Endurance Events

[Carlos Fandango]

I raced three whole days (8,5hrs on the first, 9hrs on the second and the rest on third)...

Good effort tmtk. I'm still to A-spec the 24hr races. B-spec'd way back when I was just looking for money and cars!

At the opposite end of the scale I've just completed the Laguna Seca 200 for 200pts in the Honda HSC (stock) over the last five days (I generally only get 20mins per day to race once everyone else is in bed).

Eventual MOV was 6.47 secs over the Saleen - should have been way more but it took a long time to hit my stride in the car and with the track. I found with R2 tyres I was always looking for a gear ratio in between second and third. R1 tyres were much better though and were able to last 25 laps per stint before the front right went dark orange.

 

[RVDNuT374]

El Capitan 200: 200 A-spec points

Car: '91 Mercedes-Benz 190 E 2.5 - 16 Evolution II with the following parts :

racing brakes
triple plate clutch
racing flywheel
carbon driveshaft
port polish
engine balancing
S1 tires (pit every 11 laps)
minimum downforce (8/11)

Once the car is set up, scroll through the lineups after a reset until this one pops up:

1. Callaway C12 '03
2. Chevy Corvette Grand Sport '96
3. Chevy Corvette Z06 '00
4. TVR Cerbera Speed Six '97
5. TVR 350C '03

This race is truly an epic battle because the Benz is exactly matched to the AI. 👍 The only time you can gain on the AI is the first 3-4 laps of a pit cycle due to their conservative driving on cold tires. However, as your tires fall off the last 2 laps of a run, the AI will gain some of that back. After a 2 hour 15 minute battle that saw multiple lead changes, the margin of victory over the '96 Vette was only 2.052 seconds, with the Z06 Vette not far off at 9.940 seconds behind.

 

[Austin343]

I've been trying a few cars bone-stock on N1 tires for 200 points at El Capitan, and I've won in both the BMW M3 CSL and the RUF RGT. Both are pretty good on these tires, and won comfortably. With the BMW, I won in 2:13'38.455 with a fastest lap of 1'59.287 and a margin of 1'37 over a Viper GTS and a bunch of slow-as-molasses cars. With the RUF, I won in 2:12'40.997 with a fastest lap of 1'58.076 and a gap of 1.1 laps over the T350C, Corvette Grand Sport, Viper GTS, Corvette ZR-1, and V8 Vantage. With both cars, I only had to pit once, at lap 33. You don't end up being much faster on pace than the AI, and you're in fact slower than the Viper in the M3, but obviously the single pit stop makes a big difference.

Other cars that will win this way include the Zonda C12, the Nissan GT-R Concept, the Shelby Series 1, the GSX-R/4, some JGTC300 cars (!), and perhaps a couple of others.

Edit: I doubt that anyone is still doing 24-hour races, but I still thought it would be fun to see what road cars could win La Sarthe II with full tuning for 200 points. I'm sure that I've missed some good cars, but here's the list I currently have.

Make mincemeat of the competition
Nissan R390 GT1 Road Car - This thing is a road car in name only, as it has more downforce than any car in the game except the FGT when you slap on a wing. It's almost as fast around this course as the 905 that I used to win the race, and it can win comfortably with the same sort of squeaky-clean driving.
Cadillac Cien - I've mentioned this one before, but it would be pretty easy.

Somewhat challenging but very doable
VW W12 Nardo Concept - I was able to turn 3'11 laps pretty easily on R1 tires with WRS-clean but not squeaky-clean driving, which translates to a fairly comfortable win.
Dodge Viper SRT10 - It has a shocking amount of grip relative to expectations and is almost as fast as the Nardo.
Dodge Viper GTSR - It behaves a lot like a race car when it's fully tuned, and it has the speed to match, more or less on par with the Nardo.
Tommy Kaira ZZ-II - This would win pretty narrowly, as the understeer and the tire wear undo some of its advantage in raw speed and downforce.
Dodge Viper GTS - You'd have to use the liberal perspective on the track boundaries, but it's surprisingly adept.

