Better Late Than Never - The Eggstor GT5 Diary

[Eggstor]

Much like the very talented Falcon787B, I had delayed my journey into the land of rendered cockpits, 1080p resolution, and the option for absolutely no traction control for a full year. However, I finally got around to burning a few gift certificates on a PS3 and GT5. I used the savings to get the paid downloadable content, mostly to have it for Bob's and friends' enjoyment, and also for a real sweet camo firesuit and helmet.

I "toyed" around for a couple days making sure the trusty, if a bit dusty from a lack of use, Driving Force Pro worked, It did, with one notable exception - the braking with all the driver aids turned off is way too touchy. Of course, it could also be that my left foot and hands are far too used to the GT4 physics, which didn't usually let the back wheels lock up with anything more than a touch of the brakes. In any case, after some warm-up, I deemed myself ready for some work.

Even though I had 22 cars from the various DLCs and the update to the 2.02 software, I decided those were nice museum pieces. From the "toying" around, I knew I didn't have to get any licenses because Polyphony Digital changed the requirements for the races from a license-based system to a "level"-based system. Still, considering there's 6 licenses and, including the not-yet-visible endurance races, 6 main groups of races, I decided that, before setting off to either the dealerships or the used-car lot, much less inviting Bob or his pals to the party, I would grab my national B license. Thankfully, it doesn't require any experience.

Speaking of Bob, one of the things I noticed immediately was that, instead of Bob being able to help out with the main quest, he, along with up to 5 of his closest friends, has his own quest. The B-Spec Mafia still uses up my cars, but in return, I get the money. I'm sure I'll get to them in due course, but for now, even with $20,000 in my pocket to start, I can't afford to run a race team.

National B License​

Even though I never did complete my quest for July 15, I do have some standards. Specifically, I have a gold standard. My first trip was to the Top Gear Test Track for the one (and thankfully, only) stopping challenge, a 200-meter affair with the 2007 Toyota Vitz RS 1.5. I'm pretty sure Toyota did put ABS on this but this isn't called "Driving on Wisconsin's Roads", so I switched that off. Unlike previous versions of the stopping test, however, there is no "golden path" to help, so I watched the example a couple times to get a feel for where to hit the brakes. I overshot my braking point the first time for a 13.866-second bronze. The second trip saw a right-side swerve after locking up the back brakes for a 13.566-second silver run. A few more runs, and I got exactly 13.300 for the gold despite locking up the front tires just before getting into the stopping zone.​

The second test seemed pretty easy - take a 2006 Alfa Romeo 147 TI 2.0 Twin Spark around the 180-degree turn outside of the Jingu Baseball Stadium, part of the famous Tokyo R246 city route. This time, there was an option for the driving line, which I chucked. My first run was just short of gold at 22.214 seconds. As a bonus, my A-spec level jumped to 1, helped by a first-day 10% bonus for experience. The second run of 22.147 did get me the gold.​

Test three took me to Dep Forest Raceway and its turn 1. The 2007 Suzuki Swift Sport seemed an odd choice, but it's what was for lunch. That thing pushed up the turn a bit more than expected, which set me back to a 26.708-second bronze run initially. Deep Forest isn't one of my favorite tracks because it took several runs to finally get a gold-getting 26.204 run and push my A-spec level up to 2. During one of the runs, I discovered that, unlike previous versions, going off course was not an automatic disqualifier.​

However, my crew forgot to tell me they didn't disable the electronic aids. I chastised them, then set out to redo it. It took 3 tries to get an even-better run of 26.189 seconds.​

The fourth test was a trip to another track's first corner, Autumn Ring, with another Japanese product, the 2008 Honda Civic Type R. This time, I made sure the aids were turned off (except for the unswitchable Skid Recovery Force) before setting off on my first rolling start. That was to my detriment, as I fish-tailed my way to a 14.585-second bronze run. The fish-tailing was a lot less on run 2, which was good for a 13.975-second silver. I eventually put together a run good enough for a gold at 13.770 seconds, though it was nowhere near perfect.​

Test five took me to Tsukuba and the 180-degree turn 7 headed onto the back straight. Despite the fact we in Japan, I got a Peugeot 207 GTi. An intial 19.705-second bronze run at half-speed was followed by a 19.153-second hair-raising one for silver. Not a few unsuccessful runs, including a few DQs for leaving the course, before I finally weaseled out a 18.886-second run for gold.​

I went from the frying pan to the fire for test 6, a trip to the Nurburgring Grand Prix and its Dunlop Hairpin. I was disappointed to find another French product, the 2008 Renault Megane Sport, waiting for me. Despite once again wagging the tail on braking, and not knowing the track, I turned in a silver 15.105-second run the first time around. I finally admitted defeat after repeated attempts and a low of 14.798 seconds, almost a full 2/10ths above the gold standard.​

There was no rest for the weary, as test 7 was back at Autumn Ring, through the Z-turns (no, they're not S-curves like at every other track) with the 2005 VW Golf V GTI. I turned a very-disappointing 20.565 on the first run for a bronze. The next run was a big improvement, a silver-inducing 19.687 seconds. After a few runs within a tenth of the 19-second gold goal, I managed to breach it with a 18.936-second run.​

Test 8 was a proper S-bend at High Speed Ring, and as a reward, I got my first rear-wheel-drive test car, a 2006 Honda S2000. I turned in too early on the first run, and the resulting 21.555-second run gave me a silver and a Level 4 A-spec rating. The gold-setting run of 21.043 seconds came a few close calls later.​

Test 9 was right up my alley, slip-streaming off the F version of Fuji Speedway with a 2007 Mazda RX-8 Type S. The director told me that Daytona-style 2-car tangos are not allowed here, then he handed me my keys. I took the 2nd-place Subaru on the wrong side the time; like Bugs Bunny, I should have made the left. When I did that, I made it past the Audi as well to get the gold.​

The final test was back home, or at least as close as GT5 gets, at Indy, for 1 trip around the 2.5-mile oval in a 2010 Honda CR-Z. These drivers may be good road racers, but oval driving is an entirely different animal. I don't know why they insisted on hitting their brakes and not using the bottom of the track. Of course, I got stuck on the outside of both turn 1 and turn 2, but I still had first place sewn up by the pit entrance.​

I might not have picked up all golds, and I definitely didn't pick up any money, but getting a PDI Racing Kart 100 for hitting A-spec level 1, a 2003 Mazda Demio Sport for getting all bronzes, and a 2007 Daihatsu OFC-1 Concept for getting all silvers helped. Now, on to the dealer and racing.​

 

[Eggstor]

Sunday Cup - Time for Some Racing​

The good news after getting my National B license was I hit A-spec Level 4, which gave me full view of the Beginner Series races and some more-powerful, or at least rarer, cars I could get if I had enough money. The bad news was I still had only $20,000, and I didn't feel like using any of my "museum pieces". That meant I had to get a car that could pull at least triple-duty.

One thing that is helpful is PD gives a list of typical opponents, including the relative Performance Points, and said PP is also listed in the various dealers. Looking that over, the Sunday Cup, the World Compact Car Race and the Vitz Race (yes, there are some of those detested one-make races) all have similarly-tuned cars. Since there aren't any Vitzes or Yarises in the used-car lot, I trekked to the Toyota dealer for a shiny Blue Mica Metallic 2007 Vitz RS 1.5, with 108 claimed hp and 332 PP out of the box, for $16,380. The reason I say "claimed" is when I got it home, my engine man said there was only 105 hp on the dyno, good for 329 PP. I plunked down $250 for a high-performance oil change to get the horsepower up to 111 (though the garage says 110) and the PP to 335. While in the garage, I splurged on a $50 car wash that took 4 guys and a power fogger to complete.

From my earlier "toying", I knew my opponents would also have Sport Hard tires. The bad news is I didn't have $6,000 for that. The good news is I had the $1,600 to buy Comfort Soft tires to replace the Comfort Mediums that came on the car. Strangely, that didn't affect the PP.

With all the preliminaries out of the way, I went to Autumn Ring for 3 laps around the Mini course for Race 1. Even though there were 8 cars entered, I drew P5, behind a 2006 Mazda6 5-door, a 1991 Nissan Silvia Q's, a 2001 Honda Fit W, and a 1992 Honda Civic CR-X del Sol SiR. Behind me were a 2000 Dihatsu Storia X4, a 1999 Peugeot 206 S16, and a 2005 Citroen C4 Coupe 2.0VTS. One of the goodies I got for free was a brake balance controller, so I dialed the rear brakes down to 3 from the default 5 to help with the unintended rotation under braking. Since I would like to think I can play a racer on the PS3, I also disabled all the electronic aids.

