon Raceway (stock car course)
One of my favourite tracks, and a tough one to overtake on, so all I had to do was grab pole and stay ahead on the track. I also know that the AI (especially the Jaguar) are very dumb and love randomly skidding off the track at T3 and T4.
Unfortunatly so did I, but mysteriously whereas the AI seemed to, if anything gain some speed across the grass, my R390 didn't enjoy it at all. Lead for the first 2 laps before throwing it all off at T3 and being royally barged aroudn by the Toyota and R89C as I rejoined, I proceeded to have the most frustrating battle ever with the R89C - whatever I managed to do, he managed to do something almost superhuman to keep his position. I even punted him clean off the track at T4 and he rejoined in front of me missing the wall by under an inch! Finally beat him though. Frustratingly the Minolta is now only 2 points behind having scored twice as many points as me (16 to my 8) in the past 2 rounds.
1. Jaguar XJR-9
2. Minolta Toyota +8.xxx
3. Me +12.xxx
4. Nissan R89C +13.xxx
5. Pescarolo C60 +15.xxx
6. Gillet Vertigo +lost
Round 9: Le Mans 1 (chicanes)
3rd fastest in qualifying (and guess who was 2nd
) meant I wasn't overly optimistic for the race, however i absolutly adore the la sarthe track and the fact it was the chicane version certainly suited my R390 better than the II version, with no chicanes. From the start I couldn't handle the car right. I completly blew it when I lowered the downforce on the car, and it handled as if the oil had gotten on the tires - one corner it oversteered, the next understeered. It took me 3/4 of the race to even get away from the damn Gillet. I'd completly lost confidence in my machine and as a result the rest of the field had ran away. It didn't help that the Gillet had stupidly tried to go 3-abreast with me and the Pescarolo on the straightaway after Mulsanne, causing me and him to spin spectacularly. Meanwhile, the Minolta won, which means my hopes for the championship have pretty much gone. I wondered at the start of the series if I had bitten off more than I can chew, and it seems I have
. Points after Round 9:
1. Minolta Toyota - 58
2. Me - 52
3. Jaguar XJR-9 -47
4. Nissan R89C - 40
5. Pescarolo C60 - 26
6. Gillet Vertigo - 10
Round 10: Nurburgring
In order for me to even tie for the championship lead, I had to win and the Minolta had to come 3rd. I remember from my previous championship that the Jaguar was strong here, but a mistake late on in the race meant I could slip by. I also decided enough was enough and FINALLY gave my car the oil change it needed. HP straight away shot up to 798 (and sadly a drop in A-spec points to 145) but would it be enough?
Early signs were very promising - scored a pole with a PB of 6:13.xxx and discovered that the GroupC AI's tires began to give up on lap 2 - moved past the Nissan R89C just before the first Karrusel turn after he had nearly spun out and I noticed in the aformentioned race with the 787B that the Jaguar had a tendency of crashing at a certain corner, don't know the name of it. So theoretically, all I had to do was keep it on the track and not wreck - easier said than done
I stuck to my strategy, led first the Nissan, then the Toyota, then the Jaguar round the first lap without a single major mistake, except for a hair-raising moment right at the end of the lap where I took across the grass at the end of the long straight, but managed to keep it together and carried on
headed into lap 2 with the Jaguar around 5 seconds behind...then my first major mistake. A minor stack off the track and that distinctive purple-and-white shape in my mirrors managed to hold him off until about 3/4 way round, when as anticipated the GroupC cars's tyres began to wear out 👍 by the time I hit the final long straight, I had the Pescarolo 11 seconds behind. Maybe I still could snatch the championship...it all depended on where the Toyota finished. 1. Me
2. Pescarolo C60 +14.566
3. Jaguar XJR-9 +20.003
4. Minolta Toyota 88CV +1.xx.xxx
5. Nissan R89C +1.xx.xxx
6. Gillet Vertigo +everyone had gone home by the time he finished
So that meant the final championship standings were:
1. Me - 62
2. Minolta Toyota - 61
3. Jaguar XJR-9 - 51
4. Nissan R89C - 42
5. Pescarolo C60 - 32
6. Gillet Vertigo - 11
I'd won by just one point. I couldn't actually believe it - after the debacle of LeMans I thought I had blown it. Safe to say now that my awesome R390GT1 gets a well-earned break for the moment until I take it endurance racing...not quite LeMans yet, but Im thinking Infineon or perhaps Fuji?
Thanks for reading
Last edited:
