Endurance Events

[Dotini]

After recently completing La Sarthe I for 200 A-spec, I'm shifting next to La Sarthe II, still using my very well worn Pescarolo Judd. I'm aiming for NTSC grid #9, Toyota Minolta, Sauber Mercedes C9, Nissans R92 and R89, and Jaguar XJR-9. This grid will yield 200 A-spec points with turbo stage 3 for 798 hp, downforce of 45/70, and ballast of 74 kg. I may raise front ride height two clicks and raise autoset a click or two, with the rest of the setup as posted above. Early tests show 6 good laps of tire wear and blazing speed on R4/R4 (R1/R4 to start). We'll see!

 

[RoadHazzard]

Endurance Events / Nurburgring 4h Endurance
Vs NTSC/USA Lineup #14
Audi S4 '03
Lancia DELTA HF Integrale Evoluzione '91
Holden Commodore SS '04
Nissan SKYLINE GT-R V-spec II '00
Ford FOCUS RS '02

Driving: BMW 120i '04 (57.9 miles, No Oil, 152 SettingsHP stock)
Mods: S1 Tires, Racing Muffler, Racing Chip, NA2 Tune, Nitrous, Racing Brakes, Sports Suspension, Full Custom Tranny, Triple Plate Clutch, Racing Flywheel, Carbon Driveshaft
Settings: S1/S1; 222 SettingsHP; Nitrous @ 50; Ride Ht 125/125, Shocks 5/5, Camber 0.0/0.2; Auto Gearing @ 9, 6th @ 0.967; Aids 000; 45 Ballast @ 0

Summary: 29 Laps (Pit after every 3rd lap), 4:01'35.059, Best 8'05.906 (7'58.533 bottle-assisted), MoV ~4'37

This race can be won cleanly. The SKYLINE (P2) was approaching Bergwerk as I crossed the line, and I managed to lap the Audi, Ford, and Holden. If I would've "cheated", I could've gotten another lap in, but recent conflict kept me from doing so.

60500 points! The streak is still going at 260, and I've only gotten 2600 from the RAM so far (23 other cars driven).

Have A Great Drive!
RoadHazard

 

[GTsail]

Endurance Events / Nurburgring 4h Endurance
Vs NTSC/USA Lineup #14....

Driving: BMW 120i '04 (57.9 miles, No Oil, 152 SettingsHP stock)
Mods: S1 Tires, Racing Muffler, Racing Chip, NA2 Tune, Nitrous, Racing Brakes, Sports Suspension, Full Custom Tranny, Triple Plate Clutch, Racing Flywheel, Carbon Driveshaft
Settings: S1/S1; 222 SettingsHP; Nitrous @ 50; Ride Ht 125/125, Shocks 5/5, Camber 0.0/0.2; Auto Gearing @ 9, 6th @ 0.967; Aids 000; 45 Ballast @ 0

Summary: 29 Laps (Pit after every 3rd lap), 4:01'35.059, Best 8'05.906 (7'58.533 bottle-assisted), MoV ~4'37

This race can be won cleanly. The SKYLINE (P2) was approaching Bergwerk as I crossed the line, and I managed to lap the Audi, Ford, and Holden. If I would've "cheated", I could've gotten another lap in, but recent conflict kept me from doing so.

60500 points! The streak is still going at 260, and I've only gotten 2600 from the RAM so far (23 other cars driven).

Have A Great Drive!
RoadHazard

Nice Drive RoadHazard!

I like the lineup! Did you switch to S2 tires at your first pit stop or stay on the S1 tires?

GTsail290

 

[RoadHazzard]

Thanks for the 👍, GTsail290!

I stayed on the S1s through the whole race. Maybe it's the way I "drive", but I couldn't make the S2s last more than 2 laps. The Rear-Left tire would go orange by the end of the 3rd lap on S1s.

Yeah, the lineup works out very well when using the 120i. After many test-runs ("fails"), I finally found a lineup that was winnable, as most others include at least one car that is too fast to catch. The cool thing was that this lineup could be beaten while driving "realistically".

Have A Great Drive!
RoadHazard

 

[GTsail]

Roadster 4 hour Endurance - for 147 points

Using Smallhorses' suggestion below, I have just obtained 147 A-spec points

Thanks to your suggestion Smallhorses:tup:, I now have 110 more A-spec points and some more practice in this very tough race.

To those that have won this race for 200 points, I bow in amazement! Just for laughs, I took a worn out Miata to the track tuned for 200 points and lost miserably.

Not sure if it'll help or not, but I've just done
the Roadster 4h Endurance in a brand new unmodified Mazda MX-5 Miata 1600 NR-A '04 starting on N1/N3 tyres (switching to N3/N3 after 1 lap) and racing cleanly (no ramming or shortcutting) to win by 2 laps. Granted it was only worth 147 A-spec points, and I'm not sure how many points the ballast tags on, or the effect on laptimes, but this wasn't too difficult since the 1800 RS isn't present. I'm wondering if there's a possibility that a worn out and fully ballasted 1600 NR-A would yield 200 points for this race, as I believe it may be the easiest way to go for Open Addict who is struggling with this one.

