1000 Miles junkies . . .

[PARAGON GT]

Who else out there has a passion for jumping into a pre-70's car and run it through one of the most grueling series in the game?

Not B-specing it, but actually A-specing the entire event?

I have personally competed and completed the event 3 times so far, and I still have a list of cars that I want to compete with.

So far I have used the following cars:

1. '67 Nissan Skyline GT-B -
The car was stock, w/ an oil change and different rims.
2. '54 Chevrolet Corvette
No oil change, Customizable transmission, N1 tires, and rims.
3. '63 Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint Speciale
Stock, no oil change, S1 tires

I have been trying to stay with the lower powered cars for now to keep the races fairly close. I think that up next on the list will be the Lotus Elan S1 on N1 tires.

So is there anyone else out there that loves this event?

*edit*

Since more and more people are starting chime in, I thought I would start a list of "Junkies"

List of self appointed Junkies:
PARAGON GT - 3.25 (one in process)
Parnelli Bone - 7
Smallhorses - 4

 

[Open Addict]

I wouldn't mind giving this series another go, (mainly because I need some money to finish getting all the cars).

Being that I did this series in the BLRA-3 for 200 points. I would love to do this in an old classic and possibly in stock form to add to the Stock Thread.

What kind of points have you been offered for the cars you have used so far?

 

[Adamgp]

It's funny you posted this because I just started the 1000 miles tourny again yesterday. This time I'm using a stock '69 Camaro Z/28, against a Stingray, Jag, and 300SL.

Haven't completed the Nuburgring race yet but I got a decent lead. The Sarthe race should be a nail biter since their top speed is quite a bit higher than mine.

I have used the following cars in previous attempts:

1. modded Jag E-Type '61 - First attempt, before I knew that any pre 1970 car could be used, not just European. B-specced most of it.

2. stock Shelby GT350R '65 - First full A-spec attempt. Decimated the field.

3. stock Corvette Stingray '63 - Ran a close race against the Jag. Most fun attempt.

I tried lower powered cars such as the Alfa GTA, and the Mistubishi Galant GTO, but the racing wasn't much better, and it took for ever so I aborted those tries.

 

[Parnelli Bone]

I've done 1,000 miles at least 6 times by now. Some of them were entirely A-spec, but I let Bob drive a few laps here and there. He always blows my lead tho, and I either eat it and let him go till the tires need changing, or if he's REALLY sucking, I'll pull him in early so I can take over.

So far, I've used these cars:

1: '70 Honda 1300 Coupe (front drive!)

2: '70 Chevelle (mostly against Shelby Cobra, but the Lotus Elan {which only takes one pit stop at Paris i think} actually does better at Paris than the Cobra)

3: '69 Nissan Skyline sedan (I pretend it's a Datsun 510)

4: '66 Alfa Romeo Spider

5: Ginetta G4 (with anywhere from 83 to 97 horsepower)

6: VW Karman Ghia

There might be a race I'm forgetting, but i'm pretty sure that's it.

I use S1 tires mostly, tho I have switched to N3s or N2s if I'm doing too good.

 

[Happyvdubber]

I've just completed the 1000 Miles! in a '68 Isuzu 117 Coupe. The car was completely stock including the standard 4-speed tranmission and S2 tires.

All races were 89 A-spec pts with the exception of Cote d'Azur which was a hair over 100 A-spec pts since I added weight ballast to make the race more interesting. The only competition in all races was the '54 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Coupe.

Nur was a nail biter. Long straights in combination with the Mercs top end, killed any lead I had. Eventually the race was won based on pit stratagy with a final gap less than 5 seconds.

Opera was a breeze

Cote was a breeze

I lost la Sarthe II by more than 2 minutes! Dirty driving, blocking and drafting was useless. My 200km/h versus the Mercs 240km/h was the key to his success. No chance.

