- 4,548
- Australia
Won final slot with an overcut thanks to saving more fuel. Minimal points but 41st overall.
2021 FIA Series Race Discussion
- Thread starter GTPNewsWire
- 9,031 comments
- 1,682,282 views
- 123
- Slovenia
Now that the official Nations Series have come to an end, I can finally share my most proud performance I did this year.
Have been waiting for a long time since I finally achieved this... But that's the whole point, with ups and downs, discipline and passion... In the end you might do it if you never give up!!
Have been waiting for a long time since I finally achieved this... But that's the whole point, with ups and downs, discipline and passion... In the end you might do it if you never give up!!
- 2,938
- Derby, UK
- TPC_Abarber95
Well that's much higher than usually place even with my bare minimum of rounds and the MX-5 race disaster. Looking forward to the next one.
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- 325
- Louisiana
Very true. When I first started, I was getting lapped by you alien types. Now I'm mad if I'm more than second off your lap times. Granted, that last second is much harder to find in your lap time than the first 10 you knock off, but its still achievable. I hope to get there one day, if I don't, it won't be because I gave up.
Speaking of giving up, did Polyphony give up on having any fun at all on the last Official race of the most popular online racing series ever? Seriously, a tire saver at fuji for the last Official FIA Manu race in GR4? Goodness, talk about going out with a dud.
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- 51,291
- Australia
- SpacedustDaddy
Wonder if there were commentary for each and every race tonight. Wonder if it'd be just as thrilling to hear as those World Tour battles.
Oh, there's evidence some of us have good battles from start to finish, but as mentioned above, where's the excitement before entering?
Well, I'll be on the Softs in the SLS. Pitting, at some point, for another fresh set. 12pts down on P1 and 100pts ahead of P3. Finish first or last, no pressure.
Oh, there's evidence some of us have good battles from start to finish, but as mentioned above, where's the excitement before entering?
Well, I'll be on the Softs in the SLS. Pitting, at some point, for another fresh set. 12pts down on P1 and 100pts ahead of P3. Finish first or last, no pressure.
- 2,464
- United Kingdom
- Hasnain282
- 51,291
- Australia
- SpacedustDaddy
One second slower(1:43.526) than the P6 4C in Free Practice. Trying to follow the P10 M4. I get murdered from T2. 28 second pit duration. 1.4 seconds faster on RS, than the RM. Can‘t see me sitting in a queue til the end. Congratulations to all you winners! I definitely won’t be.
edit: Starting P3 behind P2 458 and P1 WRX. P4 is an Evo. I’m expecting to get punted, just because it’s Fuji.
edit: Starting P3 behind P2 458 and P1 WRX. P4 is an Evo. I’m expecting to get punted, just because it’s Fuji.
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LeGeNd-1
Premium
- 7,264
- Australia
- GTP_LeGeNd-1
I must say, the driving standards have taken a massive nosedive in the last 2 races (Manu Maggiore and Laguna Nations). In Maggiore I started midfield and got shoved by every single car behind me every lap. In Laguna I started 3rd, got pushed in T1 and lost 3 places as a result. No one bothers to overtake cleanly anymore. And why would you when you can just push people without any punishment? It's almost like an art form now 
I mean, near the end of official seasons things usually get a bit rougher anyway because people are getting desperate for points, but I've never seen things this bad. I can't be bothered racing at Fuji tonight despite it being a perfect race for Alfa with the tyre wear situation. Why spend all that effort when you're just gonna get nuked in every corner?
Anyway, here's hoping the upcoming update brings back some sort of penalty (I won't say "improvement", because we all know PD's level by this point). I reckon we have 2 more exhibition seasons before PD pulls the plug on GTS. No more pressure, so just have fun and make it a good one guys
I mean, near the end of official seasons things usually get a bit rougher anyway because people are getting desperate for points, but I've never seen things this bad. I can't be bothered racing at Fuji tonight despite it being a perfect race for Alfa with the tyre wear situation. Why spend all that effort when you're just gonna get nuked in every corner?
Anyway, here's hoping the upcoming update brings back some sort of penalty (I won't say "improvement", because we all know PD's level by this point). I reckon we have 2 more exhibition seasons before PD pulls the plug on GTS. No more pressure, so just have fun and make it a good one guys
- 51,291
- Australia
- SpacedustDaddy
123pts(edit 124pts - how generous PD/FIA) that’ll be deleted and keep me as I am at 444pts for provisional P2. Best placing in a long while and with AMG. I’ll take that. Strong six races to end my GT Sport play.
I agree about some of the standards. Another A/S SLS was in the race. Had 100 points. Started 5th. Dude is rushing up the inside. Chasing the leader for the draft. Squeezing in the gap down the straight. Just slowing us three up by Lap 5,6. Now, it’s a five-way battle for P1. I stay out the draft chasing and maintain my racing line. No blocking and no diving.
pit at Lap 10. Some stay out for a couple laps. I think the winning 458 stayed on RH.
SO, the SLS comes out behind me on the following lap. As others exit the pits, some want to make it five-wide into T1. I back way off and the SLS Brakes nearly stopping. I choose the gap up the inside. At the tight section end of lap, he wants to bump n run. Next lap, after the 130R, I punt the mess out of him. Everyone saw it. From there, the racing was as clean as can be. Excellent remaining 5 laps. I was even given a spot to move up by one of the F-Types. Post race, six Of us stayed behind and thanked one another for clean racing and congratulated each other for finishing up good.
…and the other SLS? He was 5 seconds behind me after I punted him. I see a Viper has passed him and then the jump of him passing the Viper. Next, the places flicker and the SLS is 13 seconds behind!!! it drops back and I see it quit. Knew that player wasn’t there to race. Just there to ruin.
Anyway, hope everyone can enjoy this last one. Give room and at least don’t hold one another up. It’s a long race. One and done, until GT7. See y’all in that forum.
edit: Oh snap, didn’t realise it was the best 4 Rounds. That makes it 568pts. We’ll see what P1(A+) can do. They need 113pts to stay P1.
I agree about some of the standards. Another A/S SLS was in the race. Had 100 points. Started 5th. Dude is rushing up the inside. Chasing the leader for the draft. Squeezing in the gap down the straight. Just slowing us three up by Lap 5,6. Now, it’s a five-way battle for P1. I stay out the draft chasing and maintain my racing line. No blocking and no diving.
pit at Lap 10. Some stay out for a couple laps. I think the winning 458 stayed on RH.
SO, the SLS comes out behind me on the following lap. As others exit the pits, some want to make it five-wide into T1. I back way off and the SLS Brakes nearly stopping. I choose the gap up the inside. At the tight section end of lap, he wants to bump n run. Next lap, after the 130R, I punt the mess out of him. Everyone saw it. From there, the racing was as clean as can be. Excellent remaining 5 laps. I was even given a spot to move up by one of the F-Types. Post race, six Of us stayed behind and thanked one another for clean racing and congratulated each other for finishing up good.
…and the other SLS? He was 5 seconds behind me after I punted him. I see a Viper has passed him and then the jump of him passing the Viper. Next, the places flicker and the SLS is 13 seconds behind!!! it drops back and I see it quit. Knew that player wasn’t there to race. Just there to ruin.
Anyway, hope everyone can enjoy this last one. Give room and at least don’t hold one another up. It’s a long race. One and done, until GT7. See y’all in that forum.
edit: Oh snap, didn’t realise it was the best 4 Rounds. That makes it 568pts. We’ll see what P1(A+) can do. They need 113pts to stay P1.
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- 4,548
- Australia
One-stopped, started 6th finished 8th. 144 points is good enough as I have a natural ability to chew through tyres haha.
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- 5,715
- Paint booth
- FMecha_EXE
Here's my final 2021 S2 season results:
- 2,464
- United Kingdom
- Hasnain282
My lowest score is actually pretty decent so gonna struggle to beat it but hopefully can end on a high
- 699
- Australia
Pretty difficult season but the (fairly modest) results started coming together once disconnect issues stopped (for reasons unknown).
Finished Nations and Manufacturers seasons with personal best scores of the season. There is still a lot to work on for next year but this might be my last FIA round until GT7 (famous last words).
Finished Nations and Manufacturers seasons with personal best scores of the season. There is still a lot to work on for next year but this might be my last FIA round until GT7 (famous last words).
- 1,720
- Australia
Last FIA of the season and I took a risk and tried a no stop on softs in the Vantage. After qualifying 12th I just tried to run really smooth, but this was a full-on, elbows out, punt fest. I got punted once and pit maneuvered once and successfully avoided “contact to turn” divers 4 times. When the dust settled I finished 10th with a CRB.
It went off in the lobby afterwards as the guy who punted me started calling people out. I watched the replay, he was probably the only one who DIDN’T get punted or pushed off. But he did punt several others, including me.
Anyway, the points will count and I might crack the top 30 for Aston in Asia if I’m lucky.
I’ll probably go again and n the exhibition season, but might switch to Porsche.
It went off in the lobby afterwards as the guy who punted me started calling people out. I watched the replay, he was probably the only one who DIDN’T get punted or pushed off. But he did punt several others, including me.