The race started with a rolling start. Reducing the rear brake bias helped with the locking-brake problem, as I was able to use more of the brakes without locking up the rear tires. Needless to say, my race rust showed as the race wasn't entirely clean - I nudged the Fit in the back in turn 2 of lap 1 as he braked too hard. I also locked up the right-front tire getting into turn 1 on lap 2 going by the Silvia for 2nd. I took 1st place from the Mazda6 coming out of turn 2 on lap 2, and never looked back, winning the race in 2:31.466. It proved impossible to catch the margin of victory on the replay (bad PD).

For the win, I got $4,510 with the 10% online bonus. I also increased my A-spec level to 5.

Race 2 was 2 laps around Grand Valley East. Once again, I started 5th out of 8, with a 2005 Citroen C4 Coupe 2.0VTS, a 1993 Silvia Q's Aero, a 1999 Opel Tigra 1.6i, and a 2001 VW Lupo GTI ahead of me, and a 1992 Honda CR-X del Sol SiR, a 2001 Toyota WiLL VS, and a 2000 Daihatsu Storia X4 behind me. The del Sol had nice acceleration off the rolling start to pass me before turn 1, but I got him and the Lupo back on turn 2. I then made the mistake of taking the turn before the tunnel too fast while passing the Tigra, and while I kicked up some sand while barely avoiding the barrels, the Tigra and Lupo both got position on me. I used a real nice exit to get 3rd back from the Tigra just before the start/finish line.

On the second lap, I got to the right side of the Silvia just before turn 3, and held my line until I cleared him just before turn 5. This time, my bonzai charge through turns 6 and 7 into the tunnel held, as I took the lead from the C4. I knew I couldn't let the C4 draft me down the front straight, but I almost didn't have enough horses to hold him off. The difference was the C4 decided to try to cut across my back to get some draft and had to get out of the throttle. A 0.084-second victory after 3:05.162 is a bit too close, but I'll take it and the $4,510 that goes with it.

Race 3 was 2 laps at Tsukuba. As usual, I was put just behind mid-pack, with a 2003 Renault Megane 2.0 16V, a 1999 Opel Tigra 1.6i, a 2002 Mini Cooper and 2007 Mazda Atenza Sport 25Z were ahead of me, and a 2001 Hyundai Tiburon GT, a 2004 Mazda Roadster 1800 RS (Miata to me), and a 1992 Honda CR-X del Sol SiR were behind me. The Atenza was dispatched on the outside of turn 1, while the Cooper was passed coming out of turn 4 after getting the chrome horn treatment for not accelerating out of the turn. The Tigra fell in turn 6, and I used a decent exit out of turn 7 (the bane of my B-spec license test) to pass the Megane on the backstretch. Lap 2 was uneventful, though I was once again slow in turn 7. I missed the time again and by how much I beat the Tiburon (this replay system is not at all helpful), but I didn't miss the $4,510 or the A-spec level up to 6.

Other than the very-close second race, it sure seemed like I didn't face the "typical opponents". The only one that was listed was the WiLL VS, and it sure didn't perform like the 185-hp/388 PP vehicle that was claimed. Oh well, the prize vehicle ticket, for a 2000 Toyota Vitz U Euro Sport Edition, wasn't much worth the effort either, especially since one with a mere 6,033 km was in the used car lot for $12,491. I cashed it in anyway and got a Super Red V version.

That brings me to another gripe - even though my personal HUD speedometer is in mph and my garage mileage is listed in miles, the dealer mileage is in kilometers. I decided to ignore it and take a flyer on an Ivory Mist 1967 Nissan Skyline 2000GT-B with 76,399 kilometers for $14,709 to get a vehicle for Japanese Classics and World Classic Car Series, even though it would probably need some work to contend in the latter. The dealer was claiming 123 hp/337PP, which turned into 115 hp/337PP when I first got it into the garage. The oil change from the dirty oil to the high-powered version brought it to 121 hp/343PP. If I had $7,000 instead of $241, I could have also overhauled the engine to bring the horsepower to 127 and the PP to 350.

 

[Eggstor]

I revisited B-6, and after much trial, error, a bit of electronic "cheating" (automatic transmission, 1 on the ABS, the driving line on, the brake bias set to 4 in front and 2 in back accomplished by "remapping" some buttons, and the "classic" GT hood view instead of the cockpit view), and a very light application of the handbrake, I finally managed to get a gold time of 14.598 seconds. I honestly don't think I can duplicate that, but getting the 2000 Tommy Kaira ZZ-S made it worth it.

 

[Eggstor]

FF Challenge - Outmatched?​

I had thought I saved this write-up last night, but old stupid me forgot to hit "Submit Reply". Worse, I forgot to save the replays, so here we go again with a second run. Hopefully I'll remember to not include the $13,530 I got the first time around in any future purchases. I can't do anything about the increase in A-spec level to 7, however.​

I had taken a couple days off in what turned out to be a fruitless search for sponsorship to expand Team Egg to a 2-driver operation. Since I didn't have enough money to run it out of my own pocket, I decided instead to take on FF Challenge with my trusty 2007 Toyota Vitz RS 1.5. The problem, at least on paper, was not only was I significantly down on horsepower to the competition, but even though I had bought Sports-Hard tires before realizing I didn't do this write-up, I decided I couldn't use them as I wouldn't have been able to afford them without the unrecorded run.​

Race 1 saw me head to Japan for a 3-lap tour of Suzuka's East Course. Ahead of me were a 2003 Mazda Axela 23S, a 2003 Peugeot 206 RC, a 1997 Toyota Celica SS-II (ST202) and a 1999 Mitsubishi FTO GP Version R, while behind me were a 1991 Honda Prelude Si VTEC, a 2004 Honda Integra Type R (DC5) and a 1993 Mazda Lantis Coupe 2000 Type R.​

Immediately, my horsepower deficiency was evident as the two Hondas sped by right after the rolling start. However, the Vitz's lighter weight and my aggressiveness started to shine through. The Prelude left the right side open coming out of the first part of S Curve, so I took it.​

I used the momentum coming out of the second part of the S Curve to get by a very-slow Integra, and went by the Celica and 206 on the outside as they slowed far too much for the Gyaku Bank Curve.​

The FTO fell in Last Curve, and I ended the first lap in 1:13.880, 0.452 seconds behind the Axela.​

I don't know if it was the draft or the poor gearing on the Axela, but I actually pulled alongside him for the lead headed into 1st Curve...​

...and pulled away coming out of the corner.​

On the final lap, I gave the fans an unplanned drifting exhibition as I entered 1st Curve a bit hot and caught some grass.​

Still, that didn't stop me from winning the race in 3:32.384, 2.148 seconds ahead of the FTO. Thanks to a 30% bonus (as I had logged in last night in my first, undocumented attempt at this), I earned $5,330.

Race 2 was my first night race, 3 laps at Clubman Stage Route 5. This time, a 2008 Megane Renault Sport, a 2002 Honda Accord Euro-R, 2002 Alfa Romeo 147 2.0 Twin Spark, and a 1999 Honda Integra Type R (DC2) started in front of me, while a 1991 Honda Prelude Si VTEC, a 1990 Honda CR-X SiR, and a 1999 Toyota Celica SS-II (ZZT231) started behind me. Almost immediately after the rolling start, the Prelude jumped ahead because of his superior horsepower. However, I got by both him and the 147 in turn 3 by going extremely wide on the exit.

That, somehow, did not affect me in turn 4, as I was able to get by the Integra on the left side on the exit.

I ended lap 1 in 3rd place, 1.495 seconds behind the leading Megane. The only pass I was able to make on the second lap was on the Accord on the inside of the exit from the tunnel. Even though I hounded the Megane throughout the rest of the second lap, I ended it 1.075 seconds behind.

I caught the Megane in turn 4, quite literally as he decided to take the turn at 5 mph slower than I did, and I caught his right-rear bumper on exit.

Even with a late-race brush with the wall in the second-last turn, I eked out a 0.414-second victory over the Megane in 3:42.797.

Race 3 was a 2-lap affair around Deep Forest Raceway. Ahead of me were a 2004 Honda Civic Type R (EP), a 2004 Seat Ibiza Cupra, a 1998 Alfa Romeo 166 2.5 V6 24V Sportronic, and a 1998 Mitsubishi Mirage Cyborg ZR, while behind me were a 1998 Toyota Sprinter Trueno BZ-R, a 2003 Citroen C5 V6 Exclusive and a 1998 Honda Prelude Type S. Once again, the lack of horsepower initially cost me as the Sprinter made it past, but when he braked for turn 1, I kept my Vitz to the outside and passed him, the Mirage and the 166.