Other AI:
Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint Speciale '63
Honda S800 '66
Lotus Elan S1 1962
Toyota Sport 800

 

[PARAGON GT]

What kind of points have you been offered for the cars you have used so far?

Lets see . . .
The Skyline received 54 / 64 / 72 / 72 winning all 4
The Corvette received 87 / 87 / 87 / 87 also winning all 4
In both cases they went up against the Marcos GT, Alfa GTA, Honda S800, VW Carmingia and a Fiat 500 (Couldn't tell you which one)

The Alfa Giulia Sprint Speciale received 91 / 91 / 91 / 92 again taking all 4
Its field consisted of the Alfa GTA and Giulia Sprint Speciale, Marcos GT, VW Carmingia and the Toyota Sport 800.

I started up another round last night in the Lotus Elan. I thought that the field would yeald more points, but the first race only gave me 78. The field consists of a Nissan Fairlady, Lotus Elan S1, Mazda 110B, Alfa GTA and the '63 Nissan Skyline. Nearest I can tell thats the order that they are running in too. The first 4 laps the Fairlady and I kept jockeying for first place. I was able to carry more speed through the turns, but on the straights, the Fairlady would pull away. A couple times I would build a 3 or 4 second lead, to watch him blow by me on the final straight. Right now I'm 45 seconds ahead because the Fairlady pitted on lap 7, and at that point my tires had just warmed up. (N1's)

3: '69 NIssan Skyline sedan (i pretend it's a Datsun 510)

Is that the '69 Bluebird or the '70 GTR or the '67 GT-B?

 

[Catlin]

I was just about to start this the other day then i realised i didnt have enough time, its so long!

Will try and start it over the weekend deifnately.

 

[Parnelli Bone]

Is that the '69 Bluebird or the '70 GTR or the '67 GT-B?

Woops my bad You're right, it was the '69 Bluebird.

And I remember the other car I used (so that makes it a total of SEVEN 1,000 Miles races!) the '70 Celica

 

[PARAGON GT]

7 races, very impressive Mr Bone . . . Very impressive. I guess if I count my B-spec runs I would be at 6 times. (I ran a C2 Vette and the G4 through but the majority was b-spec'd. Actually I would like to take the C2 back through again, just under my control this time.)

I like the cars that you chose to run. A couple of them are on my list of cars to run.
How difficult was it to run the Honda 1300 coupe? I have been considering taking the Marcos GT through the series, but the FF drivetrain makes me feel leery to run it.

I'm thinking that after the Lotus, I will either run the GT350R or Cougar.
Obviously not for points that time around.
I own a '67 Mustang and those cars are the closest to my car in the game.

 

[Parnelli Bone]

hey it's not that impressive! I would much rather be out in a bar somewhere, but the problem is all my friends live 20 miles away, and I only get to see them on the weekends. So I usually get off work and play some GT.

But I will say this: i enjoyed each and every 1,000 Miles race!

For low-powered races, make sure you always include the Lotus Elan and Nissan Fairlady! You'll have to spend some time resetting the race over and over till that grid shows up without faster cars, but it'll be worth it. Once you find this grid, go back home and save the game immediately. Each car (Elan or Fairlady) has various strengths at each of the 4 tracks, so this way you avoid having a one-sided race against just one other car.

 

[PARAGON GT]

I'm running the Elan right now.

Which Toyota?

I have also thought about running the Honda S800. Though, I might build it a little and tinker with the gear box.

 

[Parnelli Bone]

I'm running the Elan right now.

Which Toyota?

My bad again. i meant to say "Nissan Fairlady". You caught me mid-edit, I'm afraid.

See, the Fairlady has close to 140 hp. It has longer gears than the Elan (and therefore will challenge you at the Ring and Sarthe) but the Elan (which has about 118 hp) is lighter and rarely takes any pit stops, which makes it better at the 2 shorter tracks (Paris and Cote). Sometimes, I've seen the Fairlady wash it into the sand at Sarthe's long, long curvy areas, meaning some other car becomes dominant at Sarthe, but it doesn't always happen.

