Comfort Challenge

[Jubby]

Grand Valley 300km: Subaru Impreza WRX STi Spec C RA RM
Horsepower: 320hp
Weight: 1265kg
PP value: 504pp
Tires: Comforts, compounds described below.
P. Limiter: 88%

Started out the race on Hard tires. I really hadn't decided how long I was going to go on them, as I don't know how well they'll put the rubber down to the road.

After the opening bell, I immediately surged into 5th on the opening straight. I was able to close distance coming out of the first hairpin, and pass 4 cars before, during, and after the esses up the hill. The 300ZX pulled out to a bit of a lead. I wasn't really making up or losing time on the opening lap, so I just settled in.

The first 8 laps were very uneventful, aside from a bit of a tank-slapper coming out of the final right-hander before the front straight. Good thing they're just tires. I was putting times down around 2:19 very consistently and remaining between 2-4 seconds behind. The Silvia was making some moderate time on me, and I could see the RX-7 coming up on all of us. My fastest lap was #7 at 2:18.209.

I made up some good time on laps 7 and 8 and it led up to me being on the bumper of the 300ZX on lap 9 going up the esses. I was able to out-brake the 300ZX into the sharp right hairpin, even though he didn't make it easy. After that it was time to pull away. Laps 10-12 were in the 2:19 range and I was pulling into a moderate lead of about 3-4 seconds. The RX-7 took care of the Silvia and 300ZX by the 13th lap.

This became the boring section. My hard compounds were holding up, so I decided to give them the ultimate test- 30 laps. I never really got challenged by the RX-7 between laps 14-28. The tires gave up a second around lap 12 and another second around lap 24. The times were ultra-consistent. The RX-7 could get near me (within about .4 seconds) but never close enough to cause me to change lane. I was able to power away. Things started to get tight when my times started to lift up to the 2:21 range. Lap 27 was the worst with 2:21.928. The RX-7 pitted on lap 28, as expected, and fell back 38 seconds. He made up a bunch of time on his new tires, and just before I went into the pits on lap 30, he closed up to 31 seconds. I bet he'd be behind 30 seconds or less at the line if I was to run normal... but I need to pit for fresh rubber and just a bit of fuel.

I put on Medium compound tires and get my "free" 15 liters. My team told me I only needed 30 to make the rest of the way, so since usually anything less than 16 or 17 liters takes the same time as tires, I cut that number in half. The RX-7, as I come out of my stall, is barreling down the front straight.

I get out of the pits just ahead of the RX-7. I'm being careful getting into the 1st corner with my cold tires and the RX-7 tries to dip his nose into my right rear quarter panel. Bad form! He skirts the rumble strip and I am able to power off. I'll make sure that's the last time he sees my back bumper!

I opened my STi up and she pulled out a 2:13.307 on lap 35, and then settled into 2:15's for the next 8 laps. I started to shrink just a little into the 2:16's before it was pitting time on lap 45. Averaging just over 2 seconds a lap faster I pulled out to a lead of just over 30 seconds at pit entry. I dove into the pits to take the last 15 liters of fuel and my super grippy Soft compounds.

As I leave the pits again, I have just a little bit more of a lead over the RX-7, so he isn't able to get to my bumper... in fact I had 2 car lengths between us at all times. Good, no shenanigans this time! Time to get to business and see how much I can win this by!

I start pulling away at a monstrous pace. I'm yarding the RX-7 every second. Really pushing, I get the low lap down to 2:10.120 on 51. I couldn't have done this best lap if I needed to save the tires for more than the 15 laps. Now it's time to settle in, hit my marks and see if I can make this a 2 minute win, or even a lapper. The RX-7 pits on lap 56 and comes out just ahead of me. On fresh tires, it takes me just about a lap to get to him and pass him on the front stretch. Then I just cruise home for the last 2 laps.

Total time: 2:17:59.663
Margin of Victory(RX-7): 1 lap plus 4 seconds

Summary: This car has attitude, and the right kind. The entries were crisp and the exits were better. Any entry mistakes were the driver's fault by over driving the corner. Might be able to lower it to 300hp and it still do the trick. I might keep this thing in tact with a few mods for the Laguna race.

 

[GTsail]

Grand Valley 300km: Subaru Impreza WRX STi Spec C RA RM
Horsepower: 320hp
Weight: 1265kg
PP value: 504pp
Tires: Comforts, compounds described below.

Total time: 2:17:59.663
Margin of Victory(RX-7): 1 lap plus 4 seconds

Very nice run!

I was considering an Impreza WRX for my next run, but you beat me to it!

I guess I will have to search my garage for a Nissan or a Mitsubishi instead!

Respectfully,
GTsail

 

[Jubby]

Very nice run!

I was considering an Impreza WRX for my next run, but you beat me to it!

I guess I will have to search my garage for a Nissan or a Mitsubishi instead!

Respectfully,
GTsail

Thank you. That sounds good. I would suspect an Evo would be a good one, but I think the setting to get right would be the AYC. Too much, and you're blowing out rear tires, too little, and you're burning the front.

I'm going to get a sense of where things are going with this challenge, but I may come back to the GV and Laguna races with a stock car. It'll obviously need to be something with a little more zip, but it should be interesting.

 

[GTsail]

...I would suspect an Evo would be a good one, but I think the setting to get right would be the AYC. Too much, and you're blowing out rear tires, too little, and you're burning the front...

I may give an EVO a try.

I've had to abandon my run with a Nissan Skyline GTR. It was just not fast enough on the CH and CM tires. I never made it to the CS tires, but I'm sure that I wouldn't have been able to make up the time lost on the harder tires. Back to the drawing board!

GTsail

 

[GTsail]

There's a new Seasonal Time Trial, # 35, at Laguna Seca that requires Mitsubishi EVO's so I get out my Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X GSR PP '07 and give it a try. After 15 attempts I've got my gold trophy with a time of 1.38.181 (which puts me into 444 place). My EVO does pretty well on comfort soft tires in the 500PP tune, so I decide to give it a try in the "Comfort Challenge".

After a bit more tuning, my 2007 EVO has the following spec's:

Horsepower: 319
Weight: 1300 (stage 3 wgt reduction, then 53 kg of ballast)
PP value: 481
P. Limiter: 85.9%
Tires: all 3 comfort tire grades
No skid

Sitting on the starting grid at Grand Valley are the usual lineup # 1 suspects with the Fairlady Z 300ZX on pole, and the Mazda RX-7 Type RS '98 starting in 4th place.

I decide to start the race on comfort hard tires. We all get off to a good start, and I pass the 6th place 300ZX 2seater Z32 going into turn one and hold the position under heavy braking. On the exit from the 2nd hairpin, I out accelerate the 5th place Legacy Touring Wagon, so 5th place is mine. At the end of the lap, I'm 6 seconds behind the race leader.

On lap # 2, the Nissan Skyline Coupe 350GT drives past me going thru the final esses, but I'm able to out-accelerate him going up the S/F straight, so I re-take 5th place by the end of the lap.

On lap # 3, the Nissan Skyline Coupe drives past me again, when I go wide going thru the right-hander before the first tunnel.

I set an early lap record of 2.21.970 on lap # 4, and end the lap 20 seconds behind the race leader.

On lap # 6, I set another lap record of 2.21.902 and end the lap 28 seconds behind the race leader.

On lap # 8, I get passed by the Toyota Supra RZ, who has been hounding me for the last few laps.

On lap # 9, the Impreza Sedan WRX STI '99 finally gets his act together, and drives past me as we go thru the first hairpin. I'm now in 8th place in the race, which isn't too bad, but I am 41 seconds behind the race leader.

