The Lineup: 200 a-spec points
Mazda 787B Race Car 843hp, 830kg
BMW V12 LMR Race Car 839hp, 900kg
Nissan R92CP Race Car 1001hp, 900kg
Bentley Speed 8 Race Car 837hp, 900kg
Sauber Mercedes C9 Race Car 987hp, 893kg
Mazda RX-7 LM Race Car 881hp, 1,180kg, oil change, 100kg ballast
Rules: 1. Must use each set of tyres (R1s, R2s, R3s) for at least 20 laps of the race; 2. Cutting the chicane in the pits and getting a time gain will result in a stop-go penalty at the start-finish line;3. Rejoining the track unsafely and hitting another car will resul t in a 10-second stop-go penalty at the start-finish line.
Hour 1, Saturday, May 29, 17 laps completed
Race start: 12:21am. Start on R1 tyres. Reach 385km/h in the slipsteam of the Sauber and the Bentley before outbraking both at the first Mulsane chicane.
Close up to the three leaders before looping it under brakes at Mulsane corner. Looks like I will have to be careful with this RX-7 under heavy braking.
Pass the Bentley at the Ford Chicanes to end the lap with a 3:45.762, 6.0s behind the R92.
My next lap is clean and I pass the Sauber at the Ford chicanes and finish the lap side-by-side with the 787B. Lap time is a 3:32.665, which puts me 2.8s behind the R92.
The next lap is interesting as the Sauber and I go side-by-side at over 300km/h on the narrow run down to Indianapolis.
I hold my ground and again finish with a 3:32. I have gained slightly on the R92. The gap is now 2.4s but the Sauber looks like he is in a hurry.
I improve to a 3:29.439 on lap 4, but the R92 has dropped his lap time as well. 2.2s behind and it's a good battle.
The Sauber passes me in the Porsche Curves on lap 5 but I get him back at the Ford Chicanes. We have a great battle on lap 6 and all the while the R92 has stretched it's lead to over 4 seconds.
But, bad news! My fuel gauge is almost empty after 6 laps! I pull into the pits for more R1s, which probably wouldn't have lasted longer than 7 laps anyway. This RX-7 is thirsty! I rejoin in 5th, 40s down.
I pass the BMW at the start-finish line on lap 8 and pass the Sauber on the Mulsane as he warms up his tyres. I then pass the R92 for the lead at the Ford Chicanes, posting a 3:29.208 new personal best lap time.
The Sauber takes over 2nd on lap 10, but I am already 5.5s down the road, doing 3:31s laptimes. I improve to a 3:28.743 on lap 11 but the Sauber cuts my lead by 0.2s. By the time I pit on lap 12, my lead is 3.3s.
Top up the fuel tank and rejoin in 3rd, 32s down, and in front of the 787B, who cannot keep pace with the 3 frontrunners.
Once again, I pass the Sauber on the Mulsane after he pits. He hangs around in my slipstream for awhile, but I soon drop him and by the end of the hour my lead is 6.5s.
I have also improved my fastest lap time to a 3:28.486.
Hour 2, Saturday, May 29, 34 laps completed
Going past the pits on lap 18, I saw that I still had just about enough fuel left to complete one more lap. So I took the risk.
I made it back to the pits with a 2s lead, and 1 unit of fuel left in the tank.
The fact that I can do 7 lap stints now instead of 6 may be crucial later on in the race.
The Sauber pits on lap 21 but he emerges about 5s in front of me. I was fairly slow on my outlap whilst he was on low fuel and charging. I pass him on lap 22 and we battle for a while until I stretch away to a 4s lead. But he again closes up and takes the lead at the Porsche Curves on lap 26 and I pull into the pits. Time for R3s. I have 5 units of fuel leftover this time, making me think that as the car loses a bit of horsepower, it becomes less thirsty.💡
I put in 68 units of fuel, enough for about 6 laps, but I predict the R3s might only last 5 circuits.
My first flying lap on the R3s is a 3:26.176, and I duly take over the lead when the Sauber pits. I improve this to a 3:25.193 next time round. After another 3:25s laptime, things are looking good. I stay out for a 6th lap, but it wasn't a good idea. I struggle for grip on red tyres, and my lead diminishes to 25s. Still, it was a good blast and potentially a race-turning stint.