I have also thought about running the Honda S800. Though, I might build it a little and tinker with the gear box.

I plan on someday racing one of the early Honda roadsters, too. 👍

 

[PARAGON GT]

I concur.

It took me a while to find a grid that I thought would be a challenge in the Elan.
The line up that I'm going against now has stayed fairly close. The Fairlady and I were trading paint for the first couple laps until it had to pit on the 7th lap. That's where I built my 45 second lead. (The N1 tires probably helped out too) The AI Elan is clipping along in 3rd followed by the Mazda, the Alfa GTA and the lonely '63 Skyline in 6th.

 

[PARAGON GT]

Well, round 1 completed in just under 4 hours. (3:55.xxx if I recall right)

Placed first, pitted once for a little fule to finish up on lap 21.
Had about a 2:30 lead on the 2nd place car.

The Fairlady was cruising in 2nd untill he had to pit on the final lap, letting the AI-Elan slide on by.

Final Running order was
Lotus Yellow Lotus Elan S1 - Me
AI- Lotus
Fairlady
Alfa GTA
Mazda 110B - Only lapped once.
Skyline - Lapped 3 or 4 times.

Nearest I can tell, the track that will present me with the most problems is Sarth. I'm hoping that spending less time in the pits, and being a little faster in the corners will allow me to make up the serious gap I will loose on the straights.

 

[Parnelli Bone]

Sarthe is very intense in some spots, but (as others have noted) you can space out down the giant straights and blow your braking into those final sharp corners.

The Lotus Elan drives it near-perfect. If it had a taller gearbox, it would be able to get a faster speed down those straights, but unfortunately it can only make about 120 mph max. That leaves the Fairlady. I've done races (as I said before) in which the Fairlady corners too aggressively in the long, sandy curvy areas, and winds up wasting into the sand. I believe I even did a race in which i was in 2nd place, desperate to get in the lead, but the Fairlady wouldn't budge. Then all a sudden, she slips and I wind up in the lead!

Then again, I've ALSO done a race where I remember the Fairlady got ahead, and I thought "that's okay, she's gonna wipe out soon". But lap after lap, she maintained her lead, and eventually won the damn race! Oooh I was mad.

I remember racing the Chevelle at Paris, too. I let Bob take over at some point because I had a nice lead, went and did some other stuff (bathroom, snack, smoke perhaps) and wound up like a full minute and some change BEHIND the competition, Bob was driving so badly.

So I get behind the wheel. I mean, I drove like MAD, and slowly but surely, I got into that "zone". Lap after lap, I found the sweetest driving & braking points, and I think in the very last lap (or 2nd to last) I finally passed the leader! The leader happened to be that slow Lotus Elan. Even tho it's slower than the Mercedes and '63 Vette, it drives near-perfect and only takes a single pitstop at Paris, very late in the race if I remember correct.

 

[Happyvdubber]

What's the top end on the Elan vs Fairlady?

 

[Parnelli Bone]

What's the top end on the Elan vs Fairlady?

Elan is like 118 or 120 mph, and the Fairlady is about 142 while drafting.

Ginetta can do 130...unfortunately it can't do corners for ****. The Alfa GTA can do 125. The Giulia can do about 124. Mazda 110S= 120-ish mph. From there on, it gets worse and worse.

I don't have stats for the faster cars, yet.

 

[PARAGON GT]

I have only pushed the Elan to redline in 4th and it was about 108-9mph depending on if it was up hill or down.

I also wanted to add that the Alpha G.S.S. was around 125-130 topped out. The C1 stock was somewhere around 100.