On lap # 10, I have troubles under braking for the first hairpin, which allows the 300ZX 2seater Z32 to come past me. At the end of the lap, I'm 53 seconds behind the race leader.

On lap # 11, I re-pass the 8th place 300ZX 2seater going across the bridge, because he was being held up by the Infiniti G35 Coupe.

On lap # 12, I catch and pass the 7th place G35 Coupe going thru the 2nd hairpin. I also set a new lap record of 2.21.420.

After 15 laps, I dive into the pits and ask my pit crew for a some comfort medium tires. At the last checkpoint on lap # 15, I was shown as being 1 minute and 10 seconds behind the race leader.

While I'm in the pits, the rest of the field drives past, so as I begin lap # 16, I'm in 12th place in the race. At the first checkpoint on lap # 16, I get the news that I'm 1 minute and 44 seconds behind the race leader.

Just as I begin lap # 18, I pass the 11th place Mits GTO Twin Turbo. I also pass both the 10th place Celica GT-FOUR and the 9th place Legacy Touring Wagon, as we go thru the fast sweepers between the two hairpins. Up next is the 8th place Infinit G35 Coupe, who I pass as we go thru the first tunnel. I end the lap 1 minute and 40 seconds behind the race leader after a lap record 2.17.927 lap.

On lap # 20, I catch and pass the 7th place 300ZX 2seater Z32. Lap # 20 see's a new lap record of 2.17.017, and I end the lap 1 minute and 35 seconds behind the race leader.

Just at the end of lap # 23, I pass the 6th place Toyota Supra RZ, and set a new lap record of 2.16.846, and end the lap 1 minute and 30 seconds behind the race leader.

The 5th place Fairlady Z 300ZX Ver.S has just pitted in front of me, so as I begin lap # 24, I drive past and claim 5th place in the race.

As I begin lap # 25, I pass the 4th place Skyline Coupe 350GT, who is in the pits. I end the lap 1 minute and 20 seconds behind the race leading Mazda RX-7 Type RS.

As I begin lap # 28, I pass the 3rd place Nissan Silvia spec-R Aero, who is in the pits as well.

As I begin lap # 29, I see that I'm only 30 seconds behind the race leading Mazda RX-7, who has been in and out of the pits, but has maintained his first place lead over the 2nd place Impreza Sedan WRX STI.

I'm not sure that I could make a set of comfort soft tires last 30 laps, so to save an extra pit stop, I decide to run 20 laps on the CM tires before pitting. This decision is made easier by the fact that I'm catching the 2nd place Impreza Sedan WRX STI as I begin lap # 31, because the Impreza has slowed on his worn tires. At the end of lap # 31, I see that I'm 26 seconds behind the race leading Mazda RX-7.

On lap # 32, I catch and pass the 2nd place Impreza Sedan WRX.

On lap # 33, the 3rd place Impreza Sedan WRX pits and falls back to 5th place in the race. The Nissan Silvia spec-R re-gains 3rd place, and the Nissan Skyline Coupe 350GT takes over 4th place in the race. After 33 laps, I see that I'm 33 seconds behind the race leading Mazda RX-7 after a 2.18.015 lap.

After 35 laps, I dive into the pits and ask my pit crew for a set of comfort soft tires. While I'm in the pits, the 3rd place Nissan Silvia spec-R and the 4th place Nissan Skyline Coupe 350GT both drive past and drop me into 4th place in the race.

At the first checkpoint on lap # 36, I see that I've fallen 68 seconds behind the race leading Mazda RX-7. I catch and pass the 4th place Nissan Skyline Coupe on the S/F straight just before the end of the lap.

On lap # 37, I set a new lap record of 2.12.787, and end the lap 65 seconds behind the race leading Mazda RX-7.

On lap # 39, I catch and pass the 2nd place Nissan Silvia spec-R going across the bridge.

I set a new lap record of 2.12.542 on lap # 42, and end the lap only 45 seconds behind the race leading Mazda RX-7.

On lap # 43, I catch and pass the 300ZX 2seater Z32 and put him a lap down.

After 45 laps, I'm only 30 seconds behind the race leading Mazda RX-7 after a 2.12.664 lap.

On lap # 47, I pass both the Toyota Supra RZ and the Infiniti G35 Coupe, and put them both a lap down.

On lap # 50, I catch and pass the 5th place Nissan Skyline Coupe, who has just exited the pits after his 2nd pit stop, so he goes a lap down. At the end of the lap, I'm only 0.076 seconds behind the race leading Mazda RX-7 after catching his draft up the S/F straight.

On lap # 51, I pass the 1st place Mazda RX-7 going into the first hairpin, and take over the race lead! I end the lap with a 4 second lead over the Mazda RX-7.

The 4th place Nissan Silvia spec-R pits at the end of lap # 53, and he comes out of the pits just in front of me as I begin lap # 54. I quickly pass the Nissan Silvia as we brake for the 2nd hairpin, so he goes a lap down.

After 55 laps, I have opened up a 28 second lead over the Mazda RX-7, who is going slowly on worn tires. My tires are showing their age as well, but they should be able to get me to the finish.

At the first checkpoint on lap # 58, I see my lead jump up to 62 seconds, when the Mazda RX-7 pits for a second time. My tires are pretty much worn out at this point, so my last lap was only a 2.15.795.

On lap # 60, I pass the Infiniti G35 Coupe and put him 2 laps down, and then go on to win the race.

Race time: 2 hours, 18 minutes, 49.089 seconds

Finishing order:
---------------
1) me in the Lancer EVO X '07
2) Mazda RX-7 Type RS --------70 seconds back
3) Impreza Sedan WRX ---------1minute,52 sec's back
4) Nissan Silvia spec-R ---------1 lap down
5) Skyline Coupe 350GT --------1 lap down
6) Fairlady Z 300ZX ------------1 lap down
7) Toyota Supra RX ------------1 lap down
8) 300ZX 2seater --------------1 lap down
9) Legacy Touring Wagon ------1 lap down
10) Celica GT-FOUR ------------2 laps down
11) GTO Twin Turbo ------------2 laps down
12) Infiniti G35 Coupe ----------2 laps down

Post race notes:
----------------
My Mits EVO handles pretty well on comfort tires so my winning margin was more than I expected. I may want to try this again with a little less horsepower. But first, its on to Laguna Seca!

Enjoy the racing!
GTsail

 

[axletramp]

Nice run. 4WD definitely looks the way to go here. I've not had much GT5 time recently, but I'll get back onto this soon.

 

[GTsail]

Its time for the 2nd race at Laguna Seca:

I have my EVO hauled out to California, and get my crew to give me some extra horsepower. After some extensive tuning, my Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X GSR PP '07 has the following spec's:

Horsepower: 335
Weight: 1300 (stage 3 wgt reduction, then 53kg of ballast)
PP value: 488
P.Limiter: 87.6%
Tires: all 3 comfort tire grades
No skid

Sitting on the Laguna Seca track are the mandatory grid # 1 cars with the Pontiac GTO 5.7 Coupe on pole, and the two rabbits back in 8th and 9th place.

I decide to start the race on comfort hard tires to give the AI a chance to lead the race.

From the start, I hold my position as we dive into turn one. I pass the 6th place Dodge Challenger R/T as we go thru turn # 3. I also pass the 5th place Mustang SVT Cobra going thru turn # 11 (the hairpin), and end the lap 5 seconds behind the race leading Pontiac GTO 5.7 Coupe.

On lap # 2, I miss-judge the turn one braking points and slide off into the edge of the sand and get passed by both the Challenger R/T and the Mustang SVT Cobra. At the end of the lap, I re-pass the Mustang SVT Cobra going thru turn # 11, and end the lap 6 seconds behind the race leading Pontiac GTO 5.7 Coupe.