Anyway, the points will count and I might crack the top 30 for Aston in Asia if I’m lucky.
I’ll probably go again and n the exhibition season, but might switch to Porsche.
- 2,464
- United Kingdom
- Hasnain282
Messed up my quali and had no pace in the race; could never get into any slipstream Unfortunate but they can't all be good, I probably will be back for Exhibition but will see when the time comes
- 434
- London
Disconnected from the first slot and Then disconnected from the seconds slot. Not wasting my time trying again. Very disappointing to end the season like this. 
- 726
- Rotterdam
- mcl-1974-2
"only" seventh, but what a good race!!!
door number 16, B/S room, and did one of my best qualifying laps in a while: result: only 12th but still pleased, could not have done better so no need to be dissapointed.
Went for 10S/10S strategy, start went okay, no incidents for me, a few did have issues though and got offf track so after lap 1 I made up a few places and was about 1.5 seconds away from the cars behind me. Followed a pack for several laps, concentrating on tyre management and made up positions due to errors by others and pitstops. gap to the cars behind me about 2 seconds. all went smooth and easy, no hassles....
Think it was lap 6 when i made my first and only mistake, cut a corner, got a 1 second penalty and from that moment I was the first car in a pack of about 4, all slipstreaning around me. There were some good and fast drivers, an italian in an Alfa, a Frenchman in a Porsche and a Fin in a Dodge, guys that qualified way better then me but had first lap issues and therefore got behind me, the human chicane...
Defended well but had real trouble staying in front, luckily all these guys were very fair and good sports. after 10 laps i pitted from 7th postition and came out in 12th.
just in front of me was the Italian in the pink Alfa, I tried to keep up but he was really good and passed slower cars much easier then me. Had some nice overtakes myself but could not keep up with him, he got about 5 seconds ahead of me.
When I was in 8th position on lap 17 i got right behind a Spanish Amigo in a Skyline: I overtook him at the final corner but he got his position back with a rather optimistic divebomb. He defended really hard the next lap, much to aggresive so dediced to wait for cprner 10/11, where I was sure he would be to aggresive again and overshoot the corner.
He did exactly the dumb thing i expected, i made a switchback and passed him, while mumbling "idiot". I maintained a 2 second gap to him to the finish and went over the line in 7th and that was way better then expected. got 80 points for my efforts
Really enjoyed the whole race, saw a lot of drivers that were out to race clean and fair, and these guys were really fast so pleased i could keep up with a bit. Many different tyre strategies in my race, had people on S, M, H and there were a lot of pitstops. Think the 10S/10S strategy is the best. Good end to the season!
door number 16, B/S room, and did one of my best qualifying laps in a while: result: only 12th but still pleased, could not have done better so no need to be dissapointed.
Went for 10S/10S strategy, start went okay, no incidents for me, a few did have issues though and got offf track so after lap 1 I made up a few places and was about 1.5 seconds away from the cars behind me. Followed a pack for several laps, concentrating on tyre management and made up positions due to errors by others and pitstops. gap to the cars behind me about 2 seconds. all went smooth and easy, no hassles....
Think it was lap 6 when i made my first and only mistake, cut a corner, got a 1 second penalty and from that moment I was the first car in a pack of about 4, all slipstreaning around me. There were some good and fast drivers, an italian in an Alfa, a Frenchman in a Porsche and a Fin in a Dodge, guys that qualified way better then me but had first lap issues and therefore got behind me, the human chicane...
Defended well but had real trouble staying in front, luckily all these guys were very fair and good sports. after 10 laps i pitted from 7th postition and came out in 12th.
just in front of me was the Italian in the pink Alfa, I tried to keep up but he was really good and passed slower cars much easier then me. Had some nice overtakes myself but could not keep up with him, he got about 5 seconds ahead of me.
When I was in 8th position on lap 17 i got right behind a Spanish Amigo in a Skyline: I overtook him at the final corner but he got his position back with a rather optimistic divebomb. He defended really hard the next lap, much to aggresive so dediced to wait for cprner 10/11, where I was sure he would be to aggresive again and overshoot the corner.
He did exactly the dumb thing i expected, i made a switchback and passed him, while mumbling "idiot". I maintained a 2 second gap to him to the finish and went over the line in 7th and that was way better then expected. got 80 points for my efforts
Really enjoyed the whole race, saw a lot of drivers that were out to race clean and fair, and these guys were really fast so pleased i could keep up with a bit. Many different tyre strategies in my race, had people on S, M, H and there were a lot of pitstops. Think the 10S/10S strategy is the best. Good end to the season!
- 1,591
- United Kingdom
- VulcanSpirit
Well @Mistah_MCA, I have news for you. After practicing a technique @Ashthebash learnt from one of his test lobbies, I found that the WRX can do the zero-stop with gentler braking and brake balance set all the way to the back. Sure, the front-left will still be left annihilated, but it's possible under the right circumstances and with a good slipstream partner to tow you away from the pack behind.
More on that later.
- 2,522
- Scotland
- stpatty
I didn't realise it was 4 of 10 races counting here. I only did 4 because so many were terrible for Nissan. 124 points last week at Lake Maggie is my low score which is quite terrible compared to the others.
I wasn't expecting a lot today since it was a tyre saving race at Fuji, and I was in the Gr.4 GT-R and I hate Fuji. I got a good slipstream and qualified 7th, which was actually quite annoying because I was slow through the last sector and I think I was a tenth and a half away from 2nd. 1st seemed to be a burgeoning alien who no-stopped a Subaru to the win.
It seems like I was lucky in terms of the cars in the lobby - 3 Subarus, 2 Audis, 3 Mazdas, 1 Dodge - all at least comparable to the boat I was driving on tyre wear/understeer.
The BMW who started in 8th (who I'd followed in qualifying) passed me into turn 1 with more than a nudge up the inside, fine. On lap 2 I got passed by the other BMW into the chicane, which led to this:
By the end of the straight the BMW is clear in 4th, I'm in 6th and the same gang comes barrelling past me into turn 1. I'm largely fine with this because I know their tyres are going to be ruined.
The race settles down for the next few laps and I end up in 8th. On lap 8 I got past one of the Mazdas involved in the pictures above and go up to 7th. The Dodge pits on lap 9 and into turn 1 I go into the back of a Porsche who was no-stopping, but no harm done. By this point I'm 6th and the only cars I can see ahead of me are the yellow BMW and the Dodge.
After pitting on lap 10 I come out in 14th. An Audi trying to no-stop on mediums goes defensive into the chicane on lap 11 for reasons only he knows but I'm up to 13th anyway. Up ahead I can see cars coming to us. First we pass a Jag on mediums, then an Audi on hards who pits on lap 12. On lap 13 the Jag tries to get back past into turn 1 but goes too deep, a cutback for me and I'm 10th. At this point the yellow BMW from earlier goes behind the Jag and the Mazda I was fighting with earlier, which really harms his race.
On lap 13 I pass the BMW who nudged me on lap 1 into the chicane and go up to 9th. I think he was trying to no-stop. I run in 9th for a few laps with a fairly consistent gap to the Dodge ahead. He passes a no-stopping Honda at the end of lap 15, I get him the following lap. He then passes a no-stopping Jaguar on lap 16 (the guy who you can see in the chat complaining about doing the race on a DS4 - poor guy) and I pass him before the end of the lap. Up to 7th. Top 6 would be a 200 point result, but given the race I've had and given the tyres I'd still be delighted with 7th.
On lap 18 we really catch up to a no-stopping Subaru. On lap 19 we pass him, and to be fair to the guy he got completely out of the way. The only cars ahead now are no-stoppers - a Subaru, Ferrari, Toyota, and the Porsche I hit in my first stint. By the start of the final lap I'm right behind the Dodge, with tyres one lap fresher. I also know from practice lobbies that the guy is a complete melt, so I'm conscious that I could bait him into a mistake and that he might try and hit me if I go for a move. The kind of guy who weaves on the straight even if you're not in slipstream range behind him.
I outbraked myself into turn 1 so nothing was happening there. I figured the chicane was a good place to try a move but he just parked it all throughout the final sector, so I went for a cutback out of the last corner and hoped for the best. Here's what happened when we got to the line:
In the replay it's several frames after the line before the lag jerks and he takes 5th place. I think the final timing was something like 0.009 between us. In the last race of the first part of this season at Sardegna I took a place on the line through lag where I looked like I was behind so I guess this was payback for that. I was really surprised though, the radar looked pretty clear to me.
Even though I got robbed of a place I still got a 200 point result and put in what must be one of the best performances I've ever had in this game. I was helped a lot by the rest of the field knocking lumps out of each other and lots of people doing strategies that they couldn't really work, but given how much of a dog my own car is I don't really care. A really great race to end the season on.
The winner no-stopped a Subaru in 35:32. My race time was 36:04. I think at lower levels if you do a 1-stop on softs you should be able to get a good result, because even that's hard on tyres and people who no-stop will really struggle towards the end.
I wasn't expecting a lot today since it was a tyre saving race at Fuji, and I was in the Gr.4 GT-R and I hate Fuji. I got a good slipstream and qualified 7th, which was actually quite annoying because I was slow through the last sector and I think I was a tenth and a half away from 2nd. 1st seemed to be a burgeoning alien who no-stopped a Subaru to the win.
