2021 FIA Series Race Discussion

  • Thread starter GTPNewsWire
  • 9,031 comments
  • 1,673,929 views
Sacked off work early to do the first slot in EMEA.

B/S room, Q5, P3 (podium:gtpflag:) for 86pts, a CRB and a big bunch of DR I can fritter away on dailies later!

5th on the grid was ok seeing as I had no slipstream. Came out of the pits in 3rd but 2nd spun on T1 and I couldn't get close enough to the first car to get a slip. Had run 1,37.6 in practice but only managed 1,38.4 in qualy. Something within 2 tenths of my PB would have been pole.

Decided to go 9M/11S as I prefer to be quick later in the race and if you stay clean early you can just about stay in touch on the slower tyres.

Bit of swapping places in the first stint but ran comfortably in 6th and at the end of lap 9 had a perfect slipstream so went one more for an even 10/10 strategy. Who knows if that was the right call but I was pleased with the final result regardless.

Came out 6th but 2 still had to pit so that became 4th. 3rd place was a 911 on Mediums and I got him within 4 laps or so. Into 3rd and had 5 laps to make up about 6 seconds to P2.

P2 seemed to be close to P1 but never close enough to fight and slow them both down. He seemed to be struggling with tyres in the last 2 laps and by the end I was just over 1 second off P2.

Clean race all round though.

Winner was a Merc, P2 was a 911. Both seemed to be better on fuel than my Aston. Although I spent most of the first stint following a group of 3 and coasting into corners I reckon I lost about 4 seconds in the pits compared to P2 and P1. Certainly the Porsche seemed to be really good on fuel.

But I was driving a V12 so can't exactly complain:lol:

Actually ended up being relatively smooth around Fuji, even through the demented toddler's scribble that is sector 3:lol:

Might see if I can repeat that with a big boot of gr2 turbo in Daily C.
:gtpflag:
 
View attachment 1009051

Race pretty much went exactly how I predicted it to :lol:

View attachment 1009053

In with @Tigerhawk87 and @GTMW_Colin and put it in 7th spot with no slip which I was fairly happy with. Had a decent start and was up into 5th by lap 3. 4 cars in front were on Softs and they pulled out a big gap. I had broken slipstream from behind too so had a little gap but then as expected, my tires started to wear and I got got caught by a couple of Medium runners behind me. I probably pitted a lap too late too as I was into the high 1:41s on my last Mediums lap, staying out longer than everyone else. At least I led the race for a lap :lol: Came out the pits in 10th and quickly caught and passed an Evo. Caught up to the back of a Mazda but I eventually couldn’t compete against its superior tire saving and it pulled away final laps. I’ll take 9th though. Don’t think I could do much better than that.

View attachment 1009052

Fun race and good to be in with some familiar names, even if the only time I saw @xxPinkyKissxx was on the race introductions!

I qualified 12th and finished 10th. Had a few calamities at the abominable chicane which makes me think I could do a little better (although I definitely gained positions after a group of 4 or so cars had a bit of a booboo) so may go again. Had scored better in previous rounds so no harm done.

GTMW_Colin here haha. That's the account I use for FIA races.

Yeah, not the best race on my end unfortunately.
Door #20
Q18
Finished way down. I think P16. Decided to go again.
-900 DR
Only positive was 2 familiar faces in the lobby, both did much better than I could manage. @Tigerhawk87 and @xxPinkyKissxx.

Second time slot was a bit better.
Door #3
Quali wasn't great. Q15
But brought it home in P8
+500DR
123 points (least of the season)

Could be me, but unable to hook up any decent times in the Mazda round here.
 
I really like Fquayuji, such a difficult and demanding track. the first corner and the whole last sector I fear every single lap.

door no 19, B/S lobby. decided to use my latest livery design....

I qualified without a slipstream and got a 1.38.7. Very pleased with that as before the race I was hoping for a low 1.39.
in fact a1.39 and a bit would have gotten me 16th/17th place only though. I was now 8th ,and had a feeling I was in a strong lobby

Start went okay, no incidents and after a few laps I was in 7th having a nice duel with a German Aston. I had a fantastic overtake on him at the chicane, one of my best overtakes ever... but completely by accident as i braked a bit too late and tried to avoid him and not ruin his race and found myself being able to make corner and get ahead of him.
All stayed fair and I managed to keep him behind till lap 9 when my softs started to drop and he went past me on the straight. So pitted for mediums and came out 16th. after others pitted i was back in 7th but the German Aston was just behind and passed me. A few laps later a Porsche gave me a bit of a nasty push and that dropped me to 10th. The same Porsche then spinned a few corners later, allowing me to finish in 9th for 64 points.