Entirely possible, but only for the criminally insane
Pagani Zonda C12S 7.3 - This car is extremely fast, as evidenced by my 3'10 lap times on R1s and its 252 mph top speed on the Hunaudieres. But as you would imagine for a road car with 984 HP and absolutely zero downforce to speak of (it won't take a wing) on a very fast and bumpy course, it's completely unhinged. It takes a lot of concentration to keep it on the road, and I don't think I'd want to get within a mile radius of it once the chassis becomes warped.
Lotus Esprit Sport 350 - This must be the least stable car at high speed that I've ever driven. It's literally impossible not to crash in that bend in the straight just after T3. It's also fast, but it would need a very good setup to keep it in check, and it would be equally unlikely to take well to chassis wear.
Ford GT - I wasn't sure where to put this. It's quite fast despite having fewer than 800 HP, but it has a huge rear tire wear problem caused by that weird chattering phenomenon.

Long shots, unless you're on PAL
Lotus Esprit V8 - It's quicker than most cars in this section, but not quite quick enough.
Honda NSX-R Concept LM Road Car - It sure doesn't accelerate well for a car with over 950 HP.
Mercedes SL 65 AMG - It's amazingly decent for such a heavy car.
Nissan Option Stream Z - I really want this one to work, but I just don't think it's quite fast enough in NTSC (high 3'12s on R2s with the most liberal interpretation possible of the track boundaries).
Nissan Skyline GT-R Vspec II Nur - It's also not quite fast enough, but it's conceivable that a good setup could make it work.
Jaguar XJ220 - This car takes a lot better to racing tires and a wing than it does to sports tires, and in fact it greatly resembles a race car with the full tuning. But it still isn't quite good enough.
Buick Special - I really wanted this to work, and it almost does, but it's borderline undrivable at high speeds. It careens into the guardrail if you hit a bump on the straight just slightly wrong. A setup wizard might be able to find a remedy, though.
Toyota Supra RZ
Audi Le Mans Quattro
Mercedes SLR McLaren
Chevrolet Corvette Z06
Saleen S7


Also, several of these cars can win at La Sarthe I, although most have to be detuned somewhat to earn 200 points. The R390, Viper GTSR, Ford GT, and Cien can all do it with a loose interpretation of the track boundaries, and the Nardo can do it - against a field with only medium-speed cars (an R8 is the fastest AI and an R390 is the slowest) - while driving to WRS standards, i.e. four wheels on runoff being disallowed.

 

[prodrive GTR]

Hey,if i switch form aspec to bspec and then back to aspec just to cross the finish line,do i lose the points?

 

[Austin343]

Yes, you get zero A-spec points if you use B-spec at any point during the race.

I've tested a lot of cars for the Laguna Seca endurance race, with the intent of finding ones that can win on S1 or N1/N2 tires. I only succeeded in identifying ones that could win on S1s (not even the godlike R390 road car was fast enough with N2s), but it still isn't an especially short list:

Versus a hard field - at least three of Ford GT, Saleen, Spirra, and Shelby
Pagani Zonda C12
BMW M5
Nissan GT-R Concept (Tokyo Show)
R390 GT1 road car with minimum downforce - the three above are all pretty marginal, and the R390 is much more certain to be able to win, but I think you need a field with all four of the fast cars in it to get 200 points, and a lot of searching has not yet revealed such a lineup for me.

Versus a slow field, with the Vipers and the faster Corvettes as the fastest cars
Opera S2000 - incredibly, you can get 200 points with maximum downforce if you select a good lineup.
Acura HSC
Shelby Series 1 - this one is quite marginal, but it seems like it could eke out a win.
RUF RGT
BMW M3 CSL
BMW M3 GTR
Suzuki GSX-R/4 - this one defies belief, but yes, it's fast enough to win even on S1s. Yes, that's ridiculous.

