300k Endurance at Grand Valley :: Times, Cars, and Experience

[Matti_Dude]

I had an awesome race doing this, I chose the Mercedes 190 Evolution which I had tuned up to around 250bhp and it weighed about 1150kg. I chose the car because it's one of my all time favourites and it was great fun to drive.

The race started off looking very bad, I made my way up in to second but the damn RX-7 was pulling away from me at around one to two seconds per lap. On the 19th lap I was 28 seconds behind the leader so I decided to pit as my tyres were gone and my laptimes had dropped to around 2:19 - 2:20. With my fresh rubber the race started coming back to me, my laptimes were staying at a consistent 2:16 and I pulled back the lead to only 24 seconds. The RX-7 then pitted and I found myself with an 18 second lead.

Although soon enough the RX-7 was matching my times and he had closed the gap on me by lap 35. I tried to hold him off for as long as I could but by lap 38 my tyres had once again fallen apart and he slipped by. On lap 39 I went in to the pits for my final stop and put on some new tyres and filled up with an extra 10 litres of fuel just to get me by. I knew by this point that I was relying on the AI having to stop in the closing laps as he pitted around lap 30ish.

With my new tyres I started off well again, this time I could get my laptimes in to the 2:15's, with 2:15.1XX being my fastest lap of the stint and the race. Lap by lap I was slowly closing in on the RX-7. He seemed to be having trouble with the traffic and was losing time behind the lap cars. By lap 55 I narrowed the gap down to just five seconds and I could see him on most of the straights. But by this time my tyres were almost ruined and my laptimes were falling every lap. Luckily for me it looked like the Mazda's tyres were also losing grip and I carried on closing the gap.

On the penultimate lap I had closed right in on him and he was just 1.2 seconds ahead of me (this was the split on the bridge, after coming out of the tunnel where the AI are dog slow). He pulled away from me at the end of the lap and I could not get close enough to make a pass on the final lap. It turned out that the RX-7 didn't have to put and I finished the race a cruel 1.7 seconds behind him with the total race time being around 2hours and 21 minutes. At the time I was quite annoyed that I didn't win but looking back at it now it was a great race and it kept me interested.

 

[Spacegoat]

Nissan Skyline GTR V-Spec '94.
No Mods.
Tyres Sports Hard and Sports Soft.
Best Lap - 2.09.757.
Total Time - 2 Hours 17 Minutes.
Won By - 1 Minute 14 Seconds.

 

[bimmer3002]

so it turns out that the m-b evo can only finish as high as second in this race. you're the second person to try that car. interesting

 

[Dr. P]

I did it in Honda Civic typo R ´08, Tuned, 294hp, 1255kg, Sport med.
DFGT, MT, cockpit view. "as real as it gets"


Time 2h ~20min
came 6th place.
lost by ~2min/~1 lap)
Best lap time: 2min 14s + something


This was my first Endurance race and I went on it kind of explorer mood.
First place wasn't a essential for me this time, I just wanted to have a good race.
And I did have fun battles between EVOs and NSXs and it was also a good test of my "mental strenght" Another thing was, that I learned a lot how to adjust my driving and trying not to destroy my tires after 10 laps.

I did cock up my pit stops, I forget to fuel and I had to have one extra pit stop on lap 58/60

So next time better.

I'd love to have these races online, as "as real as it gets"

Good game though´

 

[bimmer3002]

lol, that sucks. how many places did that last pit stop cost you? i'm guessing you could have at least taken second if not for that cock up

 

[BaldurKn]

Hi,

I'm going to run this event tonight and would love some input.
I need to run this in a premium car to enjoy the interior during those 2+ hours coming up

What would you recommend for me, should I try and get an NSX on the grid and then use what? I was thinking: Lexus IS-F, Nissan Fairlady Z34, Acura NSX-RM. Whould that be a fair fight?

If I made sure there wasn't an NSX out there what would be challenging? Something like: Nissan 370GT, Infiniti G35, Fairlady Z33 perhaps?

Based on what I have ready here and in other race reports the grid is filled with Japanese cars, is that your experience here ? If so I will need to drive a Japanese car as well to fit in 👍

 

[bimmer3002]

yeah, i think the is-f would be good against an nsx. if not, the g35 would be good as well. i think you're in good shape. take notes and fill us in on the results!!