I set an early lap record of 1.47.093 on lap # 4, and end the lap 8 seconds behind the race leading Pontiac GTO 5.7 Coupe.

At the end of lap # 8, I pass the 5th place Dodge Challenger R/T as we exit turn # 11, and end the lap 17 seconds behind the race leading Plymouth Prowler (who has passed the Pontiac GTO recently).

At the beginning of lap # 11, the 2004 Corvette Z06 C5 beats me thru turn one, when I get a bit wide under heavy braking. I end the lap in 6th place, 26 seconds behind the race leading Plymouth Prowler.

At the end of lap # 13, I pass the 5th place Buick GNX '87 as we accelerate up the S/F straight at the end of the lap.

On lap # 15, I get passed by the 2010 Camaro SS and then dive into the pits for a set of comfort medium tires and just a little fuel. I was 36 seconds behind the race leading Plymouth Prowler when I entered the pits. While I'm in the pits, the rest of the field drives past except for the 12th place Cuda 440 Six Pack, who is about 45 seconds further back.

At the first checkpoint on lap # 16, I see that I've fallen 64 seconds behind the race leading Prowler.

On lap # 17, I set a new lap record of 1.44.135.

On lap # 19, I set a new lap record of 1.43.106, and end the lap 56 seconds behind the race leader.

At the end of lap # 20, I catch and pass the 10th place '69 Camaro SS as we head up the S/F straight.

On lap # 21, I pass the 9th place Mustang SVT Cobra, the 8th place Buick GNX and the 7th place Mustang GT '05, who were all bunched up together in a tight 3-car pack. By the end of the lap, I'm only 50 seconds behind the race leader.

On lap # 25, I catch and pass the 6th place Pontiac GTO 5.7 Coupe. We are 41 seconds behind the race leader.

On lap # 28, I pass the 5th place Dodge Challenger R/T, and see that I'm only 30 seconds behind the race leading Plymouth Prowler.

On lap # 30, I'm only 20 seconds behind the race leading Prowler when I dive into the pits for a set of comfort soft tires and 22 liters of fuel. While I'm in the pits, I get passed by the Challenger R/T and the Pontiac GTO 5.7, so I begin lap # 31 in 7th place. The Pontiac GTO is just in front of me as I exit the pits, so I pass him as we go thru turn # 6. At the 2nd checkpoint on lap # 31, I see that I've fallen 50 seconds behind the race leading Plymouth Prowler.

On lap # 32, the 2004 Corvette Z06 C5 passes the Plymouth Prowler, and takes over 1st place in the race. At the end of lap # 32, I see that I'm 43 seconds behind the race leading 2004 Corvette C5 after a lap record of 1.42.014.

On lap # 34, the 2004 Corvette C5 and the Plymouth Prowler both pit, so I jump up to 3rd place in the race, some 30 seconds behind the newly race leading 2010 Camaro SS. I also set a new lap record of 1.41.075.

At the end of lap # 35, the race leading 2010 Camaro SS pits, so I drive past and take over 2nd place in the race. I'm now only 20 seconds behind the race leading 2000 Corvette C5 (who hasn't pitted yet).

On lap # 40, I catch and pass the 1st place 2000 Corvette C5, and end the lap with a 3 second lead after a decent 1.41.185 lap.

At the end of lap # 41, the 2nd place 2000 Corvette C5 pits and falls back into 6th place in the race. I now see that I have a 13 second lead over the 2004 Corvette C5.

On lap # 45, I set a new lap record of 1.40.808, which helps me maintain my 13 second lead over the 2004 Corvette C5.

After 50 laps, my lead has grown to 15 seconds over the 2004 Corvette C5.

After 55 laps, my lead has grown to 20 seconds over the 2004 Corvette C5 after a lap record 1.40.511.

I have a 28 second lead over the 2004 Corvette C5 when I pit at the end of lap # 60 for another set of CS tires. While I'm in the pits, the 2nd place 2004 Corvette C5 drives past and drops me into 2nd place. The 3rd place 2010 Camaro SS is at least 20 seconds further back, so he doesn't catch me during my pit stop.

At the end of lap # 61, I'm only 2 seconds behind the 1st place 2004 Corvette C5.

On lap # 62, we both lap the 6th place 2000 Corvette C5 and the 5th place Dodge Challenger R/T.

On lap # 63, we both lap the 4th place Plymouth Prowler.

On lap # 66, I pass the 1st place 2004 Corvette C5 and re-gain the race lead.

On lap # 70, I set a new lap record of 1.40.225 and end the lap with a 35 second lead over the 2004 Corvette C5, who has just pitted for a second time.

After 80 laps, I have a 42 second lead over the 2004 Corvette C5.

On lap # 83, I catch and pass the 3rd place 2010 Camaro SS, and put him a lap down.

On lap # 88, I catch and pass the 4th place Dodge Challenger R/T and put him 2 laps down.

After 90 laps, I win another trophy!

Race time was: 2 hours, 36 minutes, 36.625 seconds

Finishing order:
----------------
1) me in the 2007 EVO
2) 2004 Corvette C5-----44 seconds back
3) 2010 Camaro SS-------1 lap down
4) Challenger R/T-------2 laps down
5) 2000 Corvette C5-----2 laps down
6) Prowler '02----------2 laps down
7) '69 Camaro SS--------2 laps down
8) Mustang SVT Cobra----2 laps down
9) Buick GNX '87--------many laps down
10) Pontiac GTO---------many laps down
11) Mustang GT '05------many laps down
12) Cuda 440 Six Pack---many laps down

Post race notes:
----------------
My EVO does just great at Laguna Seca. The race ended up being a little easy during the last 30 laps, so I was just cruising at that point. I'm not sure what happened to the 2010 Camaro SS, he wasn't nearly as strong as the 2004 Corvette C5, so I was able to lap him!

After my Laguna Seca race, I go back and take a look at the Seasonal TT # 35 leaderboard and see that I've dropped from 444th place down to 660th place. Yikes!

Not satisfied with being outside the top 500, I hop back in my now fully broken-in EVO and run another 5 laps at the Laguna Seca time trial. I drop my time to 1.37.650, which puts me in 395th place on the leaderboard. Much better!

Enjoy the racing!
GTsail

 

[Jubby]

Great run GTSail... my turn:

Laguna Seca 200mi: Subaru Impreza WRX STi Spec C RA RM
Horsepower: 320hp
Weight: 1265kg
PP value: 504pp
Tires: Comforts, compounds described below.
P. Limiter: 88%

I decided to use the same specs for this race too. I tweaked the suspension to make it softer and cover the famous bumps and corkscrew. I started with CH tires.

I took off like a rocket with my 4WD and took lead at start finish lap one.
Lots of conveyor belting over the first 15 laps, with people behind me changing position:
GTO passed by Prowler lap 4, Camaro SS in 3rd closed up on Prowler lap 5, Challenger and one of the Corvettes came up to 3rd and 4th on lap 7.

I kept lowering lap times until lap 10 with a fast lap 1:44.791
The 4th place Corvette passes the Challenger on lap 12
Prowler got passed on lap 18, Camaro right on my bumper on lap 19.
Most laps were high 1:44 to low 1:46

Pit on Lap 20 for CM and 17 liters of fuel, came out 6th about 28 seconds back at the next trap.

My surge back to the front began:

Passed 5th place Corvette at the last hairpin on lap 24.
Passed the Challenger at the top of the corkscrew on lap 25, still 24 seconds back.
Passed the Prowler, into 3rd, on the front straight on lap 26... losing a little time in traffic, 26 seconds back.
Passed the Corvette for 2nd as he went into the pits on lap 34.
Passed the Camaro for the lead as he went into the pits on lap 35, at that point, I had made up most of the deficit.