Also, the Spoon S2000 race car can win on its stock R1s against a slow field, which would make it easily the slowest race car to get 200 here. The biggest problem with many of these is that it's 🤬 impossible to pass the AI cleanly, because you have neither the straight-line speed nor the stopping distance and cornering grip to get around them on such a narrow course.

Edit: I should clarify that these cars are all bone-stock; I didn't do anything except change the tires.

Edit 2: Moving on to the Fuji 1000km race, most of the good options have already been used, including the Zonda, GT-R Concept, and McLaren. But I found three or four more that can win stock for 200 points under the right circumstances: the Escudo with minimum downforce versus a fast field (yes, you'll spend the entire race spinning the tires, but it's fast enough anyway); the Panoz on R2s versus a medium field; the Oreca Viper on R2s versus a slow field; and possibly the GT LM Spec II on R2s versus a slow field.

 

[Austin343]

The Nurburgring 4h race is quite interesting, especially with Dotini's sneaky lineup. I tested a lot of cars for it, aiming to include every car that I found "interesting" in some way; as a result, this isn't comprehensive by any means. I think that all of the following can win, stock, for 200 points against that lineup:

Toyota MR2 Spyder '02 (6.95 kg/HP, A-spec value = 931 on S2 tires) - I'm probably going to use this one, as it projects to provide a pretty close race, is notably underpowered (141 HP), and is very fun to drive.
Lotus Elise Type 72 '01 (6.30 kg/HP, A-spec value = 936 on S2/S1 tire combination) - It's a very obvious choice, and it would be easily the lowest-powered car to win stock.
Nissan Skyline GTS-t Type M '91 (6.63 kg/HP, A-spec value = 955 with old oil on S2 tires) - This is a fun car to drive and would give a close race.
Toyota MR2 G-limited '97 (6.82 kg/HP, A-spec value = 956 with old oil on S2 tires) - This car is very fun to drive and has an impressively smooth engine, although it does eat rear tires. It should provide a close race.
Mazda RX-7 GT-X '90 (6.83 kg/HP, A-spec value = 959 with old oil on S2 tires) - It's faster than you would think for something that's so old.
Opel Speedster '00 (5.90 kg/HP, A-spec value = 962 on S2 tires) - This thing is very fast. Along with the Elise, it could beat significantly more difficult fields.
Lexus IS200 (J) '98 (6.50 kg/HP, A-spec value = 969 on S2 tires) - This car qualifies as "shockingly quick."
DMC DeLorean S2 '04 (6.54 kg/HP, A-spec value = 971 on S1 tires) - It has tons of grip and would be pretty easy.
Nissan Silvia K's '91 (6.43 kg/HP, A-spec value = 975 with old oil on S2 tires) - This is another one to file under "shockingly quick." Early-90s cars in GT4 usually aren't given so much grip.
TRD Modelista Celica '00 (5.82 kg/HP, A-spec value = 975 with S1 tires) - This would be a close race, and a tuner FF winning this race would be cool.
Honda Civic Type R '04 (5.53 kg/HP, A-spec value = 978 with S1 tires) - I want to win this race with a production FF, since the only FFs that have won stock to this point are a concept that doesn't behave like an FF, and a race car. Even pitting every two laps (!), the Civic is fast enough to beat the slow lineup, although it should be a close race.
Mercedes 300 SL '54 (6.11 kg/HP, A-spec value = 983 with S1 tires) - As ridiculous as it is to use Sports tires on a 1954 car, it handles quite adeptly. It would also give a close race.
Honda Accord EX '03 (6.17 kg/HP, A-spec value = 998 with S1 tires) - This car isn't actually quite offered 200 points against Dotini's lineup, so I'll have to find a different one. But it's unbelievably fast for an FF with 6.17 kg/HP (a worse WPR than the Kusabi) and can beat a wide range of AI competitors.

