Beater or Sleeper? GT6 Car of the Week Thread

[MidFieldMaven]

Stock specs:

196 hp / 5,500 rpm
203 ft-lb / 2,000 rpm
1,336 kg (2,945 lbs)
405 PP

Fully tuned specs:

394 hp / 6,500 rpm
333 ft-lbs / 5,500 rpm
1093 kg (2,410 lbs)
517 PP



122 mph on the front straight with a 70 mph minimum speed through Turn 1.

Cars within 0.500 seconds:

1:28.669 - 403 - Acura Integra Type R '01
1:28.669 - 417 - Nissan Stagea 260RS AutechVersion '98
1:28.713 - 419 - Alpine A110 1600S '73
1:28.719 - 438 - Mercedes-Benz SL 500 (R129) '98
1:28.728 - 415 - Land Rover Range Rover Evoque Coupe Dynamic '13
1:28.754 - 427 - Buick GNX '87
1:28.756 - 414 - Renault Sport Mégane R.S. '08
1:28.768 - 408 - Volkswagen New Beetle Cup Car '00
1:28.784 - 409 - Nissan 180SX Type X '96
1:28.810 - 414 - Toyota Tacoma X-Runner '04
1:28.854 - 422 - Alpine A110 1600S '72
1:28.954 - 413 - Mitsubishi Eclipse GT '95
1:28.964 - 398 - Honda Gathers Drider Civic '98
1:28.976 - 417 - Nissan Stagea 25t RS Four S '98
1:28.983 - 404 - Lotus Europa Special '72
1:28.999 - 421 - Volvo S60 T-5 Sport '03
1:29.158 - 419 - Subaru Legacy B4 3.0R '03
1:29.237 - 405 - Volkswagen Golf V GTI '05
1:29.247 - 429 - Chevrolet Corvette Coupe (C2) '63
1:29.296 - 412 - Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution Rally Raid Car '03
1:29.315 - 378 - Toyota MR2 Spyder (6MT) '02
1:29.335 - 417 - Subaru Legacy Touring Wagon 3.0R '03
1:29.337 - 415 - Nissan Fairlady Z 300ZX (Z31) '83
1:29.363 - 399 - Renault Sport Clio R.S. 2.0 16V '02
1:29.371 - 402 - Honda Prelude SiR S Spec '98
1:29.371 - 388 - Lotus Elise '11
1:29.379 - 419 - Acura CL 3.2 Type-S '03
1:29.426 - 399 - Mercedes-Benz SLK 230 Kompressor '98
1:29.437 - 396 - Honda Prelude SiR '96
1:29.459 - 406 - Mitsubishi Lancer 1600 GSR Rally Car '74
1:29.496 - 411 - Toyota Supra SZ-R '97
1:29.517 - 397 - Honda Accord Euro-R '02
1:29.577 - 425 - Toyota Caldina GT-Four '02
1:29.655 - 406 - Audi S3 '02

It's faster than all of the Mini Coopers, so for that alone I want to give it a sleeper rating. I know it's capable of 1:28 without an oil change but I just can't do it

 

[Niku Driver HC]

Happened when I went to Los Angeles last year.

Which car did we drive at that time? Asking out of curiosity, that's all.

 

[todally_lit]

Nismo's COTW Reviews!!!!!

Great review again Nismo! Great pictures too!

 

[Nismonath5]

Great review again Nismo! Great pictures too!

Cheers man!

The VW Golf! Well, initial impressions are good. I haven't pushed it hard just yet, but gave it a nudge around Apricot Hill to curb boredom for about a half hour. It has light, responsive steering with slight understeer, to be expected from an FF, though can hold considerable speed through the corners, most notably Apricot Hill's slalom-like first sector.

 

[McClarenDesign]

Which car did we drive at that time? Asking out of curiosity, that's all.

For that, you'll have to become Indiana Jones and dig it up. I was in California with a Mazda 2 in absolute heaven. Beating a Porsche on a 360-degree exit ramp because the driver was chicken: PRICELESS

 

[Nismonath5]

Pictures from Tuesday night's action!

