1000 Miles! All A-spec

[Falcon787B]

Evening all,

It's Friday here, and I've been inspired into this race by seeing the excellant 1000 Miles Junkies thread in the main GT4 forum area. It's a great thread, do yourself a favour and go and have a read of it

Anyway, I was looking around for a car to do an endurance race in, and seeing as the 1000 Miles series is sort of like 4 enduros thrown into 1 championship, then why not? It's an interesting series, too - only cars pre-1970, and you can get a real mix of cars, from the downright hapless (Fiat 500) to the downright lethal (AC Cobra) in it's ranks. So, for my first ever A-spec run at it, I decided to wheel out my own classic - my beloved, mildly-hopped-up '65 Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint GTA.



Here's how she rolls into the paddock for the first race at the Nurburgring:

Power: 129hp
Weight: 676kg
Mods: Weight Reduction Stage 3, Port Polish, Engine Balancing. I did have other mods for it, but I took all of these off for the time being.

I've yet to see somebody do this series in the GTA, and I really don't know if the car is capable of winning. If worst comes to worst, I might quit out halfway through, who knows. So, with that in mind, I've drawn a fairly potent grid. Here they are:

1. Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint Speciale '63
2. Alfa Romeo Spider 1600 Duetto '66
3. Nissan Skyline 1500Deluxe (S50D-1) '63
4. Nissan Silvia (CSP311) '65
5. Mercedes 300SL Coupe '54

I've identified the 300SL as my potential main opponent during these races, and I've got a variety of tyres ready - I'm starting the race on Sports (S1s rear, S2s front) and will switch into N-spec tyres if I'm dominating too much. This is the first time I've ever done the 1000 Miles A-spec - I've B-Spec Overkilled it many times before, which I feel rather guilty about, so it's time to make amends! Onwards!

1000 Miles!
Race 1 - Nurburgring Nordschleife

As always, big thanks to AMG for the track map!

My reporting will come on a pitstop-by-pitstop basis, so basically, I'll take a breather whenever I pit to re-cap the racing so far. So, time for a Friday Night Special at the 'Ring - the flag drops at 8:57pm UK time, so we're in for a pretty long night here...away we go!

Segment 1: Lap 1-5

The old adage that the cream slowly rises to the top is proven correct in the early going here - I basically shadow the 300SL, who I have guessed immediatly will be my main nemesis during the series, through the first half-lap as he passes the other cars in front of us. The two Nissans are dispatched by Hatzenbach, and we sweep past the Alfas on the Kottenborn straight. That just leaves us two to duel...and duel we do. Well, it's less duelling, more shadow-boxing - I desperatly spend the entirety of the rest of the lap sniffing for a gap, but just cannot find one. This 300SL is a master at driving defensively, and blocking off gaps. I finally manage to outmaneuvere him in a high-speed game of dare at Hohenrain, and take the lead going into lap 2.

What follows is probably the WORST lap I will probably EVER run at the Nurburgring, in any car, in any race, at any time. It's an absolute shocker. I start by spinning 540 when side-by-side with the 300SL on Kottenborn, and then I basically end up doing what seems like half of the rest of the lap in the grass - very frustrating Is the race lost already? When the 300SL takes advantage of my fooling around and racks up a 11-second lead, it looks that way. But I keep calm - we've got a long way to go. I just need to knuckle down and stop making silly errors.

Lap 3 is much improved, although I still find time for an off at Schwalbenschwanz, but across the course of the lap, the gap fluctuates from anywhere between 8 and 13 seconds. It ends at around the 10-second mark, as he gains time back on Dottinger Hoe. Lap 4 is where I really start to get to work. What is a 9-second lead around halfway round is slashed to 6 seconds entering Dottinger Hoe once again, where he pulls out to around 8 seconds, but midway through lap 5 I take advantage of his fading rubber and pull right up to his back bumper once again. So begins the high-speed game of cat and mouse once again. I pass him once or twice, but it always seems to be before a straightaway, where he can slip back by at speed! I'm patient though, and I've already decided my pit strategy - I'm safely in line for at least a 4-stop race (every 5 laps minimum), as is the 300SL, so in the interests of a close race, I'll stick to his pit strategy - when he pits, I willl too. I also feel confident enough to strap on a set of N3 tyres for this section, so they go on as I grab a refreshing beverage in the pits.

Surprisingly, I enter behind the 300SL, and sneak out in front of him on pit exit! Kudoes to my pit crew for a good stop

Segment 2: Laps 6-10

It looks like a pretty interesting segment is brewing, as the 300SL and I have a pretty ding-dong battle during laps 6 and 7, although this is more maginified by the fact that I make a series of abysmal errors in various places around the lap Time to focus. By lap 8, my tyres are nicely warmed up, and I'm ready to roll. I slowly begin to leave the poor 300SL in the dust, and I whip out my fastest lap of the race so far - a 9'05.629 on lap 8, over half a second faster than my previous best - which was made on Sports tyres! These humble N3s are belying their name y'know - by lap 9, I've opened out to around a 15 second lead, and by the time I pit again at the end of lap 10, its opened out to almost 30 seconds.

What is also interesting to note is the mammoth margin in quality between myself, the 300SL and the rest of the field. They are already left in the dust, and on lap 8 I actually wind up lapping the Skyline at the Karussel, before putting a lap on the Silvia at Schwalbenschwantz on lap 9.

It's at this stage that I think about having a break. I'm a little tired, and I've got a good gap back...surely allowing B-Spec Barry Boddington to take over for a while won't do any harm? I know I said I'd do the whole thing A-spec, and I will honour that commitment by at least doing the final stint and taking it through to the finish, but at the moment, I wouldn't mind taking a break from seat time (it's roughly 10:20pm by now) for a little while. I've built up a healthy lead, Barry will be fine for a couple of stints, right?

Segment 3: 11-15 laps

I've tempted fate, haven't I. Because as I tuck into some sausage sandwiches and chips from one of the food trailers in the paddock, B-Spec Barry proceeds to completly throw away everything I've managed to achieve so far in this race. In fact, so badly does he screw it all up, that he a) manages to get passed by the 300SL before the end of his outlap, b) see him then pit at the end of lap 11, then c) come back from another 20-second deficit and pass him again before d) pulling out to a lead of nearly 30 seconds himself by the time Barry returns to the pits at the end of lap 15.