Full race report, pit info, laptime data, etc. is here 👍

My race went very similar to yours (nice write-up in the link). I used the Mazda MX-5 Miata 1600 NR-A '04. My final MOV was three laps (and 197 laps completed) because my Miata had all the non-point upgrades installed. So now we know the difference the non-point upgrades make over a four hour race. I noticed that you said your left rear tire was going orange, so you pitted every 36 laps. I fixed this by setting the Aids to 0,0,1 (while this might have slowed my lap times slightly, the left side tire wear was now even front and rear). This enabled me to go 40 laps before pitting. So my pit stops were on lap 1, 40, 80, 120 and 160 (so I was able to skip the final pit stop). My race was completely clean with no corner cutting or opponent bashing (because the field did not include the 1800RS), plus I haven't practiced the grasscut enough to get good at it, so it doesn't yet save me time. I don't expect that I can win this race for 200 points, but once I wear down my Miata, I will try again against this same lineup for perhaps 180 to 185 A-spec points.

Respectfully
GTsail290

 

[Uncle Harry]

Roadster 4 hour Endurance - for 147 points

Using Smallhorses' suggestion below, I have just obtained 147 A-spec points

Thanks to your suggestion Smallhorses:tup:, I now have 110 more A-spec points and some more practice in this very tough race.

To those that have won this race for 200 points, I bow in amazement! Just for laughs, I took a worn out Miata to the track tuned for 200 points and lost miserably.



My race went very similar to yours (nice write-up in the link). I used the Mazda MX-5 Miata 1600 NR-A '04. My final MOV was three laps (and 197 laps completed) because my Miata had all the non-point upgrades installed. So now we know the difference the non-point upgrades make over a four hour race. I noticed that you said your left rear tire was going orange, so you pitted every 36 laps. I fixed this by setting the Aids to 0,0,1 (while this might have slowed my lap times slightly, the left side tire wear was now even front and rear). This enabled me to go 40 laps before pitting. So my pit stops were on lap 1, 40, 80, 120 and 160 (so I was able to skip the final pit stop). My race was completely clean with no corner cutting or opponent bashing (because the field did not include the 1800RS), plus I haven't practiced the grasscut enough to get good at it, so it doesn't yet save me time. I don't expect that I can win this race for 200 points, but once I wear down my Miata, I will try again against this same lineup for perhaps 180 to 185 A-spec points.

Respectfully
GTsail290

A worn down MX-5 Miata 1600 NR-A '04 at 115 hp with full ballast against a field missing the 89 and the 1800 RS you get 191 points. I just won with a 40 second lead using the grass cuts.

At 113 hp I believe you get 195 a spec points.
My lap times are around the 1.13.5 average.
Does the MX-5 Miata 1600 NR-A '04 get any lower than 113 hp?

 

[Open Addict]

Uncle Harry, I'm pretty sure the 1600 NR-A '04 can only get to 113 hp. And yes at 113 hp and with no '89 or 1800 RS in the field you can get 195 A-spec. Just not quite enough (unfortunately). You still need the 1800 RS to get 200 offered.

 

[Dotini]

It's rare for us A-spec nutters to spend much time exploring the adhesion limits of R4 tires. So it was quite a thrill for me to indulge this almost sinful tactic for a 25 lap MOV at La Sarthe II. Here's the full setup: http://www.gtvault.com/gt4/setup-view/s_sid::7957/PlayStation-C60-Judd-Race-Car-Dotini2001/

This race was a milestone for me. It was the final event needed to be game complete in A-spec. And the 200 points I received for this race is the last of the easy points. I may not be able to earn any more! Even so, I'm not doing too bad for a geezer with no previous video game experience. So I won't stop trying just yet.

 

[GTsail]

It's rare for us A-spec nutters to spend much time exploring the adhesion limits of R4 tires. So it was quite a thrill for me to indulge this almost sinful tactic for a 25 lap MOV at La Sarthe II. Here's the full setup: http://www.gtvault.com/gt4/setup-view/s_sid::7957/PlayStation-C60-Judd-Race-Car-Dotini2001/

This race was a milestone for me. It was the final event needed to be game complete in A-spec. And the 200 points I received for this race is the last of the easy points. I may not be able to earn any more! Even so, I'm not doing too bad for a geezer with no previous video game experience. So I won't stop trying just yet.

Nice milestone Dotini, finishing all races in A-spec is great!

I still have three FGT races to complete in A-spec before I can join your exalted ranks!

BTW, your Playstation Judd setup above is great (as they always are). I am all for easy wins in 24 hour races! I understand that you are working on a setup for Motegi. Perhaps in anticipation of next week's IRL race?

GTsail290

 

[Dotini]

Thank you for that, GTsail290. I hardly feel exalted, but I at least feel credible to myself, at least until I look at my miserable status in the Licenses area. At the time I was doing those licenses, I was newly retired and had never played a video game of any kind. I'm sure that with some attention, they could be improved a bit at a time coming soon...

Those 3 FGT races will go quick, GTsail290. Then it's back to working on the lacunae for you. And there's no doubt you are aleady at the sharp end.

And yes, I do have a development of the wonderful Mazda 787B to report in regards to the MotegiSS 150. Based upon the redoubtable efforts of pioneering GTPlanet members, this development setup makes the SS150 a piece of cake for 200 points against several grids, and potentially without nitrous, too, I might add. Please see here: http://www.gtvault.com/gt4/setup-view/s_sid::7993/Mazda-787B-Race-Car/

Respectfully yours,
Dotini

 

[Jetboy.]