Did survive a massive divebomb early in the race, saw a shadow going just behind me with massive speed when I steered into the first corner and only saw in the replay that a Jaguar about a second behind me forgot to brake and almost hit me in the back. Do think it was not intentional, judging the replay. Had he hit me it would have been the end of the race for me....lucky i was!!!

upload_2021-5-5_21-5-50.png


In the end I am pleased despite finishing behind my initial starting position. Drove steady laps, almost no mistakes, avoided incidents and had fun in a very competitive lobby.

next 2 rounds I will miss, going on a (i think) well deserved holiday next week. And on my way there I am going to pick up my new car!
(did a lot of extra shifts because of sick colleagues so can do with a bit of a break!!)

good luck to those who are going to race!!!
 
Last edited:
Went again. Q 12th, finished 8th, 127 points.

Qualified 12th (again). I would probably qualify 12th if I were the only person in a lobby.

Thankfully avoided any shenanigans on the first lap and actually gained a few spots. Took 9th on lap 2 and a gap emerged between me and a group in 10th.

After pitting I had to retake a few spots which occurred without incident. After taking 8th, that person unfortunately tapped me in the back for a 1 second penalty which was very harsh as I didn't lose out because of it.

In the end was steadily closing on 7th but they had enough of a gap that I would settle for 8th. Ultimately glad I went again. Racing was fun and got a decent finish out of it.
 
Last edited:
Won last night's Manufacturer race. Sitting in 13th with 36pts.

Thank you to all the members that offer track guides and strategies each week. :gtpflag:
Just started the game. Made sure to race clean to build up my level from E/B to C/S. Entered the race 5th on the entry list. One of the last to leave the pit area. Began to catch cars jostling for position. By the end of my lap, I had a tow and scored pole position.

When the race started, I expected divebombs like the Daily Race. It didn't happen. My lead rose from 3 seconds to 33 seconds by the finish. Someone posted they lasted 12 laps on the softer tyre. Since I'm in the 911, I felt a gamble on the harder tyres and my fuel would last longer.
The tyres and my time remained at 40 seconds for those 12 laps. My fuel displayed 6.8. Other players had less fuel and started on the softer tyre. Such a long time for the pit stop animation. The second place moved closer at 3 seconds upon my exit.

Managed to pull away for the next lap. Oddly, the second place pit again. I saw "3" for fuel.:confused: Maybe a mistake or driving too fast?

This is my second win in Sport Mode. I look forward to the next race and track guide. High speeds will be exciting.:cheers:
 
All that practice paid off immensely as I qualified on pole position in an A+ lobby with a blistering 1:36.830 with no slipstream. A nice gap was created on the outlap between the lot infront and behind me, leaving me plenty of room to party.


I was very nervous... I knew I was gonna struggle with tire wear, confirmed after checking the replay...my tire management was by far the worst in the race. Motion controls are a real tire shredder, the AMG is not exactly great on tire wear anyway.


Overall, a very good race, Fuji is actually really enjoyable once you find a good line and rythm. Finished in 6th and I couldn't be happier, it's more than I expected. Won't enter the race again because I just know I'll do worse and ruin my points. :P


Full race:


Goodsmile Racing 2021 livery created by muteXG - link: https://www.gran-turismo.com/us/gts...arLivery/livery/1129912/1/8008064319931581457
 
Had expected to be left behind in my first run with the Gr.3 WRX, but surprisingly enough I found the 17:00 slot to be genuinely enjoyable on all counts.

17:00 Manufacturers

Happy to see the likes of @SmokeyMR2 and @EERIEISSSS again alongside four other WRXs (including one I last met at Lago Maggiore). Started qualifying by following Smokey and another AMG in an attempt to get a draft, though this didn't quite work out as both were already out of range by the time I crossed the start-finish straight. Set a 1:37.292 and was up to 2 tenths faster on my second lap before nearly throwing myself off at the final corner. Still ended up starting 9th, with three of the other WRXs grabbing pole, 7th and 8th respectively. Not bad for a 'handling' car.