I am severely cheesed off. Now I know that B-Spec Barry isn't the world's greatest driver, but how bad do you have to be to go from leading by 30 seconds to be TRAILING by 30 seconds in under 4 laps?! I even gave him sports tyres!!! 👎

Segment 4: Laps 16-20

I need to focus. No time for being angry now. I limit my reaction to his appalling performance to just a cuff round the head when he gets out of the car and a few muttered expletives, before strapping in and roaring off back onto the track. Having added the time I spent into the pits into the gargantuan margin Barry had managed to accumulate, I am now nearly 50 seconds down on the leading 300SL.

Fortunatly, two things are working in my favour: a) the fact that I appear to be in a good frame of mind, as I click off an excellant outlap to cut the gap to 31 seconds by lap 17, and b) that the 300SL appears to be running some sort of strategy move which means he doesn't actually pit until the end of lap 17. What this means is, in his attempt to try and stretch his pit window a little longer to try and go to the end of the race on one more stop, he has pushed his tyres that little bit too much, and as such he has a fairly woeful in-lap, allowing me to absolutely slash into his lead on lap 17. It's around 6 seconds by the time I hit Dottinger Hoe, and it's around 8 seconds by the time he finally squirrels his way into the pits. I re-take the lead and proceed to click off a pretty decent 9'07 laptime on lap 18 to re-establish my 30-second advantage that Barry had so spectacularly thrown away.

I also, at some stage in this segment, lap the Giulia Sprint Speciale on the way to the Karussel, and midnight UK time comes up a third of the way through lap 20. Still a way to go...wonder if my crew could slip me a Red Bull at the next pitstop? In the end, I make do with a can of Pepsi Max to try and keep the energy levels up for the final stint, as well as N1 tyres all round - I reckon I've got enough of a cushion back to 2nd now (around 40 seconds when I enter the pits) to try some tyre testing and see what difference N1 tyres make over S1s.

Final Segment: Laps 21-25

Answer? Not much at all, if truth be told. I'm not sure if this is simply Placebo effect or not, but the N1s certainly feel a little more skittish, and the car (which has been outstanding, may I add) does slip and slide around a tiny bit more now. Only a tiny bit, though, I must emphasis that. The 300SL looks like he might be staging a bit of a comeback on lap 21, cutting my lead down from 19 seconds leaving the pits to as low as 15.5 seconds at the Adenaur Forst checkpoint, but it proves to be in vain, as the lead continues to fluctuate between 16 and 19 seconds through lap 22, before his tyres deteriorate and he fades away before pitting at the end of lap 23. That is effectively race over for him, which is useful, as I'm getting rather tired, and would be in no state to go head-to-head for the race win at this late stage. Happily, I just circle around for the final two laps and coast to victory after a pretty entertaining race!

Final Results

1. Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint GTA '65
2. Mercedes 300SL Coupe '54 +1'06
3. Alfa Romeo Spider 1600 Duetto '66 +1 lap
4. Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint Speciale '63 +1 lap
5. Nissan Skyline 1500Deluxe (S50D-1) '63 +2 laps
6. Nissan Silvia (CSP311) '65 +3 laps

So, a really rather fun race to start the series, with a real rollercoaster ride of fortunes. Sadly it didn't have an epic finale to match, but it was still a lot of fun racing on one of the greatest racetracks in the world, in one of my favourite cars - seriously, the Alfa Giulia GTA is such a lovely car. An absolute blast to drive, it feels like it's going about 100mph faster than it actually is sometimes, it's that fun The race was good, I'll probably switch to N1s from the outset in the next race to make it a little closer, and I'll DEFINATLY not hand over to B-Spec Barry at any stage...he has been relegated to role of car washer until further notice

So, until next time...I'm off to bed! I'll add photos into this report when I get the chance to comb the replay, which lasted for about an hour until giving up, and I'll see you all in Paris very soon for the 2nd round of the 1000 Miles Series!
​

 

[DK]

To change the title, simply click the area surrounding it twice, and you should be able to change it.

 

[Falcon787B]

Oh yeah, of course! Silly me

Sorry, I've not been here for ages, forgive me for being a bit dense Thanks!

 

[GTsail]

Nice write-up Falcon787B:tup:

You are correct about the Alfa Romeo Sprint GTA being a great little car! And this 1000 mile series is the place to give it a spin!

You had quite a decent battle with the Mercedes 300SL Coupe:tup:

I'm not surprised that you found out that B-spec Barry is slow with the Sprint GTA. He just doesn't push these antiques the way we do during the
race!

You should find that the Sprint GTA can win at both Opera Paris and Cote d'Azur, but you may find that you need some more top speed to take on the Mercedes at La Sarthe.

Good luck with the rest of the Series
GTsail

 

[Austin343]

Falcon, read this. N tires really do make you a lot slower, and you would have noticed immediately if you had actually gotten them, but you didn't. Even at the tighter tracks, where the 300SL will be slower than at Nurburgring, there's no way that you'll be able to win on N1s all the way. On N2s or N3s, it might be possible.

 

[DK]

I'm not surprised that you found out that B-spec Barry is slow with the Sprint GTA. He just doesn't push these antiques the way we do during the
race!

Maybe he thinks that if he damages the car, he'll have to pay for it.

 

[Falcon787B]

Nice write-up Falcon787B:tup:

You are correct about the Alfa Romeo Sprint GTA being a great little car! And this 1000 mile series is the place to give it a spin!

You had quite a decent battle with the Mercedes 300SL Coupe:tup:

I'm not surprised that you found out that B-spec Barry is slow with the Sprint GTA. He just doesn't push these antiques the way we do during the
race!

You should find that the Sprint GTA can win at both Opera Paris and Cote d'Azur, but you may find that you need some more top speed to take on the Mercedes at La Sarthe.

Good luck with the rest of the Series
GTsail

Hey GTsail! I was rather hoping you would join us on this thread, I've seen some of your race reports around here recently, some really good stuff! It's been part of an inspiration for me to get back to racing on GT4 and writing about it on here

Yeah, the battle was fun. A lot of it though was self-inflicted - there were times when I (and then Barry) made life more difficult for myself than it needed to be I'll look to find a good tyre compound for the next race that helps to equalise out with the 300SL, and get ready to go head-to-head with him again I love my Alfa. It's so much fun! Sounds great, and is an absolute hoot to drive. I'm confident of it's abilities on the tight street tracks (Paris and Cote), but you're right, I'm a little concerned about La Sarthe. I do have some engine mods for it, but I'm loathe to put them on - for example, I do have a turbo kit for it which takes power up to 240hp, but it completly ruins the balance of the car, and it just fishtails wildly. Less HP is more HP 💡

Yeah, I'm still simmering with Barry. I mean, I know he's not the best driver in the world, but I was hoping he'd at least hold the lead just about until I came back. He was beyond dreadful

Falcon, read this. N tires really do make you a lot slower, and you would have noticed immediately if you had actually gotten them, but you didn't. Even at the tighter tracks, where the 300SL will be slower than at Nurburgring, there's no way that you'll be able to win on N1s all the way. On N2s or N3s, it might be possible.