Going on the banks of distant memory, I can remember this much of what I've done. Unless otherwise stated the car was run on S1's.:

Nürburgring 4hr
Stock Holden Monaro/Commodore. The Monaro race featured the NSX but I don't remember much what else. Think there was a Lancer VIII, one of the Avant Audi's, and an RX-8.

223 Horse DeLorean. Forgot the details.
254 Horse Crossfire with Nitrous. That went against a tour-de-force NSX, Garaiya, and Opel Speedster.
421 Horse Cuda. Exercise of drifting as much as driving. Car has FC tranny, 1.5-way lsd, engine chip, engine ballancing (I think..?). Stock weight. Was 3 hours and 36 minutes in and the breaker in our house reset. I was about 24 seconds in the lead against another NSX.
Stock Silvia S15 Aero. That was over three years ago.. Forgotten also.

ElCapitan
Same Holden Monaro as above. No Exige, Zonda gave me absolute hell.
Same Crossfire as above. No Exige, Viper gave moderate trouble
Stock RX-7 RZ. Exige. Painfully close.
1954 Corvette. Exige race. Lightened fully, FC tranny, all tranny upgrade parts, 1.5-way lsd, 183-ish horse. N2's because the brakes and handling are awe-inspiring. Won by a lap?

New York
Same Holden
Same Crossfire
1970 Charger. FC Tranny, 1.5way lsd, 446 hp, N3's.

Not going to lie, the Charger is questionable, but I'm 75% sure it was a 200 pointer. I'm pretty sure using the V8 Vantage was not one.



Cheers,
Jetboy

 

[Tetraeder]

Did Suzuka 1000KM yesterday for 200pts in a Suzuki GSX R/4, all power mods and R2 tyres, very easy race and finished about 5 laps in front, can't remember exact MOV but it was either 4 or 5.

I did 10 of the endurance races so far for 200 points and tried Suzuka 1000 Km some days ago with a new GSX R/4 on R2´s, all nonpower and power mods for about 273 HP. I already used the GSX for some other endurances but I had difficulties with that one. The car was very twichy and I spun out quite a few times, so I aborted the race after 2 hours. I suppose I didn´t have the right set-up for the car for this particular race.

What set-up and what tactic (pitstops, line-up) did you use? To my understanding I shouldn´t have problems with this one, but the car was just very instable. Any suggestions for a set-up anyone?

 

[Dotini]

This car has a twitchy rear end, all right.

You can add some LSD to calm down the rear. Also, reducing rear camber helps some. Reducing rear springs and shock values with respect to the front will help, as might reducing the rear stabilizer.

 

[shepzki]

I did 10 of the endurance races so far for 200 points and tried Suzuka 1000 Km some days ago with a new GSX R/4 on R2´s, all nonpower and power mods for about 273 HP. I already used the GSX for some other endurances but I had difficulties with that one. The car was very twichy and I spun out quite a few times, so I aborted the race after 2 hours. I suppose I didn´t have the right set-up for the car for this particular race.

What set-up and what tactic (pitstops, line-up) did you use? To my understanding I shouldn´t have problems with this one, but the car was just very instable. Any suggestions for a set-up anyone?

IIRC I didn't do anything special to the car, probably added a wing @ 15/30 which helps with keeping it steady. I am very comfortable with the Suzuki which probably helps, even on N3 tires so for me anyway not so much of a problem. Also probably cut the last corner a few times but didn't really need to.

Also I have this race to do again as that was on my NTSC version, now on PAL version so not looking forward to it as it's a very dull, long race.

 

[Tetraeder]

IIRC I didn't do anything special to the car

Thank you nemesis01 and Dotini for your kind advice. Yes, until that race I also was feeling very comfortable with the GSX, using it quite a bit, also on all sorts of tires. It always tends to be twitchy because it´s also very light but it never caused any real problems.

I guess I will have to play with the settings a little one of the next weekends, according to Dotini´s suggestions. Unfortunately I´m not much of a tuner. If that does not work out for me I will just have to decide for another car for that track. Thank you guys.

 

[shepzki]

Won my first 24HR race earlier today at the Nurburgring for 200 points, used my trusty Suzuki GSX-R/4. Completed 197 laps, or maybe 196 I really don't remember but one of those 2, fastest lap 7.03.153. Against 1st PAL lineup:

Opel Calibra Touring Car '94
AMG Mercedes 190 E Evoll Touring Car '92
Nissan C-WEST RAZO SILVIA (JGTC) '01
BMW M3 GTR Race Car '01
Spoon S2000 Race Car '00

BMW came second 4 laps behind and would have been 5 if I had not taken a 10 minute break near end of the race, the Spoon was the most useless and was lapped endless times. Car settings:

RC Exhaust, Chip, NOS, R1, Aids 5:5:5 Downforce 20/30, 189BHP (Had just over 2000 miles on the clock befire the race, finished with 4562.8 miles on the clock)

Pitted every 6 laps compared to the BMW's 5 laps, BMW was quicker on the straights but I had the edge in the corners. Also after the race I noticed my car had lost over 13BHP down to 162.

 

[Dotini]

A worn down MX-5 Miata 1600 NR-A '04 at 115 hp with full ballast against a field missing the 89 and the 1800 RS you get 191 points. I just won with a 40 second lead using the grass cuts.