Also, not sure if I've mentioned this before, but I do try to include everyone in the pics. If there's someone I'm consistently missing, do let me know and I'll be sure to include you!

 

[Racer283]

Pictures from Tuesday night's action!View attachment 567610 View attachment 567611 View attachment 567612 View attachment 567613 View attachment 567614 View attachment 567615 View attachment 567616 View attachment 567617 View attachment 567618 View attachment 567619 View attachment 567620 View attachment 567621 View attachment 567622 View attachment 567623 View attachment 567624 View attachment 567625

Also, not sure if I've mentioned this before, but I do try to include everyone in the pics. If there's someone I'm consistently missing, do let me know and I'll be sure to include you!

Nice Job with the photos Nismo.

 

[Nismonath5]

Nice Job with the photos Nismo.

Thanks mate I appreciate all the positive feedback I get from my works!

 

[Cowboy]

Also, not sure if I've mentioned this before, but I do try to include everyone in the pics. If there's someone I'm consistently missing, do let me know and I'll be sure to include you!

You missed me

I kid, I kid

 

[Nismonath5]

You missed me

I kid, I kid

Oh no! (goes through all the replays and snaps a whole album's worth of pics of Cowboy )

Also guys, something that's been on my mind for a while...
Noone ever dares to pick one of the $20m cars to review, right? Because what if someone doesn't own it? Surely it would take them too long to save up for it, and they would miss out! That's hardly fair...
Now, we've all had our copies of GT6 for ages, so surely there's at least one of those cars we all own (Ford Mark IV Race car?) that we could review sometime?

 

[Cowboy]

Also guys, something that's been on my mind for a while...
Noone ever dares to pick one of the $20m cars to review, right? Because what if someone doesn't own it? Surely it would take them too long to save up for it, and they would miss out! That's hardly fair...
Now, we've all had our copies of GT6 for ages, so surely there's at least one of those cars we all own (Ford Mark IV Race car?) that we could review sometime?

If someone did that, this thread would be in intervention for the next five weeks.

 

[Niku Driver HC]

For that, you'll have to become Indiana Jones and dig it up. I was in California with a Mazda 2 in absolute heaven. Beating a Porsche on a 360-degree exit ramp because the driver was chicken: PRICELESS

Well that's good then, because I'm not even good enough to dig diamonds out of the ground like in those classic Mr. Driller-esque videogames you could play on the PS1. Dig Dug I am not...

I can absolutely see why would you be in Heaven with a Kodo-era 2, however, so I can let that slide. After all, when it comes to city cars, I can easily dismiss VW's expensive products in lieu of both the Peugeot 208 and the Mazda. And while I am a Peugeot man through and through, the 2 has become a personal love ever since it ditched the dull fat face.
Now, if only Mazda was brave enough to attach a Mazdaspeed badge to a 2... I would immediately concede the crown I gave the 208 to the Mazda, no questions asked.

Now, to keep the thread on topic, time to share a type of video that doesn't appear here all that often; because if there's something I will always concede to Volkswagen, is their mastery with advertising. Take "our" Golf for example; so good it'll replace Viagra!

 

[Nismonath5]

Well that's good then, because I'm not even good enough to dig diamonds out of the ground like in those classic Mr. Driller-esque videogames you could play on the PS1. Dig Dug I am not...

I can absolutely see why would you be in Heaven with a Kodo-era 2, however, so I can let that slide. After all, when it comes to city cars, I can easily dismiss VW's expensive products in lieu of both the Peugeot 208 and the Mazda. And while I am a Peugeot man through and through, the 2 has become a personal love ever since it ditched the dull fat face.
Now, if only Mazda was brave enough to attach a Mazdaspeed badge to a 2... I would immediately concede the crown I gave the 208 to the Mazda, no questions asked.

Now, to keep the thread on topic, time to share a type of video that doesn't appear here all that often; because if there's something I will always concede to Volkswagen, is their mastery with advertising. Take "our" Golf for example; so good it'll replace Viagra!

More exciting than Gymkhana 8

 

[Obelisk]

Sleeper for the Golf, but it's a dirty little cheater.