I then set my sights on the Ibiza, catching him in the second tunnel and using the rumble strips (and a bit of grass) to pass him in turn 7.
​

I struggled mightily up the hill after turn 10 even though I was riding the slipstream of the Civic. However, I was close enough to use an unusually-fast trip through turn 13 after the final tunnel to take the lead in turn 14.

The Civic did keep up the skeer throughout the second lap, but he couldn't quite get close enough to pass. His last chance was in turn 13, but he didn't have enough faith in his tires to just let the car hang. My race time of 3:28.685 was good enough for a 1.875-second win.

That series win brought me up to A-spec level 8, and brought the bank account to $23,761. I also picked up a Pewter Gray Metallic 1991 Honda Civic SiR-II, simply known as the Si on this side of the Pacific/Atlantic.​

 

[Eggstor]

World Compact Car Race - Chasing a Championship​

　
Some things beyond racing are priorities for Eggstor Racing, like the NFL playoffs. After taking the weekend off, I jetted across the pond to run the World Compact Car Race. The bad news is after I left Madrid, my laptop crashed (dramatic license - I hit the wrong key and lost the writeup through there), so I couldn't record anything. That necessitated a withdrawal from a series which I was 2/3rds of the way to the win. I did, however, keep the cash I had won from the first two races.
　
With laptop in hand, I returned with my trusty, and thankfully not rusty, 2007 Toyota Vitz RS 1.5 to London to restart the series against a new set of opponents. Race 1 was 3 laps around London's Trafalgar Square. Unlike previous GT Championship series, there was no qualifying. Instead, a 1999 Opel Tigra 1.6i driven by Lou Blevins, a 1999 Nissan March G# driven by Pat Tuomisto, a 2000 Fiat Punto HGT Abarth driven by Victor Kovanen, and a 1997 Honda Civic Type R (EK) driven by Phil Holden were ahead of me on the rolling start, while a 2003 MG TF160 driven by Dave Vermeulen, a 2002 Alfa Romeo 147 2.0 Twin Spark driven by Peter Lindfors, and a 2002 Mini One driven by Bob Egger were behind. Since I finally could afford Sports-Hard tires to match the competition, I decided to fit them to the Vitz, and dialed the brakes down to 4 front/2 rear in a further attempt to correct the behavior of the brakes.
　
I was still ham-fisted on the brakes as I locked up the front brakes at the intersection of Shaftesbury Ave. and Charing Cross Rd.

　
Kovanen and I played tag all the way down Cockspur St., but I finally got the position on him headed onto Haymarket.

　
I then used the practice on 90-degree city turns gained in New York from GT4 to catch and pass Tuomisto as we made our way onto Regent St.

　
I ended the first lap of 1:17.810 in 3rd, 0.300 seconds behind Holden and 0.740 seconds behind Blevins. Holden dove inside Blevins for the lead to start lap 2, and I followed the dive-bomb into the first turn. Unfortunately, Blevins didn't feel like giving up 2nd as easily as it gave up 1st, and some of the yellow-green paint on the Tigra mixed with my Vitz's blue paint mid-corner.
　

　
I used all my horsepower to beat him to the chicane-like bend in the road, then set my sights fully on Holden. Once again, my experience with urban 90-degree turns helped as I whipped by him headed onto Charles II St.

　
There was no stopping me as I cruised to a 3.338-second win over Holden in 3:43.261. In addition to the $4,037 (with the 10% bonus) for the win, I got 100 championship points, to give me a 25-point lead on Holden, a 40-point lead on Vermeulen, a 50-point lead on Blevins, a 60-point lead on Tuomisto, a 70-point lead on Kovanen, a 80-point lead on Lindfors, and a 85-point lead on Egger.
　
Race 2 saw us head to Madrid for 3 laps around the Mini course. It looked suspiciously like Pocono Raceway, a place I loathed on the NASCAR circuit. The lineup was the same as it was in London, and we did another rolling start. This time, everybody had fully-warmed tires, a first for these races.
　
Tuomisto cut off Kovanen headed into the Plaza de la Puerta del Sol turn-around, which caused me to slam into Kovanen. The resulting logjam let Vermeulen get by for 5th, at least temporarily. I got by Tuomisto at the right-hand bend on Carrera de San Jeronimo, then used a high-speed outside entry onto Paseo del Prado to pass both Vermeulen and Kovanen in the corner, neatly sliding in front of Kovanen on exit to keep my momentum and get by Blevins.

　
Lap 1 went by in 1:19.197, 1.194 seconds behind Holden. I closed on Holden throughout the lap, using a high-low move headed onto Paseo del Prado to take the lead.

　
Just like the previous race, once I got the lead, I ran away with the race. My 3:41.640 time was good enough to be Holden by 2.846 seconds. The rest of the finishing order was Vermeulen, Lindfors, Egger, Blevins, Kovanen, and Tuomisto.
　
After 2 of 3 rounds, the standings were:
　
Me 200 points
Holden 150
Vermeulen 120
Blevins 80
Lindfors 70
Egger 55
Tuomisto 55
Kovanen 50
　
Race 3, the final race, was 3 laps around Cape Ring's Inside course. Once again, we had the same order for the rolling start. This turned into a laugher rather early, thanks in no small part to fully-warmed tires. I blasted by Holden on the outside of turn 1...
　

...Kovanen on the outside of turn 2, Tuomisto on the outside of turn 6 as he was kicking up dust,...

...and finally Blevins for the lead exiting turn 6 for the lead.
　

The rest of the race was, frankly, boring, as I claimed a 4.063-second victory over Holden with a 3:40.783 time. The rest of the finishing order was Vermeulen, Blevins, Egger, Lindfors, Kovanen, and Tuomisto.
　
After the final round, the standings were:
　
Me 300 points
Holden 228
Vermeulen 180
Blevins 130
Lindfors 100
Egger 95
Kovanen 70
Tuomisto 70
　
In addition to the individual race winnings, I picked up $12,100 for the series win with the 10% bonus along with a Bleu Non Metallise 1999 Hommell Berlinette R/S Coupe. With $47,972 in the bank, I think the next stop will be the unemployed drivers' line to see who wants to drive for Eggstor Racing, and then the used-car lot for a vehicle for the new guy.

 

[Michelin]

Nice story man ! I'm thinking in doing the same if you don't mind.

 

[Eggstor]

Nice story man ! I'm thinking in doing the same if you don't mind.

The more, the merrier.

 

[Eggstor]

Enter Mr. Hunt - B-spec-ing Sunday Cup​

When I got back to the shop in Wisconsin, I found a stack of driver resumes from the GT Academy. One person stood out from the pack, Bob Hunt. While the report said he wasn't all that accurate or mentally tough, his braking and cornering skills were actually rather well-developed for a rookie, and if worse came to worse, his Brahma bull-like strength meant I could put him on the pit crew if things didn't pan out.

I invited Bob for an interview, and was mildly surprised he hadn't time to find a better race suit than the plain white beginner one handed out by the Academy. After the obligatory psychological evaluation, which revealed he had the tiniest of edge to him, I gave him an old woodland camo firesuit.

My next task was to find Bob a car that would suit his style. Because he would need to be driving it for a while, and his path was the same as mine, I knew it would have to be a FWD car. Since he wasn't nearly as aggressive as me, I couldn't simply hand him the Vitz and hope he could outmuscle the competition. I also didn't want to spend too much, so I headed over to the used-car lot. There I spotted two contenders, each with a high-revving 197-hp engine when it left the factory, a 1995 Honda Integra Type R (DC2) with the Japanese-spec headlights, 55,615 miles on the odometer, and a dealer-estimated 397 PP for $12,309 and a 2000 Toyota Celica TRD Sports M with only 992 miles on the clock and 409 PP for $22,320. I agonized over the decision, but finally decided on the Integra because it was just a bit lighter and a lot cheaper.

My engine man insisted on putting the car on the dyno before I took it in for an oil change, and said there was only 184 horsepower. However, he also said the 397 PP that the dealer claimed was right. Fresh oil brought that up to 193 hp and 404 PP. At the same time, I had the shop wipe the grime off the Championship White paint.

The shop also offered to rebuild the engine for $6,500 and bring the power up to 203 hp (good for 411 PP), and straighten out the chassis for $11,000. I told them I would take it out for a spin at Indy's oval before deciding whether to take them up on their offer. As the car started and stopped straight, I didn't feel it was necessary to rework the chassis, but I did have the engine rebuilt.

