- 3,165
- yeti_c
Saturday - 10AM... Thinking about running LeMans I and trying to decide upon which car I wanted... (B-spec)
I tried the Minolta... Ran about 20 laps and had already lapped the 2nd place... was pitting every 5 laps and realised that this was going to mean I had to be next to the PS2 every 8 minutes to speed him backup.
So I quitted and decided upon my newly purchased Black 787B.
I'd already done an oil change but decided a body refreshment and then a rollcage was in order so did those... then I purchased some Hard and Super Hard tyres and the Stage 4 turbo. In all I had 903 BHP (Tuning shop stat).
I changed my settings and gave myself all round SuperHards (Wasn't sure how much fronts this baby would use) and lengthened out the gears... I left the suspension so that I could get better tyre life (I usually change camber on my wheels to improve the handling.)
I started the race (bspec) and noted that the 2nd place car from the grid was the Sauber C9... Hmmm this might be tricky.
My 787 weaved it's way through the competition and was upto 2nd and slowly gaining on the C9. He pitted on lap 7 I pitted on lap 8. I decided that SuperHards on the front weren't necessary and Hards would do so came out on those and b_spec dude set a quicker pace and we were soon breathing down the exhaust of the C9. I slipped into 1st then my last lap of tyres was slow and I went to 2nd...
This pattern repeated itself until 3hours (Game time) later when the C9 pitted twice in my stint and I was now 30 seconds ahead... Brilliant I thought... now I can relax and this will win itself by quite some margin...
Not so... the C9 seemed to get quicker more consistently and my 787 must've deteriorated and B-spec dude was losing pace... so soon enough the C9 was right behind me and then he was past... Noooo.... 8 hours into the race and I thought that I couldn't possibly win it...
Unless...
I changed the pit strategy... So in trial I changed the front tyres down to medium... This had two effects... Pitting was now down to 5 laps... lap times were a bit increased... but the car was a bit unstable as B-spec dude went into the sand a few times... OK... so I changed the rears down to Hard and the fronts back to Hard... Once again this was a 5-lap strategy... lap times were much improved over the RM-RSH combo and the car was more stable but the times weren't quick enough.
Well I thought if the front RM's meand 5 laps and the Back RH's mean 5 laps then I can run them together. So I put this combo on and started racing (This bit of experimentation had lost me about 30 seconds.) I was gaining on him... my pit stops were quicker and my lap times much quicker and the time I lost by pitting more often I made back by being quicker. I was back in the race... until I went out...
I left B-spec dude doing his business and went to Ikea for 2 hours... I returned and B-spec dude was 50 seconds down!!! DOH... I realised my mistake... every time he came into pit he was waiting for 3-5 seconds before starting his pitstop...
OK then... I watched it a lot more carefully and started OKing the pit as soon as he was in... I clawed back to 25 seconds... and then I had inspiration... perhaps I can turn a few laps and get him in the lead and then let him be... so with 25 seconds down I jump in... and pull 2 laps... now down by 1.30 and decide to go into the pits... without realising it I OK the pit window and I'm still racing... so I'm back out and actually turn a reasonable lap... and pit again to let him take over again... so B-spec dude comes out of the pits and is 2.20 down... with 10 hours gone... Oh dear... have I just wasted it all?
So once again I let him do his thing (This time I decide to also make is so he has just enough fuel to carry him through a stint instead of full tank) and slowly but surely the lead reduces from the entirety of the back section to just to the length of the Mulsanne... and then just to two straights... and then I'm on the same straight... and it's lap 300 and we're both in the bits... I'm behind but his pit crew is before mine so he pulls in... I pull in change the tyres put some fuel in and pull out... in front of the C9... my 787 cuts him up in the pits and I'm back in the lead... with 4 hours to go!! B-spec duded starts pulling away and generating a lead... but of course I pit earlier and he nicks the lead... B-spec dude pulls out some blinding laps (a 1.26.1xx) and reduces the C9's lead to nothing and then he pits and I'm away... eventually I pull out a minute or so lead with 3 hours left I decide to alter back to the RH/RSH combo so that time will pass quicker as less pit stops and this should ensure victory.
1 hour later B-spec dude crosses the line after completing 396 laps (+3 of mine) (=399) and the Sauber C9 is a mere 1 minute and 30 seconds behind me...
This is too close to call in a 24hour race!!
(And it also proves that the longest stint length is sometimes not the quickest way.)
C.
PS Just to add my skills on Le Sarthe 1 have since increased after having to take the Bentley round it in S-15 licence test and I would probably do a lot better.
PPS Audi R8 looks pretty nice too... although not driven it yet.