At 113 hp I believe you get 195 a spec points.
My lap times are around the 1.13.5 average.

Sitting on 162 points in the Roadster 4 Hours, I became intrigued with the state of the art in maximizing points without having to confront the 1800 RS and deal with ramming and blocking tactics. Armed with Smallhorses' most excellent grid selection of SR-Ltd, S-Spl, 1.8 RS, J-Ltd '93 and V-Spl, I set about finding this lineup to tackle with a '91 J-Ltd. It could not be found, even after 66 lineups! The '91 J-Ltd had seemed to be the strongest candidate car because I found it about 0.5 second quicker in testing at Tsukuba than the 1600 NR-A, plus it showed strong signs that it was somewhat easier on rubber in early test race sessions.

Somewhat dejected, I again set about the task with the 1600 NR-A, and of course found it on the 10th lineup. So the lineups vary depending on which Miata you are driving. I next found that with 113 hp and 199 kg ballast, I was offered 196 A-spec points.

Starting the race, using NOS, cutting grass at T2, but not ramming, I was able to assume the lead about halfway through the first stint. When the left rear tire started going off and ground was lost to the SR-Ltd, I pitted ending lap 37 but became resigned to pitting about every 36/37 laps thereafter. This made my pit schedule: 1 (switch from N1/N3 to N3/N3), 37, 74, 111, 148, 184.

At the end, MOV over the SR-Ltd (and 1.8 RS close in 3rd) was 15+ seconds, with 194 laps completed. The goal of maximizing points without ramming, blocking or use of nitrous after attaining the lead was achieved. FL with nitrous was 1:11.690, and regular lapping was in the low to mid 1:13's.

Later, the Smallhorses lineup was found using the '91 J-Ltd by the expedient of entering/exiting the first 8 lineups with the NR-A, switching to the J-Ltd on the 9th, and finding the Smallhorses grid at the 10th lineup. Interestingly, when I exited after the 7th lineup and reentered with J-Ltd at the 8th, I found the following lineup at #9: SR-Ltd, V-Spl. S-Spl, VR-Ltd, 1.8 RS. This lineup also offers 196 A-Spec points, and has the advantage of the 1.8 RS starting 5th, but the disadvantage of the VR, which is very easy on it's tires, starting 3rd.

My setup for the NR-A was a combination of Nige's and Austin343's, GTsail290's TCS figure, plus a few tweaks of my own. I was pretty unhappy with it, because I couldn't get the tire wear reported by some, and I felt there was too much oversteer. Speed was being scrubbed off and tire wear accelerated. If we could be fortunate enough to receive the kind attentions of the great tuner sukerkin, we may be able to improve both of these problems. If anyone's interested in either of my setups, I'll be glad to post them.

In conclusion, I feel that the prospect of a very high A-spec solution to this fun, excellent and interesting race, without NOS, shortcutting or opponent car interference of any kind is achievable by either the NR-A or the '91 J-Ltd. But it will simply take better tuning to do it. We need 39-40 laps of good tire life plus lap times in the low 1:12's, which I'm quite sure at least the J-Ltd can do.

Sorry for the long-winded post, but I'm thinking several members may be interested.

 

[PF]

Awesome work Dotini. You have been making some incredible discoveries with regard to lineups and A-spec recently. Keep it up bro! And I agree, we need sukerkin on the job. I assume he's still busy with IRL stuff, so let's just hope he gets that sorted and can get back to teaching us how to tune in GT4.

 

[SportWagon]

This made my pit schedule: 1 (switch from N1/N3 to N3/N3), 37, 74, 111, 148, 184.

At the end, MOV over the SR-Ltd (and 1.8 RS close in 3rd) was 15+ seconds, with 194 laps completed.

Wouldn't you have been better to pit before lap 184, given a projected total of much fewer than 221 laps? Or do you find your laps on worn N3 tires aren't much worse than fresh and/or broken-in ones? If your last few laps each stint were slow and/or risky, you might have shortened them all given how short your last stint was, and gained perhaps as much as another 15 seconds. (But again, if your times don't drop off significantly (or even predictably) at the end of tire wear, this does not apply...)

Of course, it is nice to finish your last few laps on reliable tires. I.e. squarely in the middle of a projected "stint".

 

[Dotini]

Good question, SportWagon, and thanks for asking.👍

The best answer is that I would have been better off never to have made that damnable 6th pit stop at all! That's why I so badly want 39/40 laps of good tire life. Achieve this, and get the car to run that big final turn without an initial "confidence" lift opens up a new world of A-spec possibilities!

But I knew that I had to made the extra stop sometime. At the time I made the last stop, about 40 seconds was in hand over the second place Miata, and I knew I wouldn't lose the lead. But the last thing to do was attempt to run the final 10 laps on orange/red tires and throw it all away. So I just delayed it as long as possible, burning away fuel, without getting that left rear tire worn to the point that time was lost, which will happen even as it goes slightly orange. Maybe my schedule could indeed have been better. The discussion that takes place here will hopefully work this out.

The other good news is that fresh N3's give excellent grip right away on the outlap.