 

[amartya]

i just finished the 1000 miles championship in a '70 Dodge Charger 440 R/T....
i won all the events except the last, where i came second.....


is it me, or is B-spec=no fun

 

[Open Addict]

...I remember racing the Chevelle at Paris, too. I let Bob take over at some point because i had a nice lead, went and did some other stuff (bathroom, snack, smoke perhaps) and wound up like a full minute and some change BEHIND the competition, Bob was driving so badly.

So i get behind the wheel. I mean, i drove like MAD, and slowly but surely, i got into that "zone". Lap after lap, i found the sweetest driving & braking points, and i think in the very last lap (or 2nd to last) i finally passed the leader! The leader happened to be that slow Lotus Elan. Even tho it's slower than the Mercedes and '63 Vette, it drives near-perfect and only takes a single pitstop at Paris, very late in the race if i remember correct.

The first time I ran through the 1000 miles I used the Overkill AC or Shelby Cobra (can't remember which one). I would drive some and then bob would drive some. On the last race of the series (La Sarthe) Bob took over approx 10 laps in. Then on lap 25 or so, bob lost it at the end on the massive straight and went straight in to the sand. He then spent the next 15 min's driving in to the wall, reversing then driving straight in to the wall again. I came back from watering the garden, expecting bob to have finished. Instead he was still in the sand trap with a lap time currently of 16 mins or so. Lucky it was the last race, as I just exit and still won the championship. Ever since then I have not used Bob for the 1000 miles event.

I did it myself (obviously) for the 200 point run. But every time I will do it myself.

 

[Parnelli Bone]

I have only pushed the Elan to redline in 4th and it was about 108-9mph depending on if it was up hill or down.
.

I was talking about the Elan as an Ai car. If you watch the replay of a race at Sarthe especially, the Elan tops at about 118 or 120 down those longer straights...somewhere around there, anyways. And it's not just redlining, it's actually hitting the rpm limiter when it makes those higher speeds.

is it me, or is B-spec=no fun

B spec= no fun!

Although I gotta admit guys, I may just B-spec the Miata endurance or do both (B and A spec). I mean come on: 4 hours at Tsukuba with only 6 competitors??? that sounds like a recipe for boredom to me. Opinions? Flames?

I don't see why they didn't keep Miata endurance around an hour (like it was in GT3).

The first time I ran through the 1000 miles I used the Overkill AC or Shelby Cobra (can't remember which one). I would drive some and then bob would drive some. On the last race of the series (La Sarthe) Bob took over approx 10 laps in. Then on lap 25 or so, bob lost it at the end on the massive straight and went straight in to the sand. He then spent the next 15 min's driving in to the wall, reversing then driving straight in to the wall again. I came back from watering the garden, expecting bob to have finished. Instead he was still in the sand trap with a lap time currently of 16 mins or so. Lucky it was the last race, as I just exit and still won the championship. Ever since then I have not used Bob for the 1000 miles event.

I did it myself (obviously) for the 200 point run. But every time I will do it myself.

funny story!

 

[Open Addict]

.....B spec= no fun!

Although i gotta admit guys, i may just B-spec the Miata endurance or do both (B and A spec). I mean come on: 4 hours at Tsukuba with only 6 competitors??? that sounds like a recipe for boredom to me. Opinions? Flames?

I dont see why they didn't keep Miata endurance around an hour (like it was in GT3). ...

4 hours at Tsukuba with only 6 competitors???.

Yeah right, try A-specing the Tsukuba 9 hour, talk about a sleep-fest, especially between 2hour mark through to the 8 hour mark.

 

[Smallhorses]

I'm a "1000 miles!" Junkie! 👍

Have run it 4 times.