 

[Baron Blitz Red]

I just want to thank all of you for everything... all the kind words, encouragement and support throughout all the time here and every race week! You people are awesome and keep me coming back for more!!! Means more than you could ever know!!!

THANK YOU AND CHEERS TO ALL!

 

[JackRyanWMU]

Since I know it'll be relevant for my next two reviews, let's talk Cheap Speed. There's a myriad of choices in the $20-25k range, from Focus STs and Minis to Miatas to secondhand Corvette Z06s and M3s. Then a few years ago came another one: the result of a "strange bedfellows"-like partnership between Subaru, a brand equated with rallycross and energy drinks; and Toyota, a brand equated with bad drivers going slow in the passing lane. Yet the end result was two respected sports cars, the BRZ and the 86. (Yes, there was that runt of the litter that Toyota slapped a Giant Loser Sign on, but that brand has thankfully been killed off and sent to the deepest Hells of Beaterdom.)

Since reports are that both cars handle about equally, I focused on driving the BRZ for the review. Spoiler Alert: it is quite good. The BRZ ate up corners and was as sharp as the axe that McClaren will probably try to murder me with after this review is over. It's specs are so similar to one of the gold standards of Japanese cars, the Honda/Acura Integra that I had to put the BRZ/86 up against that measuring stick of performance.



While I was able to pull a big gap on the field early, the BRZs and 86s were able to catch back up and I finally lost the lead at the chicane of the last lap and had to engage in a three-way fight in order to squeak out a second place finish, proving that the cars had the chops of an old performance JDM.



Now I need to address the one thing that disappointed me about the car. At 200 horsepower, as fun as the BRZ was in the corners, it felt only about as thrilling as driving a base-level Camry on the straights. Yes, 200 horsepower is a lot for a naturally aspirated 2.0 liter engine, but I feel like the car really deserved to have a turbo option that would bump the power up to 260-270 and begin to strike fear in the hearts of V6 Mustangs and Camaros. It feels like Toyota and Subaru did the equivalent of kicking a field goal on a first-and-10 from the 20 rather than go further and try to score bigger in this regard.

I'll score the BRZ and 86 as neutral. They're very good for what they are, but the thrills they provide can also be had by buying a secondhand Miata, and you'll be enjoying your Speed even Cheaper.

 

[Cowboy]

I just want to thank all of you for everything... all the kind words, encouragement and support throughout all the time here and every race week! You people are awesome and keep me coming back for more!!! Means more than you could ever know!!!

THANK YOU AND CHEERS TO ALL!

👍

 

[VXR]

The Golf GTI mark V is easily my favourite of the 'new' GTI line. It was a return to form after the third and fourth gen malaise and personally, I think the aesthetic of this version is much nicer than the two that followed. If it was a red five door with the tartan trim and the 18" wheels, I'd buy it in a heartbeat.

I look forward to trying it stock and putting up a mini review.

 

[Nismonath5]

About a week ago, I had the brainwave that perhaps we should do something to honour @Baron Blitz Red. I read in this thread about his heart attack and resulting disappearance, and the response that provoked from the club (which I found really touching, and proved to me how closely knit this club is as a figurative family). That got me thinking. Why wait until a friend's gone missing, or worse, before sharing about how nice a person they are? Surely that's the sort of stuff they'd like to hear while they're still with us, right? 💡

Baron is certainly a man of humility, but noone can deny the impact he's had on this club. For starters, he's one of the longest standing members of this establishment. He's also a very fast and very clean racer (when his internet isn't acting up! ) And he's just an all-round great guy to know. You don't really notice how impactful he is on meetings until he misses one, a rare occurence though...

And so, for the Saturday night lobby, I arranged in secret for us to race bearing his colours and numbers, and at his favourite track, Spa, to pay homage to him for everything he's done and been through. And the racing was particularly fierce as a result. (But we'll get to that later on)

Two of Baron's most iconic colour schemes

Now then, on with the review!

Huh. Looks like Baron left his car here.