 

[GTsail]

Suzuka 1000km Endurance - for 200 A-spec points

I just finished a nice comfortable race in my RE Amemiya Asparadrink RX7 JGTC '04 at Suzuka. The finishing order of my competition was as follows:

2) Honda Mobil 1 NSX JGTC '01
3) Nissan Pennzoil Zexel GT-R JGTC '01
4) Nissan Xanavi Hiroto GT-R JGTC '01
5) Toyota au Cerumo Supra JGTC '01
6) Honda Takata Dome NSX JGTC '03

My Asparadrink RX7 had all non-power upgrades with 340HP at the garage screen and weighted 1120kg with 20kg of ballast at the start. I started the race on R1/R2 tires, and switched to R2/R2 tires at the first pit stop. My Asparadrink RX7 would wear out its front tires a little sooner than I would have liked, however this was partly due to the fact that I had the gearing too tall, and I was not getting near the rev-limiter in sixth gear, except when drafting, which occured very infrequently.

I pitted on lap 14, five seconds behind the Mobil 1 NSX (who was my main competition). The Mobil 1 NSX pits every 15 laps. I passed the Mobil 1 NSX and took over the lead of the race on lap 16 since his tires have not warmed up. I then pit on laps 28,42,56 and then every 13 laps until the end. By the end of the race, my competitors have all been put one lap down, except for the Honda Takata Dome which ends up two laps down. My best lap was a draft aided 2.03.133.

Don't know what I'm going to do with another Lister Storm V12 Race Car that was awarded during the trophy ceremony, but I am happy to complete this race as it rewarded me with a nice chunk of A-spec points (155).

Respectfully,
GTsail290

 

[imtheleprechaun]

After being totally afflicted by the Super Speedway 150, I really wanted to do a good close race for 200 points and I decided to have a go at the Nurburgring 4hr. At first I tried using the Nissan Silvia Spec R Aero, but I couldn't find either of the fields that Smallhorses and GTsail290 posted for that car, with both Jaguars and the Impreza spec C. I first tried the 5th field (Mustang SVT R, Jag XKR R-P, NSX Type R, NSX Type S, GTO 5.7 Coupe) but the NSX R walked away. Then I tried the 2nd field (Jag S-Type R, Audi S4 '03, Skyline GT-R V-spec II '00, ASL Garaiya '02, Corvette GS C4) but the ASL quickly walked away. Then I decided to try the ASL instead!

If you go by Wild Cobra's excellent car values, the 5th field looks best, but actually the first field yields the most points. I strongly suspect that at least the Opel has extra power added. The following A-spec values are offered when using a new ASL Garaiya with S1s equipped and no ballast:

Field# -- Opponents -- A-Spec offered -- opponent AVG value
#1 -- Mustang SVT R, Camaro SS, Opel Speedster T, Lancer EVO VIII MR GSR, NSX Type R -- 183 -- 1097.4
#2 -- Jag S-Type R, Audi S4 '03, Skyline GT-R V-spec II '00, ASL Garaiya '02, Corvette GS C4 -- 167 -- 1099.6
#3 -- M3 '04, NSX Type S '01, CLK 55 AMG, Skyline GT-R Vspec II '00, Mustang SVT R -- 150 -- 1109.4
#4 -- Jag XKR R-P, Mustang SVT R, Camaro SS, AR 147 GTA, NSX Type R '02 -- 163 -- 1104.4
#5 -- Mustang SVT R, Jag XKR R-P, NSX Type R, NSX Type S, GTO 5.7 Coupe -- 160 -- 1112.2

It just doesn't make sense without modded AI cars. Anyway that really threw me for a loop, and I digress.

Nurburgring 4h - 200 points!
Car: ASL Garaiya, new
Lineup: NTSC/NA #1
Opponents:
Mustang SVT Cobra R
Camaro SS
Opel Speedster Turbo
Lancer Evolution VIII MR GSR
NSX Type R

Setup S1, 201HP with no oil, 91+kg, FD@4.2. And Dotini's excellent Nurbugring setup (I couldn't find the field listed there either). I bumped the brake balance to 7/5 and I always use the tranny trick.

This race was all about managing the Opel's 162MPH top speed. The first 3 hours of this race were really hectic. Down the long straight and usually just around Kesselchen and through just past Karussel I'd have to block (a lot on the actually-straight straight) but on the rest of the track I had little trouble keeping a second or two ahead of the Opel. The Speedster was rarely more than 5-10 seconds away for the first 20 laps, when on lap 20, it must have really borked the final right/left (which it did at least 2 other times before that I saw) because it missed its pit stop and proceeded to either run out of gas or totally bork every corner on the track on totally worn tires all through lap 21. The gap went from 8.9 seconds at the end of lap 19, to 19 seconds on lap 20, and then it skyrocketed right over 4 minutes(!) and the NSX finally got by before the Opel could pit again.