Hey Austin343, you know something? I knew I saw somewhere in the 1000 Miles thread a post about tire grades and types, but I couldn't remember the exact post and who it was, else I'd have referenced you and this post in my report. As far as my experiance goes, as I said in the report, my fastest lap came when I was on N3 tyres, and I actually went as fast, if not faster, than on S1 tyres. When I strapped on N1s, it might have been a psychological thing where I assumed there would be a loss of grip, or it could have been that I was getting very tired at this stage (it was coming up on 1am by the time I finished the race), but I did appear to notice a very small loss of grip in the final segment with the N1s on. Like I say, it was only very small, and I would've expected a much greater gulf in times and handling from N1s to S1s, which I didn't notice. I also didn't notice any difference in tyre wear across any of the grades of tyres. So I think you might be correct...but I've seen reports to the contrary as well. That was my experiance, anyway. Plaudits to you for doing the extensive testing on this subject 👍

What I'll probably end up doing is practicing extensively with various grades of tyres, and seeing how I do. I'll use the Practice option at the next race to see which grade tyre works the best for a close race, then when it comes to the start of the race, I'll give up any qualifying position I might have gained right at the start of the race. Paris should be interesting anyway, seeing as I've barely ever driven any laps on the track, for some reason or another, which means I naturally have little to no experiance at the track, which should act as a negating factor for at least the first quarter or so of the race until I really get to learn the track and it's foibles. I await it with interest

Maybe he thinks that if he damages the car, he'll have to pay for it.

Hmmm...sadly that doesn't explain why he spent so much time off in the grass...he didn't damage it (too much), he just ruined the paint

 

[Falcon787B]

Okay, it's Sunday, and after a busy Saturday spent out at a roller derby event with my good friends, it's back to behind the wheel for...

1000 Miles!
Round 2 - Opera Paris
95 Laps, 170 Miles

Once again, thanks to AMG for the track map!

This time, my Alfa rolled onto the grid with 123HP showing on the Settings screen, and shod with N3 tyres from the start - a little bit of pre-race testing showed that this should produce a pretty close race when allied with my complete inability to take some corners on this racetrack (I'm looking at the de Opera section...I kid you not, I will celebrate through the night when I FINALLY nail that section spot-on, as it hasn't looked like happening yet...is this where the 300SL could exploit? ), although I do have N1 and N2 tyres lined up to potentially switch into depending on how the race goes. As I discovered in my last race, my game suffers the unfortunate PD Tyre Glitch, so there will be NO Sports grade tyres used in this race or in the rest of the series. It's also worth noting that the A-Spec points on offer for this race are higher than in the first round - only 10 at the 'Ring, and up to 28 for this race.

Anyway, I did use the Practice option, so I re-set out to make sure I didn't gain any qualifying advantage, so here is how the field will line up:

1. Mercedes 300SL Coupe '54
2. Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint Speciale '63
3. Alfa Romeo Spider 1600 Duetto '66
4. Nissan Silvia (CSP311) '65
5. Nissan Skyline 1500Deluxe (S50D-1) '63
6. Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint GTA 1600 '65 (Me )

This should be an interesting race, as this is a very different beast to the Nurburgring - tight, twisty, narrow and difficult to pass cleanly. I'm predicting that lapped traffic could have a big effect on the outcome of this race...

So, at 11:55am UK time, with Radio Le Mans broadcasting the Nurburgring 24 hours in the background, and the Monaco Grand Prix coming up, the field takes the green flag and we are away! I will pause every 20 laps or so to update.

Segment 1: Laps 1-20

The poor Silvia has a real stuff-up at the start, as he somehow falls behind the Skyline before we even hit the start-finish straight and I fly past him just as we take the green flag! I look around swiftly to check for any black flag, then gas it to the first sequence of corners, where I slip past the Skyline at Turn 2. I sneak by the Spider on the Rue de la Paix and out-drag the Sprint Speciale out of Turn 5 down the Boulevard de la Madeleine. Whilst I've been scrapping, the 300SL has already pulled out a 6-second lead, and he leads by 5.8 seconds by the end of lap 1.

A truely fascinating duel ensues - in the next 9 laps, we trade sectors and laps pretty equally. I gain 3-4 tenths of a second here, he pulls them back elsewhere. The gap never grows bigger than 5.8 seconds, nor does it shrink anywhere below 4 seconds. It really is fascinating, and it keeps me focused and on my toes - I'm quickly aware that this race could really end up being balanced on a knife edge, and I won't be able to race my way out of trouble as I did at the 'Ring. I finally begin to close the gap a little more by lap 10, closing to 1.7 seconds at one stage before settling at 2.5 seconds by the start-finish line. The tyres are fully warmed up and nicely green by now, and also...

I'VE FINALLY WORKED OUT HOW TO TAKE THE DE OPERA SECTION CORRECTLY!!! 👍💡💡

Erm, sorry, ahem, anyway...

My early thesis that the lapped traffic will play a huge role in this race is confirmed on lap 11, as the 300SL hits the two Nissans through the Place Vendrome, and I subsequently close right up to his rear bumper. From here on in, I shall rename the Nissans the Rolling Roadblocks - RR1 being the Skyline, RR2 being the Silvia - as this is what they appear to be. Just 11 laps in and we're already snarled up behind them. Myself and the 300SL slip by the Skyline at last down the Boulevard, but get holed up behind the Silvia through Rue Royale, and under braking for Turn 7, the Silvia forces the 300SL to almost stop. I cannot react as quickly and pile into the back of the 300SL, ruining his lovely shiny bumper I do actually knock him off-line and could perhaps sneak through into the lead, but I choose not to and allow the 300SL back into the lead where he was before the corner - I don't want to win this race as a result of underhand tactics. Rolling Roadblock 1 sneaks back by me during the carnage but I sweep by him through the Place de la Concorde, and both myself and the 300SL finally clear Rolling Roadblock 2 on the Rue de Rivoli.