 

[Dr. P]

lol, that sucks. how many places did that last pit stop cost you? i'm guessing you could have at least taken second if not for that cock up

I was going to finnish 4th (If I remember correctly)

Hi,

I'm going to run this event tonight and would love some input.
I need to run this in a premium car to enjoy the interior during those 2+ hours coming up

What would you recommend for me, should I try and get an NSX on the grid and then use what? I was thinking: Lexus IS-F, Nissan Fairlady Z34, Acura NSX-RM. Whould that be a fair fight?

If I made sure there wasn't an NSX out there what would be challenging? Something like: Nissan 370GT, Infiniti G35, Fairlady Z33 perhaps?

Based on what I have ready here and in other race reports the grid is filled with Japanese cars, is that your experience here ? If so I will need to drive a Japanese car as well to fit in 👍

When I did that race, There were two RX-7s and they both won, so matching up to them would probably be a good thing.

I think that IS-F may be a little bit "overkill"

Next time, (probably tomorrow), I go for Fairlady Z 300ZX TwinTurbo 2seater (Z32) ‘89, some tuning need to be done though and maybe some test drive

 

[BaldurKn]

When I did that race, There were two RX-7s and they both won, so matching up to them would probably be a good thing.

I think that IS-F may be a little bit "overkill"

Next time, (probably tomorrow), I go for Fairlady Z 300ZX TwinTurbo 2seater (Z32) ‘89, some tuning need to be done though and maybe some test drive

Cheers.

So those two RX-7's you faced were it the RX-7 Spirit R 2002? 276BHP / 1270 kg or 4,6 kg/BHP ?

If so yeah the IS-F is a big overkill 4,01 kg/BHP

The Fairlady Z34 '08 has 4,6 kg/BHP like the RX-7 and the NSX so perhaps that would be a good fight?

 

[Dr. P]

Cheers.

So those two RX-7's you faced were it the RX-7 Spirit R 2002? 276BHP / 1270 kg or 4,6 kg/BHP ?

If so yeah the IS-F is a big overkill 4,01 kg/BHP

The Fairlady Z34 '08 has 4,6 kg/BHP like the RX-7 and the NSX so perhaps that would be a good fight?

I'm not sure, but I think those AI cars are tuned (some that I have been listening exhaust sounds) so it would be little bit harder to compare. But you can go for that race and see Typical opponets, there you can find a little hint whats those cars are about, as there are lots of cars over 330hp and up to 1700kg.

Find a car suitable for you and tell us how it went

Have a good race and fun!

 

[GTP_ClockWork]

Are you ****ing kidding me? I just spend 2.5 hours in a Merc Evo II with only SS tires and ECU upgrade. I managed fourth and got a measly 15k experience. WTF are you serious? PD at least make it worthwhile xp wise - ESPECIALLY when its a lap race and not one where you can sit at the finish line and wait for the timer to end.

I lost to an NSX by over a lap. The leaders were lapping in the 2.12ish and I was 2.16ish and higher. Low lap was 2.14XXX.

Im pissed to say the least.

Im going to rerun this in my X1 and ram every single one of the AI cars off the track.

 

[veyron1001]

14 Pit Stops. Did do a 1:53 once (Lap 52) but gradually settled into 1:58's roughly. Didn't help that my set-up was wrong, I had not changed it from my Indianapolis Oval set-up, to the car was naturally tail-happy. Still, I made use of my 3-4 lap lead and started playing around. I could double or triple-stint the front tyres, just the rear's that wore badly...

I did it in 1hr 46min with my Mclaren F1 886hp 970kg. Pitted only 3 times using race soft. No traction with 1st and 2nd gear with constant short shifting. I was using my Nurburgring setup as well.

 

[Matti_Dude]

so it turns out that the m-b evo can only finish as high as second in this race. you're the second person to try that car. interesting

I guess because you win it it's a lot more convenient to use it. I should have upgraded my tyres to sports hard or something, but it was good fun despite not winning.

 

[Mugenjin]

Are you ****ing kidding me? I just spend 2.5 hours in a Merc Evo II with only SS tires and ECU upgrade. I managed fourth and got a measly 15k experience. WTF are you serious? PD at least make it worthwhile xp wise - ESPECIALLY when its a lap race and not one where you can sit at the finish line and wait for the timer to end.