I couldn't really make enough time in the twistier bits on S1's to recover from the gains the Opel would make whenever it got a chance to open it up. I meant to switch to S2s when I stopped on lap 6, but I hit OK too hastily and did another hectic 6 laps on S1s. After donning S2's on lap 12 I was able to start actually pulling away a tiny tiny bit. The fact that the Opel made 3 stops by lap 12 and I had made 2 offered no advantage as the Opel pitted on lap 12 about 2 seconds behind me. Anyway, the Opel handed me the race on lap 20 so I'll stop with the wordy description and just provide the laptimes and deltas I managed to record:

LAP -- laptime (whether I pitted) -- My POS. -- GAP -- Car gap is to (whether AI pitted) (*=fastest lap)
L1 -- 8:09.703 -- P1 -- +2.086 -- Opel
L2 -- 7:54.639* -- P1 -- +1.705 -- Opel
L4 -- ? -- P1 -- +23s -- NSX (Opel pits)
L5 -- 8:01.754 -- P1 -- +24.99 -- Opel (NSX pits)
L6 -- 8:21.366 (PIT) -- P2 -- -4.957 -- Opel
L7 -- 8:05.379 -- P2 -- -19.7 -- Opel (pits lap 8)
L10 -- 7:54.688 -- P1 -- +1.460 -- Opel
L11 -- 7:55 -- P1 -- +3.092 -- Opel
L12 -- 8:17.047 (PIT-S2) -- P1 -- +1.728 -- Opel
L14 -- 7:53.841* -- P1 -- +5.x -- Opel
L16 -- 7:52.975* -- P1 -- +25.0 -- Opel (pits)
L17 -- 8:11.634 (PIT) -- P1 -- +35 FL, +18.43 int.1, +13.4 int.2) -- Opel
L18 -- 8:00.525 -- P1 -- +8.889 -- Opel (Lapped 6th, Camaro SS)
L19 -- 7:51.952* -- P1 -- +8.59 -- Opel (Lapped 5th, Mustang SVT)
L20 -- 7:51.763* -- P1 -- +19.557 -- Opel (MISSED PIT!)
L21 -- ? -- P1 -- +4:46.116 -- NSX Type R! (NSX pits)
L22 -- 8:16.417 (PIT) -- P1 -- +4:43 -- NSX
L23 -- it was bad -- P1 -- +4:31 -- NSX
L25 -- 7:53.453 -- P1 -- +4:39.820 -- NSX
L26 -- 7:52.631 -- P1 -- +5:07 -- NSX (PIT)
L27 -- ? (**) -- P1 -- +5:27 -- OPEL!!
L28 -- 8:16.592 (PIT) -- P1 -- +5:10 -- Opel
L29 -- 7:56(ish) -- P1 -- +5:25 -- NSX (Opel pits)
L30 -- 7:54.867 -- P1 -- ? last sector reported was 5:23 back to NSX

**failed to pit, managed fine for an extra lap, had 2 units of fuel left over!

Final order was:
ASL Garaiya (me) - 4:00:11.873
NSX Type R - ?
Opel Speedster Turbo - ?
Lancer Evolution VIII MR GSR -1 lap
Mustang SVT -1 lap
Camaro SS -1 lap

FUN RACE!

 

[GTsail]

SuperSpeedway 150 Miles - 146 A-spec points

In an effort to see what I could achieve without any wallriding or opponent bashing, I took my slightly used Peugeot 905 Race Car back to the Motegi oval and looked for a balanced lineup. After some thought, I settled on the following opponent lineup (#7 from my console reset):

Toyota GT-ONE Race Car TS020
Pescarolo Courage C60 Race Car
Bentley Speed 8 Race Car
Playstation Pescarolo C60 Race Car
BMW V12 LMR Race Car
Peugeot 905 Race Car (me)

My Peugeot 905 had 795HP at the start and weighted 890kg (ballast of 140kg was added), and I started the race on R1/R1 tires.

From the start, everyone pulls away nicely and I enjoy a nice clean track with no one in my way to disrupt my racing line. By lap 34 when I make my first pit stop, I am in 6th place, 24 seconds behind the 1st place Toyota GT-ONE. I add some fuel and replace my R1 tires with R3 tires front and rear.💡 I exit the pits and begin my chase in earnest from 6th place, one lap down to everyone! On lap 43 the Bentley Speed 8 is the first opponent to pit. The Toyota GT-ONE pits on lap 44, and the Pescarolo Courage pits on lap 46. I pass the Bentley (before his tires are fully warmed up) on lap 47 and take over 5th place! On lap 48 I pass the Pescarolo Courage, and take over 4th place! The Playstation Pescarolo pits on lap 48. On lap 49 I pass the Playstation Pescarolo and take over 3rd place! On lap 49 the BMW V12 LMR pits, so on lap 50 I pass the BMW V12 LMR and take over 2nd place!

On lap 51 I finally catch the Toyota GT-ONE and take over first place for the first time in the race! My tires are now turning from orange to red, so I pit on lap 56 with a 5 second lead over the Toyota GT-ONE and take on fuel and more R3 tires. I come out of the pits in 6th place again and 26 seconds behind the Toyota GT-ONE. I pass the Playstation Pescarolo on lap 60 and take back 5th place again! I pass the BMW V12 LMR on lap 63 and take over 4th place! On lap 67 I pass the Pescarolo Courage and take over 3rd place! On lap 77 I pass the Bentley Speed 8 and take over 2nd place! My Peugeot 905 was really smoking there!

I am now 7 seconds behind the first place Toyota GT-ONE. My tires are going red again, so on lap 78 I pull into the pits to take on fuel and replace my worn R3 tires. I come out of the pits in 6th place again, one entire lap behind the Toyota GT-ONE. On lap 87 I pass the BMW V12 LMR and the Playstation Pescarolo to take back 5th and 4th places! On lap 88 I pass the Toyota GT-ONE and un-lap myself, so I am now in 4th place 29.5 seconds behind the Toyota. On lap 89 the Bentley Speed 8 pits for a second time. So on lap 90 I pass the Bentley Speed 8 and take over third place! The Toyota GT-ONE pits on lap 92, so I pass him as he is coming out of the pits and I take over 2nd place!

