1000 Miles! Series -
for 800 A-spec points
I have reached the point in my June Society game that I need to run this series as a championship. Therefore, looking in my meager garage, I'm pleased to see that I have an extremely capable Mazda 110S (L10A) '67 available, which was won at the Mazda "Club RE" One-Make race series. If my memory is correct, this will be the fourth time that I have completed the 1000 miles! series as a Championship.
I take my Mazda 110S to the Mazda dealer and have them install all the non-point parts that are available (I will post the specs after the race). After some tuning and test drives, I set up the Mazda with 111HP, N1/N3 tires and ballast of 155kg.
Nurburgring -
for 200 A-spec points
After an quick flight to Germany, I arive at the Nurburgring track with my white Mazda and go in search of worthy opponents. After 34 days
, I find the following competition on the track:
Nissan Fairlady 2000 SR311 '68
Lotus Elan S1 '62
Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint GTA 1600 '65
Ginetta G4 '64
Mini Marcos GT '70
After two laps of qualifying, I take the pole position for the race.
As we start the race, the
200 points on offer are flashed so the battle is on!
I pit my Mazda 110S for N3 tires at the end of lap one from second place a few seconds behind the speedy blue Ginetta.
Now that I'm on reasonable tires, I will try to make a race of it. So on lap 3 I catch and pass the Alfa Romeo Sprint GTA going thru Pflanzgarten I. Further along on lap 3, I catch and pass the yellow Mini Marcos going down the long straight after drafting up to 127mph.
On lap 4, I catch and pass the Lotus Elan as I drive thru Breidscheid.
On lap 5, I catch the wayward Genetta going thru the Kleine-Karussell, so I get a great draft going down the long straight, and the G4 is dispatched as I drive thru the Hohenrain esses. This puts me in second place, some 45 seconds behind the leading Nissan Fairlady.
The Nissan Fairlady pits at the end of lap 6 with a 28 second lead over me.
As I begin lap 7, I can see the Nissan Fairlady ahead of me on the track with about a 3 second lead.
I catch and pass the Fairlady on lap 7 going thru Adenaur Forst. I radio to my pit crew that there's clear sailing ahead. I pit at the end of lap 7 for new tires. I get dropped to 4th place while I'm in the pits getting refreshments.
I re-pass the wayward Ginetta going thru Aremburg on lap 8 since the G4 was off making sand castles. The Ginetta passes me back going thru Eiskurve, but then immediately spins out and is facing the wrong way on the track when I drive by to take over 3rd place in the race again.
On lap 11, I catch the Lotus Elan on the long straight, and draft past him to take over 2nd place in the race (note: the Lotus is top speed limited). The Nissan Fairlady is still some 27 seconds ahead of me on the track.
The Fairlady starts to fade on lap 12, so I've narrowed its lead to 15 seconds when it pits at the end of the lap. I drive by the Fairlady who is still in the pits, and take over 1st place in the race as I begin lap 13.
The Nissan Fairlady exits the pits in 2nd place, about 5 seconds behind me, and just in front of a hard-charging Lotus Elan. Since the Fairlady is on very cold tires, the Lotus snatches 2nd place in the race by the time they get to the T1 checkpoint.
My lead over the Lotus has stretched out to 10 full seconds whem I pit at the end of lap 13 for tires and some fuel.
I begin lap 14 in 3rd place, some 10 seconds behind the leading Lotus Elan, and about 8 seconds behind the Nissan Fairlady. Going down the long straight on lap 14, I can see that the Fairlady has drafted past the Lotus, so I continue my chase some 8 seconds in arrears. The Lotus pits at the end of lap 14, so I drive right on by and take over 2nd place in the race without and paint being transferred.
As I head into Breidscheid on lap 15, I get my first glimpse of the leading Nissan Fairlady, who has no doubt heard from his pit crew that its my white Mazda that is gaining on him!
On lap 16, I have reduced the Fairlady's lead to 1.4 seconds as we enter Breidscheid. Nailing both corners allows me to pull right up on the Fairlady's bumper as we go over the hill on the exit from Ex-Muhle. I'm able to draft behind the Nissan Fairlady during the 1st half of the back straight before getting dropped from the draft. Somewhat distracted, I put my left side tires on the grass at Mutkurve and spin into the armco for about 50 feet. This drops me 9 seconds behind the leading Fairlady.