It seems like I was lucky in terms of the cars in the lobby - 3 Subarus, 2 Audis, 3 Mazdas, 1 Dodge - all at least comparable to the boat I was driving on tyre wear/understeer.
The BMW who started in 8th (who I'd followed in qualifying) passed me into turn 1 with more than a nudge up the inside, fine. On lap 2 I got passed by the other BMW into the chicane, which led to this:
By the end of the straight the BMW is clear in 4th, I'm in 6th and the same gang comes barrelling past me into turn 1. I'm largely fine with this because I know their tyres are going to be ruined.
The race settles down for the next few laps and I end up in 8th. On lap 8 I got past one of the Mazdas involved in the pictures above and go up to 7th. The Dodge pits on lap 9 and into turn 1 I go into the back of a Porsche who was no-stopping, but no harm done. By this point I'm 6th and the only cars I can see ahead of me are the yellow BMW and the Dodge.
After pitting on lap 10 I come out in 14th. An Audi trying to no-stop on mediums goes defensive into the chicane on lap 11 for reasons only he knows but I'm up to 13th anyway. Up ahead I can see cars coming to us. First we pass a Jag on mediums, then an Audi on hards who pits on lap 12. On lap 13 the Jag tries to get back past into turn 1 but goes too deep, a cutback for me and I'm 10th. At this point the yellow BMW from earlier goes behind the Jag and the Mazda I was fighting with earlier, which really harms his race.
On lap 13 I pass the BMW who nudged me on lap 1 into the chicane and go up to 9th. I think he was trying to no-stop. I run in 9th for a few laps with a fairly consistent gap to the Dodge ahead. He passes a no-stopping Honda at the end of lap 15, I get him the following lap. He then passes a no-stopping Jaguar on lap 16 (the guy who you can see in the chat complaining about doing the race on a DS4 - poor guy) and I pass him before the end of the lap. Up to 7th. Top 6 would be a 200 point result, but given the race I've had and given the tyres I'd still be delighted with 7th.
On lap 18 we really catch up to a no-stopping Subaru. On lap 19 we pass him, and to be fair to the guy he got completely out of the way. The only cars ahead now are no-stoppers - a Subaru, Ferrari, Toyota, and the Porsche I hit in my first stint. By the start of the final lap I'm right behind the Dodge, with tyres one lap fresher. I also know from practice lobbies that the guy is a complete melt, so I'm conscious that I could bait him into a mistake and that he might try and hit me if I go for a move. The kind of guy who weaves on the straight even if you're not in slipstream range behind him.
I outbraked myself into turn 1 so nothing was happening there. I figured the chicane was a good place to try a move but he just parked it all throughout the final sector, so I went for a cutback out of the last corner and hoped for the best. Here's what happened when we got to the line:
In the replay it's several frames after the line before the lag jerks and he takes 5th place. I think the final timing was something like 0.009 between us. In the last race of the first part of this season at Sardegna I took a place on the line through lag where I looked like I was behind so I guess this was payback for that. I was really surprised though, the radar looked pretty clear to me.
Even though I got robbed of a place I still got a 200 point result and put in what must be one of the best performances I've ever had in this game. I was helped a lot by the rest of the field knocking lumps out of each other and lots of people doing strategies that they couldn't really work, but given how much of a dog my own car is I don't really care. A really great race to end the season on.
The winner no-stopped a Subaru in 35:32. My race time was 36:04. I think at lower levels if you do a 1-stop on softs you should be able to get a good result, because even that's hard on tyres and people who no-stop will really struggle towards the end.
- 765
- United Kingdom
Decided to give the race a go, even though the FF Scirocco probably isn't the ideal car for a tyre saving race. Saw a couple of GTPers in there so you might get their perspective later on.
Qualifying went well, managed to get behind a line of people, and the guy ahead of me didn't bottle the lap, so ended up on pole with a 1:43.8
For strategy, I decided the safest was to pit at the halfway point and hope I managed to avoid the carnage. Race was pretty quiet, I pulled away a bit at the start, then as the tyre wear kicked in I was slowly closed down by P2. They passed me on lap 9, and I was a little behind when I headed towards the pits on lap 10. Funnily enough a few guys copied me, which I wasn't expecting, and I came out in 14th.
Then it was just a mad push up the field, through all the people on old tyres, and after a few moves, I managed to get up to 4th. I was about 8 secs of the winner, so maybe a no-stop would have been faster but probably not by much and it would have been a lot less fun.
Anyway, hope you all do well, and if you do want to watch the video then probably skip to 20 minutes in as that's when I pit and start the chase back to the front.
Qualifying went well, managed to get behind a line of people, and the guy ahead of me didn't bottle the lap, so ended up on pole with a 1:43.8
For strategy, I decided the safest was to pit at the halfway point and hope I managed to avoid the carnage. Race was pretty quiet, I pulled away a bit at the start, then as the tyre wear kicked in I was slowly closed down by P2. They passed me on lap 9, and I was a little behind when I headed towards the pits on lap 10. Funnily enough a few guys copied me, which I wasn't expecting, and I came out in 14th.
Then it was just a mad push up the field, through all the people on old tyres, and after a few moves, I managed to get up to 4th. I was about 8 secs of the winner, so maybe a no-stop would have been faster but probably not by much and it would have been a lot less fun.
Anyway, hope you all do well, and if you do want to watch the video then probably skip to 20 minutes in as that's when I pit and start the chase back to the front.
- 1,072
- Behind you
1 shot at Euro and it sucked so bad we won't talk about it.
USA D1 and pole so it's going to suck I bet. Thankfully I'm wrong.
Good start and AFAIK everyone cleared 1st corner and the race is on, I muck up a bit on the first couple of laps meaning there are 4 of us having a clean fight and one donkey trying to spoil everything, thankfully he spun or got a pen so fell back. Lap 3 I'm 2nd and we're pulling away so I don't fight just give the guy enough pressure so he knows I'm there. Lap 6 we're 6 secs clear and he makes a mistake on last corner, but fights for position at 1st so I let him go. Next lap I draw level on the straight, but play for the undercut and he even helped by braking slightly late, he's dogging me till we hit the straight again but I've broken slip and start pulling away. He got a pen on 9 and pitted (I'd have done the same) so I'm 10 secs up on 2nd when I pit. The guy I was racing it 2 behind and the other guy didn't pit and is 13 in front. Figure I've got it even if he's not pitting, but he did on 11 (stupid move IMO). Rest of the race was just hot lapping, I was the fastest so I could only really lose it and fortunately I kept it together. So pole, fastest lap and the win along with a CRB makes that a really good way to finish the season.
USA D1 and pole so it's going to suck I bet. Thankfully I'm wrong.
Good start and AFAIK everyone cleared 1st corner and the race is on, I muck up a bit on the first couple of laps meaning there are 4 of us having a clean fight and one donkey trying to spoil everything, thankfully he spun or got a pen so fell back. Lap 3 I'm 2nd and we're pulling away so I don't fight just give the guy enough pressure so he knows I'm there. Lap 6 we're 6 secs clear and he makes a mistake on last corner, but fights for position at 1st so I let him go. Next lap I draw level on the straight, but play for the undercut and he even helped by braking slightly late, he's dogging me till we hit the straight again but I've broken slip and start pulling away. He got a pen on 9 and pitted (I'd have done the same) so I'm 10 secs up on 2nd when I pit. The guy I was racing it 2 behind and the other guy didn't pit and is 13 in front. Figure I've got it even if he's not pitting, but he did on 11 (stupid move IMO). Rest of the race was just hot lapping, I was the fastest so I could only really lose it and fortunately I kept it together. So pole, fastest lap and the win along with a CRB makes that a really good way to finish the season.
- 2,035
- Bristol, UK
- OJBrit
Did the 7pm slot today.
I was door 20 which may be indicative of the few good race results I'd had at daily C this week. I needed 8th at least to add to my score.
I put in a so so qualy and it was good enough for 6th. I was held up a little by a 4C. But I cannot blame them.
The start is o.k. I pass an Italian in a Porsche and the German in 2nd spins out. I am 4th and a couple of seconds ahead of 5th. The top 3 are just ahead and as the 2 Brits in 2nd and 3rd battle I catch up. One in a McLaren gets a track limits penalty and I pass them on the straight. They soon catch up and as they are quicker I do not fight them. The 2nd place Brit in the Aston pits early. I get my head down and try and stay with those ahead as much as possible. The German in the Lexus (more on him later) pits on lap 8. Again the McLaren gets a penalty and the same happens as before. I pit at the end of lap 10 but not before I run wide in the final sector and pick up 0.5 seconds of my own. I come out right behind the German in the Lexus and one in a Merc. The Lexus is overtaking the Merc into TGR and I end up getting alongside before Coca Cola. I run a wider line expecting them to hang the outside. However they must have clocked I came out of the pits and they back off and I power through the corner and away. I catch up with the Lexus and we have a decent cat and mouse battle. It all seems fair. By this time the pit stops have sorted themselves out and we are essentially fighting for the last podium place. I manage to set up a good exit from Panasonic and this happens.
