Hey Mate,
First of all I never really went from rank 50 to rank 1 in the UK as I sort of made my own competition when I went all out for the Redbull X2010 challenge on the Pad! (I still claim that I was the only person to do it on the DS3 before controller sensitivity
! Gold that is). But back on track a little, that challenge helped me out MASSIVELY. Ye I knew I was still quick back then, but it was still on a pad. I then jumped onto GT Academy 2011 and used the pad and was always up there UK wise. Switching to a wheel during it again I improved pretty much straight away but that's just from knowledge I learnt playing the pad so I never really had the Rank 50 to Rank 1 (Or in my case Rank 3 as I've never finished rank 1 in the UK at the final round of GT Academy
).
So to answer your question a little bit and I'll probably do a video on this at some point.
The thing is with any racing sim/game or actually any game what so ever is that you need a baseline, you need something to compare against. Now I'm naturally quite good at any game (I know that sounds big headed, but it's not the only game I've ranked highly in before). The way I initially approach something helps me a lot. First thing I'll do is just try something, experience it and try to learn as much as I can from it. So in this case if this was my first GT academy I'd be just trying to get round and do laps and figure out what I can do right and what I can do wrong. That isn't a baseline but what is, especially in GT Academys case is a lap time and being able to hit it consistently. Once I've hit my initial limit it's then time to look at a few replays and tips around the internet. Sometimes I think 'Wow, why didn't I think of that'. But in some cases you'll find that you are actually doing something similar and still not getting the gains that you expect or want (A lot of people fall in to this category). Also one thing to note with my first proper go at GT Academy is I made a spreadsheet and as I was a student did 4 1 hour sessions a day. I noted down each sector vs the best and always checked what I did different on a sector to identify how I could improve further.
So here's the point now you have to be able to do in order to improve....
TEST! Test, test, test, test, test! The thing is it's all very well and good people like myself and others explaining how to do something. Yes it will help give you a good idea but you have to test and push boundaries yourself and be consistent about it to. So if I say brake at this point and do this, try it. Then try something different, maybe brake a bit less or turn a bit more you have to push the boundaries. If you don't push the boundaries yourself you can't learn fully from it. I perhaps should upload a whole 1st session explaining my thought process as I do have some recorded so I might just do that!
That's a bit about the thought process about it anyway.
As for hardware! Hardware doesn't matter that much, yes it helps I mean I have a full setup now but going back to my first GT Academy I had a chair, controller and a 22" television that I played on. Nothing more than that, and still could go quick. I think the only reason I have a full setup still is because I like the ability not having to get my wheel out when it's already there I just press a button, sit down and play. One thing to note with hardware is the only time it will have any kind of effect is maybe 1 tenth or 2 right at the top (DS3 vs Wheel dependent on round etc.) but I've qualified for GT Academy on; DS3, G25, Driving Force GT, G27.
Some other things that can have an effect on you;
Rest: I improve massively on a weekend when I haven't worked all day. I'm not sure what Immortals schedule is but I notice alot of his times are done early morning and I find myself that a clear fresh mind really gives a good opportunity.
Food & Drink: This has a big impact. I liked to drink a cup of tea (How british of me
) before I start a session as I find it puts me in the right frame of mind. I also drink lots of water which also helps the mind. Something I have done in the past but I would not recommend this as they are very unhealthy for you is an energy drink with water. If you ever have an energy drink for this purpose (I don't recommend you do this) they require at least 2 pints of water for a normal sized can. Caffeine dehydrates you and requires water to work, so if you're dehydrated before you're even more so now which makes your performance drop and not increase. (Just to say, I do not recommend drinking energy drinks).
Breaks: Having a break always helps
Exercise: Exercise helps the mind, it may seem better to spend an extra hour on GT Academy but doing a bit of exercise, even if it's a 30 minute walk can freshen you up and make your mind feel better.
Finally something I don't like to say, but something that sort of has to be said to (Please take this in the way it's meant to be and not some insult to anybody on this forum and isn't meant for anyone in particular);
Some people aren't cut out for it, it's just pure and simple nature of the competition. We are all wired up differently in our minds. There's somethings in life I can't do and I find hard to do! I can try my best at them but I still wouldn't be anywhere near the best at them but if I have to do it or want to try it I do it and I try to enjoy it the best way I can. It's the same for GT Academy, not everyone will make it but enjoy it for what it is!
For me I love driving, even if it's the commute to work I love it and even on that I try improve my driving whether it be a no braking attempt (I enjoy these), fuel runs, practice heel & toe or whatever I love to do it. My instructor who taught me to drive said she'd never met anybody like myself as I instantly had a natural feel for driving. I learnt in 8 lessons, the average in the UK is 45 (I knew the average before I started so bought 20 but had 8 proper lessons and had to use the rest for experience). Again as I said some people are wired different, some people can't drive in real life and choose not to drive the principles are the same.
So ye, that post wasn't meant to be that long, but hey it's turned out like that. There's lots of different things you can do to try improve but it's all about testing and how you react, before, during and after the session.
If anyone does read ALL of this please take it with a pinch of salt as that's how I approach things, opinion on things, and solutions to them.
Best thing I can say is to just ENJOY GT Academy!
) but the way it seems to me is that chassis of the car starts to get looser already around 50km and that'll also create a sort of effect that it feels like on same stint something is not quite static when I do more and more laps...
. Shame PD do not do this, instead of a 1 lap time do a several laps consistently, basically I am rubbish at this.
!). As usual it's a slow motion lap talking about each corner, followed by a fast lap with both the bumper cam and 3rd eye this time.