I chase hard for the rest of lap 16 and the first half of lap 17, so by the time we get to Ex-Muhle again, I'm back on the Fairlady's bumper. Once again I get dropped by the Fairlady down the curving back straight, but manage to keep my Mazda on the tarmac thru Mutkurve this time. The Nissan Fairlady has managed to build up a 5 second lead over me as we blast down the long straight on lap 17.
The Nissan Fairlady's tires are starting to fade, so as we enter Breidscheid on lap 18, I slide past the Fairlady on the inside and take over 1st place in the race! As we drive down the back straight, the Fairlady reaches my back bumper and gives me a nudge. Its tires must be worn out because the Fairlady does not really try to get by me. The Fairlady pits for tires at the end of lap 18.
At the T1 checkpoint on lap 19, I see that my lead over the 2nd place Fairlady has grown to 33 seconds. I look further back for the Lotus, and see that it crosses the Start/Finish line about 1 minute and 10 seconds behind me in 3rd place. I pit one last time for tires and fuel on lap 19 with a 45 second lead over the Nissan Fairlady.
Laps 20, 21, 22 and 23 all go quite uneventfull now that I've got a solid lead. I throw down a 9.16.088 lap on lap 23 without any NOS or drafting.
The Fairlady pits from second place, about 30 seconds behind me on lap 24.
As I begin lap 25, I look further back and see that I have a 1 minute and 15 second lead over the 3rd place Lotus Elan. The Lotus Elan catches the Nissan Fairlady about half-way thru lap 25 but is unable to get by. So when the checkered flag falls, the following positions are shown:
1st: Mazda 110S (me)
2nd: Nissan Fairlady, 1 minute and 10 seconds back
3rd: Lotus Elan, 1 minute and 12 seconds back
4th: Alfa Romeo Sprint GTA, 7 minutes back
5th: Ginetta G4, 8 minutes and 45 seconds back
6th: Mini Marcos GT, 8 minutes and 50 seconds back
That's one race down, three more to go!
Opera Paris -
for 200 A-spec points
After two laps of qualifying, I start the race on pole against the same lineup as above since I'm continuing in the Championship. My Mazda's horsepower is still 111 and the ballast is still 155kgs. I soften the suspension just a little and move the auto slider from 7 to 3 to allow utilization of the Mazda's limited horsepower. The toe is also changed from 0/-1 to 0/0 to allow for faster turns.
The first lap goes well, with me in the lead until I pit for N3 tires at the end of lap 1.
I exit the pits in 6th place, about 20 seconds behind the 1st place Alfa Romeo Sprint GTA.
On lap 4, I catch and pass the Mini Marcos, and then the Ginetta G4, who were battling among themselves for 4th and 5th place.
On lap 6, I catch and pass the Lotus Elan who was closely following the Alfa Romeo Sprint GTA and the Nissan Fairlady. I'm now in 3rd place, about 1 second behind the leading Alfa Romeo.
I use a little NOS crossing the Start/Finish line to begin lap 7, and pass the Alfa Romeo to take over 2nd place in the race. The Nissan Fairlady slows to negotiate the left turn just before the hairpin, so I slide on by and take over 1st place in the race (some paint was exchanged, but no mirrors were dislodged).
On lap 16, when I've stretched my lead to 33 seconds, news is flashed that 2nd place has been taken over by the Lotus Elan.
On lap 17, I catch and lap the 6th place Mini Marcos.
I pit for tires only on lap 24.
When I exit the pits at the beginning of lap 25, my lead over the Lotus has shrunk to 7 seconds.
On lap 28, I catch and lap the Alfa Romeo and the Ginetta G4 who were battling each other for position.
On lap 30, I catch and lap the Mini Marcos again.
On lap 35, I catch and lap the Nissan Fairlady.
On lap 39, I catch and lap the Mini Marcos again.
Just before the end of lap 42, I catch and lap the Ginetta again.
On lap 47, I catch and lap the Alfa Romeo, however, I know that it will be a short-lived pass, since I will have to pit next lap.
I pit for tires on lap 48, and see that the Alfa streams by me as I sit in the pits getting serviced by my crack pit crew.
When I exit the pits at the beginning of lap 49, my lead over the 2nd place Lotus elan has shrunk to 2 seconds!! The Lotus pulls up to my back bumper as we drive down the long back straight, but does not get by. The Lotus continues to fill my mirrors for the next two laps.
At the end of lap 50, the Alfa Romeo, so I don't get a chance to re-pass the Sprint GTA on the track.
The Lotus is about 4 seconds behind me in 2nd place when it pits on its 53rd lap as I begin my 54th lap. On lap 54, I catch and pass the Mini Marcos again.