This was really out of the blue. They had been racing so fairly up to this point. I can only assume they didn't like the fact I covered off the inside and made sure they couldn't come back through that way. And they had a better exit from TGR. Drive off ahead rather than into me. As this wasn't accidental I wasn't happy. The 2 cars behind had managed to catch up to us with this move. I am behind and it kicks off again in Advan. I am able to use the chaos to leapfrog all three and lead into Dunlop. I am expecting the punt from the German again and it does happen but to a lesser degree. He barges me wide and taps me again. We both go wide but them less so. So I make sure I rejoin through them. They go wide and I unfortunately also push a BMW on their outside wide too. Thankfully they have no issues but the Lexus half spins. I now have a gap and am able to concentrate on fighting back through the BMW and a French Porsche. The German is battling along the straight with a couple of cars. However their sights are on me into TGR. However they epically fail and fly straight off after glancing the BMW. Score fully settled I guess. See what happened here:
I battle with the BMW for a couple of laps. One lap into TGR an Italian in a Porsche seems to come from nowhere and smashes me off out of TGR. Thankfully the Lambo is a solid beast and I brush it off but I loose time. I win out against the BMW and cross the line 5th.
Mixed feelings with this one.
On one hand I got a new 3rd high score and achieved my target. I am now in nosebleed territory in terms of DR.
But on the other hand I could have had more. If the German hadn't been a random 🤬 then we'd have had 3rd and 4th bagged and a great race to look back on. But they played dirty for no reason. It would have been a great result for what was a great drive. It was a lobby I thought I had no chance in, but was able to keep the leader in sight for the first half of the race until the incident. So definitely the podium was a possibility here and would have been just rewards.
Still leaving happy from that.
I was door 20 which may be indicative of the few good race results I'd had at daily C this week. I needed 8th at least to add to my score.
I put in a so so qualy and it was good enough for 6th. I was held up a little by a 4C. But I cannot blame them.
The start is o.k. I pass an Italian in a Porsche and the German in 2nd spins out. I am 4th and a couple of seconds ahead of 5th. The top 3 are just ahead and as the 2 Brits in 2nd and 3rd battle I catch up. One in a McLaren gets a track limits penalty and I pass them on the straight. They soon catch up and as they are quicker I do not fight them. The 2nd place Brit in the Aston pits early. I get my head down and try and stay with those ahead as much as possible. The German in the Lexus (more on him later) pits on lap 8. Again the McLaren gets a penalty and the same happens as before. I pit at the end of lap 10 but not before I run wide in the final sector and pick up 0.5 seconds of my own. I come out right behind the German in the Lexus and one in a Merc. The Lexus is overtaking the Merc into TGR and I end up getting alongside before Coca Cola. I run a wider line expecting them to hang the outside. However they must have clocked I came out of the pits and they back off and I power through the corner and away. I catch up with the Lexus and we have a decent cat and mouse battle. It all seems fair. By this time the pit stops have sorted themselves out and we are essentially fighting for the last podium place. I manage to set up a good exit from Panasonic and this happens.
This was really out of the blue. They had been racing so fairly up to this point. I can only assume they didn't like the fact I covered off the inside and made sure they couldn't come back through that way. And they had a better exit from TGR. Drive off ahead rather than into me. As this wasn't accidental I wasn't happy. The 2 cars behind had managed to catch up to us with this move. I am behind and it kicks off again in Advan. I am able to use the chaos to leapfrog all three and lead into Dunlop. I am expecting the punt from the German again and it does happen but to a lesser degree. He barges me wide and taps me again. We both go wide but them less so. So I make sure I rejoin through them. They go wide and I unfortunately also push a BMW on their outside wide too. Thankfully they have no issues but the Lexus half spins. I now have a gap and am able to concentrate on fighting back through the BMW and a French Porsche. The German is battling along the straight with a couple of cars. However their sights are on me into TGR. However they epically fail and fly straight off after glancing the BMW. Score fully settled I guess. See what happened here:
I battle with the BMW for a couple of laps. One lap into TGR an Italian in a Porsche seems to come from nowhere and smashes me off out of TGR. Thankfully the Lambo is a solid beast and I brush it off but I loose time. I win out against the BMW and cross the line 5th.
Mixed feelings with this one.
On one hand I got a new 3rd high score and achieved my target. I am now in nosebleed territory in terms of DR.
But on the other hand I could have had more. If the German hadn't been a random 🤬 then we'd have had 3rd and 4th bagged and a great race to look back on. But they played dirty for no reason. It would have been a great result for what was a great drive. It was a lobby I thought I had no chance in, but was able to keep the leader in sight for the first half of the race until the incident. So definitely the podium was a possibility here and would have been just rewards.
Still leaving happy from that.
- 367
- Netherlands
I had a very nice race, thank you very much.
This race had – what apparently I’m good at – a huge tyre saving component. When I started practicing earlier this week, I was a little worried. My pace was ok, but not top 5 worthy, so I felt I was in trouble this last race. But then it all started to click as each practice showed that the only real viable strategies where one stop softs and no stop softs and HUGE tyre saving was required.
Enter @Mistah_MCA. His vid not only proved I needed to go no stop full stop. But also:
I annihilated the lobbies after that. Some A and even A+ drivers I could not close the gap on, suddenly I qualified ahead or decreased the gap.
Did I mention I somehow know how to tyre save? Well maybe I don’t but I’m just oblivious to the fact that worn tyres should be handled differently. I don’t know. Anyway, I enjoy these races more than most I suspect because they can be taken easier and not pushing gets you further than storming the beach. Which caters to my race stance I suppose.
Of course, you still have to qualify… and that was garbage. A guy in a Nissan (who was going to end in the bottom both after quali and race) decided it was a good idea to pass me while bumping…
This was in the qualifying lap, mind you, not the outlap… I was fuming, but luckily still managed one qualifying lap after hastily aborting the current lap and drive on my own.
That one lap was not good, not bad, but not spectacular either. And even though I knew I was going to do this race well through strategy during the race I still felt I was robbed a place or 2.
I started 7th. And boy was it a bumpy ride. Since I was in cruise mode, people were trying to pass me left, right and center (yes, through me if they could). I was bumped around like I was in a mosh pit, but I kept all four wheels staring the right way all through it. Most importantly I showed respect even to the guys that hit me on several occasions, and made sure to pass them clean if needed be. On occasion I would even bump draft all to show I was a friendly driver and maybe create some sympathy.
I also knew/noticed I was faster and had my secret weapon: the no stop tyre save strategy. But I didn’t want to give that away at the beginning. I had also learned long ago that you can save extra on your tyres if you stay behind someone. Which I did.
As time passed by, most started to pit. I stayed behind those that seemed to drive at a decent pace, bump drafting them along as we progressed through the laps. By the time EVERYONE had pitted, my tyres were still looking good. I was in P1 and things were looking bright.
Unlike practice in the lobbies, the penalty settings seemed… stricter? I don’t know, all I know is I picked up 2 which was one too many. In the final laps P2 who was the race lead before the pitstop sequence caught up with me. The 2 penalties, sloppy driving in the earlier stages and poor qualifying did me in. My lead from the no stop was not big enough. On his better tyres he caught and passed me. I still had a chance but blew it going wide in T1 lap 19. The gap between me and P3 actually still grew, so I had a comfortable second place finish. Total points 105. The highest ever in a FIA race for me and a DR increase of some 1,2k… since I was door number 16 at start.
Not bad, not bad at all.
It’s been a very good tournament ending on a high. That’s all you can ever hope for, isn’t it?
This race had – what apparently I’m good at – a huge tyre saving component. When I started practicing earlier this week, I was a little worried. My pace was ok, but not top 5 worthy, so I felt I was in trouble this last race. But then it all started to click as each practice showed that the only real viable strategies where one stop softs and no stop softs and HUGE tyre saving was required.
Enter @Mistah_MCA. His vid not only proved I needed to go no stop full stop. But also:
- To take turn 2 in fourth
- Go full throttle after the second path on the right at turn 3
- Break and turn at the thin white line at the final turn
I annihilated the lobbies after that. Some A and even A+ drivers I could not close the gap on, suddenly I qualified ahead or decreased the gap.
Did I mention I somehow know how to tyre save? Well maybe I don’t but I’m just oblivious to the fact that worn tyres should be handled differently. I don’t know. Anyway, I enjoy these races more than most I suspect because they can be taken easier and not pushing gets you further than storming the beach. Which caters to my race stance I suppose.
Of course, you still have to qualify… and that was garbage. A guy in a Nissan (who was going to end in the bottom both after quali and race) decided it was a good idea to pass me while bumping…
This was in the qualifying lap, mind you, not the outlap… I was fuming, but luckily still managed one qualifying lap after hastily aborting the current lap and drive on my own.
That one lap was not good, not bad, but not spectacular either. And even though I knew I was going to do this race well through strategy during the race I still felt I was robbed a place or 2.