I tried the Minolta... Ran about 20 laps and had already lapped the 2nd place... was pitting every 5 laps and realised that this was going to mean I had to be next to the PS2 every 8 minutes to speed him backup.
So I quitted and decided upon my newly purchased Black 787B.
I'd already done an oil change but decided a body refreshment and then a rollcage was in order so did those... then I purchased some Hard and Super Hard tyres and the Stage 4 turbo. In all I had 903 BHP (Tuning shop stat).
I changed my settings and gave myself all round SuperHards (Wasn't sure how much fronts this baby would use) and lengthened out the gears... I left the suspension so that I could get better tyre life (I usually change camber on my wheels to improve the handling.)
I started the race (bspec) and noted that the 2nd place car from the grid was the Sauber C9... Hmmm this might be tricky.
My 787 weaved it's way through the competition and was upto 2nd and slowly gaining on the C9. He pitted on lap 7 I pitted on lap 8. I decided that SuperHards on the front weren't necessary and Hards would do so came out on those and b_spec dude set a quicker pace and we were soon breathing down the exhaust of the C9. I slipped into 1st then my last lap of tyres was slow and I went to 2nd...
This pattern repeated itself until 3hours (Game time) later when the C9 pitted twice in my stint and I was now 30 seconds ahead... Brilliant I thought... now I can relax and this will win itself by quite some margin...
Not so... the C9 seemed to get quicker more consistently and my 787 must've deteriorated and B-spec dude was losing pace... so soon enough the C9 was right behind me and then he was past... Noooo.... 8 hours into the race and I thought that I couldn't possibly win it...
Unless...
I changed the pit strategy... So in trial I changed the front tyres down to medium... This had two effects... Pitting was now down to 5 laps... lap times were a bit increased... but the car was a bit unstable as B-spec dude went into the sand a few times... OK... so I changed the rears down to Hard and the fronts back to Hard... Once again this was a 5-lap strategy... lap times were much improved over the RM-RSH combo and the car was more stable but the times weren't quick enough.
Well I thought if the front RM's meand 5 laps and the Back RH's mean 5 laps then I can run them together. So I put this combo on and started racing (This bit of experimentation had lost me about 30 seconds.) I was gaining on him... my pit stops were quicker and my lap times much quicker and the time I lost by pitting more often I made back by being quicker. I was back in the race... until I went out...
I left B-spec dude doing his business and went to Ikea for 2 hours... I returned and B-spec dude was 50 seconds down!!! DOH... I realised my mistake... every time he came into pit he was waiting for 3-5 seconds before starting his pitstop...
OK then... I watched it a lot more carefully and started OKing the pit as soon as he was in... I clawed back to 25 seconds... and then I had inspiration... perhaps I can turn a few laps and get him in the lead and then let him be... so with 25 seconds down I jump in... and pull 2 laps... now down by 1.30 and decide to go into the pits... without realising it I OK the pit window and I'm still racing... so I'm back out and actually turn a reasonable lap... and pit again to let him take over again... so B-spec dude comes out of the pits and is 2.20 down... with 10 hours gone... Oh dear... have I just wasted it all?
So once again I let him do his thing (This time I decide to also make is so he has just enough fuel to carry him through a stint instead of full tank) and slowly but surely the lead reduces from the entirety of the back section to just to the length of the Mulsanne... and then just to two straights... and then I'm on the same straight... and it's lap 300 and we're both in the bits... I'm behind but his pit crew is before mine so he pulls in... I pull in change the tyres put some fuel in and pull out... in front of the C9... my 787 cuts him up in the pits and I'm back in the lead... with 4 hours to go!! B-spec duded starts pulling away and generating a lead... but of course I pit earlier and he nicks the lead... B-spec dude pulls out some blinding laps (a 1.26.1xx) and reduces the C9's lead to nothing and then he pits and I'm away... eventually I pull out a minute or so lead with 3 hours left I decide to alter back to the RH/RSH combo so that time will pass quicker as less pit stops and this should ensure victory.
1 hour later B-spec dude crosses the line after completing 396 laps (+3 of mine) (=399) and the Sauber C9 is a mere 1 minute and 30 seconds behind me...
This is too close to call in a 24hour race!!
(And it also proves that the longest stint length is sometimes not the quickest way.)
C.
PS Just to add my skills on Le Sarthe 1 have since increased after having to take the Bentley round it in S-15 licence test and I would probably do a lot better.
PPS Audi R8 looks pretty nice too... although not driven it yet.
Especially since I attended the race as a guest of Doyle Racing, the winning team. 👍
I think I had a lap on the guy at the finish.