From past experience, I know that the Lotus will be slow on its cold tires, so I push hard to increase my lead since I need to pit one more time and the Lotus does not.
On lap 58, I easily catch and pass the Nissan Fairlady again since it had just exited the pits and was on cold tires.
On lap 60, I pass the Ginetta G4 who was lurking off the racing line at the left-hander just before the hairpin.
At the beginning of lap 65, I catch and lap the Mini Marcos again.
On lap 68, after getting a nice draft down the long back straight, I pass the Alfa Romeo Sprint GTA.
My hard and consistent driving is paying off, because when I pit for tires on lap 72, I've stretched my lead over the 2nd place Lotus to a full 60 seconds!
On lap 76, I catch and pass the Mini Marcos again.
On lap 77, as I draft down the long back straight behind the Ginetta, I see that my lead over the 2nd place Lotus is 37 seconds.
I dispatch the Ginetta as we drive by the monument on lap 78.
On lap 85, I get a great draft from the Nissan Fairlady, so I'm able to pass it again going into the tight left-hander just befor the final esses.
Guess who I see again on lap 89? That's right, the Mini Marcos. I wave as I pass the Mini again. Just ahead is the red Alfa Romeo, so I get a great draft down the long back straight (I reached 101mph) and pass the Alfa under hard braking at the end.
For those of you wondering about the Lotus, I check my margin on lap 90, and see that I've got a 42 second lead.
On lap 91, the Ginetta gives me a nice draft down the long back straight and then pits just after I pass him.
The checkered flag falls after 95 laps with the cars in the following order:
1st: Mazda 110S (me)
2nd: Lotus Elan, 45.667 seconds back
3rd: Nissan Fairlady, 3 laps back
4th: Alfa Romeo Sprint GTA, 4 laps back
5th: Ginetta G4, 5 laps back
6th: Mini Marcos, 7 laps back
My best lap was a 1.45.600
Two races down, two to go!
Cote d'Azur -
for 200 A-spec points
After two laps of qualifying, I start the race on pole against the same lineup as above since I'm continuing in the Championship. During the qualifying laps, I intentionally block the Lotus Elan so it starts the race in sixth place.
My Mazda's horsepower is still 111 and the ballast is still 155kgs. I shorten the gearing a little more by moving the auto slider from 3 to 2 to allow better utilization of the Mazda's limited horsepower.
I take off from first on lap one and stay in front until I pit at the end of the lap for N3 tires.
When I exit the pits, I'm in 6th place, 22 seconds behind the 1st place Ginetta.
On lap 4, I catch and pass the Alfa Romeo Sprint GTA going into the hairpin.
On lap 5, I catch and pass the Lotus Elan and then the Mini Marcos to take over 3rd place in the race.
On lap 7, I catch and pass the Nissan Fairlady and take over 2nd place in the race. I'm only about 2.5 seconds behind the leading Ginetta at this point.
On lap 9, I finally catch and pass the Ginetta driving thru the short shute just before the tunnel.
On lap 14, the Fairlady is able to pass the weaving Ginetta, so I see its silver shape being flashed at the next checkpoint. The checkpoint also shows that I have built up a 14 second lead over the Fairlady. Looking further back I can see a 3-car pack that includes the Lotus, and they are all about 1 minute and 5 seconds behind me.
On lap 18, when the news is flashed that I have a 32 second lead over the Nissan Fairlady, I look back and don't see the 3-car pack anymore. This means that the Lotus has finally cleared both the Mini Marcos and the Sprint GTA and has taken up the chase in 4th place. Should I be scared?
The Nissan Fairlady pits while I'm on lap 23, so shortly thereafter the news is flashed that the Ginetta has taken over 2nd place in the race, and is about 1 minute and 3 seconds behind my streaking Mazda 110S.
My tires are pretty much shot at this point, however, I can see a yellow car ahead of me on the track. I think its the Mini Marcos, so I will try to catch it on my orange tires. I get closer, and see that it is the Marcos, and I'm able to pass it going thru the short shute before the tunnel on lap 24.
Finally, I pit on lap 25 for new tires. They are screaming orange but not red so I was still able to make decent time.
When I exit the pits on lap 26, my lead over the 2nd place Ginetta is down to 56 seconds.
When I'm near the end of lap 30, the Sprint GTA pits so I easily make the pass and put him 1 lap down.