Fast CM lap was lap 23: 1:41.826

I tried to pit on lap 40, but because of my entry, I was disallowed from pitting that lap. That cost me 15 seconds. D'oh!
I re-pit on lap 41 for CS tires, at this point my lead was about 50 seconds. I filled up the tank (45 liters) to take me to the finish. Will the tires hold 49 laps?

At the first trap after exit I was still ahead by 6.78 seconds. And the boring part:
Another 20 laps, just some back-marker passing. Lapped what I believe is the 6th place Corvette around lap 50. Margin increased to over 45 seconds.
Got a fast lap of 1:39.076 on lap 48, but now settled into 1:40 laps running about 85-90%, saving tires. They seem to be doing alright so far at lap 61.
Passed the other Corvette on lap 66. The tires are starting to show wear. I see where others have decided to pit after 30 with CS. Margin up to 1:10.
Passed the Camaro at the end of lap 71, but again, he was entering the pits. The 3rd place Corvette took over second and stuck with me about a lap plus 5-6 seconds behind.
My times were falling into the 1:42 range once I got to lap 80 and the Corvette was slowly making ground to un-lap himself.
I was able to hold off the Corvette until the end, as some lapped traffic made the margin a bit wider.

Total Time: 2:35:34.611
Margin: (Corvette Z06): 1 Lap + 5 seconds

Summary: Yup, just as I hoped, CS tires over 49 laps held... I probably could have made them hold for 60. It's always a pleasure to drive one of my favorites! Looking forward to the 4h Tsukuba race, and looking at a stock car for the next run through.

 

[GTsail]

Subaru Impreza WRX STi Spec C RA RM
Horsepower: 320hp
Weight: 1265kg
PP value: 504pp
Tires: Comforts,

I tried to pit on lap 40, but because of my entry, I was disallowed from pitting that lap. That cost me 15 seconds. D'oh!
I re-pit on lap 41 for CS tires

Margin: [over] (Corvette Z06): 1 Lap + 5 seconds

Nice run Jubby!

I see that you were a bit exuberant with your pit-entry speed.

Its amazing how slow the game wants you to be going for that tight pit entrance. Almost walking speed!

Are you going to attempt the 4 hour Miata race at Tsukuba next? I intend to give it another go, so you may see me there!

GTsail

 

[Jubby]

Nice run Jubby!

I see that you were a bit exuberant with your pit-entry speed.

Its amazing how slow the game wants you to be going for that tight pit entrance. Almost walking speed!

Are you going to attempt the 4 hour Miata race at Tsukuba next? I intend to give it another go, so you may see me there!

GTsail

Sure do... sometime soon. Good luck!

 

[GTsail]

Its time for the 3rd Race at Tsukuba:

I decide to give my second game profile some additional credits, so after some minor testing, I settle for red Mazda Roadster 1600 NR-A NB '04, that hasn't yet run at Tsukuba. After some wrenching by my fabled pit crew, my Miata has the following spec's:

Horsepower: 183
Weight: 1020 (stage 1 wgt reduction, then 33kg of ballast)
PP value: 409
Tires: all 3 grades of comfort tires
P. Limiter: 97.0%
No skid

Sitting on the starting line at Tsukuba are the mandatory grid # 1 cars as follows:

1) MX-5 1.8 RS NB,J '98
2) MX-5 NA '89
3) Roadster 1800RS NB '00 (Lopez)
4) Eunos Roadster V-Special II NA '93
5) MX-5 1800RS NB,J '00
6) MX-5 V-Special II NA,J '93
7) GTsail2 in the Mazda Roadster 1600 NR-A
8) Roadster 1800RS NB '04
9) Roadster 1.8RS NB '98
10) Roadster 1600 NR-A NB '04
11) Eunos Roadster S-Special I NA '95
12) MX-5 J-Limited NA,J '91

I decide to once again start the race on comfort hard tires.

Off the starting line, I accelerate away and slide up the inside of the 4th place car going thru turn one. I chase hard for the next few turns to stay close behind the Lopez/Roadster 1800RS NB '00, and then pass the 3rd place Roadster 1800RS going up the long back straight. At the end of lap # 1, I'm in 3rd place, 2.8 seconds behind the race leading MX-5 NA '89.

I now settle in for some apex carving laps.

After 5 laps, I'm still in 3rd place, some 10 seconds behind the race leading MX-5 NS '89, who is easily pulling away from me after my early lap record of 1.13.254.

More apex hugging...

After 10 laps, I'm still in 3rd place, 22 seconds behind the race leading MX-5 NA '89 after another lap record of 1.13.111.

More apex hugging...

After 15 laps, I'm still in 3rd place, 33 seconds behind the race leading MX-5 NA '89.

More apex hugging...

After 20 laps, I'm still in 3rd place, 44 seconds behind the race leading MX-5 NA '89.

More apex hugging...

After 25 laps, I'm still in 3rd place, 52 seconds behind the race leading MX-5 NA '89 after another lap record of 1.13.089.

On lap # 28, I completely blow turn one and get completely out of shape, and light up all four tires. Immediately, the 4th place Roadster 1800RS NB '00 and the 5th place Roadster 1800RS NB '04 drive past and drop me into 5th place. I'm unable to recover, so they both pull away before the next corner, so they pull away during the rest of the lap. Oops! At the end of the lap, I see that I ran a 1.17.247 lap, and end the lap 60 seconds behind the race leading MX-5 NA '89, who is nearing the back of the pack (who are all tightly bunched up behind me on the track).

On lap # 33, I see that the 1st place MX-5 NA '89 has caught the back of the field and has a 67 second lead over me. The 2nd place MX-5 1.8RS NBJ '98 is about 10 seconds behind him, while the 3rd place Roadster 1800RS NB '00 is about 20 seconds further back, and is perhaps 20 seconds ahead of me.

After 40 laps, I'm still in 5th place, 68 seconds behind the race leading MX-5 NA '89, who must be stuck in the pack that's lined up behind me. I have set a new lap record of 1.13.004 on lap # 39. The 2nd place MX-5 1.8RS NBJ '98 still hasn't caught the back of the pack, but he is close to doing so. The 3rd place rabbit, the Roadster 1800RS NB '00 is only about 10 seconds behind him.

On lap # 43, the 2nd place MX-5 1.8RS NBJ '98 catches the back of the pack behind me, so I'm still about 67 seconds behind him at the end of the lap.

On lap # 45, I notice that the car right behind me is the 1st place MX-5 NA '89, so he's been able to drive thru the 8-car pack that's bunched up behind me.

On lap # 46, I see that the 3rd place rabbit, the Roadster 1800RS NB '00 has caught the back of the 9-car pack that's stacked up behind me.

On lap # 48, the 4th place Roadster 1800RS NB '04 has caught the back of the 10-car pack that's stacked up behind me. I'm now shown as about 72 seconds behind the race leading MX-5 NA '89, who has fallen back into the middle of the 11-car pack.

From 5th place in the race, I dive into the pits after 50 laps and ask my pit crew for a set of comfort medium tires. The entire 11- car field immediately drives past and drops me into 12th place in the race.

At the end of lap # 52, I see that I am 1 lap, plus about 20 seconds behind the race leading MX-5 NA '89 after a lap record 1.11.774.

On lap # 55, I set a new lap record of 1.11.185, though, I'm still in 12th place in the race.

On lap # 57, I catch and pass the 11th place MX-5 J-Limited NAJ '91. I also pass the 10th place Roadster 1.8RS NB '98.

On lap # 58, I catch and pass the 9th place Eunos Roadster S-Special I NA '95.