The VW Golf name seems quite underrated. I mean, when was the last time you looked at any base model Golf and thought, "Daaaamnn, that's some high performance kit right there!!"

...

Didn't think so.
But slap a GTi badge on there and you've got yourself the posterboy of hot hatches. But does it live up to all the hype? How is it to drive? Well, it's handles well. It's FF, as is the case with most hot hatches, so you must be mindful about how much gas you give it through tricky sections, for example the latter part of Matterhorn.

Bicycling on the ascent!

Speaking of tricky sections, the FF drivetrain means oversteer is nearly never an issue! Understeer if your enemy here, and the Golf will suffer horribly if you're pushing it hard. It needs plenty of stopping distance, and has trouble to clinging to sweeping corners thanks to it's comfort tyres. This is a quick and easy fix, and will improve greatly if you have the coin to put some sports or even racing tyres on! (You know you do...)

Being on comfort tyres though means one thing. Vic HAD to try drifting it. Ambulance on standby, please...

And he succeeded! Kinda...

Power-wise, it lacks somewhat in the acceleration department. I expected the turbo to provide more of a boost, but it's surprisingly underwhelming. It still has respectable pace, and you really can't complain for under $40k. It feels great to drive at Mid-Field, Apricot Hill, High Speed Ring, basically anywhere with a wide road and plenty of run-off. If you wish to race on tighter, more technical tracks like the Nurburgring, then you'll need to be a bit more "on your game" to come out on top.

Kinda like Asher was at Spa, gaining an incredible lead only to be eventually hunted down by Baron.

The "Baron Tribute" races at Spa and Nurburgring GP were excellent examples of this. At Spa, Asher ran for it while the rest of us fought amongst ourselves. Baron eventually broke away and began reeling him in, catching him and duelling with him for an eventual win.

"Just because we're honouring you tonight doesn't mean you're gonna get by me any easier!"

Baron's internet conked out at Nurburgring. I guess we should be greatful it at least waited until after the main event to do so. Anyways, with only four on track, the field split into two main battles...

Me vs McClaren...

...and Vic vs Asher

Whilst duelling McClaren, I learned a lot about the Golf. As I said, it understeers horribly if you push it hard, and requires smooth flowing steering, rather than last minute sharp movements. You can short shift it to make better use of the turbo on longer stretches, and keep considerable pace through sweepers without risk of oversteer (IF you're mindful that it is on comfort tyres, and as such may not be able to hug the apex as well.)

Something I kinda wish I'd done in retrospect is see how it compared to other hot hatches, like the Honda Civic Type R, Renault Clio V6 and Ford Focus RS. But nonetheless, I will openly admit it's pretty fun to drive, but isn't for my personal liking. For this reason, I'm declaring it neutral. 👍👎 It has it's up sides, and it's down sides, but what it all boils down to is a cheap, versatile, entry-level racer that needs a few simple upgrades to be called a sleeper, but is too good to be called a beater.

Now, before I conclude this post, I thought I'd do one last little hat tip to Baron, by sharing some of my finest pics of him, both recent and old.

 

[MidFieldMaven]

About how this GTI compares with the Civic Type R, it's slower than all but the EK generation, and then only by half a second or so, at least on Mid-Field.

 

[Vic Reign93]

I feel nows a great time for another "2 for 1" Victory review and the two candidates are prime examples of cheap, practical and fun performance cars.

Chilly BRZ

The first car is actually 3 cars or 1 car with a severe identity crisis, The Toyota GT86 AKA The Scion FRS AKA The Subaru BRZ.

For the sake of argument, I'm only gonna review the BRZ because, A: The Toyota was the popular pick for race night with both the 86 Racing and the actual race car showing up and B: The Scion is like the GT86, only no race models and is dead.

Now like its counterparts, the BRZ has a 2.0 Boxer 4 non-turbo making 200hp in a car weighing 1230kg means it'll get up and go pretty respectably, but feel pretty gutless at higher speeds.

Now the real cars had low grip tyres which were the same sort that was apparently on the Toyota Prius, that means comfort medium tyres in GT6.