As I cruise past the Casino on lap 33, the news is flashed that my lead over the Ginetta has been stretched out to 1 minute and 20 seconds. Looking back I see a 3-car pack that must include the Ginetta, the Lotus and the Nissan Fairlady.
On lap 34, as I enter the tunnel, news is flashed that the Lotus has taken over 2nd place in the race and is 1 minute and 25 seconds behind me.
On lap 37, I easily pass the Ginetta since its still on cold tires from a recent pit stop.
On lap 42, I catch and draft the Mini Marcos up the hill, so I'm nicely set up for an easy pass on the downhill, so the Marcos is put another lap down.
On lap 44 (I think, my notes are un-clear), I watch the Nissan Fairlady pit just in front of me as I drive past the pit entrance, so the Nissan is put one lap down.
My tires are shot by lap 48, however, I see that my lead over the Lotus has grown to 1 minute and 42 seconds because its been stuck behind the Alfa Romeo Sprint GTA for a few laps. So I decide to run another lap (49).
My lead increases as the Sprint GTA continues its road hogging driving, so I decide to run another lap (50). I pit at the end of lap 50 with screaming orange tires!
When I exit the pits to begin lap 51 my lead over the Lotus is still 1 minute and 31 seconds.
I use some NOS during the next few laps because I see that there is a chance to catch and lap the Lotus Elan before it pits because its still stuck behind the Sprint GTA (I still have lots of NOS available since its been used very sparingly up to this point).
On lap 57, I set a new lap record of 2.06.525, which enables me to catch the Lotus going into the hairpin on lap 58. The Lotus is closely following the Alfa Romeo Sprint GTA, who in turn is closely following the Mini Marcos. At the end of lap 58, I pass the Lotus and put it one lap down, and then watch the Sprint GTA enter the pits. I radio my pit crew, and tell them to convey my thanks to a very helpful Alfa Romeo driver.👍
Now that I'm in front of the Lotus Elan, there is no need to push, so for the next few laps, I drive as the Mini Marcos' wing man and keep the Lotus behind us.
Finally, on lap 69, the Lotus can't take the exhaust from my Mazda any longer, so it enters the pits for its one and only pit stop of the race.
There's no need to follow the Mini Marcos any longer, so going into turn one, on lap 70, I pass the Marcos and head up the hill in clear air.
Going slowly behind the Mini Marcos has saved my tires somewhat, so I don't need to pit until lap 77, and my tires are only a light orange at this point (I had planned to pit on lap 75, so I saved two laps).
When I exit the pits on lap 78, my lead looks to be 1 lap, plus 30 seconds.
On lap 79, the news is flashed that the Nissan Fairlady has passed the Lotus, who must be moving quite slowly on its cold tires.
On lap 86, the news is flashed that the Lotus Elan has passed the Nissan Fairlady and re-taken 2nd place in the race. They are both about 55 seconds behind me, plus one lap.
On lap 87, I catch and pass the Ginetta again.
On lap 88, I catch and pass the Mini Marcos again.
On lap 93, as I enter the tunnel, I catch up with the Alfa Romeo Sprint GTA, who was so helpful in blocking the Lotus for at least 5 laps.
I see why the Lotus had such a hard time passing the Sprint GTA, since it takes me until the hairpin on lap 94 before I get by!
I catch the Nissan Fairlady at the end of lap 98, so I'm able to get a decent draft up the hill at the beginning of lap 99. I follow the Nissan closely for a couple of corners, and then dive-bomb inside the Fairlady at the hairpin to put the Fairlady another lap down.
The checkered flag drops after 99 laps and victory is mine, with the other cars finishing as follows:
1st: Mazda 110S (me)
2nd: Lotus Elan, 1 lap and 67 seconds back
3rd: Nissan Fairlady, 2 laps back
4th: Ginetta G4, 2 laps back
5th: Alfa Romeo, 3 laps back
6th: Mini Marcos, 4 laps back
By the end, I had a very nice winning margin because the Lotus Elan was held up twice for extensive periods by the other cars.
Three races down, one to go!
La Sarthe -
for 200 A-spec points
After two laps of qualifying, I start the race in 1st place, against the same lineup as above since I'm continuing in the Championship. My Mazda's horsepower is still 111 and the ballast is still 155kgs. I lengthen the gearing some by moving the auto slider from 2 to 8 to allow better utilization of the Mazda's limited horsepower down the Mulsanne straight. I have also lowered the Mazda's ride height to 95 and adjusted the toe back to 0/-1.
The green flag drops, 200 points are flashed on the screen, and we're off!