With everything in order, Bob and I headed to the B-spec version of Sunday Cup. Two big differences immediately showed up between the B-spec and A-spec versions of Sunday Cup - there was a tire restriction in B-spec (Sports-Hard or less) that wasn't there in A-spec, and there were more laps in B-spec (twice as many, in this case). Since I wanted to give Bob every advantage, I plunked down the $6,000 for a set of Sports-Hard tires to replace the Comfort-Soft set on the Integra.

Race 1 was 6 laps around Autumn Ring Mini. Just like the A-spec version, there was no qualifying, and Bob was placed mid-pack. Ahead of him were Ivan Cruz in a 2003 Mazda6 5-door, Ulysses Ranta in a 1991 Nissan Silvia Q's (S13), Nich Eichelberger in a 2001 Honda Fit W, Ed Pellengrini in a 1992 Honda CR-X del Sol SiR, while behind him were Geoff Johansen in a 2000 Daihatsu Storia X4, Brad Leonardi in a 1999 Peugeot 206 S16 and Al Peltomaa in a 2005 Citroen C4 Coupe 2.0VTS. While the lineup was the same, another difference was Bob would have a standing start.

The race started with great promise, as Bob passed both Eichelberger and Pellegrini on the start, and Ranta in turn 1. However, Cruz proved to be a tougher guy to pass. Bob thought Autumn Ring was Daytona and shoved Cruz from turn 7 all the way through to the end of lap 1.

Bob managed to grab the lead briefly on lap 2, but took turn 1 too wide, and Cruz took advantage. Bob lost his cool and his focus in turn 4, and decided to mow some grass.

At that point, I had to tell Bob to cool off. He took my advice for just a while, and rode in Cruz's tire tracks for the rest of that lap and most of lap 3. I thought he had the hang of the track, so I told him to go catch Cruz near the end of lap 3. He caught Cruz all right, and got inside him in turn 2 on lap 4 for the lead.

Cruz muscled back in turn 4, however, and sent Bob back into the grass. At that point, Bob was spitting mad, and completely unfocused. Once again, I made the call to him to just calm down, and see what he could do at the end.

On his own call, he tried to pass Bob between turns 7 and 8 on lap 5, with crunching results. Still, he entered the last lap only 0.750 seconds back, with a chance to win. At my urging, he got past Cruz for the lead coming off turn 2 and actually cleared him in turn 3. Unfortunately, aggression got the best of Bob, and before I could tell him to just hit his marks, he sent the Honda Lawnmow...er, Integra on one last, lengthy grass-cutting run coming out of turn 6, which turned into a wall-scraping event just before turn 7. Needless to say, Cruz cruised by to take the win by 1.132 seconds. Bob grabbed 2nd with a time of 5:14.458, and behind him were Peltomaa, Pellegrini, Ranta, Eichelberger, Johansen and Leonardi.

Second was good for $3,847 with the 30% bonus. Bob also gained a level, even though he didn't get first. Bob and I met in the hauler after the race and reviewed the tape and found a multitude of mistakes on both our parts. He vowed to get first place next time, and I promised I would be a better crew chief.

Race 2 was 4 laps around Grand Valley East. The original lineup would have been the same that I had faced, but we decided that it would be better if Bob faced his own set of opponents. Ultimately, we drew a lineup that was a bit different - Phil Lemann in a 2002 Toyota Voltz S at point, followed by Nicholas Lucas in a 2003 Peugeot 106 S16, Albert Fuchs in a 2007 Suzuki Swift Sport, Ibon Gomez in a Mazda Demio GL-X all ahead of Bob, with David McBride in a 2003 Renault Megane 2.0 16V, Don Carpentier in a Toyota Starlet Glanza V, and Tom Visser in a 1995 Honda Civic SiR-II (EG) behind.

Once again, they started from a standing grid start. This time, Bob blasted to the lead before turn 1 without any encouragement, and never looked back, even as he was busy sawing at the wheel the first lap, or when Lucas started to close. Bob's 6:09.069 time was good enough to beat Lucas by 5.766 seconds. Behind Lucas were Fuchs, Carpentier, Visser, McBride, Lemann and Gomez.

The $5,330 we took home for 1st was satisfying, but not as satisfying as Bob's increase to Level 2.

Race 3 was 4 laps around Tsukuba. Ahead of Bob were Phil Sharp in a 2003 Mazda2, Kevin Pearson in a 1991 Celica GT-R (ST183, 4WS), Don Ferriera in a 1999 Mazda GL-X and Norito Ogawa in a 2002 Mini Cooper, and behind him were Seito Nakano in a 2002 Citroen C3 1.6, Dave Arias in a 1990 Nissan Silvia K's Dia Selection (S13) and William Small in a 2003 Mazda6 5-door. Once again, it was a standing start, and once again, Bob grabbed the lead before turn 1 unbidden. This time, however, Bob seemed to shut down a lot earlier, and I was on the radio on lap 2 to start motivating him. as Arias was catching up. With just a few bits of encouragement, Bob won the race in 5:18.533, 1.114 seconds ahead of Arias. Rounding out the field were Small, Pearson, Ogawa, Sharp, Ferreira, and Nakano.

As Bob had progressed to Level 3, we decided to take one more crack at Autumn Ring Mini to complete the gold sweep of Sunday Cup. Race 1 part deux saw Tom Pons in a 1999 Opel Tigra 1.6i, Joe Koch in a 1999 Nissan Silvia spec-S Aero (S15), Alex Morton in a 2000 Toyota bB 1.5Z X Version and Eric Tillman in a 1995 Mazda Eunos Roadster S-Special I (NA) start ahead of Bob, while David Piotrowski in a 1991 Toyota Celica GT-R (ST183, 4WS), Walter McLeod in a 2002 Clio Renault Sport 2.0 16V, and Nick Sweeney in a 2002 Toyota Voltz S started behind.

Bob got by Tillman and Morton off the standing start, even though Tillman tried to throw a block late. Possibly because of that, Bob used the chrome horn in turn 1 on Pons to take 2nd coming out of the turn, and then once again thought he was driving a lawn mower coming out of turn 4. I got Bob calmed down just in time to keep him from repeating the Turn 7-8 mistake from the first run.

I told Bob to let it all hang out coming back onto the front stretch, and he did, not letting a bit of grass-mowing exiting turn 11 deter him. He pulled alongside Koch just past the start/finish line to start lap 2, then survived an attempted PIT maneuver in the middle of turn 1 to take and hold the lead. Even though I tried to get him to calm down right after making the pass, he made one last Honda Lawnmower move in turn 4. Fortunately, he didn't screw it up enough to lose the lead.

Behind me on lap 4, Tillman used a great exit off of turn 1 to take 2nd away from Koch in turn 2 and closed the distance to Bob down to 0.793 seconds as Bob loafed. Meanwhile McLeod used some basic aggression to take 4th from Pons in turn 4 of the same lap and a nice divebomb into turn 2 to take 3rd from Koch on lap 5.

Tillman caught the Lawnmower disease in turn 11 on lap 5 after I told Bob to pick up the pace, allowing McLeod to take second just after starting lap 6. That would be as close as McLeod would get to Bob, however, as Bob won in 5:17.278, 1.930 seconds ahead. Trailing behind were Tillman, Kock, Piotrowski, Morton, Pons, and Sweeny.

As it was a new day, the prize money for winning was $6,150 with the 50% bonus. While Bob didn't quite get to Level 4, he came close, and we took home a Black Mica 2000 Toyota Yaris U Euro Sport Edition (J). Other than the color, I honestly don't know what the difference is between the 2000 Yaris and the 2000 Vitz I won for the A-spec version of Sunday Cup. They're identical right down to the weight, suspension settings, gearing on the transmission and the side the driver sits on.​

 

[Michelin]

As it was a new day, the prize money for winning was $6,150 with the 50% bonus. While Bob didn't quite get to Level 4, he came close, and we took home a Black Mica 2000 Toyota Yaris U Euro Sport Edition (J). Other than the color, I honestly don't know what the difference is between the 2000 Yaris and the 2000 Vitz I won for the A-spec version of Sunday Cup. They're identical right down to the weight, suspension settings, gearing on the transmission and the side the driver sits on.[/LEFT]

The Vitz and the Yaris are the same exactly car, but in Japan the car use the name of Vitz and in Europe the name used is Yaris. I saw a Yaris here in Brazil some months ago with a plate from Uruguay

 

[Eggstor]

The Vitz and the Yaris are the same exactly car, but in Japan the car use the name of Vitz and in Europe the name used is Yaris. I saw a Yaris here in Brazil some months ago with a plate from Uruguay

I know. I would have expected the Yaris to at least be a left-hand drive car to reflect its importation to Europe and the Americas.