1st time: Alfa Romeo Spider Duetto '66 (Points 141 / 141 / 141 / ??)
New car (0.0 miles) run on N1 and N3 tyres, but otherwise stock Started each race on N1 tyres, pitted ending lap 1 and switched to N3s, giving 141 points per race. Had to start on S2s at Sarthe to remain competetive and hence points dropped way down. Now has 992.3 miles on it after "1000 miles!" races

2nd time: Toyota Celica 1600GT (TA22) '70 (Points 93 / 93 / 93 / 93)
Used car (37641.9 miles) run on S1 tyres without changing the oil in completely stock form to enter in the Stock car race comparison/challenge thread and was a long time record holder. Now has 38634.6 miles on it after the "1000 miles!" races. (992.7 miles total raced)

3rd time: Marcos Mini Marcos GT '70 (Points unknown)
New car (0.0 miles) run in completely stock form except for switching front tyres to S1 to combat the awful FF tyrewear pattern. Run for fun just to complete this series in an FF ride. Won the first 3 races, but was unable to better 3rd place at Sarthe. Don't have details about lineup I faced. Now has 1010.9 miles on it after "1000 miles!" races, as I tried qualifying for Sarthe to no avail.

4th time: Nissan Skyline Hard Top 2000GT-R (KPGC10) '70 (Points unknown)
New car (0.0 miles) run in completely stock form on S1 tyres. Think I took on a Jaguar E-type and Mercedes 300SL to give some exciting races, but still got very low points and I don't have exact lineup details. Love the way this old car looks and wanted to give it a good long run. Now has 992.8 miles on it after "1000 miles!" races.

B spec= no fun!

Although i gotta admit guys, i may just B-spec the Miata endurance or do both (B and A spec). I mean come on: 4 hours at Tsukuba with only 6 competitors??? that sounds like a recipe for boredom to me. Opinions? Flames?

4 hours at Tsukuba with only 6 competitors???.

Yeah right, try A-specing the Tsukuba 9 hour, talk about a sleep-fest, especially between 2hour mark through to the 8 hour mark.

Ok, so Tsukuba is a little short and you can certainly rack up a lot of laps in 4 or 9 hours, but there's no reason that you should have a dull race.
With a little fishing for lineups, a suitable car and some perseverance, both races can be made exciting. Don't believe me? Try a 29s winning margin after 9hrs in a 200 A-spec point completely stock car race?

Tsukuba 9hr (200 A-spec points in a stock used Honda S2000 '01)

Roadster 4hr (147 A-spec points coming from way behind on N3 tyres in an otherwise stock Mazda MX-5 Miata 1600 NR-A (NB,J) '04)

 

[Parnelli Bone]

I'm a "1000 miles!" Junkie! 👍

Have run it 4 times.

1st time: Alfa Romeo Spider Duetto '66 (Points 141 / 141 / 141 / ??)
New car (0.0 miles) run on N1 and N3 tyres, but otherwise stock Started each race on N1 tyres, pitted ending lap 1 and switched to N3s, giving 141 points per race. Had to start on S2s at Sarthe to remain competetive and hence points dropped way down. Now has 992.3 miles on it after "1000 miles!" races

2nd time: Toyota Celica 1600GT (TA22) '70 (Points 93 / 93 / 93 / 93)
Used car (37641.9 miles) run on S1 tyres without changing the oil in completely stock form to enter in the Stock car race comparison/challenge thread and was a long time record holder. Now has 38634.6 miles on it after the "1000 miles!" races. (992.7 miles total raced)

3rd time: Marcos Mini Marcos GT '70 (Points unknown)
New car (0.0 miles) run in completely stock form except for switching front tyres to S1 to combat the awful FF tyrewear pattern. Run for fun just to complete this series in an FF ride. Won the first 3 races, but was unable to better 3rd place at Sarthe. Don't have details about lineup I faced. Now has 1010.9 miles on it after "1000 miles!" races, as I tried qualifying for Sarthe to no avail.

4th time: Nissan Skyline Hard Top 2000GT-R (KPGC10) '70 (Points unknown)
New car (0.0 miles) run in completely stock form on S1 tyres. Think I took on a Jaguar E-type and Mercedes 300SL to give some exciting races, but still got very low points and I don't have exact lineup details. Love the way this old car looks and wanted to give it a good long run. Now has 992.8 miles on it after "1000 miles!" races.