I started 7th. And boy was it a bumpy ride. Since I was in cruise mode, people were trying to pass me left, right and center (yes, through me if they could). I was bumped around like I was in a mosh pit, but I kept all four wheels staring the right way all through it. Most importantly I showed respect even to the guys that hit me on several occasions, and made sure to pass them clean if needed be. On occasion I would even bump draft all to show I was a friendly driver and maybe create some sympathy.
I also knew/noticed I was faster and had my secret weapon: the no stop tyre save strategy. But I didn’t want to give that away at the beginning. I had also learned long ago that you can save extra on your tyres if you stay behind someone. Which I did.
As time passed by, most started to pit. I stayed behind those that seemed to drive at a decent pace, bump drafting them along as we progressed through the laps. By the time EVERYONE had pitted, my tyres were still looking good. I was in P1 and things were looking bright.
Unlike practice in the lobbies, the penalty settings seemed… stricter? I don’t know, all I know is I picked up 2 which was one too many. In the final laps P2 who was the race lead before the pitstop sequence caught up with me. The 2 penalties, sloppy driving in the earlier stages and poor qualifying did me in. My lead from the no stop was not big enough. On his better tyres he caught and passed me. I still had a chance but blew it going wide in T1 lap 19. The gap between me and P3 actually still grew, so I had a comfortable second place finish. Total points 105. The highest ever in a FIA race for me and a DR increase of some 1,2k… since I was door number 16 at start.
Not bad, not bad at all.
It’s been a very good tournament ending on a high. That’s all you can ever hope for, isn’t it?
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- 2,522
- Scotland
- stpatty
Not to excuse this or anything else this clown did but assuming this isn't the last lap there's not really any need for you to go so defensive into that first corner, especially when the car behind is staying there. All you're doing is slowing yourself down, and letting the other guy make you slow yourself down.
- 1,591
- United Kingdom
- VulcanSpirit
A mega, mega, mega update to round off both FIA Season 2 campaigns, and what championships they’ve turned out to be this year. Final three races were mixed, but in the end lead to probably one of the biggest shocks I think I've ever pulled off in either of the Subarus.
Sit tight, because we’re in for another long and wild ride…
Wednesday - 17:00 Nations
First up is Nations Cup at Laguna Seca, a circuit which suits the Gr.3 Scooby magnificently. Had also considered entering with the Alfa, Citroën or even the F-Type as their respective lap times looked promising, but it was in my Manufacturers-loaned WRX where I set high-1:19s during FP and lobby tests. An encouraging practice race only fuelled my confidence about Scrappy’s FIA Championship send-off, but as has often been the case for me this year, translating those promises into results wasn’t quite as straightforward as it seemed….
I can’t stress enough how stoked I was going into the 17:00 EMEA slot, half of which would be taken up by WRXs. Here I was with a car I knew would have the potential for a Top 5 finish, and I would be facing up against a number of familiar faces including Wifi Password. Yet, for some reason, I simply couldn’t string it together in qualifying in the way that I had hoped for. Maybe it was the temperature lost trying to preserve the tyres on my out lap. Maybe it was the anxiety of throwing the Subaru off the road that put me off from getting good enough lines through many of the apexes.
Any way you put it, I chalk up a 1:20.373, which I initially felt comfortable with as it would guarantee me a provisional Top 10 spot. The trouble is, I didn’t have enough time left to have another go, and before long I was demoted to 14th behind a group of drivers separated by mere hundredths of a second. That wouldn’t have have been too bad – and a considerable improvement over equivalent times in my test sessions - if it weren’t for the fact that my best lap overall in lobby practice was a 1:19.875. A full half-a-second faster and surely enough to have guaranteed 4th on the grid.
The same maddening feeling from Brands began to take over, and the resulting start on Mediums proved difficult despite a clean getaway on traction control 1-2.
Dropped to 18th ahead of Wifi Password through a couple of slides and the general first-lap shuffling, but gradually climbed back up through taking advantage of others' misfortune. Followed the green RCZ around until Lap 4, when in an attempt to emulate an Asia Pacific streamer's winning strategy, I pitted for Softs and a top-up to 88-89% fuel. The plan was to try and get an undercut to make up for the time lost at the start, but in practice this only ended up making me more vulnerable against cars which had overfilled.
To make matters worse, the HUD readouts suggested that unless I kept short-shifting and adjusting mixes, there was a chance that Scrappy could run dry before the finish....
Quietly caught back up to the Peugeot regardless, and with six laps remaining was running 12th with genuine potential to get into the Top 10. First big mistake was to clip the sausage kerb at Turn 3, which allowed the #4 Subaru through. Second came about on Lap 14, where I messed up my approach to Turn 6, drifted wide and smacked the tyres while trying to floor it through the sand. Another place lost. Dirty tyres through the Corkscrew. Another deeply frustrating moment where I begin to question whether the FIA Championships were still worth fighting for.
Survived a couple of challenges from the #17 Heineken Mercedes in the dying moments, and got a lucky break on the final lap when he had to fend off the #13 Mitsubishi just beyond the Corkscrew. And my word, it was lucky. Scrappy ran out of fuel just before the end of the starting grid, but just managed to coast up the hill to salvage 13th from the Mercedes and Mitsubishi pairing.
Again, the pain of not living up to my blistering practice pace put a dampener on my spirits after this attempt, at least for a little while. It felt like I had wasted qualifying yet again and that after seemingly disappearing upon my run in the Manufacturers Gr.4 combo, the Laguna Seca curse had come back with a vengeance. Yet, after a bit of rest, setting a new FP time of 1:19.731 and while receiving some reassuring words from @Ashthebash, I set out one last time to do the best I could in the 19:40.
Wednesday - 19:40 Nations
If it weren’t for the Hungarian driver fielding a green Beetle (door number 13), you would’ve been forgiven for stumbling upon a secret one-make WRX race being held in this time slot. Recognised a particularly well-known sim-racing personality ranked directly below me, which had the potential to make for an entertaining race… at least, until he disappeared during the interval before the race. Improved my own qualifying performance with a 1:20.090, lining up 11th with my expectations and frustrations tempered. Started on Mediums with the intention of holding out until Lap 7.
Ironically, the first few laps proved much more chaotic. Got boxed in behind the #18 so couldn’t make the most out of the clean traction control-assisted start as I had hoped. This lead to me getting shuffled down the pack through Andretti Hairpin as the #13 Beetle pushes past on the inside like a snooker cue. Shoves, slides and a few off-track excursions ensue, and looking back I might have fallen victim to the filth myself as I appear to cut off the #19’s path on the entry into Turn 3. It was only after saving a slide that I realised that I had forgotten to switch traction control back off, such was my focus on avoiding the skirmishes up ahead.
Fell back to 17th, but started regaining places through one car running wide at Turn 4 and another being spun round at the foot of the Corkscrew. The #19 car got ahead as a result of the latter incident, as did the #14 of one of my Manufacturers Series teammates as he set the fastest lap so far on Softs. Was happy to sit behind these two until the #19 picked up a penalty for cutting the Corkscrew (his second track limits infringement after running across the Turn 1 astroturf) and pitted for Softs on Lap 4. Settled into a quiet and fairly steady rhythm, actually switching over to Softs early on Lap 6 with a similar ‘underfuel’ strategy to the previous attempt (75-76%, almost 12 laps from pit exit).
Caught up with and eventually passed the #19 and #14 cars by the end of Lap 13, taking advantage of my fresher rubber as well as a ‘corner cut’ penalty for the #14. This time, I felt confident enough with my fuel consumption to catch up with and pressure the #10 Spaniard for the final Top 10 position. By the final lap, I was right on his diffuser, but lost momentum after clipping the Turn 6 sausage kerb so decided to just bring the car home. 11th place (191 points instead of 192 on the results screen) it was…
Final Nations race of the main seasons, and a relief to have wrapped up my campaign before things got a little too unbearable. Race pace was generally consistent with the one test lobby I actually managed to finish, and despite the early dramas, the fuel anxiety and occasional mistakes there wasn’t much else to compromise my runs. While I'd say that the 19:40 was definitely the least stressful and demotivating of the two, qualifying was again the weakest point for me in both. Could've otherwise had some spectacular results to back up my early testing pace, and a real shame that Scrappy didn't get the fireworks he needed to go out in a blaze of glory.
But, as some of you might have already worked out from earlier posts, there was a chance to make amends in the Manufacturers finale…
Saturday - 15:00 Manufacturers
Going into today’s races at Fuji, I was expecting to have another middling affair akin to my last Gr.4 experiences at Dragon Trail Gardens II. Figured out soon enough how to set high-1:42s in Free Practice, but the free choice of compounds, coupled with the 4WD Scooby’s hunger for tyres, made me more than a little concerned about how I would fare during racing conditions.
In my first test lobby, I could only manage 4-5 laps on Softs in before losing touch with the leading drivers. Then I tried a couple of races yesterday on the Medium tyre with more rearward brake balance; while both gave me consistent pace, they didn’t save the front tyres from being decimated by the end. Received advice from a couple of other players concerning early braking which I decided to apply for a fourth test on the one-stop Soft strategy, which @Ashthebash also happened to be present for. While I was able to make it half-way through, it was clear that the time lost in the pits was not worth the initial gains, and I aborted the test after a couple of distractions and a penalty.