I rejoin in 2nd, 10s behind the Sauber and by the end of the hour, I have reduced the gap to 5.3s. The Bentley and the BWM are now a lap down. The 787B is about 2 minutes down in 4th.
Hour 3, Saturday, May 29, 51 laps completed
The Sauber pits on lap 35 and I take over the lead. I keep the lead after my pitstop on lap 37. The only incident so far this hour was when I daydreamed on the Mulsane and all of a sudden realised that the first chicane was coming up! I bounced across the sand before gathering it up. No stop-go penalty was needed as I actually lost time with my mistake, rather than gained any.
I start pushing hard: I do a 3:25.1, followed by
3:24.442 on lap 40, and then 3:24.866 on lap 41. By the time I pit, my lead is 34 seconds.
With a shorter fuel top-up (just over 55/80 units), I can extend my lead to 40s.
I relax a little and turn on some music. Whilst adjusting the music, I run off the road at turn 1 and lose about 7 seconds. Therefore, my lead is 49s by the time I pit on lap 47. I have now done the required 20 laps for both the R1s and the R3s and now I will check if the R2s can last for 7 laps (a full fuel load).
I rejoin 13s in front. This becomes 47s when the Sauber pits. Meanwhile, my first flying lap on R2s is a 3:28.8. I finish the hour 55s ahead and I have just lapped the 787B.
Hour 4, Sunday, May 30, 67 laps completed
The first piece of good news is that the R1s hang in fairly comfortably for 7 laps. However, they were orange towards the end and I ran off the road slightly in the Porsche Curves. I rejoin 14s in front.
Lap 60 is terrible: I hit the inside wall at the first Mulsane chicane and run wide at Indianapolis. The result is a 3:38 laptime.
However, the rest of the hour is good and I am now one minute ahead of the Sauber. The Bentley and BMW were lapped for the second time.
Hour 5, Sunday, May 30, 83 laps completed
Disaster strikes on lap 75. I was going along nicely with the music turned up and totally forgot that my fueltank was almost empty.
I absent-mindedly sailed right past the pit entrance and the car coughed its last on the Mulsane. I realised my grave error when I passed the start-finish line but I couldn't reverse. I drop down to 3rd and by the time I get going again I am 3:05s down, which becomes 2:26s after the Sauber pits.
I reduce the gap to 2:19s before I pit on lap 83. I rejoin 2:59s behind in 3rd. There's a long road ahead of me.
Hour 6, Monday, May 31, 100 laps completed
The first hour of what I hope will be a long comeback drive back into the lead. Things go well and I am lapping fairly quickly on the R3s. I lap consistently in the 3:26s or 3:27s and reduce the gap to just over 2 minutes before I pit on lap 90.
By lap 92 the gap is under 2 minutes and on that same lap I pass the R92 for 2nd at the first Ford Chicane.
The rest of the hour is good too, although I get tired near the end and my last two laps are 3:28s and 3:29s respectfully. But the gap is down to 1:30.6s so I can't complain at all.
Standings after 6 hours
Sauber Mercedes C9 Race Car 100 laps
Mazda RX-7 LM Race Car +1:30.6s
Nissan R92CP Race Car +2:00 approx.
Mazda 787B Race Car +1 lap
BMW V12 LMR Race Car +3 laps
Bentley Speed 8 Race Car +3 laps
Hour 7, Monday, May 31, 117 laps completed
Another good hour. By lap 107 the gap is the length of the Mulsanne. Car is going like a train and handling beautifully. I do even do a 3:26.4s lap on the R2s. The Sauber team begins to look worried in their pitbay...
Here's a snapshot of the current pace of the front two cars on a clear track (I pitted on lap 111, and the Sauber pitted on lap 112):
Lap 114 Sauber 3:34.1 RX-7 3:28.6 +47.8s
Lap 115 Sauber 3:30.2 RX-7 3:28.2 +45.8s
Lap 116 Sauber 3:29.5 RX-7 3:26.0 +42.3s
Lap 117 Sauber 3:29.6 RX-7 3:26.9 +39.6s
The laptimes tell the story.