Ok, so Tsukuba is a little short and you can certainly rack up a lot of laps in 4 or 9 hours, but there's no reason that you should have a dull race.
With a little fishing for lineups, a suitable car and some perseverance, both races can be made exciting. Don't believe me? Try a 29s winning margin after 9hrs in a 200 A-spec point completely stock car race?

Tsukuba 9hr (200 A-spec points in a stock used Honda S2000 '01)

Roadster 4hr (147 A-spec points coming from way behind on N3 tyres in an otherwise stock Mazda MX-5 Miata 1600 NR-A (NB,J) '04)

Ah dude, I believe you. And I feel hypocritical because i'm usually the guy trying to get a few others to "get into the game"...but 4 hours in a Miata at Tsukuba....no mechanical failures...6 others to race against (which really only means ONE other car to race against). It just sounds dull as hell to me. I'm B-specing part of the race...call me a hypocrite if you will!

I'm actually looking forward to the 9 hour race, mostly because I won't be limited to racing against a Miata IN a Miata. But I aint sitting here 9 straight hours! No race driver (real-life) would be expected to drive 9 hours so i'm not. ...Bob is getting some of that action, too. On the other hand, I'm certainly NOT gonna b-spec the entire race, either. I'll figure out a way to switch between me & Bob.

 

[PARAGON GT]

Glad to see you chime in Smallhorses.

So you ran the Marcos! Wow. I have been thinking about taking that into the event. But I have been fearing having to deal with the FF's shortcomings.

I see you ran the Celica too. I'm torn between running that one, and the Mitsubishi Gallant GTO. They seem pretty comparable to each other.

 

[Parnelli Bone]

I ran the '69 Honda 1300 coupe once, which is also front drive. It was also air-cooled in real-life and the fore-runner of our modern Accords.

I remeber i had to add some power to keep up with the 1,000 Mile Ai because pitstops became twice as frequent.

 

[PARAGON GT]

I remember reading that above. Its a neat looking car. Don't think I have ever bought one yet.

How was the handling on it? Did you feel like you were fighting it through the corners?
The Marcos from what I remember was a bear in tight corners.

 

[Parnelli Bone]

I remember reading that above. Its a neat looking car. Don't think I have ever bought one yet.

How was the handling on it? Did you feel like you were fighting it through the corners?
The Marcos from what I remember was a bear in tight corners.

From what I remember, it's tricky, but not impossible. There isn't too much understeer that you can't handle, and no torque-steer either. And the rear is light and can get loose at times, too! Especially over bumpy areas. I would encourage you and others to google this car, it's actually got a fascinating story. 👍

I really dug its gearing scheme....I would fly up the long, long hill (the one before the first Karussel area) in 3rd ..the engine SCREAMING for like an entire minute or so....finally making it to redline somewhere near the end of the straight! This car has a high 8,000 redline, too!

Then you brake down so you can climb up the hill that goes to Karussel...you can almost hear the engine sigh in relief!

 

[PARAGON GT]

So is that on the list of things you learned on Wikipedia?

Sounds like it is a blast to drive. I might have to buy one when I finish this round.

 

[Parnelli Bone]

So is that on the list of things you learned on Wikipedia?

Sounds like it is a blast to drive. I might have to buy one when I finish this round.

Oh jeez. I'm a bit embarassed about that thread. I was hoping other people would chime in, offering stuff they learned too, but it didn't happen that way. I like reading facts and stuff. Ah well.

but to answer, yeah, I learned some stuff about the 1300 on Wikipedia, but there's other sites that offer information, too. 💡 Some cars in GT4 have quite a history, and some don't. The 1300 is one you would think has nothing new to learn about, but (as I said) it's got a brief but interesting biography. 💡

I highly recommend driving it. It's different from a modern Honda, that's for sure.