Alas, the polesitter and another runner disconnected before the race, so in effect everyone moved up at least one place on the grid. While my teammates would start on Mediums, I found that strategy to be less than ideal in test lobbies so decided to get as much of an early push as possible on Softs. Cleared past the first WRX on Lap 2 and the second on Lap 4, all under the watchful shadow of a Porsche and EERIEISSSS's Beetle. Next was a Spanish Jaguar also starting on Mediums, whom after a lap's worth of patient pressuring I dispatched under braking into Turn 1. Tyre management on brake balance -2 was excellent and the WRX was able to build up a gap of least two seconds over Smokey by the time we pitted at the half-way mark.

Topped up to 62-63% fuel and circulated through the later pitstop cycles, maintaining good pace but at the same time becoming fully aware that the second WRX is gaining rapidly on Softs. I was prepared to let my teammate through on Laps 15-16 since it at least ensured that one of us could have a chance of finishing in the top 5. That being said, he did catch me by surprise by committing to the inside at the final corner; he also suffered lag at the apex so it was just as well I gave him a wide berth! Next lap, I lose two more spots to Soft runners - the RX-VISION at the Dunlop complex, and the Jaguar on the run to Turn 1. Smokey was also running close behind on Mediums and I was anticipating him to slingshot past at the end of Lap 17 when my attempt to stay with the Jaguar unravelled.

What I had not anticipated was for Smokey to try bump-drafting me while I was trying to let him past. Later on, he made up for it and explained that he wanted to do this to see if we could break free from the Porsche circulating behind us. Me moving across to the left caught him off-guard and lead to slight contact, but nothing major enough to trigger a penalty. Though Smokey had the overlap I stayed out in front for a little longer until the next time we negotiated Turn 15. Since he had more horsepower at his disposal anyway - plus slightly better tyre life - it felt best for me to take a wide line and save him any more hold-ups. Towards the end, the Porsche gave me plenty of pressure by sticking close to my diffuser, while I wasn't able to take advantage of the grip issues Smokey started to have at around Lap 19. Nevertheless, I hung on and took the position I was originally supposed to start from; my best-placed teammate would finish 6th after the Jag pounced on him later on.

Gran Turismo™SPORT_20210505175034.png


Close, respectful racing around my end, a solid first bag of points for the Gr.3 car this season and some nice moves in the first stint. I must admit that before the 17:00 I had issues getting the brake balance set up in a way that ensured that the WRX didn't gnaw away at its tyres too quickly. Keeping it at -2 all the way through seemed to do the trick while offering the most stable and consistent handling throughout both sessions. While I did lose out towards the end, I felt that the Softs did a good enough job to prevent me from getting swallowed up early on. Plus, the way in which the WRXs performed makes me as excited as ever about what sort of results I might get on more technical circuits as the season goes on.
 
So my season began at Rd.3. Partly because A.) 10x tyre wear, around Catalunya of all places :yuck:, is entertaining as falling down 6-flights of stairs. And B.) No time to race at Maggiore West. Though judging by the overall frustration it caused, seems like a good thing. Hard tyre sprints tend to be stressful affairs.

Nevertheless, once again with Honda, we'll see what can be done in part 1 of the 2021 season. Fuji tends to be a good hunting ground, based on my previous records (and a great track, controversial I know). Multipliers permitting, it can favour the NSX nicely; providing I can hold on with worn tyres, and ignore the long main-straight.

20210505203349.jpg


Went in door #2 with some familiar faces in @stpatty and @Zorz. Quali went better than expected, deciding to go on my own as I'm never comfortable hunting slipstream. Risky around Fuji, but thankfully it seemed to work. Put a lap good enough for 5th when everything settled, with @Zorz's Citroen in behind.

Race was more or less trouble-free, though the first lap or two were a bit nervous. Not helped by the lack of medium running I got in practice :lol:. Went with a 10M/10S strategy with minimal fuel saving, just little bits where possible. Which helped, as I only needed a 2.5lap top-up at the stop. There was a lot of compliance and cleanliness by those around, which made things very pleasant. Especially from a fellow in an F-type, who aided us with some bump-drafting early on. Otherwise things were fairly sedate. Having softs for the 2nd stint was much nicer, though it got sketchy in the last 3 laps. Especially as I had another Citroen reeling us in, whom I just held off (by 0.020s) for P4 at the line.