The cars in GT6 come as standard with SH tyres which give this thing too much grip in stock form to compare them to reality as the tyres rob the car of its oversteery personality, but it does mean the car handles very well due to the low centre of gravity courtesy of the Boxer engine design.

Now @Nismonath5 mentioned the Ferrari 458 V8 swapped drift car which is being built, so allow me to respond with my own unique V8 swap.

Welcome to the JUN BRZ.

Built for time attacks in Japan, gone is the Boxer engine and in its place is a 2.4 V8.

Built by a New Zealand company Synergy Power, they take 2 1200cc Kawasaki motorbike engines and combine them at the crank and for the BRZ (and maybe the GT86) its a pretty great upgrade.

For one, you shed 30kgs off the car, lowers the centre of gravity even lower, less weight upfront and more power.

How much? 356hp at 10,300 RPM with a redline over 11,500 RPM.

Another great advantage is that it retains the factory electronics so you can keep the ABS, Traction Control etc and with the supplied adapter plate, it'll bolt right up to the stock 6 speed gearbox, but it's highly recommended you get a new differential with a shorter final drive to account for the higher RPM.

Drawbacks? its not cheap at a whopping 70K USD according to Speedhunters for the whole engine deal.

Back to the stock cars, the cars provided close battles at almost every race we had and if wasn't Baron chasing Nismo and me at Bathurst, it was me and MC knocking seven bells out of each other at Le Mans in a battle of the brands race.

Does the Trio deserve the praise they get?

Yes

But do they need more power as well?

Absolutely.

Bottom line, the BRZ is better simply because it stands out from the other two with a different engine sound.

Verdict: Sleeper 👍

Now for the other cheap performance car, the Hot Hatch.

Combining the fun of performance with the everyday usability of the regular versions, these cars were and still are in high demand and today we have a new breed of Super Hot Hatches like the Audi RS3, Ford Focus RS and Mercedes A45 AMG.

The gold standard of Hot Hatches has always been the Volkswagen Golf GTI, but back in the early 2000's its title was in serious jeopardy.

With the previous MK4 Golf GTI being infamously out dragged by the MK1 Golf GTI on Top Gear and with the likes of the Honda Civic Type R knocking on the Golfs door, Volkswagen had to really pull one out.

Their answer? the Mk5 Golf GTI.

The Red Barons Blitz

Packing a 2.0 turbo 4 making 200hp and sent to the front wheels via either a 6 speed manual or the newly debuted DSG 6 speed Automatic.

Obvious drawback from the start is the 60:40 split on the weight which made the car noticeably push wide in the turns, but can be somewhat corrected with some less grippy tyres out back.

Another black mark against it is the lack of aero parts you can install, only the flat floor is available.

It does make good power and the Gearbox is quick and has reasonably close ratios to complement it.

If you factor in the understeer into your driving style, it's a good car to drive, not exceptional by any means, but good.

As for the racing, well you've seen Barons charge for the win at Spa and the great spectacle against Asher which got a few well deserved Golf claps.

The MK5 Golf GTI, prove that like the winner who drove it at Spa that sometimes age IS just a number.

Verdict: Neutral (but good)

 

[McClarenDesign]

How is a hybrid beater educational?

This is how.

​

Followed by some videos that are late...

​

...and finishing off with our first Hall of Fame inductee!

​

 

[Cowboy]

"A Special Tribute"

I'm not the biggest fan of the MKV Golf. There's something about it that makes me look away whenever I see it. Maybe it's the change in appearance from the last four generations, I don't know. Anyways, this is the car of choice to thrash about this week, and we did it in a special way. Special as in that we all payed tribute to Baron by using his color scheme and number. I endured a ten lap race at Spa and I must admit, the car acts close to what I expected. It understeers like hell in the corners, a common consequence of driving FF, yet it doesn't seem real excited on straight lines either. Interior is a drag, and really so is the rest of the car. However, I will give it a borderline sleeper rating because these do look ok when stanced and if you can make a tune work, have fun with it.​

 

[Nismonath5]

I just realised there was no "Playing With TT's" this week... I thought something was missing!