We then resume our fantastic duel, but with the stakes being much higher - I've now closed to well within a second of the 300SL. We begin shadow-boxing once again, with the gap once again fluctuating by fine margins. The adreneline is flowing already, and we're barely a quarter of the way into this race! I'm really enjoying it, I have to say I hold firm with him down through Rue Royale at lap 15, and crossover into turn 7, meaning I finally take the lead by the time we exit turn 8! But it doesn't last long, as he sneaks back up the inside at Place de la Concorde, and we go side-by-side into turn 1 - 2 into 1 won't go, as I end up bouncing between the inside armco of turn 2 and the 300SL's right side door, and narrowly avoid spinning out at this section. He quickly ekes out a 1.8 second advantage, but by lap 17 I've regained my rhythm and I'm swarming all over his back bumper once again through lap 18. This is a fantastic race so far, and it may get more interesting very soon, as my tyres are starting to turn a lighter green and we're coming up on one of the Alfa Romeos...

Fascinatingly, the race takes another twist, but not in the way I imagined it. The 300SL actually pits at the end of lap 18, which is much earlier than I imagined, so in the interests of a close race, I will match his pit strategy, and pit at the end of lap 19. I also briefly lap the Spider on the Boulevard, but I obviously give this one up when I pit. I toy with switching to N2 tyres on the rear, but I hold fire for now - this race certainly isn't guarenteed on the current tyre set, and since I had an absolute mare of a test session with the N2s on all round, I slap on a set of N3s all around once again. I also switch my radio over to the Monaco Grand Prix coverage, and hear that Nico Hulkenberg has had quite a pile-up in the tunnel - I don't plan on emulating him any time soon, thanks I make it out of the pits about 2 seconds clear of the 300SL, but a weak outlap - including completly missing the braking point at turn 7 - means that, as we finish lap 20, he is giving me a taste of my own medicine, and haunting my rear bumper menacingly. Long way to go yet...

Segment 2: Laps 21-40

The Sprint Speciale also pits around lap 21, which means he is the next car we lap. I spectacularly repeat my error at turn 7, as I get caught in the little divot in the race surface right near the braking area, and I nearly go spearing into the wall! I save it, but the 300SL is really stalking me now, and he finally takes back the lead as I make an error under pressure at Turn 3 on lap 22 We then hit the Sprint Speciale at lap 23, and we both pass him surprisingly easily. The same cannot be said of the Spider, who transpires to be a bit of a feisty little so-and-so, causing both the 300SL and myself some problems - he even tries squeezing me on the inside of turn 8! I finally clear him, shooting him a glare or two, and it's barely half a lap later that we find Rolling Roadblock 1 once again in our way. The 300SL makes his way by on the exit of Turn 5, and as I go to follow, Rolling Roadblock 1 actually swerves in front of me! I quickly dodge round to the left side and vent my displeasure by shouting and waving my arms - I'm turning into a right little Italian driver here! Anybody know the Italian translation for 'Get out of my bleedin' way, you hapless eejit!'?!

Anyway, enough road rage, as I'm now back to shadow boxing with the 300SL. The brillliant battle continues, and I get a fantastic shot of adreneline as I go all-out to outbrake him into Turn 1 on lap 25, and pull it off in style He quickly reminds me not to get too big for my boots by stalking me through the next few turns, though. This race is still very much in the balance, although I help my cause by putting in a good lap 25 overall and ease out to around a second lead through lap 26.

I then hit a real purple patch, as I start to click off some good laps and the tyres come into their own, and I start to gradually pull away from the 300SL. It averages at around half a second to a second per lap, and I wind up being nearly 8 seconds in the lead when the 300SL pits at the end of lap 36, and I mirror my first stint by pitting at the end of lap 37, one lap after. I also, during this stint, put another lap on both the Skyline, Silvia and Spider, all without problems, surprisingly enough! Something is happening here...things are going too well... Interestingly, I also change to N2 tyres...I feel confident enough now that I can match the 300SL with N2 tyres on...hopefully...this isn't gonna be a B-Spec Barry moment all over again, is it?!

As soon as I exit the pits, I know I've made a mistake. My car has gone from a pretty comfortable, nimble little thing to barely turnable - understeer is prominant at nearly every corner. The 300SL appears to sense weakness, and starts cutting into my lead - I have a 20-second advantage on him as I exit the pits, and that shrinks to barely 15 seconds by the end of my outlap By the end of lap 40, he's closed up to around 12 seconds, but my tyres are beginning to warm up and with any luck, I'll be able to limit the damage...

Segment 3: Laps 41-60

The most interesting and tense section of the race so far. I am now firmly in damage limitation mode, as it's fairly obvious that the 300SL has a speed advantage on me now I am shod with N2 tyres. What does work in my favour is that I am dispatching lapped traffic much quicker than he is - I wind up lapping both rolling roadblocks plus the Sprint Speciale, and they all succeed in holding him up for a little while. But I'm only prolonging the inevitable, and by lap 50, we are both in the clear in terms of traffic, and he starts bearing down on me...it's 8 seconds as I come through the Boulevard checkpoint.

And then a complete moment of stupidity from me turns the balance of the race.

I pause the PS2 to play on my Sega Mega Drive instead, which means turning the TV over to a different channel. Then, as I'm playing that, I accidently knock the PS2 controller with my foot. I suddenly realise - oh, 🤬, I might've just unpaused the game!! So I hastily snatch at the TV remote, which the batteries have fallen out of, and by the time I get the channel changed back to the PS2, I'm parked at the roadside on Rue Royale with the 300SL roaring away into the distance!



Fortunatly, the fact that I've caught it quickly means that the damage isn't too great...but it's still enough for him to pull out a 15-second lead...I didn't need B-Spec Barry to put me in trouble this time, I've done it for myself!