Gran Turismo™SPORT_20210505194953.jpg


Overall, a pleasant way to start the season. Good luck to those still to race:cheers:.

In with @stpatty and @Michelin Man (although I didn't realise it immediately!). Sorry for not saying hi. :embarrassed:

No worries! To be fair, I think its only the 2nd time we've met in FIA. Last time was Nations Gr.C at La Sarthe, 2 seasons ago I believe? Great to see you had a solid result 👍. Also, no need to apologise for L1 T1. I didn't help matters by going too deep, along with my hesitancy. I was pretty nervous on those mediums early on, so my bad if I caught you (or anyone else) out.

I was considering going again because I felt the race was going well until I got my first penalty, but by the end of my 10 laps on softs I was going backwards. Some result for @Michelin Man though, well done.

Cheers, I surprised myself to be honest. One of those very rare occasions where I was mistake-free for a change (well, mostly...). Sounds like you had a really unfortunate one, starting lower down can make for a lottery of a race so I feel your pain. On the plus-side, there's some really Nissan-friendly combos coming in the schedule 👍.
 
Last edited:
Did a practice lobby. To see what kind of times I could do and what the tyre wear is like.

Felt incredibly far off the pace. Lapping in the 38's. Couldn't break in to the 37's at all.

Even in the Mazda, I've come to accept, I'm hopeless at tyre management. Will go with a 12M/8S and see how that goes.

All the best to everyone who plans to run.

EDIT: This is probably going to be one of those races where quali ends up a slipstream farce.

Probably. My best is about a 1:39.5 and i will play the "Hey I'm new at this" card.... just trying to shave off time.


I'm going 12RM/8RS when it comes time to go in the US. Doubtful I'll get to slipstream as I've found it to advantageous in my lobbies (C/S) to qualify by myself and away from the mayhem. I'd rather lose risking 1/2 second in qualifying than to have no qualifying time at all.

Won last night's Manufacturer race. Sitting in 13th with 36pts.

Managed to pull away for the next lap. Oddly, the second place pit again. I saw "3" for fuel.:confused: Maybe a mistake or driving too fast?

This is my second win in Sport Mode. I look forward to the next race and track guide. High speeds will be exciting.:cheers:

Congrats! I think Fuji is one of those tracks where the fuel estimator in the pits is a little wonky. Someone mentioned something similar about it and it seems to ring a bell with me.

All that practice paid off immensely as I qualified on pole position in an A+ lobby with a blistering 1:36.830 with no slipstream. A nice gap was created on the outlap between the lot infront and behind me, leaving me plenty of room to party.

Congrats on the Pole! Nice work!


I'll ask the n00b question here... what the devil is THAT very helpful screen I didnt know existed and how do you get to it?
 
I'll ask the n00b question here... what the devil is THAT very helpful screen I didnt know existed and how do you get to it?

It's the live timing page from the race replay (in-between "race photo" and "race options" along the bottom 👍). I often forget about it, but there's some handy information there. It's a substitute for the neat screenshot of my post-race results thing, which I forgot to do :lol:.
 
Last edited:
A race of two halves:

Entered slot 2, qualified 7th with a 1:39.1 (which I was very happy with)

Started on the mediums and we all got through turn 1 with no issues, into the twisty it at the end and a Peugeot sticks it up the inside of the right-hander after the chicane, but this compromises his entry into the next corner, in coming back on track he nudges me into a small slide onto the grass (I don't think he did it on purpose) In order t hang onto it I lost about 4 places, but then three ahead served penalties so almost immediately made those places back, so running in about 10th. Had a great battle with a Porsche for 5 laps, who was super clean behind me, waiting for a chance which was taken into the first corner, he took the inside line so I tried to get him on the switch back, I had maybe a nostril hair in front into the left hander and I trusted him to go through side by side, and he gave me juuuust enough room to make the corner but got ahead, unfortunately he made a small mistake out of the hairpin and in the braking zone to the hairpin I gave him the lightest bumper tap under braking, which had no effect on either of our races, on the exit he put it on the grass and had a minor spin. 2 second penalty for me. I can totally understand why the game would give a pen (contact in braking zone + other car going off) but man it was annoying!