Hour 8, Wednesday, June 2, 134 laps completed
I change to R3 tyres for variety and to see how fast the RX-7 can really go.
By lap 120 the gap to the Sauber is under 30 seconds. I set a new fastest lap on lap 123
(3:23.808) and now I am only 13.4s away from the lead. I a complete 360 degree spin upon entering pitlane on lap 123 after getting a wheel on the grass and braking at the same time. However, there is no damage done and I actually end up back on the pitlane entrance road facing the right way!
Lap 127 is perhaps the most action-packed of the race. The Sauber re-enters in the lead after his pitstop but I am right behind him and, on warm tyres, pass him at Tetre Rouge. He slipsteams past me but I get him again at the first chicane and pull away. I lap the BMW at Mulsane corner but I hit the outside wall upon entering the Porsche Curves and spin out across the track. This allows the Sauber momentarily back into the lead but I pass him again at the Ford Chicanes. Phew!
Having accomplished my goals of a new fastest lap and regaining the lead, I change back to R2 tyres upon pitting on lap 128. I am feeling very tired, and I spin at turn one and also run off the road at Indianapolis; mistakes that I would not normally make.
The Sauber thus rejoins in the lead after his lap 133 pitstop, and this time I slipsteam him after Mulsane corner and pass him at Indianapolis. By the end of the lap I am 4.1s ahead.
The BMW and the Bentley are now 4 laps down.
Hour 9, Friday, June 4, 150 laps completed
No mistakes this hour, apart from running wide once in the Porsche Curves. I didn't push too hard and lapped in the 3:28s most of the time. However, I have gained good ground and even though I made one more pitstop than the Sauber during the hour, I am only 0.091s behind. The 787B was lapped for the second time.
Hour 10, Friday, June 4, 167 laps completed
The Sauber pulls away from me slightly until his pitstop on lap 154. I make a few small mistakes before my pitstop, which means that after I rejoin I go side-by-side with the Sauber into turn 1. I take the lead but he passes me after Arnage due to his greater horsepower. On the next lap, I get a slipsteam from him down the Mulsanne and reach 370km/h before passing him at the first chicane. However, he slipsteams
me before the second chicane and during braking I move across, we touch, and I do a half-spin.
Not to be outdone, the next lap is a 3:26.517 and I close back to within 1.2s.
The next lap (160) is the best of the race so far. The lead changes an incredible 8 times. It was almost 9, but in attempting to pass around the outside at Indianapolis, the Sauber moves across on the racing line and I almost spin it. We end the lap 0.186s apart. The next lap is even better: 10 lead changes and not a single mistake from either driver. Just great racing and slipstreaming, with both cars on the ragged edge. Great racing!👍 It's a shame that the Sauber has to pit at the end of lap 161. He does so with a 1.5s lead, proving that the Sauber team will not give up without a huge fight!
This time I rejoin comfortably in the lead after my pitstop. The Sauber is 8s behind and I lap the R92. By the end of the hour, My lead is 10s but I am getting very tired. It's 12:45am after-all. At the end of the last lap of the hour, in a moment of sheer fatigue-ridden absent-mindingness, I begin to pull into the pitlane, realise my mistake and attempt to rejoin the track.
But I spear off into the sand and rejoin the track just behind the R92 and the Sauber. Looks like the battle is on again!
I am 1.1s behind in 2nd, and I just can't seem to put my stamp on this race.
Hour 11, Saturday, June 5, 184 laps completed
A few mistakes this hour due to being very tired once again. However, it appears that I have finally wrestled control of this race and I lead by 13.8s at the end of the hour. The Sauber lost the lead when he pitted on lap 175 and I hope that I never give it back to him!
The BMW and the Bentley are now 5 laps down and the R92 is one lap down.
Hour 12, Sunday, June 6, 200 laps completed
Once again a few mistakes, including a major one on lap 190 when I fiddle with the media player on my computer, take my eyes off the road, and go straight on at the second Mulsanne chicane and hit the wall!
