Ok, just put in another half-hour. I nailed 3 laps with no wing. WOOT! Boy these felt good. Funny part is that I was happy with the first lap and was a little cautious on the 2nd lap and beat my time. 3rd lap is tough in the dark. I turned in early on a few turns and had trouble seeing the last couple turns but still managed a decent time.
No spoiler...
1. 1:56.284
2. 1:56.253
3. 1:57.116
I can't stress how important throttle modulation is. I'll walk you through the turns while my video uploads...
Turn 1 (slight left just after the start/finish)
You should top out in 5th gear as you pass the start/finish. Stay to the far left on the grass. Aim for the entrance to turn 2 and brake just as you make it back on the gravel.
Turn 2 (first right hander)
Downshift to 3rd and coast around trying to stay in the grass. When you see turn 3, ease into the gas and shift to 4th as soon as you redline. Cross from the right side grass to the left side grass.
Turn 3 (left hander)
Aim for driving under the tree in the grass. Just before you hit the grass full brakes and turn hard. The rear end may slide out a little. If it comes out too much then you need to brake earlier and in a straight line to keep the rear end in check. Ease into the throttle in 3rd gear on exit, then 4th, only 50-75% throttle.
Turn 4 (uphill right hander)
There is a bump in this turn and its the primary reason you shouldn't use full throttle. You should be in 4th when you approach it. Only after you crest the bump and the car stabilizes can you go from 50% throttle to 100%. Power through 4th and into 5th as you crest the hill leading to Turn 5.
Turn 5 (sweeping downhill-uphill right hander)
This is the most difficult turn. As you crest the hill entering this turn your suspension will unload. Drop to 30% throttle to prevent rear wheelspin. When you reach the other side you can give it more throttle. When you reach the end of the downhill section of this turn and start going uphill, 0% throttle and hug the inside of the gravel. Downshift to 3rd and ease into the throttle. No more than 50% until you can see the upcoming straight. Keep to the inside grass on exit. Increase throttle to 100% and shift to 4th, doing your best to keep rear traction. If you mash the pedal the car will just drift sideways and you'll sacrifice acceleration.
Turn 6 (left hander)
There is a bump on the straight before this turn. I brake right after it. A little scandanavian flick to the right then left while still lightly on the brakes will get the nose to turn in to the hay bails. Aim to hit one of them and your car will slide right past giving you a nice straight shot for turn 7.
Turn 7 (right hand kink)
This is a bumpy section so I half-throttle 3rd gear through most of it to keep the car driving straight. You don't want to fishtail drift this section because it is uphill and you need to keep momentum. Take it slow and you'll surprise yourself.
Turn 8 (uphill left)
As you approach this turn, it doesn't seem so bad...but it is crucial to get it right. Tap the brakes just as you enter and keep light throttle in 3rd gear. Wait until the car is facing perfectly straight in the middle of the road before you give it more gas, then you can gun it through 4th and 5th. The car will basically turn itself. Let it go where it wants. Too much steering input and you'll slow yourself down.
Turn 9 (right hand hairpin)
Two methods work with this turn, depending on where the throttle puts you on the track. If you have room, try the scandanavian flick to get the car to about-face. If you are running out of braking room which happens more often than not, Turn the car in under hard braking then tap the gas pedal a few times in 2nd gear and the car will turn around. Don't mash the gas pedal on exit...drifting the turn under full throttle will not be faster. On exit, very light throttle in 2nd gear, quick shift to 3rd and full throttle to 4th.
Turn 10-11 (right - left)
Use the trees to find your braking point. Brake early so you can basically coast through turn 11 under 30% throttle. When you turn the wheel, the car will rotate itself for turn 11 so take your foot off the throttle and wait until you can see the exit then ease into the throttle.
The jumps
Get to the left of the track and cross to the right as you crest jump 1. Aim for the right side tree tops on the other side. For Jump 2, stay to the left again. When you land, downshift to 4th and lightly tap the brakes.
Turn 12 (sweeping right hander)
The goal here for me is to just stay on the dirt. Partial throttle in 4th gear and do not let the rear end slide out into a drift.
Turn 13 (final right)
This is a decreasing radius turn so it looks like you can take it faster on entry but you do not want to overshoot and run wide on exit. Use a little brake on entry then downshift from 4th to 2nd gradually. Keep 1 wheel on the grass at all times and tap the gas pedal if you need to rotate the car. When you see the gran turismo sign, hit the gas and make your way to 5th gear as you pass the start/finish line.
I hope this helps others. You just need to get a feel for how much tire slippage is acceptable. You can break traction at any speed in 5th gear but that doesn't mean you should drive the track in 5th. The rear tires will get you accelerating the quickest when they are driving straight. A little drift to rotate the car is ok when entering a turn. But you should drive perfectly straight exiting the turn.