So now I have a decision to make. I'm on poor tyres, which means I'm loosing ground gradually to the leader anyway. He will have to pit in the next 10 laps anyway, so I decide to pit a number of laps ahead of schedule and dive in at the end of lap 51, demanding a brand spanking new set of N3s, sharpish! My crew oblige, and I tear off out of the pits and after the 300SL in hot pursuit. I'm actually pushing so hard that I nearly do a Hulkenberg on Rue Royale - I come within what feels like a matter of inches to the wall where it juts out after the runoff area! But it pays off, as I eat a little into the 300SL's now 40-second strong lead. He pits a few laps ahead of schedule himself, as it goes, coming in on lap 54, and I trail by 18 seconds as he exits. I am now indebted massively to two things: firstly, the fact that he is on cold tyres, and has a 'mare of an outlap, meaning I pull up to within 12 seconds of him by lap 56, and secondly - Rolling Roadblock 2 is put to some use at last, by holding him up for nearly 3/4s of a lap! This enables me to close the gap right up, and my battle with the 300SL resumes in earnest once more. Once we've cleared the Silvia, I repeat my move earlier in the race down into T1, but this time, I just mistime it, and contact with the 300SL means I loose momentum, and he cheekily squeezes me into the inside wall at T2! I survive though, only to nearly repeat the move a lap later! This time I avoid the wall altogether, and I finally slip past under braking for T7 By the end of Lap 60, I've managed to pull out a 3.393 second lead over the 300SL...still all to play for...

Segment 4: Laps 61-80

Surprisingly, the 300SL's resistance is waning, and I begin to pull out quite a convincing lead, to about 1-2 seconds per lap, sometimes more depending on if we meet traffic or not. In fact, I end up pulling out to a near-30 second lead by the time I hit the pits for my final pitstop at the end of lap 74, therefore, I make a bold decision - I switch back to N2s for the final stint in order to potentially set up a grandstand finale. I have no motivation to just cruise to victory this time, plus, as he is pitting on lap 74 as well, my thinking is that he will go to the end of the race as well as myself. I hardly help myself by actually doing a Hulkenberg on my outlap, biffing off the wall in Rue Royale which instantly hands the 300SL a headstart in terms of cutting the gap to me. I have some anxious moments where it looks like he may well absolutely slash my lead down to size in a matter of laps, but after my lead initially shrinks to 23 seconds by lap 78, he gets snarled up behind a lapped Alfa (I can't remember off the top of my head which one) and we end lap 80 seperated by around 26 seconds. 15 to go...

Segment 5: Laps 81-95

What this race has essentially boiled down to is an extended version of the 3-lap magic series races, with the 300SL hunting me down on higher quality rubber. He's not having as easy a time as earlier on in the race - my laptimes are improving on N2s, and I end up dipping into the low 1'49s for the first time in the race on N2s (compared to my fastest lap overall, a 1'45.817 on N3s). Plus, the 300SL is almost completly unable to navigate past lapped traffic by now, which means that a pattern seems to emerge - he will eat into my lead, then spend a lap or so behind a lapped car, meaning that the lead will either stay as it is or increase again. There is a section where he really has me frightened, where he manages to cut the gap right down to 13 seconds by lap 83, but again lapped traffic and my gritty determination to not give anything away means that this is as good as he gets until lap 89, where it shrinks to 11 seconds, before increasing back up again very quickly...something's happened. He appears to have thrown in the towel!...yes, there he is entering the pits at lap 91, he's officially given up! Consider the race officially over! Well, not quite...there's still a couple of lapped cars (the two Alfas and the Skyline) to navigate in the closing laps, but after 2 hours and 55 minutes of good hard racing, I take the chequered flag with 37 seconds to spare!

Final Results
1. Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint GTA 1600 '65 2:55'12.603
2. Mercedes 300SL Coupe '54 +37s
3. Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint Speciale '63 +4 laps
4. Alfa Romeo Spider 1600 Duetto '66 +4 laps
5. Nissan Silvia (CSP311) '65 - +7 laps
6. Nissan Skyline 1500Deluxe (S50D-1) '63 +7/8 laps

So another entertaining race, a bit less strenuous as the first one due to the significently shorter course length, but a great one nonetheless, with some terrific battles for position in the first half! The second was a bit of a rollercoaster, and I was a little disappointed that our margin at the flag didn't reflect the great battling that had occured earlier on. I will do further testing at Cote d'Azur for tyre choices and perhaps ballasting in order to further even up the competition between me and the 300SL. But until then, I'm gonna sit back with a beer and enjoy this victory. Thanks for reading, and I'll see you soon for Race 3 at Cote d'Azur!

​

 

[DK]

Well, I have to say kudos for nailing the de Opera section. 👍

 

[Parnelli Bone]

Nice write-ups, and as you've discovered, never never never


NEVER

let Bob behind the wheel in a situation like this! It's anathema to a slow, painful death via cushions.

 

[Watchman]

Very nice write-up so far, Falcon787B.

 

[Falcon787B]

Well, I have to say kudos for nailing the de Opera section. 👍

Hah! Thanks...I just hadn't driven this circuit enough, s'all. It was a section that just really bugged me in practice, I just couldn't nail it!

Nice write-ups, and as you've discovered, never never never


NEVER

let Bob behind the wheel in a situation like this! It's anathema to a slow, painful death via cushions.

Too true 👍

Race 2 report is all finished! Race 3 should be coming up sometime during the next week, with any luck

 

[Parnelli Bone]

I did a 1,000 Miles race a Paris long ago. Was driving a Chevelle I believe. Got a bit of a lead (don't remember how much) so I felt confident "Bob" could take over after the pit stop. NOOOOO. He was screwing up so bad, I had to pull him in early. Once I got back behind the wheel, it was crazy. Every lap was right at the limit. But I managed to get my lead back just before the end of the race.

I mean, let's say you've got a HUGE lead (let's say a minute or so), and are possibly getting bored. THEN, it may be okay to let B-spec Betty or Bob have a shot. But if it's somewhat close (or even 30 seconds of lead), Bob WILL screw it up. Doesn't matter if he's got top-notch skills. He WILL screw up.

The only exception I can think of is if the A-spec driver isn't very skilled. We've had occasional drivers show up here at GTP who are actually worse than Bob!

 

[-raVer-]

...
The only exception I can think of is if the A-spec driver isn't very skilled. We've had occasional drivers show up here at GTP who are actually worse than Bob!

Noone can be that worse


raVer

 

[Parnelli Bone]

Noone can be that worse


raVer

Hmm ha ha ha....you haven't been here long enough!

 

[Falcon787B]

I did a 1,000 Miles race a Paris long ago. Was driving a Chevelle I believe. Got a bit of a lead (don't remember how much) so I felt confident "Bob" could take over after the pit stop. NOOOOO. He was screwing up so bad, I had to pull him in early. Once I got back behind the wheel, it was crazy. Every lap was right at the limit. But I managed to get my lead back just before the end of the race.