I lost to an NSX by over a lap. The leaders were lapping in the 2.12ish and I was 2.16ish and higher. Low lap was 2.14XXX.

Im pissed to say the least.

Im going to rerun this in my X1 and ram every single one of the AI cars off the track.

Make sure you win then lolol. Your own fault for being overconfident.
Or is there any reason why you should get a lot of EXP for finishing fourth? >_>

 

[GTP_ClockWork]

Make sure you win then lolol. Your own fault for being overconfident.
Or is there any reason why you should get a lot of EXP for finishing fourth? >_>

I wasnt overconfident. I wanted a challenge. Considering first gets about 10x that I presumed maybe PD would give half just for finishing.

 

[Bubba22plus]

Did this in a Fully Tuned Chevy SSR just to see how well it would hold up. I made a stupid mistake and only bought Sports Medium Tires, so i had to pit 4 times.

This cost me, i finished second as the leader pitted only twice.

Still i had fun seeing a Truck among Cars finish second.

 

[Theo777]

My first attempt at the 300km Grand Valley endurance race. I used the stock Caterham Seven Fireblade '02 with only sport soft tires, engine(164HP) and chassis rebuilds. I was able to conserve my tires and finished the race without
a single pit stop. Most laps were around 2:09-2:15 although I did spin the Seven twice using a bit too much throttle while passing around s near the end of the course. Managed a total time of 2:12:50.509, lap average of 02:21.403,
and a best lap time of 2:08.809. I finished two and a half laps ahead of the second place RX-7. What a car that cat! The 916cc engine sounded awesome shifting at nearly 12000rpm!

 

[obi_one]

Just did it with stock RUF RGT on sport hard in 2h:16, best lap was 2:04.xxx and 2 pit stops on lap 20 and 40 last 2 laps of each stint was almost like driving on ice so laps went down to about 2:20.xxx lol. Got 113674 xp

 

[elrousso]

so it turns out that the m-b evo can only finish as high as second in this race. you're the second person to try that car. interesting

Make it three people (that didn't win) since that post, but I'm pretty sure the Merc can win against just about any opposition in this race, it just needs to be properly tuned. I have one in the garage, I'll probably give it a spin on the GV300 after I finish the Laguna Seca 200 I'm currently doing (it's paused at the moment).

As you may have seen in the report I wrote about my attempt in the Focus, the Ford is just about as powerful as the Merc, although it's heavier and FF, but the lineup didn't contain any RX-7 or NSX. However, I do think that proper tuning and probably the odd power upgrade for the Merc can see it past these cars. I was running low to mid 2:13s as my fastest laps in the Focus, and although I have not yet tested it, I believe the Merc can lap just about as fast, if not faster than that with the right tuning.

 

[AceXT]

I spent some time starting and quitting the race to find a car that gave me a good chance of winning without totally overpowering the AI cars. My 2010 Impreza, slightly modded and closest to the AI cars in weight and power, totally destroyed them, so I quit and tried a '87 Lotus Esprit. That was more appropriate, but drove like utter crap, and I decided I couldn't take this for over two hours. Finally, I lost patience and took my never-used Challenger SRT8, thinking that the excessive weight might limit the advantage from its vast power. That wasn't quite right, but the extreme tire wear made the first half of the race interesting, until I established enough distance. I got the impression that the AI leader (NSX in my case) really suffers when it starts lapping the other AI cars. It was on my heels much of the time, but dropped like a stone when I started lapping. The inability of the AI to pass other cars really pays off here.

Overall, it was more fun than I'd expected. I finished at 2 hours, 13 minutes, with a total of four pit stops. I really wish we had more "short" endurance races, because I can't take four hours out of my day to do a race.

 

[bimmer3002]

i tried this again last night in my '05 E90 330i. the gear ratios are aweful and it just can't put any power down. this car irl is faster than my E46 330i, so i have no idea why PD nuetered this car the way it did. the gearing is simply way off. so i slapped in a fully customizable tranny but that artificial whine it creates was so unbearable that i quit and entered with a different car. that, and the nsx was on my a$$ every lap til i decided to throw in the towel, so it was only a matter of time til my constant pitting would have removed me from the running. i may just try again without an nsx in the field, as we were distancing ourselves from the rx-7 over the first 6 laps or so.

but i went back and ran my 320i touring car on sport hards. once i quit following the racing line, i really starting putting down some nice times. i started breaking really late and letting my suspension and brake set-up drift me through the corners. with fresh tires, i was doing consistant 2:13.xxx to 2:14.xxx's, which dropped off considerably when the rubber wore out. unfortunately, there was no nsx OR rx-7 to battle me, so i ended up chasing an r33 spec v trying to lap him. i ended about 9 seconds behind my goal, but still won handidly. i think i'll try one more time with the 330i looking for a good race.