Pre-Spec 2.0, it wouldn't have much mattered because both the Vitz and Yaris are standard models, but with the generic cockpit cam that's there now, it does matter.

 

[Michelin]

I know. I would have expected the Yaris to at least be a left-hand drive car to reflect its importation to Europe and the Americas.

Pre-Spec 2.0, it wouldn't have much mattered because both the Vitz and Yaris are standard models, but with the generic cockpit cam that's there now, it does matter.

Looks like PD didn't care about the driving side

EDIT: 900th post!

 

[Eggstor]

Bob-bing and Weaving Through FF Challenge​

　
Bob felt like taking on a challenge, so we headed off to FF Challenge with the 1995 Honda Integra Type R (DC2) and the Sport-Hard tires last used in the Sunday Cup. Race 1 was 6 laps around Suzuka's East Course. A challenge it promised to be, with Ivan O'Connor in a 2008 Megane Renault Sport, Darren Beltran in a 2002 Honda Accord Euro-R, Ed Coffey in a 2002 Alfa Romeo 147 2.0 Twin Spark, and Uhlein Wolff in a 1999 Honda Integra Type R (DC2) in front of Bob, and Sean Whitaker in a 1991 Honda Prelude Si VTEC, Barry Esteban in a 1990 Honda CR-X SiR, and Geronimo Hidalgo in a 1999 Toyota Celica SS-II (ZZT231) behind.
　
Off the grid start, Bob whipped bast Wolff and Beltran, then jacked up the back of Coffey's 147 in 1st Curve. Bob backed off for a while, then got impatient again at Gyaku Bank Curve.
　

"I thought I said get out of the way, Ed."
　
Bob was more cautious on the second lap; despite having position headed into 1st Curve on Coffey, he backed off. I screamed into my headset over the din, "Come on, Bob. You know you're faster. Take him in the S curve." Bob obliged, heading to the outside to complete the pass in the second part of the curve.
　
O'Connor had inexplicably taken Last Curve very slow, which allowed Bob to close up on his back bumper at the end of lap 2. Heading into 1st Curve on lap 3, Bob took my toungue-lashing a bit too literally, and forced his way to the inside of O'Connor.
　

"But, but, but I thought you said, 'Checkers or wreckers.'"
　
"No, Bob, I said 'Consistency, and carpe diem. Now that you have the lead, even though you're scarring up that paint, just be consistent." For a while, Bob was. By the end of lap 4, he extended his lead over O'Connor to 3.009 seconds. Then, he got slow, allowing O'Connor to close within a second at Dunlop Curve. I calmly told Bob, "Pick it up, buddy; That black car is coming in a hurry, and the other Integra isn't far behind."
　
For a while, Bob did, kicking the lap 5 lead to 3.030 seconds thanks to a slow Dunlop/Last Curve run by O'Connor. Back in the pack on lap 6, Coffey powered his way past Wolff for 3rd. O'Connor saved his best charge for last, getting almost to Bob's rear bumper in the cross-over between Dunlop and Last Curves. Bob got it together to pull away coming off of Last Curve, however, to win by 1.214 seconds in a time of 7:19.601. Behind Bob and O'Connor were Coffey, Wolff, Beltran, Whitaker, Hidalgo, and Esteban.
　
We took home $6,970 thanks to a 70% bonus, and Bob increased his skill to Level 4.
　
Race 2 was 6 laps around Clubman Stage Route 5. I told Bob to not worry about the night, but to worry about Kevin McMahon in a 2004 Honda Civic Type R (EP), Wan Wong in a 2004 Seat Ibiza Cupra, Carlos Saiz in a 1998 Alfa Romeo 166 2.5 V6 24V Sportronic, Lou Pedersen in a 1007 Mitsubishi Miraze Cyborg ZR ahead of him, and Stefan Paoli in a 1998 Toyota Sprinter Trueno BZ-R, Josh Cohen in a Citroen C5 V6 Exclusive, and Roger Murray in a 1998 Honda Prelude Type S behind him.
　
Immediately off the standing start, Bob got by Pederson, and after a chrome-horn application, Saiz. Cohen briefly came up to challenge for 3rd between turns 3 and 4, but as he stuck to the outside, Bob was able to hold position. After Bob scraped the tires coming out of turn 7, I got on the radio to tell him to be patient and let the race come to him.
　
Lap 2 started with Bob in 3rd. Patience was rewarded as Bob used the outside to alongside Wong coming out of turn 3 and by him coming out of turn 4. Patience was forgotten quickly as Bob took turn 8 wide and scraped the wall and guardrail.
　
On lap 3, Bob pulled alongside McMahon in turn 3, but he couldn't keep the momentum as he was trapped on the outside of turn 4. A loss of concentration from following too closely caused Bob to smack the wall in turn 6, which led to the second consecutive turn 8 guardrail repaint.
　
I went back on the radio: "Calm down, Bob. I know that Civic is newer, but Kevin isn't as fast as you. Catch your breath and we'll get him to make the mistakes." Bob spent lap 4 in McMahon's window, and hung back as McMahon started to make mistakes on lap 5. I told Bob he had to be close enough to take advantage; unfortunately, I said that just before turn 8, and distracted Bob for his third helping of turn 8 wall.
　
Still, Bob was close enough to pull alongside McMahon in turn 3 once again; this time, he had the left side, so he could complete the pass for the lead in turn 4 as McMahon went into the wall.
　

Behold the power of patience.
　
McMahon repeated the wall trip in turn 6, which gave Bob a 1.727-second win over McMahon in 7:34.634. Well behind the two Hondas were Wong, Cohen, Murray, Paoli, Pedersen, and Saiz.
　
Not only did that win get us $6,970, but it got Bob to Level 5. As a reward, I took the Integra in for its $11,000 body refreshing. As you could probably tell from the last picture, it needed it.
　
Race 3 was 4 laps around Deep Forest Raceway. Ahead of Bob were Santiago Mendoza in a 2001 Nissan Primera 20V, Ken Cunningham in a 2004 Peuteot 307 XSi, Darryl Sanz in a 2008 Megane Renault Sport, and George Collet in a 1999 Honda Integra Type R (DC2), while behind were Ivan Hurtado in a 2002 Toyota Corolla RunX Z Aerotourer, Phil Grimes in a 1999 Toyota Celica SS-II (ZZT231), and Paul Maldonado in a 2006 Ford Focus ST.
　
Unlike the first 2 races, there was no quick launch. However, Bob muscled to the inside of Collet in turn 1. Unfortunately, the slow Mendoza also stuck to the inside and blocked Bob in turns 2 and 3, allowing Collet to get by both of them for 3rd. Mendoza made a pain of himself as he refused to cleanly give up 4th in turn 5, which caused Bob to once again think he was driving a lawnmower.
　
Fortunately, Collet also thought he was driving a lawn mower in turn 6, which allowed Bob to take 3rd. Despite my warnings that the rocks in turn 10 come out very quickly, Bob thought he could get around Cunningham there.
　

"Don't say I didn't warn you."
　
Lap 2 saw Bob get by Cunningham in turn 4. Sanz was pushing very hard to stay out front, kicking up some dust in turn 5, then slamming the guardrail in turn 6 and jumping back to mid-track right in front of Bob.
　

A victim of circumstance
　
Bob shrugged off the unavoidable collision to take the lead. Sanz wasn't quite done, however; he clawed his way to Bob's back bumper in the third tunnel on lap 4. Bob kept the lead with a great entry into turn 13 coming out of the tunnel, and held on for a 1.210-second win over Sanz in 7:09.863. Cunningham used a stunning last-corner pass of Maldonado to take 3rd, while Gollet, Grimes, Mendoza and Hurtado were backmarkers.
　
The series win, along with some not-so-planned expenses, left me $53,430 in the bank, along with a Vogue Siilver Metallic 1997 Honda Civic Type R (EK). Given Bob is progressing nicely, I might decide to add a teammate for him.

 

[Michelin]

Bob Hunt. Hunting the wins by any means necessary.

 

[Eggstor]

Bob Hunt. Hunting the wins by any means necessary.

Nicely done.