I'm probably going to do this race once in the MR2 for the slow-car-beating-the-odds factor, and once in the Accord for the FF factor. There were a few cars that I was really hoping would be fast enough but were not, including the SSR (which would demolish the current WPR record), the Elan (which would obliterate the lowest-power record), and the Golf V GTi, Acura RSX, or oft-forgotten FF Clio (all of which would be somehow more impressive than the Accord or Civic among FFs). Also worth noting is that with all of the FFs, I've had to stop every two laps even with S1 tires on. What's amazing is that some are fast enough to overcome the handicap.

 

[RVDNuT374]

Nice work with the testing Austin343! 👍 You would never think that tuned road cars could keep up with the AI who are driving race cars on Le Sarthe. I guess the AI really are a lot slower than we realize.

El Capitan 200- 200 A-spec points

Car: '91 Lexus GS300 equipped with the following parts:

weight reduction stage 1
rigidity refresher
racing brakes
racing transmission (autoset 9)
triple plate clutch
racing flywheel
carbon driveshaft
sports exhaust
racing chip
S1 tires (pit every 8 laps for the first 3 stints, then every 7 laps until the end)

Once the car is setup, scroll through the lineups until this one appears:

1. '04 Mercedes Benz SL65 AMG
2. '05 BMW M5
3. '03 Callaway C12
4. '97 TVR Cerbera Speed Six
5. '03 Dodge Viper SRT10

This is a enjoyable race to run due to the surprising agility of the Lexus. 👍 Once the tires warm up, you should be able to consistently lap in the low 1'58 range. Despite having to make 3 more pitstops than the Viper, I was able to win by approximately 20 seconds after it pitted on lap 65 of 66 with a 15 second lead. However, if the Viper had started on pole, I might not have been able to pass him after the final pitstop, which is why this is a good lineup to race against. When I ran this race yesterday, the Viper was held up for 13 laps by the M5 at the start, which I believe gave me enough of a cushion for victory.

 

[Austin343]

Thanks for the compliment, RVDNuT - I've definitely enjoyed seeing all of the strange ways to win these races. And now that I have a clear idea of how fast you need to be to beat Dotini's lineup at Nurburgring 4h, I have even more cars, this time sorted by WPR because it's become my primary aim:

Lotus Elan S1 '62 (6.14 kg/HP, A-spec value = 934 on S2 tires) - This is for certain the lowest-powered car that can win here, but I don't like driving it on Sports tires at all. It would be a pretty close race, at least.
Acura RSX Type-S '04 (6.31 kg/HP, A-spec value = 955 on S1 tires) - Another car that would provide a close race, this one has both less power and a worse WPR than the Accord.
Volvo S60 T5 Sport '03 (6.35 kg/HP, A-spec value = 989 on S1 tires) - It has a worse WPR than either the RSX or the Accord, and yet it's substantially faster than the RSX because of some preternatural cornering abilities for an FF.
Mazda MX-5 Miata 1800 RS (NB, J) '04 (6.71 kg/HP, A-spec value = 930 on S2 tires) - This car is a lot more fun to drive on N tires, but it can get the job done here on S2s.
Nissan Skyline HT 2000 RS-X Turbo C (R30) '84 (6.94 kg/HP, A-spec value = 941 on S2 tires with old oil) - Both this car and its older brother are quite good considering their age.
MG TF160 '03 (7.23 kg/HP, A-spec value = 924 on S2 tires) - A fun car to drive, this one can only win if it can wring four laps out of S2s, which I haven't tested yet.
Nissan Skyline GTS-R (R31) '87 (7.24 kg/HP, A-spec value = 940 on S2 tires with old oil) - This shouldn't be too hard a race, as it behaves well for a 1980s car.
Toyota 2000GT '67 (7.27 kg/HP, A-spec value = 933 on S2 tires) - As amusing as this would be, it can only win if it gets four laps out of S2s, and even then it would still be borderline.
Mercedes-Benz SLK 230 Kompressor '98 (7.66 kg/HP, A-spec value = 944 on S2 tires with old oil) - This is a wonderful car to drive, and would be an easy victor while blowing away the current WPR record.
Chevrolet SSR '03 (7.78 kg/HP, A-spec value = 940 on S2 tires) - This would blow away the WPR record even further, but like the Elan, I don't enjoy driving it. The race would at least be pretty close.
Mazda RX-7 GT-Limited (FC, J) '85 (7.80 kg/HP, A-spec value = 923 on S2 tires with old oil) - Between the WPR and the car's age, it's amazing that it's competitive, but like the 2000GT, it would be borderline even if it got four laps out of S2s.
BMW 120d '04 (8.73 kg/HP (!!!!!!), A-spec value = 936 on S2 tires) - The WPR of this thing would make it absolutely mindblowing if it could win, but unfortunately I think it's maybe one or two seconds per lap too slow, and I'm not sure if the S2s last three full laps. But it would be worth a shot anyway.