On lap # 59, I catch and pass the 8th place MX-5 V-Special II NAJ '93.

On lap # 60, I pass the 4th place MX-5 1.8RS NBJ '98, who was a full lap ahead of me, so I've un-lapped myself to him.

On lap # 64, I catch and pass the 7th place Eunos Roadster V-Special II NA '93, after a new lap record of 1.10.656.

On lap # 70, I catch and pass the 6th place Roadster 1600 NR-A NB '04, and end the lap, still 1 lap down plus about 10 seconds behind the race leading Roadster 1800RS NB '00 (who has taken over the race lead), after a decent 1.10.868 lap.

On lap # 72, I catch and pass the 5th place MX-5 1800RS NBJ '00.

On lap # 73, I pass the 3rd place Roadster 1800RS NB '04, who was a full lap ahead of me, so I've un-lapped myself to him.

On lap # 74, I pass the 2nd place MX-5 NA '89, so I've finally caught, and un-lapped myself to the car that had the race lead for the initial part of the race. At the end of lap # 74, I'm still 1 lap, plus about 10 seconds behind the race leading Roadster 1800RS NB '00, who has been driving just as fast as me.

At the end of lap # 88, I see that the 1st place Roadster 1800RS NB '00 has caught the back of the field. This should slow him down, which would be a good thing, since I still 1 lap, plus about 7 seconds behind him.

On lap # 92, I lap the 12th place MX-5 J-Limited NAJ '91, as we begin to catch the back-markers.

On lap # 96, I catch and pass the 4th place MX-5 1.8RS NBJ '98, so I'm now in 4th place in the race, 1 lap, plus about 5 seconds behind the race leading Roadster 1800RS NB '00.

At the end of lap # 99, I'm just behind the race leading Roadster 1800RS NB '00 when he enters the pits (after his 100th lap). I will continue on for one more lap, and then join him in the pits. This early pit stop by the Roadster 1800RS NB '00 drops him back into 3rd place in the race.

After 100 laps, I dive into the pits and get a set of comfort soft tires and 35 liters of fuel. While I'm in the pits, I lose a position to the MX-5 1.8RS NBJ '98.

At the end of lap # 101, I see that I'm about 1 minute and 20 seconds behind the new race leader, the MX-5 NA '89, so I'm now on the same lap with the 4 leading cars.

On lap # 104, I set a new lap record on my CS tires with a 1.09.418 lap.

On lap # 108, I pass the 4th place MX-5 1.8RS NBJ '98, and find myself in 4th place, about 58 seconds behind the race leading Roadster 1800RS NB '00, who has re-gained the race lead after the exchange of pit stops.

After a lap record of 1.09.390 on lap # 113, I'm shown as being 53 seconds behind the race leading Roadster 1800RS NB '00.

Time for a break.....

On lap # 119, I pass the 3rd place MX-5 NA '89 and take over 3rd place in the race. I also set a new lap record of 1.09.333 and end the lap 49 seconds behind the race leading Roadster 1800RS NB '00.

On lap # 130, I catch and pass the 2nd place Roadster 1800RS NB .04 and end the lap only 44 seconds behind the race leading Roadster 1800RS NB '00.

After 140 laps, I see that I'm only 40 seconds behind the race leading Roadster 1800RS NB '00.

On lap # 150, I reach the 3-hour mark and see that I'm only 32 seconds behind the race leading Roadster 1800RS NB '00.

After 160 laps, I see that I'm only 15 seconds behind the race leading Roadster 1800RS NB '00.

After 170 laps, I'm only 2 seconds behind the race leading Roadster 1800RS NB '00.

On lap # 172, I catch and pass the 1st place Roadster 1800RS NB '00, and take over 1st place in the race for the first time!! I end the lap with a 2 second lead.

After 180 laps, I've been able to stretch out a 12 second lead over the Roadster 1800RS NB '00, who has eased off and is just cruising the track at Tsukuba.

On lap # 190, my lead is up to a full 30 seconds over the Roadster 1800RS NB '00.

As I begin lap # 198, I see that I have a 40 second lead over the Roadster 1800RS NB '00.

As I begin lap # 199, I get the news that I have a 1 lap lead over the Piras/Roadster 1800RS NB '04, who has taken over 2nd place in the race because the Lopez/Roadster 1800RS NB '00 has pitted with 2 minutes left in the race.

With 20 second left before the 4 hour mark, I begin lap # 201 with a 1 lap and 20 second lead over the 2nd place Roadster 1800RS NB '04.

After 201 laps, I win the race!

Race time was 4 hours, 0 minutes and 53 seconds.

Finish order:
------------
1) me
2) Roadster 1800RS NB '04 ----1 lap, plus 20 sec's back
3) Roadster 1800RS NB '00 ----1 lap, plus 25 sec's back
4) MX-5 NS '89 ---------------3 laps back
5) MX-5 1800RS NB,J '00 ------3 laps back
6) Roadster 1600 NR-A NB '04--3 laps back
7) MX-5 1.8RS NB,J '98 --------4 laps back
8) Eunos Roadster V-Special II NA '93--4 laps back
9) MX-5 V-Special II NA,J '93----------4 laps back
10) Roadster 1.8RS NB '98 ------------5 laps back
11) MX-5 J-Limited NA,J '91 -----------5 laps back
12) Eunos Roadster S-Special I NA '91 --5 laps back

Post race notes:
----------------
Quite a decent race! Letting the first two cars get away at the start of the race ends up being ok because they aren't the rabbits, so you can run them down. It also makes the first lap much "cleaner" without the need to dive-bomb the 2nd place car going into turn three. Being behind for the first 172 laps is pretty wild. The Roadster 1800RS NB '00 was pretty strong all race long, and then finally started to fade a little during the last 20 laps before I caught him. I didn't expect him to pit on lap 198, so I was certainly surprised to end up with a 1 lap lead at the end of the race.

Enjoy the racing!
GTsail

 

[Jubby]

Leaderboards up!!! Now everyone has something to shoot for. Hopefully a bigger following.

I hope to be running some soon... lots of stuff going on at home, etc.

 

[GTsail]

I decide its time to have another go at the "Valley", so I check my garage for my favorite RX-7 and take it to the GT Auto service for a chassis maintenance.

After some tuning my Mazda RX-7 Spirit R Type A FD '02 has the following spec's:

Horsepower: 311
Weight: 1300 (added 30 kg of ballast)
PP value: 475
Wing: at zero
Tires: all 3 comfort tire grades
P. Limiter: 89.1%
No skid

Sitting on the grid at the "Valley" are the normal lineup # 1 cars with the Nissan Fairlady Z 300ZX on pole, and the Mazda RX-7 Type RS '98 in 4th place.

I will start the race on comfort hard tires. The flag drops and we're off! I hold my position going thru the two hairpins and then pass the 6th place 300ZX 2seater going thru the tight left-hander just before the first tunnel. At the end of the lap, I'm in 6th place, 7.4 seconds behind the race leader after a 2.27.997 lap.

I hold my 6th place position during lap # 2 and lap # 3, but going thru the 2nd hairpin on lap # 4, the Skyline Coupe 350GT drives past and takes over 6th place in the race. The Subaru Impreza WRX STI also drives past me going thru the final esses, so at the end of the lap, I've fallen back into 8th place, some 20 seconds behind the race leader.

At the beginning of lap # 6, I get passed by the 300ZX 2seater going thru the first hairpin.

At the beginning of lap # 7, I leave my braking point too late for the first hairpin, and slide off into the sand. This allows the rest of the field to drive past, so I get dropped into 12th place. By the end of the lap, I see that I'm 39 seconds behind the race leader (the Nissan Silvia spec-R) after a 2.25.786 lap.