 

[Eggstor]

Otto-matic Compacting​

　
The GT Academy sent over the resumes of several drivers for my perusal. After studying the data, I settled on a very-balanced cool customer called Tom Otto. His braking and cornering skills weren't quite as advanced as Bob's when he started, but the Academy said he was far more accurate and laid-back.
　
Since I had some extra money, I also decided to grab a car from the used-car lot for Tom to use in the World Compact Car Race. A New Sherwood Toning 1986 Toyota MR2 1600 G with 62,051 miles on the odometer for $8,467 and a Brilliant Black 1995 Mazda MX-5 S-Special I (NA, J), known as the Miata in the States, with 56,116 miles on the odometer caught my eye. I decided to get the MX-5 as I could at least theoretically use it in more races, and the black looked better than the green. The requisite oil change and wash brought the horsepower up to 127 and the performance points to 358, and the $5,500 engine overhaul brought that up further to 134 hp and 364 PP.
　
A set of Sports-Hard tires to match the competition was next on my things to get, and once I plunked down the $6,000 for them, Tom and I haeded to London for Race 1 of the championship. Ahead of Tom were Alex Smirnov in a 2000 Toyota Vitz RS 1.5, Donatello Caballero in a 2003 Peugeot 106 Rallye, Tony Pastor in a 2003 Renault Megane 2.0 16V and Kent Hertzog in a 1995 Honda Civic SiR-II (EG), while Ulises Gallardo in a 2002 Toyota Vitz RS Turbo, Ivan Olsen in a 2001 VW Golf IV GTI and Charles Thibault in a 1999 Peugot 206 S16 were behind him for the grid start.
　
Gallardo got by for 5th right off the start, while Olsen used a more-aggressive entrance onto Charing Cross Rd. to take 6th. Tom was clearly flustered as he was weaving all over the place down Charing Cross, then he got caught up in an accordion heading onto Charles II St. for the first time. Tom finally got his first passes, of Olsen and Pastor, on Regent St., but the MX-5 was too tail-happy to get Hertzog coming on to Shaftesbury Ave. Thus, he ended the lap 3.823 seconds behind Gallardo.
　
Pastor snuck up on the inside heading onto Charing Cross Rd. on lap 2, and Olsen decided to make it 3 wide in the corner. Gallardo's reversing Vitz, after he tried to make the Pizza Hut on the corner a drive-through while leading,...
　

How many pizza boxes can fit under the back tires?
　
...made it 4-wide while Pastor and Olsen both got by.
　

　
Tom got 5th back from Pastor as we headed onto Haymarket, but just brushed the wall with the right quarter panel heading onto Charles II St. Maybe Tom really wanted to be a drift king - he gave the spectators quite a show coming onto Regent St. the second time around.
　
On lap 3, Tom really put the chrome horn to Olsen all the way down Charing Cross Rd, finally getting him out of shape at Trafalgar Square and taking 4th. At that point, I told Tom to calm down and remember his training. He responded by ramming Caballero on Haymarket, then fishtailing onto Charles II St. and Regent St.
　
On lap 4, Tom showed a flash of brilliance by hounding, but not touching, Smirnov, and taking 3rd at the S-bend on Charing Cross. Of course, he wasn't skilled enough to keep it off the wall coming off the S-bend, which led to Smirnov tapping him at Trafalgar Square. Much the same story was repeated on Haymarket and Charles II St - right after Tom went by Caballero on Haymarket, he went onto Charles II too fast and left his mark on the wall. That was followed by a second drifting demonstration headed onto Regent St. I got on the radio again:
　
Egg - "Tom, you're catching the leaders, but you're wrecking my car in the process. Focus, and show me the consistency you showed the Academy."
Tom - "But they didn't teach me how to drive rear-wheel-drive cars at the Academy."
Egg - "NOW you tell me. Just settle down and you'll catch the leader. You have 2 laps to get it done; be consistent, and you can do it."
Tom - "Copy that."
　
Naturally, he forgot consistency heading onto Chariing Cross Rd, as he put on another drifting attempt. Meanwhile, Thibault took his turn at the Pizza Hut drive-through, Hertzog, who took the lap 3, slowed down signficantly, and Olsen made it a 3-way battle for the lead up Regent St. and onto Shaftestbury Ave.
　

After 5 laps, the top 3 were separated by 0.779 seconds, and the top 4 by 1.743 seconds.
　
By the last lap, Tom's mental and physical strength were sapped. He hit the "ipizza" wall, though with the left quarter panel instead of the nose like the Gallardo and Thibault, the outside wall at Trafalgar Square, and the wall on Haymarket, and lit up the back tires drifting on Charles II St. and Regent St.
　
His 7:44.124 was good for only second, 2.541 seconds behind Hertzog. Still, we took home $4,505 with the 70% bonus, I increased my overall B-spec level to 6, and Tom increased his level to 1.
　
After the first race, the points standings were:
　
Hertzog 100
Tom 75
Olsen 60
Caballero 50
Gallardo 40
Smirnov 30
Thibault 20
Pastor 15
　
We trudged on to Madrid for Race 2, 6 laps around the mini course from a grid start with the same starting lineup. Off the start, Gallardo got by, then Olsen got by as everybody started braking for the u-turn at Plaza de la Puerta del Sol onto Carrera de San Jeronimo.
　

This is not going to end well.
　
Hertzog was the initial loser as he plowed into the guardrail headed onto Carrera de San Jeronimo. Unfortunately, since Tom was right behind him, he also got trapped.
　

"Hurry up and get in reverse already, Tom!"
　
That pretty much doomed the race, as after the first lap, Tom was in last, 11.519 seconds behind Gallardo and 3.167 seconds behind Hertzog for 7th. Still, he soldiered on, and caught a break as Smirnov overdrove the u-turn. Tom was able to pass Smirnov as he hit the outside guardrail while heading onto Paseo del Prado. He also got by Caballero, but overcooked the turn onto Calle de Alcala and got hit for his trouble. Still, lap 2 ended with Tom in 6th, still 11.282 seconds behind Gallardo.
　
On lap 3, it was Thibault's turn to have an extended stay at the Plaza de la Puerta del Sol, and he gave up 3rd and 4th before getting going in front of Tom. Tom won the drag race down Paseo del Prado, but Thibault wouldn't give up 5th so easily as he tried the PIT maneuver on Tom heading onto Calle de Alcala and kept the position for a little while. Still, Tom made up some time on Gallardo, cutting his lead to 9.789 seconds.
　
Thibault liked the Plaza de la Puerta del Sol so much the first time, he stayed there again for a while. Of course, Tom's inside position "helped" him with that unforced error, but that led to an unforced error from Tom as he smoked the back tires on exit. Lap 4 ended with me in 5th and 8.106 seconds behind Gallardo.
　
On lap 5, Pastor stopped at the Plaza de la Puerta del Sol souvenir shop, and collected Olsen as Tom had the inside line after Olsen hit the Sevilla Metro station.. While trying to extricate themselves, Olsen collected Smirnoff and Pastor collected Thibault. That pretty much cemented 3rd place for me.
　
On lap 6, Olsen and Caballero, while battling for 4th, parked their cars in the plaza and collected Pastor. Meanwhile, Tom ran a clean lap to finish the race in 3rd in 7:39.255, 5.196 seconds behind Gallardo and 2.175 seconds behind Hertzog. Rounding out the bottom 5 were Thibault, Smernov, Olsen, Caballero and Pastor. Considering the carnage, the 3rd-place money of $3,978 seemed insufficient, but Otto jumped to Level 3.
　
The standings after race 2 were:
　
Hertzog 175
Gallardo 140
Tom 135
Olsen 90
Smirnov 70
Caballero 70
Thibault 70
Pastor 30
　
Even though Tom had little chance of getting first, we headed to Cape Ring Inside for race 3, and 6 laps. Gallardo quickly passed Tom for 5th, while Tom was hesitant to take the position back from Pastor in turn 2. Tom stayed low coming out of turn 6 to get Pastor for 6th and Caballero for 5th on the long straight. Tom nudged Smirnoff at the entrance to the chicane, then saw something that made him wonder about his pass in the grass.
　

One of the leaders is behind all that smoke.
　
It turned out to be Hertzog that couldn't correct a bad entry into the chicane and would drop to last. Would Tom avoid the same fate? Yes.
Tom then set his sights on Gallardo after finishing the first lap 2.536 seconds back. He caught Gallardo coming out of turn 6 on lap 2, but at my urging, held off on trying to pass him in the chicane. Tom spent lap 3 and most of lap 4 in Gallardo's tire tracks, hoping for a mistake. That mistake came in the chicane on lap 4.
　