So, what next? Later the same evening, Ashthebash told me of his experiences racing another player who braked around 15m earlier for Turn 1 and at less pressure to preserve the tyres better. Having adopted said player’s techniques, and presented a comparison between his flat-out (1-stop) and conservative (no-stop) strategies, Ash inspired me to try them out in another practice lobby, where I held my own on a no-stop Soft strat against a famous Porsche player… live on stream.
The result? A total time of 35:33.580 – a fraction under 18 seconds faster than my best on the no-stop Medium strat (35:51.694). I was happy with the pace I now had. Ashthebash felt I was on track for a competitive result. What I needed now was to repeat what I had learnt and deliver results that would reflect on this series of fruitful discoveries…
Fast forward to the 15:00 EMEA slot, which sees me paired up with @Lost Sheltie in the Scirocco and @watto79 in the Mustang. Ranked 2nd in a sea of mostly FR power cars (Vipers, F-Types, SLS AMGs, RC Fs) plus a trio of Porsches which could cause me concern if they get within the slipstream range. For once, qualifying was on par with my form in testing. Set a 1:44.169 to go 5th fastest on brake balance +2 (personal best in lobby conditions was a 1:44.034). Second lap wasn’t too far off either, during which I was able to shave another 0.166 seconds off in the second sector.
Revved like a chopper and cranked BB up to +5, the same as in the final test and my qualifying out lap. As I committed to saving tyres in the way Ashthebash described to me, two Mercedes drivers made separate attempts to pass me within the first two laps. Lost touch with the top 4 runners as a result, but wasn't too concerned as I was aware that these scraps would cost them in the long run. Remained calm and focused as I regained my position both times, helped by a whopping 1.5 seconds' worth of track limits penalties picked up by each Mercedes during their battles.
Enter the #14 Paris Saint-Germain McLaren, who started 12th and was busy scything his way through the pack. Towards the end of Lap 3, he slipstreams and dives past the #4 Porsche who was up to that point closing in on my rear bumper. The next lap, the #14 pulls off a similar pass on me, which was ideal as I instantly knew that I could use his tow to maintain a useful buffer over the #4. While the pink Scooby was generally slower around a lap, its insane traction throughout the final complex (especially through the Dunlop chicane) was more than enough to maintain the tow from that point on.
Part-way through Lap 9, we catch up to the #8 Spanish Mazda who started 3rd, but was suffering the same tyre issues that initially put me off trying the no-stop. Despite some resistance, the #14 squeaked past at the entry of Panasonic corner, and I followed through with the aid of his slipstream. Meanwhile, the #4 runs wide over the outside kerb and grass, and I look back to find that in the process of recovering, he slides back across the track and takes out a PX7-liveried Toyota. That’s the Cayman eliminated.
Almost had a disaster the very next lap when I spotted the Mazda jerking to the inside under braking for Turn 1, which forced me to briefly lift off the brakes and take a wider entry. Felt incredibly lucky not to have hurt the tyres too much or run into the back of the #14 in doing so! Hung around the outside to keep 5th place, which became 2nd when Lost Sheltie and the two Vipers still in front (#3 and #18) pitted for fresh Softs.
I couldn’t believe it. I was now hounding the McLaren for the lead.
And even more miraculously, that was how things stayed to the end. Stuck to the McLaren’s tail like superglue and kept him on edge with consistently strong drives through the final sector. There were moments where I felt like I could’ve snatched the lead if he checked up or lost it completely, but at the same time I didn’t want to make any manoeuvres that would hurt my tyres or cost us time over the rest of the field. Kept the pressure on until the final lap, when I finally sensed that front grip through the Dunlop chicane had faded away. Still managed to stay within three-tenths of the McLaren as I took the chequered flag in 2nd. The 3rd-placed Viper on the one-stop was around 7.7 seconds back.
That, to me, felt like a victory on its own...
And there we have it, ladies and gentlemen! Third runners-up finish of the main 2021 seasons, an all-time best FIA points score under the current system (287 points), over 65K DR points and a combined total of over 1,000 points in the Manufacturer Series alone. All on a tyre strategy that many (including myself and @Mistah_MCA) thought was impossible with a 4WD machine! How much more of a high can you get at this final stage of the competition?
A very, very special thank you to Ashthebash for finding out and letting me know about the braking techniques that got me this far. Without them, I would've certainly struggled in the mid-pack like I did at DT Gardens. Special shout-outs, too, to Lost Sheltie and watto79 on their excellent finishes in the Top 6. It was great seeing you two on track again after what seems to be a long time, and in a race where I'm glad to have given the pink Scooby the send-off it truly deserved.
Scooby dooby doo, indeed!
Sit tight, because we’re in for another long and wild ride…
Wednesday - 17:00 Nations
First up is Nations Cup at Laguna Seca, a circuit which suits the Gr.3 Scooby magnificently. Had also considered entering with the Alfa, Citroën or even the F-Type as their respective lap times looked promising, but it was in my Manufacturers-loaned WRX where I set high-1:19s during FP and lobby tests. An encouraging practice race only fuelled my confidence about Scrappy’s FIA Championship send-off, but as has often been the case for me this year, translating those promises into results wasn’t quite as straightforward as it seemed….
I can’t stress enough how stoked I was going into the 17:00 EMEA slot, half of which would be taken up by WRXs. Here I was with a car I knew would have the potential for a Top 5 finish, and I would be facing up against a number of familiar faces including Wifi Password. Yet, for some reason, I simply couldn’t string it together in qualifying in the way that I had hoped for. Maybe it was the temperature lost trying to preserve the tyres on my out lap. Maybe it was the anxiety of throwing the Subaru off the road that put me off from getting good enough lines through many of the apexes.
Any way you put it, I chalk up a 1:20.373, which I initially felt comfortable with as it would guarantee me a provisional Top 10 spot. The trouble is, I didn’t have enough time left to have another go, and before long I was demoted to 14th behind a group of drivers separated by mere hundredths of a second. That wouldn’t have have been too bad – and a considerable improvement over equivalent times in my test sessions - if it weren’t for the fact that my best lap overall in lobby practice was a 1:19.875. A full half-a-second faster and surely enough to have guaranteed 4th on the grid.
The same maddening feeling from Brands began to take over, and the resulting start on Mediums proved difficult despite a clean getaway on traction control 1-2.
Dropped to 18th ahead of Wifi Password through a couple of slides and the general first-lap shuffling, but gradually climbed back up through taking advantage of others' misfortune. Followed the green RCZ around until Lap 4, when in an attempt to emulate an Asia Pacific streamer's winning strategy, I pitted for Softs and a top-up to 88-89% fuel. The plan was to try and get an undercut to make up for the time lost at the start, but in practice this only ended up making me more vulnerable against cars which had overfilled.
To make matters worse, the HUD readouts suggested that unless I kept short-shifting and adjusting mixes, there was a chance that Scrappy could run dry before the finish....
Quietly caught back up to the Peugeot regardless, and with six laps remaining was running 12th with genuine potential to get into the Top 10. First big mistake was to clip the sausage kerb at Turn 3, which allowed the #4 Subaru through. Second came about on Lap 14, where I messed up my approach to Turn 6, drifted wide and smacked the tyres while trying to floor it through the sand. Another place lost. Dirty tyres through the Corkscrew. Another deeply frustrating moment where I begin to question whether the FIA Championships were still worth fighting for.
Survived a couple of challenges from the #17 Heineken Mercedes in the dying moments, and got a lucky break on the final lap when he had to fend off the #13 Mitsubishi just beyond the Corkscrew. And my word, it was lucky. Scrappy ran out of fuel just before the end of the starting grid, but just managed to coast up the hill to salvage 13th from the Mercedes and Mitsubishi pairing.
Again, the pain of not living up to my blistering practice pace put a dampener on my spirits after this attempt, at least for a little while. It felt like I had wasted qualifying yet again and that after seemingly disappearing upon my run in the Manufacturers Gr.4 combo, the Laguna Seca curse had come back with a vengeance. Yet, after a bit of rest, setting a new FP time of 1:19.731 and while receiving some reassuring words from @Ashthebash, I set out one last time to do the best I could in the 19:40.
Wednesday - 19:40 Nations
If it weren’t for the Hungarian driver fielding a green Beetle (door number 13), you would’ve been forgiven for stumbling upon a secret one-make WRX race being held in this time slot. Recognised a particularly well-known sim-racing personality ranked directly below me, which had the potential to make for an entertaining race… at least, until he disappeared during the interval before the race. Improved my own qualifying performance with a 1:20.090, lining up 11th with my expectations and frustrations tempered. Started on Mediums with the intention of holding out until Lap 7.
Ironically, the first few laps proved much more chaotic. Got boxed in behind the #18 so couldn’t make the most out of the clean traction control-assisted start as I had hoped. This lead to me getting shuffled down the pack through Andretti Hairpin as the #13 Beetle pushes past on the inside like a snooker cue. Shoves, slides and a few off-track excursions ensue, and looking back I might have fallen victim to the filth myself as I appear to cut off the #19’s path on the entry into Turn 3. It was only after saving a slide that I realised that I had forgotten to switch traction control back off, such was my focus on avoiding the skirmishes up ahead.