 

[Niku Driver HC]

About how this GTI compares with the Civic Type R, it's slower than all but the EK generation, and then only by half a second or so, at least on Mid-Field.

Which of course proves that there are smarter buys to be had in lieu of the Mk.V... And there is another one, one who lives in the family, is a bit more elegant but also more brutish at the same time. One who shares one thing with the Type R;

One generation later, it was time to get buff. And this is what you go for when you want a performance Golf, not the GTI. 4WD, 250-plus horsepower; until one of the Clubsport Golfs comes about in any future GT game, the R is the ultimate Golf that doesn't have a "Vision" on its name. Yes, it's a bit heavier than all Civic Rs, and it costs over 50,000 credits, but it is also better than the GTI in most aspects. If the GTI was the Viagra, this is a bucket of steroids...

 

[MidFieldMaven]

I like my Golfs to be FF. If I want a 4WD hatch/wagon, I'd go straight to the Subaru dealership. Speaking of, when will Subaru bring the WRX wagon back?

 

[Niku Driver HC]

I like my Golfs to be FF. If I want a 4WD hatch/wagon, I'd go straight to the Subaru dealership. Speaking of, when will Subaru bring the WRX wagon back?

Nothing wrong with that, I was just pointing out that the Mk.V isn't the best performance Golf your credits can buy. If you prefer to have a bit more understeer but less weight, nothing against such an ideal... After all, I love the Civic Type R FD2 for a reason.

Also, I'm not sure if good ol'Subie is even thinking about that... The Levorg exists, and that seemingly occupied the place of an Impreza wagon. Problem is, the supposed STI version isn't much more than a couple of visual and suspension tweaks with a CVT (of all damm things), so you won't find your answer there. But if you're willing to live with a FF performance car and your needs wish for a wagon, why not think of something like this?

The Skoda Fabia RS wagon!
Ok, so it didn't sell all that much and went away after only a year or two of its life, but if you want a mini-Golf GTI (performance-wise) with a boot and an actual character of its own, I'd say this is a good place to start. Of course, if you want something bigger that actually has a 4WD system, you can always look at the Octavia to cater to your needs... Just because these are the second-best answers, that doesn't mean they're bad ones.

 

[VXR]

Volkswagen Golf GTI MK.V

How many cars have survived long enough to go from sleeper to beater and still achieve continued sales success? Very few, but the Volkswagen Golf is one car that's ran the gamut from light and vivacious to pudgy and competent. With the fifth generation, it was imperative that the iconic GTI model was once again the class leader. At launch, it went beyond that, to more or less define what a hot hatch was for the new millennium. With a 200hp turbo four, it had the chops to leave the pitiful 2.0 predecessor standing, whilst its red details harkened back to the much loved original.

On the public highway, you quickly establish that it's a quick, comfortable car. Light on its feet and with decent torque, it can get up to speed without hassle. The engine has considerable fourth gear pull at higher revs, so your everyday diesel rep-mobile won't be causing much concern. Such speed means you will get to lean on the chassis and this is when you can experience the true nature of a 21st century performance car. A good description is that the dynamic repertoire and engine characteristics are well rounded. It's fast enough for most, drives assuredly within its envelope and doesn't burden the driver with obvious compromise in most situations.

As an enthusiast driver however, it's always tempting to go beyond a car's comfort zone and see how it fairs at 10/10ths driving. The pace sees it grab airtime over sharp crests, but it soaks up the landing with aplomb. No drama when doing so speaks of a car with decent ride quality in normal situations. When it comes to corners, this is where we can find issues. A relatively heavy engine sat over the front axle will push a car wide as often as it can.

Coming into tight bends, if you don't slow the car early enough, you will see the safety understeer nature of modern cars. Whilst frustrating, this is to be expected and welcomed on public roads.

If you can get into a rhythm with the car, then it really starts to feel sweet. Get your entry speed correct and tuck the nose in early, and the open differential does a great job of keeping traction and a determined line through the corner. In faster, open sections, it's also possible to mobilise the rear end, but this only gave tame degrees of slip angle.