Toyotas don't make very good lawn mowers.
　
Tom took full advantage coming out of the chicane and grabbed the lead. Meanwhile, Hertzog was driving his heart out, trying to get to at least 3rd. By the end of the 4th lap, he was in 5th, with Thibault and Olsen in sight. He forced his way past Thibault and sneaked past a sliding Olsen in the chicane for 3rd on lap 5, then set his sights on Gallardo for 2nd, which would have given him the outright series win. He couldn't quite make up the 4.860-second difference on the last lap, though the valiant effort left him only 1.131 seconds behind Gallardo for 2nd. Tom, meanwhile, earned his first win in 7:33.880, 4.097 seconds ahead of Gallardo. The back-markers were Olsen, Thibault, Pastor Caballero, and Smirnov.
　
The race win netted us $6,239., and while I increased my overall B-spec level to Level 7 overall, Tom increased his level to Level 4.
The final standings were:
　
Tom 235
Hertzog 235
Gallardo 215
Olsen 140
Thibault 110
Caballero 90
Smirnov 85
Pastor 60
　
I don't know what the tiebreaker was, but I'm thankful that it changed from GT4. Tom hefted the series trophy, and we collected $18,700 for the series win (with the 70% bonus). I found a Ardenza Amaranth 1979 Autobianchi A112 Abarth waiting in my garage when I returned. Bob was also waiting, and he offered to clean up the trophies that Tom had missed.

 

[Michelin]

I feel bad for you for picking up a driver that couldn't drive rear-wheel cars... What's up with that Academy?

 

[Eggstor]

Golding the Compacts​

　
Bob was chomping at the bit to run again, and since I didn't have a kei car I was willing to race, and because Tom had won only one race in the World Compact Car Race series, I handed him the keys to the Integra and sent him to London
　
The lineup for the raceswas a bit different (after a race restart to shuffle the order) - Lance Best in a 2002 Citroen C3 1.6, Eugene Hurme in a 2003 Peugeot 206 RC, William McClure in a 2003 Renault Megane 2.0 16V and Don Padilla in a 2000 Fiat Punto HGT Abarth were ahead of Bob, while Michel Fiore in a 2002 Toyota Vitz RS Turbo, Ron Ito in a 1999 Peugeot 206 S16 and Matt Lehrer in a 2003 Nissan March 12c 5door were behind. Honestly, the three races were so boring, I didn't bother keeping track of how much Bob won by. The only things of note were Bob increasing to Level 7, me increasing my overall B-spec ability to Level 8, and the bank account growing to $101,528.
　
I decided to burn $42,690 on a very-elderly Dark Burnt Orange Metallic 1970 Dodge Charger 440 R/T with 240,417 miles on the ticker to get the Maximum Mileage badge. I could have spent the $22,500 to rebuild the engine and the $37,500 to fix the chassis, but since it's a project car, I'll wait a while. I did, however, do the obligatory oil change and car wash.

 

[Eggstor]

I feel bad for you for picking up a driver that couldn't drive rear-wheel cars... What's up with that Academy?

Tom did get the hang of it eventually.

 

[Eggstor]

Bam, Zam, Thank You, Ma'am - Lightweight K Cup​

　
I had enough of just sitting around, so I looked over my race schedule. The next thing that was up was Lightweight K Cup; the only problem was I didn't have a kei car that wasn't a museum piece. The used car lot was fresh out of kei cars, so I was left to head to the new car lots. I ruled out the two Daihatsus as they were both front-wheel drive. I wanted to save the Cappuchino, specifically, the 1995 version, for the team, so I went to the Mazda dealership and picked up a Classic Red 1992 Autozam AZ-1 for $14,980. Once again, the new-car dealer was "optimistic" with both the horsepower (61 hp when I brought it home versus 63 hp claimed) and the performance points (315 in the garage versus 319 claimed), so off to the oil change shop to bring it up to 64 hp and 321 PP.
　
The competition was sporting Comfort-Soft tires, so considering the fact I wouldn't have a horsepower advantage, I bought a set for myself. Race 1 was 3 laps around Autumn Ring Mini Reverse, with a rolling start. Ahead of me were Alex Metzger in a 1989 Mitsubishi Minica Dangan ZZ, Sean Lambert in a 2007 Suzuki Cervo SR, Franz Schulze in a 1997 Suzuki Alto Works Suzuki Sport Limited, and Paul Kangas in a 2002 Suzuki Kei Works, while behind me were Frank Nolan in a 2004 Suzuki MR Wagon Sport, Eduardo Mateo in a 1992 Honda Beat Version F, and Matt Freud in a 1970 Honda Z Act.
　
I had forgotten how tail happy the Autozam was. Still, I got past Kangas on the rumble strips exiting turn 7, and used the outside to pull away from Schulze exiting turn 10. Just before the start/finish line, I grabbed 2nd from Lambert.
　
On lap 2, I got to the inside of Metzger between turns 7 and 8, but had to slow down signficantly into turn 8 because I missed my braking point.

It doesn't get any closer than that.
　
Metzger, for his part, thought he could take the turn at his normal speed, and found some grass instead of my right side.

Had he slowed down a bit, he had enough room on the outside.
　
The final lap was almost disastrous as I forgot how twitchy mid-engined cars are and power-slid through turn 6. After that little bobble, I crused to a finishing time of 2:43.583, 3.565 seconds over Metzger. The rest of the field was Lambert, Schulze, Nolan, Kangas, Mateo, and Freud.
　
With the 70% bonus for being online 4 days in a row, I collected $8,262.
　
Race 2 was 3 laps around Suzuka East. Ahead of me were Darryl Beike in a 1997 Suzuki Alto Works RS-Z, Neil O'Ryan in a 1992 Honda Beat Verision F, Yao Chung in a 2002 Daihatsu Copen Active Top, and Ellis Beck in a 1970 Honda Z Act, while behind me were Herman Denis in a 1998 Suzuki Wagon R RR, Brad Casey in a 2002 Suzuki Alto Lapin Turbo and Stepan Unger in a 1993 Honda Beat Version Z.
　
I decided to not press the issue with Beck in 1st Curve, and was rewarded when he opened the outside for me in 2nd Curve. Chung fell in Gyaku Bank Curve, and even though I went way wide in Last Curve,...

Come on, Bessie. Stay on the track.
　
...Beike gave up 2nd.
　
On lap 2, I hounded O'Ryan for the entire lap before making the pass just before the start/finish line.
　

If this were the final lap, it would be more dramatic.
　
Lap 3 was anti-climatic, as I pulled away for a 1.577-second win over O'Ryan and finished in 3:43.419. Behind us were Unger, Chung, Beike, Beck, Denis, and Casey.
　
For my troubles, beyond the cash, I raised my A-spec level to Level 9 and picked up a Silky Silver Metallic 1998 Suzuki Wagon R RR.

 

[Eggstor]

For Tom, Kei Means Coffee​

　
As fun as the Autozam was to drive, I knew its very-tail-happy attitude would be too much for both Bob and Tom. Therefore, I went to the Suzuki dealer and plunked down $14,600 for a Mercury Silver Metallic 1995 Suzuki Capppuccino (EA21R). An oil change and a wash later, it had 64 hp and 342 PP.
　
I sent Tom Otto and a set of Comfort-Soft tires off to race 1, 6 laps around Autumn Ring Mini. The grid start was Carlos Steele in a 1993 Honda Beat Version Z out front, Joe Salo in a 2002 Daihatsu Copen Active Top, Yasumasa Ishihara in a 1997 Dahatsu Move SR-XX 4WD, and Frank Barron in a second 1995 Suzuki Cappuccino (EA21R) in front of Tom, and Sean Saez in a 1970 Honda Z Act, Johann Heiskanen in a 1992 Honda Beat Version F, and Ed Hull in a 1998 Daihatsu Midget II D type behind.
　
Tom got alongside Ishihara in turn 1, but got pinched to the inside of turn 2 and backed off for a while. He tried again on the outside coming off of turn 7, but didn't like the looks of a 3-wide battle as Hull charged up with his mini-pickup, and backed off,. giving the position, and a left-fender nudge, to Hull. Hull was pretty shaken up, and gave 6th back in turn 10, while Tom used a fast exit from turn 11 to finally get by Ishihara for 4th to end lap 1.
　
Tom got bolder on lap 2, whipping past Salo on the inside of turn 2. Barron proved a lot harder to pass; every time Tom would get into a position to get by, Barron would block. This went on until Tom did some curb-hopping in turn 9 on lap 3 to set up the outside pass in turn 10.
　
Tom then set his sighs on Steele and hounded him until he got alongside at the end of lap 4. He used the inside position to make the pass in turn 1 on lap 5, and set sail for a 5:38.792 time, good for a 3.114-second win over Steele. The rest of the finishing order was Barron, Salo, Ishihara, Hull, Heiskanen, and Saez.
　
Race 2 was 6 laps around Suzuka East. The standing start had Eduardo Bernardi in a 1970 Honda Z Act, Seamus Wurfel in a 1997 Suzuki Alto Works RS-Z, Stephen Fabre in a 2002 Suzuki Kei Works and Jun Tsuchiya in a 1985 Honda Today G ahead of Tom, and Dale Lindberg in a 1992 Mazda Autozam AZ-1, Will Nichols in a 1992 Honda Beat Version F, and George Descampes in a 2007 Suzuki Cervo SR behind.
　
Tom pulled away from the field on the start and never looked back, even though he should have kept on the gas. I blame myself for not being there as Nichols almost pulled off a last-corner pass. Tom held on for a 0.063-second win in 8:04.100. Rounding out the field were Lindberg, Descamps, Wurfel, Fabre, Tsuchiya, Bernardi
　
Despite the near-upset, I increased my B-spec level to Level 9 while Tom increased his level to Level 5. For the series win, I picked up a Silver Metallic 1997 Daihatsu Move SR-XX 4WD.