On lap one, I get a wonderful tow behind the Ginetta down the Mulsanne straight (together we reach 141mph). I then watch the Ginetta drive off into the sand at the Mulsanne corner, and take over 1st place in the race. Both the Ginetta and the Nissan Fairlady get by me in the Porsche curves, so I enter the pits for N3 tires at the end of the lap (I might have stayed out another lap if I had remained in front, but once I was passed, I could not remain on the N1 tires).
When I exit the pits and begin lap 2, I am 30 seconds behind the leading Ginetta, and have been dropped to 6th place in the race, behind the Mini Marcos. I get a great draft from the Mini Marcos about half-way down Mulsanne, so I pull out and pass, and take over 5th place in the race.
I catch and pass the Lotus Elan going thru the Ford chicanes at the end of the lap, so I begin lap 3 in 4th place.
I get a decent draft behind the Alfa Romeo Sprint GTA after we pass the T4 checkpoint, so I'm able to pass and take over 3rd place in the race before we reach Indianapolis.
On lap 4, just before I get to the Ford chicanes, the Ginetta, who is just in front of me, drives off into the sand, so as I begin lap 5, I'm in 2nd place, some 30 seconds behind the leading Nissan Fairlady.
I blow the Ford chicanes on lap 7 and lose about 15 seconds before I get pointed in the right direction. The Nissan Fairlady stretches its lead to 45 seconds.
No significant action during the next six laps, I'm just cruising and enjoying the scenery.
As I begin lap 14, I catch and pass the Mini Marcos on the Start/Finish line.
I'm about 15 seconds behind the Nissan Fairlady when it pits on lap 15.
I graciously take the lead of the race as I begin lap 16.
With about a 28 second lead over the Nissan Fairlady, I pit for tires and fuel on lap 18.
Just as I exit the pits to begin lap 19, the Nissan blows my doors off down the S/F straight!
I try to stay with the Nissan thru the 1st chicane, but stand no chance on my very cold tires. Down the Mulsanne the Nissan Fairlady disappears in the distance.
The Alfa Romeo pits on lap 21, so I'm able to pass it as I go down the S/F straight to begin lap 22. The Nissan Fairlady struggles a little bit with the 1st chicane before the Dunlop bridge, so I'm able to pass it as we go over the hill. The Nissan gives me a few nudges down the Mulsanne straight, but is not allowed to pass.
The Nissan Fairlady tries to go around me on the outside of the 1st Porsche curve and ends up stuck in the sand.
I did not push the Nissan at all, but don't deny that I was secretly pleased.
I begin lap 23 with a 17 second lead over the Nissan Fairlady. About half-way down the Mulsanne straight, I catch a draft from the Lotus Elan and easily pass it before the Mulsanne kink.
On lap 25, I catch a draft off the Mini Marcos driving down the Mulsanne straight and blast on by once again.
I badly blow the Ford chicanes on lap 27 and lose about 15 seconds.
As I begin lap 31, the news is flashed that the Nissan Fairlady is pitting for a second time. The T2 checkpoint says that I have a 51 second lead over the Fairlady once it has resummed its race in 2nd place.
I badly blow the Ford chicanes on lap 32 and lose another 15 seconds.
Lap 35 begins and the white flag is flown, so I on my way down the Mulsanne one final time. The last checkpoint on lap 35 shows that I have a 56 second lead over the Nissan Fairlady. I cross the finishing line and earn another 200 points! The remainder of the field eventually crosses as well, in the following order:
1st: Mazda 110S (me)
2nd: Nissan Fairlady, 56 seconds back
3rd: Lotus Elan S1, 1 lap behind
4th: Alfa Romeo Sprint GTA, 1 lap behind
5th: Ginetta G4, 1 lap behind
6th: Mini Marcos GT, 2 laps behind
After the race, I'm rewarded with a hefty chunk of change for my Championship win, and a 1963 Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint Speciale.
My Mazda now has 1,056.8 miles on the odometer, and its chassis may be in need of refreshment.
See you at the races!
GTsail
You'll need S1s (if you're not already using them), additional power, AND a custom gearbox. The Cobra's gearing allows it a much higher ceiling than it did in GT3, where I think it was limited to about 135 mph.
You'll hear it from everyone on this forum, but how much fun was it, really, to lap every car several times over? Speaking from experience, it's more satisfying to take a car that will give you a close race. That would mean bringing a car equal to the best AI competitor, but it's highly unlikely that you're a worse driver than the AI, so you almost certainly can win with a somewhat worse car than the best AI.