After 10 laps, I find myself 57 seconds behind the race leader (the Mazda RX-7 Type RS, who passed the Nissan Silvia on lap # 9), even after a new lap record of 2.22.609.

On lap # 12, I set a new lap record of 2.22.367 and have caught sight of a 3-car pack that includes the 9th place G35 Coupe, the 10th place GTO Twin Turbo, and the 11th place Celica GT-FOUR, who are all traveling together.

At the bridge checkpoint on lap # 15, I see that I've fallen 1 minute and 22 seconds behind the race leading Mazda RX-7. At the end of the lap, I'm about 1 second behind the 11th place Toyota Celica GT-FOUR, when I dive into the pits and ask my pit crew for a set of comfort medium tires.

At the first checkpoint on lap # 16, I see that I've fallen 1 minute and 56 seconds behind the race leader.

On lap # 17, I set a new lap record of 2.18.038, as I begin the process of reeling in the rest of the field from last place.

On lap # 19, I set a new lap record of 2.17.075 and end the lap 1 minute and 52 seconds behind the race leader.

On lap # 20, I catch and pass the 11th place Toyota Celica GT-FOUR and the 10th place G35 Coupe. I end the lap 1 minute and 50 seconds behind the race leader.

On lap # 21, I catch and pass the 9th place GTO Twin Turbo.

On lap # 22, I catch and pass the 8th place Subaru Legacy Touring Wagon and end the lap 1 minute and 46 seconds behind the race leader after a new lap record of 2.17.039.

On lap # 23, I catch and pass both the 7th place Toyota Supra and the 6th place 300ZX 2seater.

As I begin lap # 24, I pass the 5th place Fairlady Z 300ZX because he's in the pits for his first stop. According to race control, I'm only about 1 minute and 40 seconds behind the race leading Mazda RX-7 Type RS, who has finally started to slow down a bit on his worn tires.

As I begin lap # 26, I pass the 4th place Skyline Coupe 350GT because he's in the pits for his first stop.

After 28 laps, I see that I've reduced the race leading Mazda RX-7's lead to 50 seconds due to his first pit stop.

At the end of lap # 30, I dive into the pits and ask my pit crew for a set of comfort soft tires. I'm 53 seconds behind the race leading Mazda RX-7 Type RS, who has pulled away a bit since his tires are in better shape than mine.

Break-time....

At the first checkpoint on lap # 31, I see that I've fallen 1 minute and 25 seconds behind the race leading Mazda RX-7 Type RS.

On lap # 32, I set a new lap record of 2.13.096 and end the lap 1 minute and 20 seconds behind the race leading Mazda RX-7.

On lap # 34, I catch and pass the 3rd place Impreza Sedan WRX STI Ver. VI.

On lap # 35, I set a new lap record of 2.12.737, and end the lap 1 minute and 10 seconds behind the race leading Mazda RX-7.

At the very end of lap # 37, I draft past the 2nd place Nissan Silvia spec-R Aero and find myself 61 seconds behind the race leading Mazda RX-7.

After 40 laps, the Mazda RX-7 Type RS still has a 52 second lead over me.

After 44 laps, the Mazda RX-7's lead is down to 31 seconds.

At the end of lap # 45, I pit for another set of CS tires. I'm 30 seconds behind the race leading Mazda RX-7 when I pit.

At the first checkpoin on lap # 46, I see that I've fallen 61 seconds behind the race leading Mazda RX-7.

On lap # 47, I pass the 8th place 300ZX 2seater, so he goes a lap down.

At the beginning of lap # 48, I draft past both the 7th place Toyota Supra and the 6th place Fairlady Z 300ZX (who has just exited the pits), so they both go a lap down.

On lap # 50, I pass the G35 Coupe again, so he goes two laps down. At the end of the lap, I see that I'm only 35 seconds behind the race leading Mazda RX-7 who has started to slow on worn tires.

Just as I begin lap # 52, I pass the 5th place Skyline Coupe 350GT, who was just leaving the pits, so he goes a lap down.

At the end of lap # 53, I pass the Toyota Celica GT-FOUR again, so he goes two laps down. The margin to the first place Mazda RX-7 is now only 9 seconds, as I've put together three good laps in a row of 2.12.811, 2.12.784, and then 2.12.747.

At the end of lap # 54, I draft up to the rear of the race leading Mazda RX-7 Type RS, and end the lap in 2nd place, but only 0.084 seconds behind the race leader.

On lap # 55, I pass the Mazda RX-7 Type RS as we cross the bridge, so I take over first place in the race! The Mazda RX-7 decides to pit early, so he heads into the pits at the end of lap # 55.

By the end of lap # 57, I see that I have a 33 second lead over the Mazda RX-7.

After 60 laps, I cross the Finish line only some 2 seconds behind the 4th place Nissan Silvia spec-R (who is nearly a full lap down), and take the race win!

Race time was 2 hours, 19 minutes and 8.739 seconds

Finishing order:
-----------------
1) me
2) Mazda RX-7------37 seconds back
3) Impreza WRX-----1 min, 2 sec's back
4) Nissan Silvia---2 min, 13 sec's back
5) Skyline Coupe---1 lap down
6) Fairlady Z------1 lap down
7) 300ZX 2seater---1 lap down
8) Toyota Supra----1 lap down
9) GTO TWin Turbo--2 laps down
10) Legacy Wagon---2 laps down
11) Toyota Celica--2 laps down
12) G35 Coupe------2 laps down

Post race notes:
----------------
Pretty good race. The AI's Mazda RX-7 Type RS fades over the last five laps on each tire stint before he pits, so you make up a ton of time during these laps. My Mazda RX-7 Spirit handles pretty good on comfort tires so I could set some nice fast and consistent laps once I was on the better tires.

Enjoy the racing!
GTsail

 

[GTsail]

Its time for the 2nd race at Laguna Seca:

I have my Mazda RX-7 Spirit R Type A FD '02 hauled out to California, and get my crew to give me some extra horsepower. After some extensive tuning, my Mazda RX-7 has the following spec's:

Horsepower: 340
Weight: 1300 (added 30kg of ballast)
PP value: 488
Wing: at 1
P.Limiter: 90.8%
Tires: all 3 comfort tire grades
No skid

Sitting on the Laguna Seca track are the mandatory grid # 1 cars with the Pontiac GTO 5.7 Coupe on pole, and the two rabbits back in 8th and 9th place.

I start the race on comfort hard tires. I get dumped into the sand on lap # 1 twice, so I have to re-start twice before getting underway for real.

During lap # 1, I hold my 7th place position, just behind the Dodge Challenger R/T '70, and end the lap 5.5 seconds behind the race leading Pontiac GTO 5.7 Coupe.

On lap # 2, I get passed by the 2004 Corvette C5, the 2010 Camaro SS, and the 2000 Corvette C5, and find myself in 10th place, 7.5 seconds behind the race leading Pontiac GTO.

On lap # 4, I set an early lap record of 1.47.688 and end the lap 12.7 seconds behind the race leading Pontiac GTO.

On lap # 8, the 2004 Corvette C5 passes the Chrysler Prowler and takes over the lead of the race.

On lap # 9, I set a new lap record of 1.47.404 and end the lap 35 seconds behind the race leading 2004 Corvette C5.

On lap # 12, I set a new lap record of 1.47.081 and end the lap 55 seconds behind the race leading 2004 Corvette C5.

After 15 laps, I dive into the pits and ask my pit-crew for a set of comfort medium tires. Race control tells me that I'm 68 seconds behind the race leader. The good news is that I'm only about 2 seconds behind the Mustang SVT Cobra, who I was catching over the last few laps (so even on CH tires, I'm faster than the Cuda 440 Six Pack and the two Mustangs).