I mean, let's say you've got a HUGE lead (let's say a minute or so), and are possibly getting bored. THEN, it may be okay to let B-spec Betty or Bob have a shot. But if it's somewhat close (or even 30 seconds of lead), Bob WILL screw it up. Doesn't matter if he's got top-notch skills. He WILL screw up.

The only exception I can think of is if the A-spec driver isn't very skilled. We've had occasional drivers show up here at GTP who are actually worse than Bob!

Haha! Well after his completly inept showing at the 'Ring, I'm not trusting him with anything with wheels for a long long time

That sounds similar to my scenario at the 'ring, except that I managed to regain the lead and win by a pretty comfortable margin in the end. I know what you mean though - that mad sort of "oh 🤬 🤬 🤬 he's blown me the 🤬 race that stupid 🤬" type feeling...maybe with less expletives

 

[GTsail]

Nicely done at Opera Paris:tup:

I'm glad you tried to make the race more interesting by pitting when the Mercedes pitted.

The rolling roadblocks are just a fact of life in this 1000 mile series. Its very hard to get a balanced lineup. Be glad you didn't run against the Fiat 500F, whose top speed is limited to about 60mph.

We almost always see a lineup with one or two fast cars and 2 or 3 dogs that bring down the A-spec points and just get in the way the entire race.

In a close race though, they are of some use, since like you found, they will slow down the rabbit

Good luck at Cote d'Azur
GTsail

 

[DK]

We've had occasional drivers show up here at GTP who are actually worse than Bob!

Such as the owner of a certain "??? Speedshop".

 

[Falcon787B]

Nicley done at Opera Paris:tup:

I'm glad you tried to make the race more interesting by pitting when the Mercedes pitted.

The rolling roadblocks are just a fact of life in this 1000 mile series. Its very hard to get a balanced lineup. Be glad you didn't run against the Fiat 500F, whose top speed is limited to about 60mph.

We almost always see a lineup with one or two fast cars and 2 or 3 dogs that bring down the A-spec points and just get in the way the entire race.

In a close race though, they are of some use, since like you found, they will slow down the rabbit

Good luck at Cote d'Azur
GTsail

Thanks mate! Yeah I fancy making it interesting between me and the 300SL, I'm thinking about introducing a little ballast into the fray in the next race perhaps? Maybe...💡

Yeah, you're right about the lineups, the most A-spec points I've been offered so far are 47 when I started a run on Opera Paris with N2 tyres, but they were too slow for me at the time, but otherwise it was 28 at the last full race

Lapped cars can be tricky, and they will be a force at the next race, I'm convinced of it...speaking of which, I'm starting that race as we speak! Race report/updates will occur on here very soon.

 

[Falcon787B]

No rest for the wicked eh? Less than 24 hours on from Mark Webber's victory in the Monaco GP, the F1 boys have left the Cote d'Azur circuit empty...just in time for the 1000 Miles tour to descend on the circuit! It's time for...

1000 Miles!
Race 3 - Cote d'Azur
99 Laps, 206 Miles

As always, big thanks to AMG for the track map

(On an aside...does anybody else think that the Cote d'Azur looks a little like a dinosaur's arms/claws from that angle, or is that just me?💡)

I put B-Spec Barry behind the wheel again, but don't panic - it was only for some pre-race testing, to check tyre wear and strategy of the opponents - the 300SL in particular. His testing indicated that a close race could be achieved using the N3s, linked with my natural inexperiance at this track (I've hardly ever raced at this track at all in either GT3 or 4...sacriledge, I know! ) and the fact that, for the first time in the series, tyre wear could become a significent factor (rear tyres are orange on Barry's car after 20 laps, which is the 300SL's rough pit stop time). Also, a victory here for me would seal up the championship with 1 race to spare. Here is how the top of the championship table looks going into the round:

1. Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint GTA '65 - 20 pts
2. Mercedes 300SL Coupe '54 - 12 pts

With everybody else out of contention, the 300SL needs to win here this evening to keep in the hunt for the title, and it could be significent, as I have a huge question mark as to whether I can defeat him at the final race, Circuit de la Sarthe. A 300SL victory to him tonight would hand the initiative over to him going into the finale. No pressure or anything...

Here is how the grid will line up for the race:

1. Mercedes 300SL Coupe '54
2. Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint Speciale '63
3. Alfa Romeo Spider 1600 Duetto '66
4. Nissan Silvia (CSP311) '65
5. Nissan Skyline 1500Deluxe (S50D-1) '63
6. Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint GTA 1600 '65 (Myself)

So, in the glorious late-afternoon sunshine, the flag drops at 5:45pm UK time and we are away! Updates will come around every 25 laps.

Segment 1: Laps 1-25
Just as in previous races, I navigate my way through the field as fast as possible in the early exchanges - both rolling roadblocks are cleared by the time we hit Massanet for the first time, and a nice outbraking manaeuvere through Mirabeau dispatches of the Spider. My superior power pulls me past the Sprint Speciale, but it takes until after Tabac to really pull away from him. Whilst I've been scrapping, the 300SL has taken an early advantage, and leads by 9 seconds at the end of lap 1.

The first 10 laps are frustrating and strangely rewarding in equal measure - the 300SL adds to his lead pretty much every lap, but as I improve, the lead slowly grows less and less. It starts out at around 2s per lap, then around 1 second by lap 5, when I dip into the 2'09s for the first time, then around half a second to a second by lap 8, where I start moving into the 2'08s for the first time. Nevertheless, despite this damage limitation and fast learning from me, he still pulls out to nearly a 20-second lead by lap 10, as I struggle with certain corners more than others - Sainte Devote and Casino are my two problem sections, but I hit a purple patch through lap 8 to 13, and I post several low 2'08s and even a high 2'07 at one stage in this portion. It's tense, for sure - one major error and the 300SL will punish me big style. This certainly isn't like the last two races, where I know I do have a speed advantage on him. Anxious moments...

Thankfully, the rolling roadblocks start to tilt the balance back in my favour as the 300SL becomes trapped up behind them by lap 14. His lead is cut to around 12 seconds as he navigates through them, and I manage to limit the damage myself by slipping by both of them on the entry to Casino 👍

They've done their part, but I'm going to need some more assistance to really close the gap - and that's where my fellow Italians come into play. The Spider holds him up partway through laps 15 and 16, and I decrease the gap to around 7-8 seconds, before disaster for the 300SL strikes - try as he might, he just cannot get round the Sprint Speciale, and is stuck behind him for the ENTIRETY of lap 17! Whilst he is busy yelling expletives at the Alfa driver, his lead suddenly evaporates, and I finally find myself with a sniff of the lead for the first time in the race. And I take it.