Fell back to 17th, but started regaining places through one car running wide at Turn 4 and another being spun round at the foot of the Corkscrew. The #19 car got ahead as a result of the latter incident, as did the #14 of one of my Manufacturers Series teammates as he set the fastest lap so far on Softs. Was happy to sit behind these two until the #19 picked up a penalty for cutting the Corkscrew (his second track limits infringement after running across the Turn 1 astroturf) and pitted for Softs on Lap 4. Settled into a quiet and fairly steady rhythm, actually switching over to Softs early on Lap 6 with a similar ‘underfuel’ strategy to the previous attempt (75-76%, almost 12 laps from pit exit).
Caught up with and eventually passed the #19 and #14 cars by the end of Lap 13, taking advantage of my fresher rubber as well as a ‘corner cut’ penalty for the #14. This time, I felt confident enough with my fuel consumption to catch up with and pressure the #10 Spaniard for the final Top 10 position. By the final lap, I was right on his diffuser, but lost momentum after clipping the Turn 6 sausage kerb so decided to just bring the car home. 11th place (191 points instead of 192 on the results screen) it was…
Final Nations race of the main seasons, and a relief to have wrapped up my campaign before things got a little too unbearable. Race pace was generally consistent with the one test lobby I actually managed to finish, and despite the early dramas, the fuel anxiety and occasional mistakes there wasn’t much else to compromise my runs. While I'd say that the 19:40 was definitely the least stressful and demotivating of the two, qualifying was again the weakest point for me in both. Could've otherwise had some spectacular results to back up my early testing pace, and a real shame that Scrappy didn't get the fireworks he needed to go out in a blaze of glory.
But, as some of you might have already worked out from earlier posts, there was a chance to make amends in the Manufacturers finale…
Saturday - 15:00 Manufacturers
Going into today’s races at Fuji, I was expecting to have another middling affair akin to my last Gr.4 experiences at Dragon Trail Gardens II. Figured out soon enough how to set high-1:42s in Free Practice, but the free choice of compounds, coupled with the 4WD Scooby’s hunger for tyres, made me more than a little concerned about how I would fare during racing conditions.
In my first test lobby, I could only manage 4-5 laps on Softs in before losing touch with the leading drivers. Then I tried a couple of races yesterday on the Medium tyre with more rearward brake balance; while both gave me consistent pace, they didn’t save the front tyres from being decimated by the end. Received advice from a couple of other players concerning early braking which I decided to apply for a fourth test on the one-stop Soft strategy, which @Ashthebash also happened to be present for. While I was able to make it half-way through, it was clear that the time lost in the pits was not worth the initial gains, and I aborted the test after a couple of distractions and a penalty.
So, what next? Later the same evening, Ashthebash told me of his experiences racing another player who braked around 15m earlier for Turn 1 and at less pressure to preserve the tyres better. Having adopted said player’s techniques, and presented a comparison between his flat-out (1-stop) and conservative (no-stop) strategies, Ash inspired me to try them out in another practice lobby, where I held my own on a no-stop Soft strat against a famous Porsche player… live on stream.
The result? A total time of 35:33.580 – a fraction under 18 seconds faster than my best on the no-stop Medium strat (35:51.694). I was happy with the pace I now had. Ashthebash felt I was on track for a competitive result. What I needed now was to repeat what I had learnt and deliver results that would reflect on this series of fruitful discoveries…
Fast forward to the 15:00 EMEA slot, which sees me paired up with @Lost Sheltie in the Scirocco and @watto79 in the Mustang. Ranked 2nd in a sea of mostly FR power cars (Vipers, F-Types, SLS AMGs, RC Fs) plus a trio of Porsches which could cause me concern if they get within the slipstream range. For once, qualifying was on par with my form in testing. Set a 1:44.169 to go 5th fastest on brake balance +2 (personal best in lobby conditions was a 1:44.034). Second lap wasn’t too far off either, during which I was able to shave another 0.166 seconds off in the second sector.
Revved like a chopper and cranked BB up to +5, the same as in the final test and my qualifying out lap. As I committed to saving tyres in the way Ashthebash described to me, two Mercedes drivers made separate attempts to pass me within the first two laps. Lost touch with the top 4 runners as a result, but wasn't too concerned as I was aware that these scraps would cost them in the long run. Remained calm and focused as I regained my position both times, helped by a whopping 1.5 seconds' worth of track limits penalties picked up by each Mercedes during their battles.
Enter the #14 Paris Saint-Germain McLaren, who started 12th and was busy scything his way through the pack. Towards the end of Lap 3, he slipstreams and dives past the #4 Porsche who was up to that point closing in on my rear bumper. The next lap, the #14 pulls off a similar pass on me, which was ideal as I instantly knew that I could use his tow to maintain a useful buffer over the #4. While the pink Scooby was generally slower around a lap, its insane traction throughout the final complex (especially through the Dunlop chicane) was more than enough to maintain the tow from that point on.
Part-way through Lap 9, we catch up to the #8 Spanish Mazda who started 3rd, but was suffering the same tyre issues that initially put me off trying the no-stop. Despite some resistance, the #14 squeaked past at the entry of Panasonic corner, and I followed through with the aid of his slipstream. Meanwhile, the #4 runs wide over the outside kerb and grass, and I look back to find that in the process of recovering, he slides back across the track and takes out a PX7-liveried Toyota. That’s the Cayman eliminated.
Almost had a disaster the very next lap when I spotted the Mazda jerking to the inside under braking for Turn 1, which forced me to briefly lift off the brakes and take a wider entry. Felt incredibly lucky not to have hurt the tyres too much or run into the back of the #14 in doing so! Hung around the outside to keep 5th place, which became 2nd when Lost Sheltie and the two Vipers still in front (#3 and #18) pitted for fresh Softs.
I couldn’t believe it. I was now hounding the McLaren for the lead.
And even more miraculously, that was how things stayed to the end. Stuck to the McLaren’s tail like superglue and kept him on edge with consistently strong drives through the final sector. There were moments where I felt like I could’ve snatched the lead if he checked up or lost it completely, but at the same time I didn’t want to make any manoeuvres that would hurt my tyres or cost us time over the rest of the field. Kept the pressure on until the final lap, when I finally sensed that front grip through the Dunlop chicane had faded away. Still managed to stay within three-tenths of the McLaren as I took the chequered flag in 2nd. The 3rd-placed Viper on the one-stop was around 7.7 seconds back.
That, to me, felt like a victory on its own...
And there we have it, ladies and gentlemen! Third runners-up finish of the main 2021 seasons, an all-time best FIA points score under the current system (287 points), over 65K DR points and a combined total of over 1,000 points in the Manufacturer Series alone. All on a tyre strategy that many (including myself and @Mistah_MCA) thought was impossible with a 4WD machine! How much more of a high can you get at this final stage of the competition?
A very, very special thank you to Ashthebash for finding out and letting me know about the braking techniques that got me this far. Without them, I would've certainly struggled in the mid-pack like I did at DT Gardens. Special shout-outs, too, to Lost Sheltie and watto79 on their excellent finishes in the Top 6. It was great seeing you two on track again after what seems to be a long time, and in a race where I'm glad to have given the pink Scooby the send-off it truly deserved.
Scooby dooby doo, indeed!
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- 1,810
- California, USA
- Mistah_MCA
Pretty crazy to see that you were able to defy the odds (and the tire wear hehe
). Well done!
- 828
- United Kingdom
@VulcanSpirit you're far too kind mate! I'm happy to help but you did a brilliant job of it!
Right, now the niceties are over with, let's get down to this essay about yesterday's race!
Having been unable to race last week (people getting married on FIA day... so inconsiderate!), I'd had two weeks to prep for this, and it has to be said, it had gone well. I'd shown great qualy pace and excellent race pace. It was just about putting it together for my single shot on a Saturday night.
Oh, and needing the split to be kind knowing I'd be in the 1900 slot.
Getting free to be online at 1835 isn't ideal! And pre-race practice in my 20 minute warm up didn't fill me with hope, but matching happened and... a diluted top split. Fire, Floris, Digit (and allegedly Didico), this was gonna be FUN!!
Went out to qualify on my own and put in a fairly solid lap, 1:43.5. Was up in the first sector of my following lap but dropped time so quit out, Q7.
Two of the cars behind, I'd had plenty of lobby practice with, I knew how they'd approach it and they knew I wasn't exactly slow, but that didn't stop the mother of all launches into T1! So the first lap was a disaster, also got taken by Catfish and then we settled down - or so I thought
After a bump from the Alfa behind into the chicane on L3, on L5 an Evo triggered a domino rally, sending the Alfa into me as we braked for the chicane and subsequently me onto the grass. The Alfa actually came off worst but we'd all lost the tow to the group ahead and I was a sitting duck down the straight
Lost three places from that image into T1, down to 12th and from that point I wasn't having it anymore, fed up of getting pushed around by people who think they're quicker. Defended against the Portuguese in the black Merc, chased down the Evo and he pitted as I was about to pass on L7. A few other cars pitted, and we were back up to 8th, into the second half of the race and with a Toyota up my trumpet
Managed to close the gap to the group ahead before the Toyota got to me, a Porsche was dispatched almost accidentally approaching the chicane and then a couple of laps later I went by an Aston into T1
What was interesting watching the replay, is I had the worst tyres of all the cars around me! But we were still progressing!!