After the penalty I lost three places, though they all decided to scrap over the next lap so got past them again pretty quickly and was on the tail of a Mercedes on lap 8, I knew I was coming in at the end of the lap so I slotted in.

Pitted for softs and fuel and came out 14th in clean air, took the opportunity to put in some solid laps and passed everyone up to 6th through the pit window.

And, well, that was it. big gap to 5th, big gap to 7th. Only minor excitement was when the 2nd place driver came in for softs on lap 15 and came out about 2 seconds in front of me, which briefly got me interested until I realised that meant he had been running 2nd on a mediums stint so he was probably pretty fast. I was certainly right about that! Only saw him for about a lap and a half before he was up the road.

All in all a very enjoyable race, and one of the cleanest I've ever been in!

6917533496773706264_0.jpg

6926540702873552400_0.jpg

6918096446727127576_0.jpg

6918096447129781784_0.jpg

6926540693748843032_0.jpg

6917533494628320792_0.jpg

6926540696030545424_0.jpg
 
Got on for the desperadoes slot 5. Managed to put it on P6 this time.
Problem is the car isn't filling me with any confidence. I can't push it for spinning out. This then causes desperate measures from behind. Luckily the taps I got didn't upset the car too much. Spent the first stint around 10th and 11th. Pitted lap 9 for softs. Car felt better until the last few laps. Still a German in an Alfa was able to harass me whilst 2 Astons fought ahead. We all closed in on the cars ahead. Penultimate lap and I have to take a narrower line through Panasonic to avoid a few cars, but the Alfa decides to go under me too and predictably spins me. As usual I am facing the wrong way (why can't I face forwards for once please!?) and the car miles behind takes me as I get going. I end up 13th whilst the Alfa grabs 8th. 🤬
Of course he flees before I can confront him and he is too scared to allow messages. He was constantly hitting me and eventually managed to ruin my race. The points here will end up in the bin. It turned out to be a combo to forget and I usually like racing at Fuji so really disappointed in today.:(
 
Fairly weak race. 11M/9S, fumbled qualy (lost half a second in the final sector climb), got heavily held up by a Jaguar in the race who didn't comprehend the concept of working together with anyone (he hit two cars off and kept sticking his nose in for passes he couldn't possibly make cleanly) and just compromised everyone around him and himself, ended 12th for a mild DR drop and 98pt.
 
I’m still not quite sure what happened in that race? I went in cold without warming up as I only decided to race with about 8 minutes left in the count down, everyone pit glitched to start Q(SUPER laggy room tonight), had a crap Qually, and when the race started it’s like the heavens opened up and it was raining cars. I was just following the guy ahead and saving fuel, but my number just kept getting smaller and smaller somehow? :lol:

C7258E13-D262-4700-A60D-A192EBB61BF3.jpeg


 
Last edited:
I’m still not quite sure what happened in that race? I went in cold without warming up as I only decided to race with about 8 minutes left in the count down, everyone pit glitched to start Q(SUPER laggy room tonight), had a crap Qually, and when the race started it’s like the heavens opened up and it was raining cars. I was just following the guy ahead and saving fuel, but my number just kept getting smaller and smaller somehow? :lol:

View attachment 1009171



Other than the super laggy part, mine was the exact opposite. Divebombing, pushing and punting every turn to go with the nasty lag. L5 I get full no-brake punted T1 deep into gravel. Then the dude who did it ended up quitting a few laps later! Wow, thanks for ruining other people's race before wimping out, dude.
 
Manu Series - Fuji Speedway

BMW M6 GT3
Door: #2
Qualified: 14th
Finished: 16th

12M / 8S

After being hit, mistakes galore, penalties, and no rhythm... this was certainly one of the most horrendous race I’ve done in recent memory. Was lucky some quit - Trying again!

20:20 SLOT

Door: #19
Qualified: 7th
Finished: 8th for 110 points

sane tire strategy. This is it for tonight! This is a track that I am not really very fond of. Can’t wait for la Sarthe. :cheers:
 
Last edited:
FIA Manufacturers Series Round 3
Fuji / Gr3 - Porsche RSR

Well, I have to admit, I outdid my expectations. Was really worried when I was matched into a lobby as Door #1! At my current 38k DR, it's been a steady slide from the 40k that I started the season with. I've lost an average of 650 DR with each FIA event I've run so far this season.