I am now in 2nd place, 16 seconds behind the Pescarolo Courage (who has only pitted once so far). The Pescarolo Courage pits on lap 93 so I pass him while he's in the pits and I take over the lead of the race on lap 94! YEAH! The BMW V12 LMR is now in second place and I have a 7 second lead over him! On lap 97 the Playstation Pescarolo pits for a second time. On lap 98 I lap the Bentley Speed 8. On lap 99 the BMW V12 LMR finally pits.

My Peugeot 905 finally crosses the finish line on lap 100 with about a 15 second lead over the Toyota GT-ONE!!

Just a great race!
Quite nerve-racking! I was in sixth place for about half the race! And for quite a while my Peugeot 905 is a full lap down to the leading Toyota! Being a full lap down makes you sweat! During the race, you just need to drive smoothly to save your tires, but otherwise quite straightforward because there are only two turns. Absolutely no wallriding was used!

A better driver might be able to earn another 15 to 20 A-spec points, but I imagine that would be about the max without some wallriding. I will dig up my settings and post them later, but I wanted to write this down while it was still fresh in my mind.

My Peugeot 905 had the following settings:
Brakes 12/13
Springs 15.5/16.0
Ride 55/55
Bound 3/3
Rebound 5/6
Camber 2.1/1.4
Toe 0/1
Stabilizers 3/4
Auto slider @ 13
Aids 0/0/1
Downforce @ 60/78
Ltd-slip 10/33/10
Ballast at 140, and 5 to the rear

GTsail290

 

[imtheleprechaun]

Great stuff GTsail, you've actually got me thinking about trying it, and that's saying something! I can even see that lineup in my list from the other day - almost nothing to do but drive! My 905 still has 0 miles on it and might need a bit more ballast but, and I'm shocked to be even be thinking it, I might actually have a go at this!

 

[GTsail]

Great stuff GTsail, you've actually got me thinking about trying it, and that's saying something! I can even see that lineup in my list from the other day - almost nothing to do but drive! My 905 still has 0 miles on it and might need a bit more ballast but, and I'm shocked to be even be thinking it, I might actually have a go at this!

Be careful, its addictive!

It almost sounds like you have joined the ranks with the rest of us A-spec nutters!

IMHO its what is great about the game. There always seems to be something new to be tried even after so many years. Even if there are other places where you just bang your head.

GTsail290

 

[imtheleprechaun]

Be careful, its addictive!

It almost sounds like you have joined the ranks with the rest of us A-spec nutters!

Well I'm definitely crazy for cocoa puffs ... err A-spec points. It's like Pokemon or something (not that I know anything about Pokemon except that the marketing suggests I "gotta get them all!"), I have certainly devoloped a deep-seeded desire for the things (A-Spec points that is!).

IMHO its what is great about the game. There always seems to be something new to be tried even after so many years. Even if there are other places where you just bang your head.

I definitely agree with you, but there's a serious dearth of information to be had from the game itself. Where's the opponent power/weight stats? Where's the readout on how many points I'll get if I start the current race? Now that I've resolved to not pursue the ultimate maximum, the one thing that's always going to bug me still is the sheer effort involved in planning what to drive at what race against what field. THANK HEAVENS FOR GTP!!!!! (!!!!!).

---

So I ended up running SS150 3 times today! Finally got it in the end for 147 points. For my first run, the setup was: R1, 810HP (0 miles, no oil), 150+kg and DF@57/75. When my fuel ran out (because I spaced out on how much I needed at the last stop) on lap 97(!), I had had the lead for 2 laps (though I'd had it for a few laps twice before) and the gap was 30s back to the GT-ONE. That would have been 144 points if I'd had 3 more units of fuel.

For my second run, I tried for 150 points with this setup: R1, 810HP, 150+kg@5, DF@52/72. That's not enough downforce basically. On the first one I was able to start drafting 5th around lap 10 after my tires were up to temp. On this run they were already gone and I was 1.5 laps down when i pitted on lap 40. I pitted again on lap 60 and 80 and made it up to second once, but I finished 4th.

And finally, I used this setup to achieve 147 points: R1, 810HP, 155+kg@5, DF@56/74. Same pit strategy as run#2, but this time I was just a few car lengths from being lapped when I pitted on lap 40. Here's a rundown of the race:

L10 - P6 +9.422 to GT-ONE - 30.988 best lap(BL)
L20 - P6 +15.262 to GT-ONE - 30.799 BL
L30 - P6 +21.635 to GT-ONE - same BL
L40 - PIT from P6 +29.906 to GT-ONE
race order:
GT-ONE
Bentley +9.761
Pescarolo Courage -a car length further back
V12 LMR +15.358
Playstation Pescarolo +17.911
ME +29.906
L41 - P6 +1 lap to GT-ONE - GT-ONE was about 5 car lengths from lapping me a second time
L44 - Bentley pits
L46 - GT-ONE pits
L47 - Pescarolo Courage pits
L48 - Playstation Pescarolo pits
L49 - LMR pits
L50 - P2 +3.901 to GT-ONE
L53 - P1!