 

[MadduckUK]

the NSX's are a bit of a smoke and mirrors, they seem to be super fast and everything but the few laps before they pit they go to pieces and fall off the track everywhere - the RX7's are the real challenge.

 

[bimmer3002]

do we know how often they pit? i know the rx-7's only pit once, usually

 

[BaldurKn]

I decided to run this event last night, it was the first time I have ever done an Endurance race and I have to say it was a blast 👍

I read all this thread to make sure I would pick a car that would be a challenge, after a lot of thinking I decided to pick Nissan Fairlady Z33 '07, 315 bhp / 1480 kg. Bought Sports Exhaust, Sports Medium tires, Racing Flywheel.

After I loaded up the event I saw that the challengers would be Mazda RX-7 Spirit R '02, Subaru Impreza Sedan WRX STi '02 and Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VIII GSR '03. After the first lap I was already in 4th, then the hunting down started. Since this was the first time I drove an Endurance race I didn't know how important controlling your tires was. I drove rather agressively in the first 10 laps to hunt down that RX-7 that was leading, and passed him on lap 10. But it came at a cost after about 14 laps my tires were giving in and I had learned the first lesson "Take care of your tires". On lap 17 I pit and by this time I was lapping 2'22 and the Mazda had already passed me. After I come out of the pit the lead was 1'10 - but since I was on fresh tires and driving more carefully I started to gain very quickly and by lap 25 I was on the Mazda's tail. I pass him on lap 26 and start putting some distance between us, around lap 28-30 I had a 10 sec lead, now the RX-7 pits and I gain about 1 min lead. Now we are starting to lap the slower cars and just like AceXT noticed I saw that the AI isn't very good at lapping so after the AI had pitted and we hit some traffic I soon gained about 1:30 lead and around lap 40 I needed to pit in again and get new tires and some fuel. When I come out of the pit I have a 40 sec lead and just cruised to victory, ended the race with just over a 1 min lead.

Great fun, kind of sad how bad the AI is at lapping but overall a great feeling to have finished my first endurance race. Will defiantly tackle the Laguna Seca one but anything over 2 hours is a bit too much for me while we can't save during races.

1st :: TIME :: 2:16:51
Nissan Fairlady Z33 '07
315BHP 1480kg
Best lap: 2'11
Pitstops: 17 / 40

 

[Rod Carvalho]

I used a stock Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VI GSR T.M. '00, with racing hard tyres.
My laps were about 2:13, (best: 2:10), and I've finished 40 seconds ahead of the second place (Rx-7). I've pitted 3 times. (Laps 15, 42, 55)

 

[bimmer3002]

well done baldurkn!! this is by far the most fun enduro in the game. the competition and the time to complete just lends itself to many runnings. try it again on sport hards and see if it's a different challange for you. you'll at least get a few more laps out of the tires that way. enjoy!!

 

[BaldurKn]

do we know how often they pit? i know the rx-7's only pit once, usually

I ran this for the first time last night and I think the RX-7 only pitted once...

 

[bimmer3002]

yeah, i meant the nsx

 

[BaldurKn]

well done dalderkn!! this is by far the most fun enduro in the game. the competition and the time to complete just lends itself to many runnings. try it again on sport hards and see if it's a different challange for you. you'll at least get a few more laps out of the tires that way. enjoy!!

Well thank you

Yeah I am going to run this event again. Will try with Sports Hard and I also want to try some other cars, but I am so strange, since the whole line-up is Japanese I won't consider using anything else...

Have you tried the Laguna Seca? I am very intrested in the American Muscle there

 

[bimmer3002]

yeah, but that one takes a little while longer. i may try again with a more competitive car some time. i just wanted to get it overwith. 90 laps is a lot. i may try with a new camaro or if i don't wanna buy one, i could just use my srt8. that should be good