But: Qualified a decent 12th place with a 1:38.1, with zero slipstream, which was better than I was expecting, given my best FP time was 1:37.3 and I usually have as much as 1 sec, especially at an unforgiving track like Fuji.

Was a really laggy race again, and impossible to race closely in the tight sections... a shame, really, as it's critical to be running close to people in the chicane and the multiple racing lines this track requires during races.

Missed a shift on the start, so lost a spot by the first hairpin, but settled into a mistake-free race running a straight up 11M/9S strategy without worrying about Fuel, since the Porsche is typically a little better on fuel than others anyway.

Ran up to 6th during pit cycles, then settled into 11th after my pit stop. Grabbed one spot with a clean pass on better tires, and picked up one more as someone in front of us lost it in the hairpin in the middle of S2. Was putting mild pressure on the Viper in front of me the last few laps, but it was a matter of bringing it home safe on the last lap for a solid 9th place.

Haven't been as happy with a mid-pack result in forever. I'm terrible at Fuji, can't get the pace out of Softs, the Porsche isn't really the most powerful car for a track like that, but I exceeded my expectations and ran a perfectly clean, mistake-free race. If only it was for a salary!

Glad for the one-and-done (and that I'm satisfied with it)

Maybe it was the one-off silver livery, which I did just to change it up, maybe for good luck... will have to consider keeping it for some more races...

FIA Points: 122
DR gained: 130 (better than losing it!) (especially at Fuji in Gr3!)

upload_2021-5-5_20-19-41.png


Not expecting a great result tonight at Fuji in the 911 RSR... it's just not got the grunt for that long straight, I'm not great on Softs, and Fuji is one of my worst tracks. If I was the type to sit out races strategically, I probably would, but I'm not that type.

Best I could muster in FP was a 1:37.7 and that isn't going to get me a good starting position. Once I lose the draft after inevitably messing up that horrendous S3 one time, it's game over, unless I have some particular advantage in tire wear and/or fuel consumption. But probably not enough to offset my pace at this vexing track. Good luck to all the other GTP and TPC guys.

With my ill-fated no-stop ruining an otherwise good run at Barcelona, and the horrendous lagging issues preventing anything other than the disaster that occurred at Lago Maggiore, it's adding up to a rough start to the Manufacturer's Series season for me.

If I have time for a run on the Alt, will see how the McLaren does at the same track, but it'll still be the same driver... so...

Practiced for a week in the DBR9. Struggling a bit at Fuji with the long wheelbase.

You're struggling... and yet I was still 0.5 sec off your best FP time! So hard to find those last tenths of speed at this point...
 
Last edited:
One and done, tonight!

Americas - slot 1, B/S lobby, ~28.2K DR, 142 pts, Door 17, Q2, P2

A relatively uneventful race at a track I don't care for, but my stats say I'm pretty good at.

But first of all: THE LAG!!! PD really need to fix this. 8 Brazilians and a Colombian with 5 green bars, and 5 Americans and 5 Canadians with 3 or less yellow bars.

Anyhow, surprised myself with Q2 without at tow, and other than being briefly passed for 2nd it was just a matter of running the 10S/10M strategy and not making any mistakes. Finished 3 seconds off the lead. The race was clean from my perspective although there was a LOT of chirping in the post race chat. Will have to watch the replay.

136 points, and a tidy 1400 DR leaves me knocking on the door of A-DR again. ~29.6K DR

Gran Turismo®SPORT_20210505195141.jpg


20210505200300.jpg
 
Last edited:
Got a Q17/P13 tonight, which I think is pretty good. Had a nice battle with a black RCF, too. What’s crazy is that three people had left by the end of the race, and one of them had qualified for third - a Mustang. It was quite laggy, though. Still, it was nice that I ended up ahead of two Jaguar F-Types when I originally started in back of two - though I think there were three altogether, so I’m not sure if they were the same two F-Types. I was even P3 for a very brief moment before pitting; my strategy was 13M/7S.
 
Last edited:
Back