 

[Michelin]

Tom has become my favorite driver hahahahaha Hope he keep up with that win streak!

 

[Eggstor]

Classic Skyline Racing​

Author's note; I started this 2 weekends ago, but didn't complete the write-up until now due to time issues, and B-speccing the heck out of the other account. I did, however, keep signing into the main account to keep the bonuses up.

It was time to take out the 1967 Nissan Skyline 2000GT-B (S54A) for a spin or three in Japanese Classics. First, however, it needed to be fortified some, as the typical opponents started with 376 PP. Off to the engine shop I went to get some of my power back - for $7,000, I was able to bring the power from 121 hp to 127 hp, which netted me a 7 PP gain to 350 PP. A new intake manifold ($2,500), exhaust manifold ($3,500) and racing air filter ($450) brought the power to 140 hp and the PP to a respectable 362 PP.

With those changes in hand, I headed to race 1, Suzuka East for 3 laps around the shortened course. Since the competition and I already had Comfort-Soft tires, I stuck with those. Ahead of me were Mario Ferretti in a 1965 Nissan Silvia (CSP311), Horatio Araki in a 1971 Nissan 240ZG (HS30), Herb Descamps in a 1964 Honda S600, Matthew Kivien in a 1978 Nissan Fairlady Z 280Z-L 2seater (S130), and Brad Schwab in a 1963 Honda S500, while behind me were Dave Okada in a 1968 Mazda Cosmo Sport (L10B), Charles Hofmann in a 1973 Nissan Skyline 2000GT-R (KPGC110), Bob Bass in a 1970 Mitsubishi Galant GTO MR, and Johann Weisz in a 1970 Honda 1300 Coupe 9 S.

I whipped past Schwab on the front straight off the rolling start, then almost piledrove Descamps in the middle of the S Curve as he took it slowly before dispatching him on the last part of the S Curve. I did piledrive Kivinen in Last Curve as I almost cleanly pulled off the crossover move...

Sorry, my bad.

...but got by him before the start/finish line to finish the first la in 3rd, 1.726 seconds behind Ferretti. Kivinen returned the favor in 1st Curve, but couldn't make the collision stick, as that bump helped me get by Araki in 2nd Curve. I caught Ferretti in the S Curve, but decided to wait until Last Curve to make my move. Unlike the first lap, I took the outside and cleanly took the lead.

Much better.

The last lap was clean on my part, so the 3:35.389 finish was good for a 2.757-second win over Ferretti. Rounding out the field were Araki, Kivinen, Okada, Hofmann, Weisz, Schwab, Descamps, and Bass. As I was now receiving a 100% bonus, the win was worth $11,460.

Race 2 was 3 laps around Tsukuba. Ahead of me were Oscar Peltomaa in a 1978 Mitsubishi Mirage 1400GLX, Glenn Rush in a 1968 Nissan Fairlady 2000 (SR311), George Branch in a 1979 Nissan Bluebird Hardtop 1800SSS (910), Hattori Iwasaki in a 1963 Honda S500 and Sean Lowe in a 1978 Nissan Fairlady Z 280Z-L 2seater (S130), while behind me were Nigel Hess in a 1967 Toyota 2000GT, Darren Valentini in a 1963 Nissan Skyline 1500Deluxe (S50D-1), Ulnis Gersten in a 1966 Honda S800, and Brian Dawson in a 1967 Mazda Cosmo Sport (L10A).

As usual, I charged out of the gate, using the outside of turn 1 to power past Lowe and the inside of turn 4 to slip past Iwasaki. A bonzai move diving into turn 7 dispatched Branch...

Maybe I shouldn't have given so much bias to the front brakes. Oh well, no guts, no glory.

I used a less-than-fully-intentional late turn-in to turn 8 to my advantage, getting by Rush and setting up Peltomaa for the last pass of the day just past the start/finish line.

See you later, gator.

The rest of the race was a snooze, as nobody else thought to floor their accelerators. The 3:52.106 elapsed time was good enough for a 2.698-second win over Rush. Rounding out the field were Peltomaa, Lowe, Branch, Hess, Dawson, Gersten, Vaentini, and Iwasaki.

Because I was despondent after the Packers loss, and I somehow didn’t see the gold trophy, I redid Tsukuba. I failed to save that replay, and still thinking I hadn’t run at Tsukuba, I ran a third time. What that did was push my A-spec level to 10 and gave me a “cheap” $22,920.

Race 3 was 3 laps at Grand Valley East. Ahead of me were William McDaniel in a 1979 Nissan Bluebird Hardtop 1800SSS (910), Paul Meadows in a 1968 Isuzu 117Coupe, Franco Fernandes in a 1978 Mitsubishi Mirage 1400GLX, Orlando Simola in a 1970 Mitsubishi Galant GTO MR, and Don Sugimoto in a 1964 Honda S600, while behind me were Sean Montanari in a 1971 Nissan 240ZG (HS30), Paul Le Gall in a 1973 Nissan Skyline 2000GT-R (KPGC110), Jim Henson in a 1965 Toyota Sports 800, and Pat Edwards in a 1965 Nissan Silvia (CSP311). This time, the competition used full throttle as Montnari got by me off the rolling start and Le Gall tried to follow Montnari down low in turn 2.

This door is closed.

After the Skyline paint swap, I reclaimed my starting position of 6th from Sugimoto as the S600 struggled up the hill. Meanwhile, Montanari and Simola were dueling all the way from turn 3 to turn 7, where I decided to briefly make it a three-wide battle before backing out.

This won't end well if I push it.

Patience was rewarded as I got a better launch off of turn 7 than Simola to take 5th in the tunnel. After that near-disaster, everybody else backed off the throttle just a bit, which allowed me to speed past Montanari for 4th just before the start/finish line at the end of lap 1.

I almost had enough steam to get by McDaniel and Meadows before turn 2 in a three-wide move just like Fernandes had just done to take the lead, but wisely backed off. Patience was again rewarded as I got alongside McDaniel between turns 5 and 6, with him sideswiping me coming off of 6 even though he had the entire right side of the track and thus the preferred line going into turn 7. I shrugged off the insult and used my heavier right foot to complete the pass in turn 7. Meadows fell to 3rd as I got a better launch out of turn 10, and Fernandes gave up the lead all too easily on the front straight.

Lap 3 was a snooze as nobody thought to step on it. I finished in 4:34.927, with Fernandez 1.089 seconds behind, and Montanari, McDaniel, Edwards, Meadows, Le Gall, Simola, Henson, and Sugimoto rounding out the field.

For my efforts, I picked up, in addition to the cash, a Caroline Yellow 1970 Honda Z Act. I also grabbed a 1968 Mazda 110S (L10B) with 4,148 miles on it for $66,503 for the team to use. Since I noticed there is also a seasonal version of Japanese classics with similar lineups. As I heard there's a lot of money and tougher competition there, I think I'll try my hand at that first.

 

[Michelin]

You know you win the L10B at the B-Spec 4h Roadster Endurance Event, right?
But nice Skyline!

 

[Eggstor]

You know you win the L10B at the B-Spec 4h Roadster Endurance Event, right?
But nice Skyline!

I do, but the endurance races are a long way away on this account.