We held station for a while before the Toyota moved up to 7th at the end of L18 and then I had the task of keeping him at bay. While he got close on the final lap, I drove ultra defensive, stayed tight, hit apexes, and brought her home for the final time this season in 6th place for 284 pts
I've had a remarkable Manufacturers season, I've picked up a couple of wins (one in each series), I've had a massive haul of points, I've raced on a level I thought was impossible 12 months ago, I've hit 70k DR, I've bloody loved it again!
Without the community the racing would be nothing, and you guys all make it what it is. Be proud of yourselves
Also a massive shout to @RacingGrandpa for making me this awesome livery for my final official FIA race on a PS4 game! Hope I did it some justice
Right, now the niceties are over with, let's get down to this essay about yesterday's race!
Having been unable to race last week (people getting married on FIA day... so inconsiderate!), I'd had two weeks to prep for this, and it has to be said, it had gone well. I'd shown great qualy pace and excellent race pace. It was just about putting it together for my single shot on a Saturday night.
Oh, and needing the split to be kind knowing I'd be in the 1900 slot.
Getting free to be online at 1835 isn't ideal! And pre-race practice in my 20 minute warm up didn't fill me with hope, but matching happened and... a diluted top split. Fire, Floris, Digit (and allegedly Didico), this was gonna be FUN!!
Went out to qualify on my own and put in a fairly solid lap, 1:43.5. Was up in the first sector of my following lap but dropped time so quit out, Q7.
Two of the cars behind, I'd had plenty of lobby practice with, I knew how they'd approach it and they knew I wasn't exactly slow, but that didn't stop the mother of all launches into T1! So the first lap was a disaster, also got taken by Catfish and then we settled down - or so I thought
After a bump from the Alfa behind into the chicane on L3, on L5 an Evo triggered a domino rally, sending the Alfa into me as we braked for the chicane and subsequently me onto the grass. The Alfa actually came off worst but we'd all lost the tow to the group ahead and I was a sitting duck down the straight
Lost three places from that image into T1, down to 12th and from that point I wasn't having it anymore, fed up of getting pushed around by people who think they're quicker. Defended against the Portuguese in the black Merc, chased down the Evo and he pitted as I was about to pass on L7. A few other cars pitted, and we were back up to 8th, into the second half of the race and with a Toyota up my trumpet
Managed to close the gap to the group ahead before the Toyota got to me, a Porsche was dispatched almost accidentally approaching the chicane and then a couple of laps later I went by an Aston into T1
What was interesting watching the replay, is I had the worst tyres of all the cars around me! But we were still progressing!!
We held station for a while before the Toyota moved up to 7th at the end of L18 and then I had the task of keeping him at bay. While he got close on the final lap, I drove ultra defensive, stayed tight, hit apexes, and brought her home for the final time this season in 6th place for 284 pts
I've had a remarkable Manufacturers season, I've picked up a couple of wins (one in each series), I've had a massive haul of points, I've raced on a level I thought was impossible 12 months ago, I've hit 70k DR, I've bloody loved it again!
Without the community the racing would be nothing, and you guys all make it what it is. Be proud of yourselves
Also a massive shout to @RacingGrandpa for making me this awesome livery for my final official FIA race on a PS4 game! Hope I did it some justice
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- 1,492
- United States
- equus_ferrum
Slot 1: Screwed up qualifying badly and started P17. I didn't get a chance at a 2nd lap because the car that had been drafting me the previous lap sent it into T1 on my 2nd qualifying attempt, so that was that...Finished P13 after doing a decent job looking after my tires.
Slot 2: Still screwed up qualifying by slightly missing the first apex at the chicane, and found myself starting P13, right in front of the only other Corvette. The other Chevy quickly got around me after a few laps and left me behind as we both made our way through the field. I was surprising myself catching and passing other cars that should've been better on their tires, including a 458 that seemed to have a pace advantage in qualifying and the early part of the race. On the final lap, I caught up to a pack of 3 cars all clearly struggling for grip - 2 Lamborghinis and an 86. I got around the first Lambo, but ran out of time to get the other 2 cars, so I finished 8th for 205 points that wouldn't count.
Slot 3: I finally hooked up a decent qualifying lap and qualified 7th, but still with some work to do if I wanted to make sure I got at least 1000 total points for the season (I needed 2nd place for that). The early part of the race was the usual jockeying for position, and I passed an 86 after the start before T1 since I had such a massive speed advantage off the line. The 86 carried too much speed to try to hold on to the spot, hit the astroturf at the exit of T1, and around it went. Eventually the Ferrari from the previous race got by when I went too deep into T1 on Lap 2, followed by a Cayman in the same spot a couple laps later as I was extra gentle on the brakes this time. Surprisingly the Cayman seemed to struggle for grip just a few laps later, and I repassed it fairly easily. Once again the Ferrari struggled too, but unfortunately I messed up T2 twice when trying to get by as I struggled to adjust for my own tire wear there. I eventually did get by though, by which point I was up to 4th place after the former holder of that spot pitted at halfway. I spent the rest of the race chasing down the BMW in 3rd, finally catching it and getting by in T1 on the last lap. The Mercedes ahead in 2nd was also much slower than me, and I closed over half a second just on the final lap alone to get the gap around 0.8s, but of course by then it was too late. If I hadn't wasted time getting by the Ferrari earlier, I could've taken 2nd probably without much effort, since I apparently had some of the best tire management in the field (despite a car apparently completely unsuited for the task). I had to settle for 3rd (the entire podium was comprised of cars not known for their kindness to tires - an Evo in first, an SLS in 2nd, and my Corvette in 3rd) and 255 points...I needed 258 from this round to reach 1000 total points...unfortunately this is as good as it's gonna get, since I was given car #2 in this race. If I went again, I'd undoubtedly be placed in a higher split that was way too quick for my skill level and I definitely wouldn't score this well again. It's still my 2nd-best score this season, even if I am a bit disappointed to fall short of my goal.
Also very annoyed with myself that I forgot to delete the replay from Slot 2, leaving me no room to save Slot 3's replay. I've done that multiple times this season (Alsace in Nations, so I don't have the replay from that win), but I still can't remember something that basic...
Slot 2: Still screwed up qualifying by slightly missing the first apex at the chicane, and found myself starting P13, right in front of the only other Corvette. The other Chevy quickly got around me after a few laps and left me behind as we both made our way through the field. I was surprising myself catching and passing other cars that should've been better on their tires, including a 458 that seemed to have a pace advantage in qualifying and the early part of the race. On the final lap, I caught up to a pack of 3 cars all clearly struggling for grip - 2 Lamborghinis and an 86. I got around the first Lambo, but ran out of time to get the other 2 cars, so I finished 8th for 205 points that wouldn't count.
Slot 3: I finally hooked up a decent qualifying lap and qualified 7th, but still with some work to do if I wanted to make sure I got at least 1000 total points for the season (I needed 2nd place for that). The early part of the race was the usual jockeying for position, and I passed an 86 after the start before T1 since I had such a massive speed advantage off the line. The 86 carried too much speed to try to hold on to the spot, hit the astroturf at the exit of T1, and around it went. Eventually the Ferrari from the previous race got by when I went too deep into T1 on Lap 2, followed by a Cayman in the same spot a couple laps later as I was extra gentle on the brakes this time. Surprisingly the Cayman seemed to struggle for grip just a few laps later, and I repassed it fairly easily. Once again the Ferrari struggled too, but unfortunately I messed up T2 twice when trying to get by as I struggled to adjust for my own tire wear there. I eventually did get by though, by which point I was up to 4th place after the former holder of that spot pitted at halfway. I spent the rest of the race chasing down the BMW in 3rd, finally catching it and getting by in T1 on the last lap. The Mercedes ahead in 2nd was also much slower than me, and I closed over half a second just on the final lap alone to get the gap around 0.8s, but of course by then it was too late. If I hadn't wasted time getting by the Ferrari earlier, I could've taken 2nd probably without much effort, since I apparently had some of the best tire management in the field (despite a car apparently completely unsuited for the task). I had to settle for 3rd (the entire podium was comprised of cars not known for their kindness to tires - an Evo in first, an SLS in 2nd, and my Corvette in 3rd) and 255 points...I needed 258 from this round to reach 1000 total points...unfortunately this is as good as it's gonna get, since I was given car #2 in this race. If I went again, I'd undoubtedly be placed in a higher split that was way too quick for my skill level and I definitely wouldn't score this well again. It's still my 2nd-best score this season, even if I am a bit disappointed to fall short of my goal.
Also very annoyed with myself that I forgot to delete the replay from Slot 2, leaving me no room to save Slot 3's replay. I've done that multiple times this season (Alsace in Nations, so I don't have the replay from that win), but I still can't remember something that basic...
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