I am still tired from lack of sleep and am also slightly hangover
and so I can't really push on and the car is also getting a little unsteady under brakes, especially at the end of the Mulsanne.
The upshot is that my lead has been cut to 6.7s.
The 787B was lapped for the third time.
Hour 13, Sunday, June 6, 217 laps completed
Hitting the wall on the way into pitlane was my only mistake this hour, and my lead has extended to 59s (the Sauber having made one more pitstop than me this hour).
The BMW and the Bentley are now 6 laps down.
Hour 14, Monday, June 7, 234 laps completed
Had a couple of spins under braking at turn 1 on consecutive laps which cost me around 15 seconds. Apart from that, nothing much to report. As you can see, the pace of the two cars are fairly similar:
Lap 228 RX-7 3:31.1 Sauber 3:29.6 +39.8s
Lap 229 RX-7 3:29.5 Sauber 3:29.3 +39.6s
Lap 330 RX-7 3:29.6 Sauber 3:29.2 +39.2s
I am stretching my lead due to the Sauber's slow times on his first two laps with cold tyres. Having made one more pitstop than the Sauber this hour, my lead stands at 31s. I didn't see any other car on the circuit this hour and only had my media player for company.
Hour 15, Tuesday, June 8, 251 laps completed
I spin at the second chicane early in the hour. This allows the gap to close under 30s for the first time in a while. However, the rest of the hour is clean and tidy and I end it with a 43s lead. The BMW and the Bentley are now 7 laps down and the 787B is now 4 laps down.
Hour 16, Wednesday, June 9, 267 laps completed
Had two half-spins at the start of the hour before settling down. My lead is now 1:15s, the Sauber having made one more pitstop than me during the hour. The Bentley was lapped for the 8th time.
Hour 17, Wednesday, June 9, 284 laps completed
More mistake this hour means that the Sauber has once again closed the gap, which now stands at 30s. I want to have a 1 minute buffer by about the 20th hour so I can at least have a buffer in case some disaster happens or the car's handling goes to hell. The BMW was lapped for the 8th time.
Hour 18, Thursday, June 10, 300 laps completed
A fairly clean hour and I had a good battle for a while with the R92, who is now 2 laps down. The Bentley is 9 laps behind. And my lead is now 40s.
Hour 19, Thursday, June 10, 317 laps completed
Rubbish driving on my part, littered with many mistakes, means that my lead is still 40s when it could have been a lot more. The 787B and the BWW are now 5 and 9 laps down respectfully.
Hour 20, Friday, June 11, 334 laps completed
Another poor hour of driving. Not concentrating terribly hard. Just listening to podcasts and counting down the minutes. But the Sauber has once again reduced the gap to 31s. Can't let him get within 30s in case bad craziness eventuates.
Hour 21, Friday, June 11, 350 laps completed
A little better this hour, although I had run off the course and into the sand at Indianapolis, losing 10 seconds. The Sauber made one more pitstop than me this hour and thus my lead is 1:12s. The BMW and the Bentley are now 10 laps down.
Hour 22, Friday, June 11, 367 laps completed
Another average hour. The worst part was going up to the end of the escape road at the start of the Porsche Curves. I make one more pitstop than the Sauber and am now 38s in front. The Sauber pit are willing me to make more and more mistakes. The pressure is still on!
Hour 23, Saturday, June 12, 384 laps completed
I can smell that chequered flag! After two more spins I decided to turn off the music, slap on some R3s and put in some hard driving. I lap in the 3:25s and my fastest lap was a 3:24.2, only 0.4s off my fastest lap from much earlier in the race. I switch back to R2s for a cruise to the finish line, but I still have to keep my wits about me: the lead is still only 43s.
The 787B is now 6 laps down.
Hour 24, Saturday, June 12, 400 laps completed
I lapped the BMW and the Bentley for 11th and final time. My last pitstop is on lap 396 and with 4 laps to go I put on R3s. My penaltimate lap was a 3:25 and the final lap is a 3:34 as I cruised across the finish line waving to the crowd. In the end my lead was a comfortable and even 2 minutes at the last checkpoint the Sauber crossed.
Woooooooooooooooohoooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!