I shadow the 300SL through Sainte Devote on lap 18, and as he desperately swerves one way then another to try and slip by the Sprint Speciale, I wait and time my move. As he swerves right, I move to his left and slip by, and just sneak by the Sprint Speciale by the time we exit Massanet and head into Casino! It was tight, but I've finally got the lead!

As I desperately zoom away into a lead, the 300SL driver remains STILL stuck behind the Sprint Speciale, and as they shout at each other, I make my escape over the horizon! An 8-second lead at the end of lap 18 increases to nearly 16 seconds by the end of lap 19, when FINALLY the 300SL zips by the Sprint Speciale (complete with plenty of rude hand gestures, I would imagine!), but it's bad news for him - I've just found the rolling roadblocks again! I nip by the Silvia through Piscine on lap 20, and slip by the Skyline at La Rascasse, before departing swiftly and leaving them for the 300SL to sort through!

Oddly enough as I finish lap 20, I notice that the tyre wear is much stronger than in previous races - my front tyres are showing up as fairly dark orange, with the rears turning an ominous shade of yellow. My car is also becoming distinctly harder to drive through the tight streets...the 300SL pits at the end of lap 21, and for the first time in the series, I pit at the end of lap 22, not in the interests of a close race, but just to get some half-decent rubber strapped on! If we keep going like this, we will both be on 4 stops - myself stopping on laps 22, 44, 66 and 88, and the 300SL stopping on laps 21, 42, 63 and 84 - which interestingly means that, by the final stint, I should have 4 less laps on my tyres than him...significent? We'll see...we've got a while to go before then! Lap 25 ends with me around 25 seconds ahead, with the 300SL attempting to weave through the rolling roadblocks

Segment 2: Laps 26-50

This is where I really start to turn the screw in terms of the 300SL's inability to navigate lapped traffic, and as I count the laps off, the gap pretty much stays the same up until lap 41, where the 300SL next pits - it never gets any lower than 25 seconds before he gets caught behind a lapped car (I can't remember off the top of my head the specific laps I lapped certain cars, apologies), and the gap goes back up to around 30-35 seconds again. It's fairly comfortable stuff, and this time I do pit in the interests of a close race, at the end of lap 42, but nevertheless my left-front tyre is a mildly annoyed orange. I also ask the pitcrew to pass me in some The Stranglers CDs, and I stick them on the CD autochanger I installed in the interior 💡

It's here that I gamble, and decide to roll out...the dreaded N2 tyres! My theory is this: it willl close the gap up between myself and the 300SL a little bit, whilst still using his inabilty to lap cars quickly to keep him at arms length. That's what's supposed to happen in theory...but all that does happen is that, on my outlap, I go to hit the braking point for the Nouvelle chicane...and narrowly miss going straight on into the wall!

Yup, those N2 tyres really are dreadful. My Alfa is normally nimble and light-footed, but shod with N2s it wallows, understeers, slides, and makes a meal out of every corner it would normally skip through with no problems. Still, I wanted to level things up...and I certainly do, with the 300SL slashing 5 seconds out of my 30-second lead in 1 lap alone! He's sensed blood...will I be made to pay for my overconfidence? Despite the interventions of some lapped cars, it seems so, as we finish lap 50 seperated by just 13 seconds

Segment 3: Laps 51-75

Forgive me if these sections lack in detail a little, I had to hurry along to finish the race and didn't have time to make notes

The pattern seen in the last laps of the last segment continues here, which means it's only a matter of a handful of laps until the sinister shape of a Mercedes coupe is completly filling my rear-view mirror

Fortunatly, the Spider briefly comes to my rescue, as I lap him at the start of lap 56, but the 300SL is in no mood for games now, and callously dispatches of him going up the Beau Rivage hill, and the fun really begins now, as we furiously battle for two laps straight all around the course. Any half-gap I leave is instantly attempted to be taken by the 300SL, and I have to protect my line furiously. A moment I am quite proud of from this intense duel comes at Sainte Devote on lap 58, as, down the start/finish straight, I allow the 300SL to go past me, but I ensure he remains on my outside for Devote, and he falls for it, meaning I gain a jump on him up Beau Rivage. Otherwise, it is pure desperate defending. I've not been this tense in ages in Gran Turismo racing - my hands are clammy and I'm beginning to sweat. We then bump into our old friend the Sprint Speciale, and I sweep past him at Massanet and leave him to annoy the 300SL for half a lap or so, before he gets rid of him and is back to swarming over my back bumper, but fortunatly he is distracted for the rest of lap 61 by the Skyline, which has now also joined the party raging on the circuit!

He then dives into the pits at the end of lap 61, and I have a quick brainstorm - maybe it's because I've been watching some endurance racing recently, but I've observed that the N2 tyres are not wearing out nearly as much as the N3s did, and so I decide to make this race more interesting than it already is by double-stinting on this set, or at least making it to lap 77 at the very least, so that I can dive in and go to the end of the race on one more set of N3 tyres. This strategy will rely on me trying to keep the 300SL behind me for as long as possible, and after his out-lap, he now sits around 23 seconds back again, although predictably this gap doesn't last long...he's back within 10 seconds of me by lap 69, and I rely on the Silvia coming to my rescue to briefly hold off his charge for a lap or so, and we also encounter the Sprint Speciale again after his pitstop, although his resistance is futile - the 300SL simply sweeps by him menacingly, before setting his sights on me once again

Lap 73 is spent desperately defending, but I then make a crucial error at Sainte Devote on lap 74 - I spend so much time defending my line, I forget to brake, and as I desperately try to correct myself after bouncing off the wall on the corner exit, the 300SL crosses over and blasts by up the hill

Frighteningly, he's already nearly 6 seconds clear by the end of lap 74, so I quickly have another brainstorm about pit strategy, and decide that I'm gonna have to limit the damage the 300SL will do to me on my worn N2s by pitting a couple of laps earlier than planned and strap on some N3s. That's exactly what I do, and I end lap 75 in the pits, about 30 seconds down on the 300SL. The race is hanging in the balance with 24 to go...