L59 - P1 -6.6 to GT-ONE - 29.059 BL
L60 - PIT
L61 - P6 +25.5 to GT-ONE
L64 - P5 +22.297 to GT-ONE
L65 - P4 +21.034 to GT-ONE
L70 - P4 +15.306 to GT-ONE
L75 - P2 +9.501 to GT-ONE
L79 - P4 +10.744 to GT-ONE (R3s started going after 16 laps, only really lost time though on the last 2 of 20 laps each stint)
L80 - PIT
L81 - P6 +1 lap to GT-ONE - 29.000 BL (set sometime in prev. 20 laps)
L86 - unlap from 3rd and 2nd (Bentley and Pesca Courage)
L89 - Bentley pits from 3rd, unlap myself from GT-ONE
L90 - P4 +27.792 to GT-ONE
L92 - P2 - GT-ONE pits - 28.781 BL
L93 - Courage pits
L94 - P1 -2.7 to V12 LMR
L98 - P1 -7.9 to V12 LMR (LMR pits 98 or 99)
L100 - P1 -20.673 to GT-ONE at 1/2 way point on final lap.

I think 150 might be within reach, but I don't think the downforce can go down much more and still offer a chance at winning. Certainly not with the setup I tried for 150 on my 2nd attempt. Definitely have to do it with ballast, 5-10 more kg ought to take it over 150 and still be winnable. This setup is on the very edge of what I could win with though. Obviously there's still 20 seconds I could go slower by, but any downforce reductions or ballast increases are going to hurt a lot more on the R1 stint and probably slow you down too much in the first 30-40 laps to win.

Anyway, thanks a bajillion for your post GTsail!

 

[GTsail]

Nice work Imetheleprechaun!

A much more interesting race than using the Sauber C9 or the Minolta 88CV and blowing away the competition.

Being so far behind is quite strange!

Its nice to outsmart the AI.

GTsail290

 

[shepzki]

Tsukuba 9 hour - Suzuki GSX- R/4 '01 for 200 points,
N2/N3 tyres changing to N3's at first pit stop. Racing tranny, brakes, suspension etc. 200 ballast.

I tried this the last few nights and after about 8 - 10 line up resets i could not find this line-up (i'm using pal) so i went for the next one that offered 200 points.

i can't remeber the exact starting order but there was a honda nsx type r'02, a gt vspec sktline, audi 3.2 quattro, bmw 330i. and a mazda rx7.

the only real competition was the nsx type r.

as i crossed the finish line 9 hours and 50 odd seconds past. the audi was last and 473 laps complete. the nsx was 2nd and 492 laps complete.

total laps 500. (maybe could have squeezed out 1 more if i didnt spend about fifty laps during trying to spin the nsx when ever i came close to him.
fastest lap time 1.02.329 (constant times between 62.8 - 64 seconds) when not trying to bully the nsx.

next i might try either roadster 4hr as i am in practice with tsukuba or i might try monteghi 8hr or Nurb 24hr

Just finished this race myself for 200 Points using the Suzuki GSX-R/4, here is my setup:

1ST Pal Lineup
Can't remember starting grid places but these are the other cars:

Mazda RX-8 Type S (J) '03
Mazda RX-7 Spirit-R Type A (FD) '02
Nissan Skyline GT-R V-Spec II (R34) '00
Subaru Legacy B4 2.0 GT '03
BMW 330i '05
Suzuki GSX-R/4 <<<<<ME

161 BHP, had previously run 5390 miles on the car, N3, NOS (Not used) Auto Tranny @ 8, min ride height, 60 Ballast, Aids @ 0, 0, 3

Pit strategy was every 42 laps, no fuel 1st 2 stops then just 40 units of fuel was needed for subsequent stops.

Total Time: 9.00'06.240
Laps: 508
Best Lap: 1'01.931

MOV 20+ Laps

Very boring race, but very easy.

 

[imtheleprechaun]

Nice work Imetheleprechaun!

A much more interesting race than using the Sauber C9 or the Minolta 88CV and blowing away the competition.

Being so far behind is quite strange!

Its nice to outsmart the AI.

GTsail290

I definitely couldn't have done it without your efforts finding the race/field. Well, maybe I could have, but I don't think I would have, certainly not 2 days after complaining so loudly about the ridiculous nature of a 200 point race there. The last thing I expected to find was a new post detailing a field I could find and a car I owned which I could use to put SS150 behind me finally. Your post was a major help, thanks again!

 

[shepzki]

I did 10 of the endurance races so far for 200 points and tried Suzuka 1000 Km some days ago with a new GSX R/4 on R2´s, all nonpower and power mods for about 273 HP. I already used the GSX for some other endurances but I had difficulties with that one. The car was very twichy and I spun out quite a few times, so I aborted the race after 2 hours. I suppose I didn´t have the right set-up for the car for this particular race.

What set-up and what tactic (pitstops, line-up) did you use? To my understanding I shouldn´t have problems with this one, but the car was just very instable. Any suggestions for a set-up anyone?

Just to confirm my previous post, I ran that race yesterday on my PAL version and won by over 6 laps using the same setup on a brand new GSX. Pitted every 14 laps and the 2nd placed Mazda every 15 laps, 1st PAL lineup, sorry I don't remember exact lineup but I didn't take note of anything.