At the 2nd checkpoint on lap # 16, I see that I have fallen 1 minute and 40 seconds behind the race leading 2004 Corvette C5.

On lap # 17, the 2004 Corvette C5 appears in my mirrors!! And the news is flashed that I'm 1 minute and 42 seconds behind him, even though he's behind me!! Yikes!!

On lap # 18, I set a new lap record of 1.43.265 with my nice fresh CM tires.

At the end of lap # 20, I catch and pass the 10th place 69 Camaro SS and end the lap 1 minute and 40 seconds behind the race leading 2004 Corvette C5 after a new lap record of 1.42.558.

On lap # 21, I catch and pass a 3-car pack, which includes the 9th place Mustang SVT Cobra, the 8th place Buick GNX, and the 7th place Mustang GT '05.

After 25 laps, I see that I'm still 1 minute and 34 seconds behind the race leading 2004 Corvette C5, after a new lap record of 1.42.289.

After 30 laps, I dive into the pits and ask my pit-crew for a set of comfort soft tires and some fuel. The race leading 2004 Corvette had a 1 minute and 30 second lead over me when I pitted from 6th place. The 2004 Corvette drives past while I'm in the pits.

At the beginning of lap # 31, I see that I'm about 10 seconds behind the race leading 2004 Corvette C5, who also has a full lap lead over my Mazda RX-7.

Break-time....

On lap # 32, I set a new lap record of 1.40.240 as I start to reel in the 2004 Corvette C5.

At the beginning of lap # 33, I pass the 5th place Dodge Challenger R/T '70, who is in the pits for his first pit stop. A bit further on lap # 33, I muscle my way past the race leading 2004 Corvette C5 as we drop thru the corkscrew, so I've finally un-lapped myself. The 2004 Corvette takes this as a sign to pit, so he enters the pits at the end of lap # 33 (his 34th lap). Already in the pits is the Chrysler Prowler, so when I drive past to begin lap # 34, I take over 4th place in the race.

When I begin lap # 35, I see that I'm only 63 seconds behind the race leading 2004 Corvette C5.

As I begin lap # 36, I pass the 3rd place 2010 Camaro SS who is just beginning to exit the pits after his first pit-stop. I'm now in 3rd place in the race, some 40 seconds behind the race leading 2004 Corvette C5.

On lap # 37, I catch and pass the 2nd place 2000 Corvette C5, who hasn't pitted yet, so he's moving pretty slowly on his worn tires.

On lap # 40, I pass the 7th place Pontiac GTO 5.7 Coupe, so he goes a lap down. I also set a new lap record of 1.39.530 and end the lap only 33 seconds behind the race leading 2004 Corvette C5.

On lap # 45, I pass the 6th place 2000 Corvette C5 and put him a lap down.

At the end of lap # 48, I pass the 5th place Dodge Challenger R/T and put him a lap down.

On lap # 49, I pass the 4th place Chrysler Prowler and put him a lap down.

After 50 laps, I get the news that I'm only 25 seconds behind the race leading 2004 Corvette C5.

After 55 laps, I'm only 15 seconds behind the race leading 2004 Corvette C5.

After 60 laps, I'm only 7.5 seconds behind the race leading 2004 Corvette C5.

Break-time....

On lap # 63, I pass the 8th place Pontiac GTO 5.7 Coupe and put him two laps down.

After 65 laps, I dive into the pits for a final set of CS tires ( I top off my fuel tank with 27 liters of fuel). I was just behind the race leading 2004 Corvette C5 when I dove into the pits.

When I exit the pits and begin lap # 66, I see that I've fallen 34 seconds behind the race leading 2004 Corvette C5.

As I begin lap # 70, I take over the race lead because the 2004 Corvette C5 is in the pits.

At the first checkpoint on lap # 70, I see that I have pulled out to a 7 second lead over the 2004 Corvette.

On lap # 75, I pass the 5th place Dodge Challenger R/T and put him two laps down. I end the lap with a 9.5 second lead over the 2004 Corvette C5.

On lap # 76, I pass the 4th place 2000 Corvette C5 and put him two laps down.

On lap # 78, I pass the 7th place '69 Camaro SS again.

On lap # 80, I pass the 8th place Pontiac GTO Coupe again, so he goes three laps down. My lead over the 2004 Corvette C5 is up to 12 seconds at this point.

On lap # 85, I notice that my fuel gauge is a bit low, perhaps only 5-7 liters left. Thinking back to my last pit stop, I remember that the pit-menu said that I should take 30 liters of fuel, but per my calculations, I should only need 27 liters, so that's all I took. This earlier decision seems to have been badly mis-calculated! My lead over the 2004 Corvette is only 13 seconds at this point. I don't see how I can pit again and still win the race. What to do??? I decide to go into fuel conservation mode. I start to up-shift very early and try to be very smooth thru every corner so there's less of a need to brake and then re-accelerate. I try not to look at the fuel gauge, but this is hard, so I usually glance at it twice a lap and then quickly look away.

My lap times increase by about 1 to 1.5 seconds, which isn't too bad considering all my short-shifting.

Laps 86, 87 and 88 go by, still under power, with just a sliver of white left on the fuel gauge.

On lap # 89, the fuel gauge goes red. Yikes!

Driving very carefully, I begin lap # 90 with a 16 second lead over the 2004 Corvette C5. I drive up the hill towards the corkscrew fully expecting, that any moment, I will have to get out and push! I coast down the hill. Thru turns nine and ten, holding my breath.

I make the turn at the hairpin (turn # 11), and the engine dies....there's no additional acceleration to be had... I cross the Finish line at 50mph and take the win!!

Race time was: 2 hours, 35 minutes and 55.131 seconds.

Finishing order:
----------------
1) my RX-7
2) 2004 Corvette-------14.987 sec's back
3) 2010 Camaro---------1 min and 8 sec's back
4) 2000 Corvette-------2 laps down
5) Challenger R/T------2 laps down
6) Chrysler Prowler----2 laps down
7) Camaro SS '69-------3 laps down
8) Pontiac GTO 5.7-----4 laps down
9) Mustang SVT Cobra---4 laps down
10)Buick GNX-----------4 laps down
11)Mustang GT '05------5 laps down
12)Cuda 440 Six Pack---6 laps down

Post race notes:
----------------
Very good race! Great fun except for the last three laps with no fuel! It's not in my race notes, but during the first 10 laps, I exchanged 10th and 11th place with the '69 Camaro SS a few times. The '69 Camaro would pass me if I took a corner a little wide, but then I would re-pass him right back because he was pretty slow to accelerate out of most corners.

Enjoy the racing!
GTsail

 

[GTsail]

Its time for the 3rd Race at Tsukuba again:

For this run I settle for another Mazda Roadster 1600 NR-A NB '04. After some wrenching by my fabled pit crew, my Miata has the following spec's:

Horsepower: 180
Weight: 1010 (stage 1 wgt reduction, then 23kg of ballast)
PP value: 408
Tires: all 3 grades of comfort tires
P. Limiter: 97.2%
No skid

Sitting on the starting line at Tsukuba are the mandatory grid # 1 cars as follows:

1) MX-5 1.8 RS NB,J '98
2) MX-5 NA '89
3) Roadster 1800RS NB '00
4) Eunos Roadster V-Special II NA '93
5) MX-5 1800RS NB,J '00
6) MX-5 V-Special II NA,J '93
7) GTsail in my Mazda Roadster 1600 NR-A
8) Roadster 1800RS NB '04
9) Roadster 1.8RS NB '98
10) Roadster 1600 NR-A NB '04
11) Eunos Roadster S-Special I NA '95
12) MX-5 J-Limited NA,J '91

I start the race on comfort hard tires.