Moving to the Nurburgring Grand Prix circuit, we can see that the Golf gives a decent display of its qualities. The early turn-in approach allows it to get around tight sections remarkably well considering its road-biased suspension tuning.

At launch, this really was a new Golf GTI, in the conceptual sense.

On the faster sections of this track, the chassis shows a sweet, enthusiastic neutral to oversteer balance, attaining a pleasing four-wheel drift. When doing so, the car feels totally at ease and never skittish. That softer set-up means that the GTI can even attack curbs without fear, for the hooligan in us all.

After driving the car extensively on road and track, I can only be left with positive impressions. Sure it'll understeer when pushed too far, but what everyday road car shouldn't do that? We're talking about cars driven by those with only a passing interest in performance, where they value image over a responsive chassis balance. Drivers who want to feel their car accelerate quickly away from lights, get them home to their family and not be scared witless. This car is perfect in that regard. It also speaks of a new type of hot hatch standard. One that really is capable of Gran Turismo, but still hold up well if you find yourself yearning to tear up Thruxton of a weekend. Whilst it's been left behind by the 2010s mega hatch craze, the GTI provides a very happy medium and doesn't feel vastly inferior to its own brawny sibling, the Golf R. What an absolute peach of a sleeper.

 

[Baron Blitz Red]

One for the record books...

Well I guess after the one or two races that I've been involved with here at COTW Headquarters, I seem to have given the impression to some people that I like cars in certain colours. Apparently, I also may have mentioned liking a track or two, amongst other little details here and there. What I wasn't expecting, was people paying attention.

The other thing I wasn't expecting, was thinking another good day of racing would turn into people pointing their fingers and attention towards me. To be honest... I'm still stunned! And shocked at the complete and utter SNEAKINESS of you people!!! I had no idea of any of what was happening... all of you keep the surprises under wraps quite well!!!

Spa is like sacred ground to me... a while back, @JackRyanWMU got to visit the Brickyard, and even posted a pic of him kissing the ground there. That's exactly the same way I feel about Spa. So, any chance I get, I relish racing there on any game available in my lifetime. So I was pretty stoked when I saw a 10 lap race there to start the day... NICE!!!

What I wasn't expecting were the records that would be set...

1) The amount of damn fine looking colours on a Car of the Week.
2) The amount of people using the same numbers on their doors and bonnets.
3) The amount of time NOT having to look at a yellow car either in front of me or in my mirrors. (THANK YOU)
4) The amount of times that the leader of the race would change hands!

(Some of the above "records" may have been exaggerated to help make this story interesting)

If you haven't heard yet, Ash or @Draggon as he's known here on GTP, had built up a lead so far ahead of anyone, he had time to stop, order food, eat it, and have a smoke before hopping back in his car and letting me catch up to him almost at the very last sector on lap 5. (I'm pretty sure by that time he just got lonely ) But that wasn't what would set the record...

When I finally caught up to him and passed him, the battle began... the poor guy that was typing the names on the screen for the leaderboard suddenly had work to do. He was napping up until that point I think. For the five laps that were left, Asher and I exchanged lead positions twenty-three times... 23 times!!!

This was just one of those 23 times... and this was pretty well the biggest lead either of us would have.

All in all, a fantastic race. At least one I will remember for a very long time... thank you Asher!

Long story short, I just wanted to say THANK YOU to each and every one of you! I'm honoured to have met and raced with everyone here... YOU keep me coming back for more, and hope the racing continues long after GT6 is done!

Cheers to all!!!

 

[Draggon]

Yea, @Baron Blitz Red I figured that you're a smart enough guy to realize I had slowed down. I think my lead at one point was north of 25 seconds. It was getting boring AND lonely. When I saw you get into second for good, I thought that it would be a lot more fun if we were racing each other. I'm really glad I waited. When you caught up and we started dicing, those were 5 epic laps! And yes, I will remember it for a long time too. I am honored to have been part of such a great race for you on your special day.

You know, the last race I had close to that much fun was at Grand Valley during car of the week awhile back, and it was with you, and you got the best of me then, too 👍