Final Segment: Laps 76-99

Ahh, what a difference a tyre grade makes...it feels good to be back on the N3s. My car feels nimble and agile again, and I'm going to need those characteristics and more if I'm to take victory. With the help of a couple of lapped cars, I close the gap down to around 18 seconds by lap 80, and his fading tyres mean that, by the time he hits the pits at the end of lap 81, I'm in range to potentially pass him as he sits in the pits. And this is exactly what happens...just! He literally zooms out of the pit exit and straight onto my back bumper!

Thankfully, what helps my cause now is that I've got the track much more figured out than I did earlier on, and I'm able to just sneak a couple of tenths advantage here and there on him over the next few laps, also playing on his cold tyres. What could play a massive part, however, is the fact that the entirety of the rest of the field appear to have haemorrhaged together, and they are running almost as a complete pack right now, with no more than 10 seconds covering all of them.

We meet the first of this pack at the start of lap 91, as we draw up behind the Skyline at St. Devote, and I slip by quickly, with the 300SL finally barging by through Portier. I haven't been able to make much distance, as I've caught up to the Sprint Speciale, and I dispatch him through Tabac. I start to pick off the rest of the lapped cars quickly, desperately trying to put some space inbetween me and the 300SL in the final laps. We both clear the lapped cars by lap 93, and I've managed to work up a 11-second lead. The grandstand finale is still on, especially as I'm going on a longer stint than I normally would on the N2s - the longest I've gone on them previously is 22 laps, and I need to go 24-25 laps on this set. Also taking into account the fact I've been driving hard non-stop through this stint, means that the front tyres are pretty shot by lap 95...

The 300SL senses a late chance, and mounts a desperate, last-ditch charge. My hands are clammy by this stage, and cold sweat is dripping off my brow, as the pressure (and errors) mount, a grandstand finale is potentially on...by lap 96, the gap is 8.5 seconds, lap 97, 6.5 seconds...lap 98, 5.1 seconds...and at the start of the final lap, it's just 4 seconds. By this stage my heart is pounding - this is the closest finish I've had to a long-distance race in a long, long time, perhaps ever. I'm limping desperatly for the line, trying to coax anything out of my knackered front tyres, and the 300SL is hunting me down in one last attempt to keep his championship hopes alive...can he do it?

Final Results

1. Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint GTA '65 3:36'39.987
2. Mercedes 300SL Coupe '54 +2.336s
3. Alfa Romeo Giluia Sprint Speciale '65 +4 laps
4. Alfa Romeo Spider 1600 Duetto '66 +5 laps
5. Nissan Silvia (CSP311) '65 +9 laps
6. Nissan Skyline 1500Deluxe (S50D-1) '63 +9 laps

What a finish! I collapsed into my chair in exhaustion and relief at the chequered flag - what a finale to a tense, tight race. It didn't feature as much outright dogfighting and battling as the earlier races - this was more a tense sniper's duel, with the race decided on extremly fine margins, and despite the 300SL's lapped car troubles and his extra pitstop to me, he still came within 3 seconds of taking the championship to the final round. Amazing. What a finale. As the adreneline coursing through my body slowly subsides, I look over the championship standings:

1. Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint GTA '65 - 30pts
2. Mercedes 300SL Coupe '54 -18pts
3. Alfa Romeo Giluia Sprint Speciale '65 - 12pts
4. Alfa Romeo Spider 1600 Duetto '66 - 9pts
5. Nissan Silvia (CSP311) '65 - 6pts
6. Nissan Skyline 1500Deluxe (S50D-1) '63 - 3pts

So that's it, the championship is over before we even head up to the town of Le Mans for the final round. It doesn't feel fair on the 300SL for the championship to already be tied up with a round to go, as he's pushed me very close throughout the championship thus far, and he has a very good chance of victory at the Sarthe, due to the high-speed nature of the track. Meanwhile, I can relax and have a fun afternoon's racing on one of my favourite racetracks in the world. This championship has been fantastic fun so far, with some great moments of tension, excitement, farce, and fun

I need a breather and multiple beers after that one, so I'll have a little rest, and I hope to see you again for the final round at La Sarthe!
​

 

[PF]

BUMPING DUE TO THE FINAL RACE UPDATE!

Excellent work Falcon, and a very entertaining report.

 

[Watchman]

You put in a lot of work into this and it paid off: I like it very much. 👍

 

[Dan_]

Excelent reports, I'm still struggling to find some time to race the 1000 miles too, although I'll use a Camaro Z/28. Well done. 👍

 

[Falcon787B]

Excelent reports, I'm still struggling to find some time to race the 1000 miles too, although I'll use a Camaro Z/28. Well done. 👍

Thanks man! It is a time-consuming series, I started this a good week or so ago now and I've still not completed it, one race to go. It is interesting though, and a nice diversion from racing the more high-end machinery in the game.

If you're gonna race the Z/28, you're gonna wanna make sure you have the AC Cobra in the field. Its very odd, as the next fastest AI car - the Jaguar E-type - is hugely lacking in performance comparing to the Cobra. There's an enourmous gulf between the Cobra and all of the other AI opponents you could meet in this race. What I'd recommend for a potentially close race is either tuning your car to match the Cobra (difficult, as it is a rocketship) or toning your car down to match the E-type or 300SL in terms of performance. When you do run it, post a report up on here so we can see the progress!

You put in a lot of work into this and it paid off: I like it very much. 👍

Cheers! Writing is the one thing I like to think I'm not too bad at, so I enjoy doing it whenever I can - when I link it into playing Gran Turismo, all the better!

The race itself was gripping, so so tense. Like I say, I was just relieved more than anything to make it to the flag - that 300SL was WAY too close at the flag for comfort!

Excellent work Falcon, and a very entertaining report.

Thanks man As long as people find my reports pretty entertaining, that tells me I'm doing something right at least

 

[Dan_]

If you're gonna race the Z/28, you're gonna wanna make sure you have the AC Cobra in the field. Its very odd, as the next fastest AI car - the Jaguar E-type - is hugely lacking in performance comparing to the Cobra. There's an enourmous gulf between the Cobra and all of the other AI opponents you could meet in this race. What I'd recommend for a potentially close race is either tuning your car to match the Cobra (difficult, as it is a rocketship) or toning your car down to match the E-type or 300SL in terms of performance. When you do run it, post a report up on here so we can see the progress!

Yeah, I'm definetely going to take notes and build a detailed race report of my adventure, . Parnelli Bone gave me some advice on the car selection, and the Z/28 is a good match to the Jaguar when running on N3/N2 rubber. The Cobra can't be matched, only if I upgrade the car, so I'm not going to. I'll stick with a stock Z/28 with added ballast.