To give the AI a chance, I'm going to spot the field a lap, so once the flag drops, I accelerate away, but don't try to drive past anyone in turn one. At the end of lap # 1, I'm still in 7th place, and I've lost 4.6 seconds to the race leader.

After 5 laps, I'm still in 7th place, some 13.5 seconds behind the race leader after an early lap record of 1.13.400. The 8th place car, the Roadster 1800RS NB '04 is just behind me, but he hasn't made a move to get past me yet. I'm going to let him past once his tires warm up enough and he becomes more aggressive.

On lap # 7, the 8th place Roadster 1800RS finally drives past me.

After 10 laps, I'm in 8th place, some 26 seconds behind the race leader.

On lap # 13, I get passed by the 9th place Roadster 1600 NR-A '04 without a battle on my part.

After 20 laps, I'm still in 9th place, some 52 seconds behind the race leader.

On lap # 26, I let the 10th place Roadster 1.8RS NB '98 drive past. He had been driving closely behind me for a few laps, so he finally decided to drive past. This has almost cleared out the back-markers for the race leader, who has just about caught the rear of the field, and is beginning to worry the 12th place MX-5 J-Limited '91, who is about 1.5 seconds behind me.

As I dive into turn one on lap # 27, the race leading Roadster 1800RS NB '00 pulls up to my rear-bumper. He's worked his way past the 11th and 12th place Miatas. I'm now 1 minute and 14 seconds behind the race leader. My intention is to start my apex-hugging to keep him behind me.

On lap # 35, I set a new lap record of 1.12.901. I'm still in 10th place in the race, just ahead of the race leader who has been joined by the other light blue rabbit (the MX-5 1800RS NB,J '00.

Time for a break........

I re-start the race and immediately get dumped into the turn one sand by the race leading Roadster 1800RS NB '00. This is partly my own fault for forgetting how careful I need to be on CH tires. Lap # 36, takes 1.23.319, so I lost about 9 seconds. Five AI cars were able to drive past while I was at the beach, so I'm a lap down to 5 cars, but still in 10th place because there's still two back-markers behind me.

Over the next thirteen laps, I get back in my race groove and actually maintain my position without any blocking over the rest of the field, except for one Miata, who drives past me on lap # 45.

At the end of lap # 50, I dive into the pits and ask my pit crew for a set of comfort medium tires. I'm about 1 3/4 laps behind the race leader at this point. As soon as I pit, the rest of the field streams past. This includes the two back-markers, and three other cars who put me a lap down. After about 10 seconds in the pits, the race leader drives past and puts me two laps down. The race leader is followed closely by the 2nd and 3rd place cars.

As I begin lap # 51, I'm shown in 12th place, 2 laps behind the race leader.

On lap # 53, I set a new lap record of 1.12.319, so I now begin the task of un-raveling two laps from the leading Miata.

On lap # 60, I set a new lap record of 1.11.300. This helps me catch the back of the field, so on lap # 61, I catch and pass the 12th place Eunos Roadster S-Special '95.

On lap # 62, I pass the 11th place MX-5 J-Ltd '91.

On lap # 73, I set a new lap record of 1.10.804.

On lap # 75, I un-lap myself to the 3rd place Roadster 1800RS NB '04 (who was 2 laps ahead of me).

On lap # 83, I un-lap myself to the 2nd place Miata (who was 2 laps ahead of me). I can actually, just barely see the first place Miata, who is about 5 seconds ahead of me.

On lap # 90, I dive to the apex of turn one and pass the first place Miata. I'm now just under two laps behind him!!

On lap # 93, I pass the 9th place MX-5 1.8RS NB '98 (which puts me in 9th place).

On lap # 98, two of the AI pit for tires.

The first one exits the pits just in front of me as I begin lap # 99, so I pass him going thru turn one and un-lap myself. It looks like the race leader, who is the Roadster 1800RS '00. At the 2nd checkpoint on lap # 99, I get the news that I'm 1 minute and 55 seconds behind the race leader, so I've un-lapped myself to the entire field.

From 9th place, I pit at the end of lap # 100 and have my pit crew install some comfort soft tires on my Miata and put 22 liters of fuel in the tank. While I'm in the pits, I get dropped back into 10th place.

On lap # 101, I catch and pass the 9th place MX-5 1.8RS NB '98 and re-gain 9th place again.

On lap # 103, I set a new lap record of 1.09.620.

On lap # 106, I pass the 8th place Roadster 1.8RS NB '98.

On lap # 107, I pass the 7th place MX-5 V-Special II NA '93.

On lap # 110, I pass the 6th place Eunos Roadster V-Special II NA '93.

On lap # 108, I set a new lap record of 1.08.938.

As I begin lap # 115, I pass the 5th place Roadster 1600NR-A NB '04, who is in the pits for his late pit stop. He must be very gentle on his tires. I also pass the MX-5 J-Ltd NA '91, who goes two laps down to me.

On lap # 118, I pass the 4th place MX-5 NA '89.

On lap # 124, I set a new lap record of 1.08.715 and begin to catch sight of the 1st place car, who still has a full lap lead over me.

On lap # 128, I catch and pass the race leading MX-5 1800RS '00, and un-lap myself, and find myself 1 minute and 9.8 seconds behind at the end of the lap.

On lap # 134, I pass the MX-5 J-Ltd '91 again, so I think he's three laps down.

After 137 laps, I see that I'm still in 4th place, but I've reduced the race leader's lead to 60 seconds.

After 150 laps, I see that I'm only 37 seconds behind the race leading MX-5 1800RS '00.

After 160 laps, I see that I'm only 24 seconds behind the race leading MX-5 1800RS '00.

On lap # 166, I finally pass the 3rd place Roadster 1800RS NB '04. I'm now only 15 seconds behind the race leader.

On lap # 172, I catch and pass the 2nd place Roadster 1800RS NB '00 and find myself 6.6 seconds behind the race leader.

On lap # 176, I catch up with the race leading MX-5 1800RS NB '00, so he begins lap # 177 with a 0.252 second lead over me.

On lap # 177, I drive past the MX-5 1800RS '00 and take over the race lead!!

By the end of lap # 180, I've pulled out to a 7 second lead.

By the end of lap # 190, I've been able to increase my lead to 24 seconds.

On lap # 197, I have a 38 second lead when I see two cars pit. They are presumably the 2nd and 3rd place cars.

When I begin lap # 198, I drive past the two 'rabbits', and put them both a lap down.

After 201 laps, I win the race!

Race time was 4 hours, 0 minutes and 4 seconds.

Finishing order:
----------------
1) me
2) MX-5 1800RS NB '00 --------1 lap and 20 sec's back
3) Roadster 1800RS NB '00 ----1 lap and 25 sec's back
4) Roadster 1800RS NB '04 ----1 lap and 30 sec's back
5) Roadster 1600 NR-A '04 ----2 laps down
6) MX-5 MA '89----------------3 laps down
7) Eunos Roadster V-Special --4 laps down
8) Roadster 1.8RS NB '98 -----4 laps down
9) MX-5 V-Special '93 --------4 laps down
10) MX-5 1.8RS NB '98 --------5 laps down
11) MX-5 J-Limited '91 -------6 laps down
12) Eunos Roadster S-Special--6 laps down

Post race notes:
---------------
Pretty good race. The top-three AI cars stayed close together pretty much all race long, with a 3-6 second gap between them. I now know that its possible to come from two laps down! The two slowest cars are really pretty slow since I ended up lapping them 6 times and they didn't really try to get past me during th first few laps when I was on the CH tires.

Enjoy the racing!
GTsail