Edit: None of the cars that needed to get four laps out of S2s could do so. Also, I tried desperately to get the 120d to work, but I just don't think it has quite enough, which is a shame. I think that it would be capable of running a fast enough race time on its own to beat the CLK, but the AI is just too hard to deal with when you have so little speed on the straights. Even with aggressive passing and some blocking, it's extremely difficult to avoid having them get in your way. For example, the Focus is such a rocketship on the straights that it gains seven seconds between Bergwerk and Mutkurve, and if you aren't willing to move into its line so that it drills you, it will then hold you up from T7 to T9, even to the point of returning from off-road excursions in such a way that you can't avoid running into it. In most circumstances, this wouldn't be such a problem, but there's absolutely zero margin for error in a car this slow. I still hold out some hope that with perfect driving and some good luck, this race could still be possible, but you're on such a razor's edge that even one mistake could be the end. That's what happened to me - I spun out on lap 7 trying to pass the Focus before Aremburgkurve, and I figured that I probably couldn't recover.

 

[RVDNuT374]

Nurburgring 4 Hours- 200 A-spec points

Car: '73 Mitsubishi Lancer 1600 GSR with the following parts:

S1 tires
stage 2 turbo
racing brakes
racing transmission (autoset 10, 6th gear 0.705)
triple plate clutch
racing flywheel
carbon driveshaft
1.5 way LSD
30 ballast @ 0

Once the car is setup, preview the race and select the third grid that pops up:

1. '02 Jaguar XKR Performance R
2. '00 Ford Mustang SVT Cobra R
3. '96 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport (C4)
4. '03 Mazda RX-8 Type S
5. '04 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VIII MR GSR

The award of the race goes to the Jaguar. If it pitted every 4 laps instead of going for a 5th and spinning out multiple times after Karusell, I would've lost by quite a bit. The race itself was quite enjoyable. 👍 At my first pitstop on lap 4, I was actually 19 seconds behind the Jaguar due to traffic. I switched to S2 tires and came out of the pits 40 seconds behind. But the Jaguar soon self-destructed and I took the lead at the start of lap 7 after the Corvette pitted. As the race wore on and the pit cycles played out, I took the lead for good on lap 15 and won by 1:00.555 over the Corvette, Jaguar, RX8, Evo, and Mustang.

 

[Krog]

How far into the game did you get before starting endurance races?

 

[GTsail]

How far into the game did you get before starting endurance races?

You need to get to 25% completion

GTsail

 

[Dotini]

Nurburgring 4 Hours of Endurance

Car: Lotus Esprit Turbo HC '87 (9000+ miles, no oil, S1/S1 tires) / MR / 214 HP / 1322kg / 6.18kg/HP / 200 A-Spec by Dotini

Starting line-up NTSC #2 with red car:
Chevrolet Camaro SS '01
Lancia Delta HF Integrale Evoluzione '91
Audi RS 04 '01
Ford Focus RS '02
Pontiac GTO 5.7 Coupe '01

Completing 29 laps in 4:05'47.308
Fastest Lap 8'13.753
MoV 1'10+ over Camaro SS

Complete setup: http://www.gtvault.com/gt4/setup-view/s_sid::8840/Esprit-Turbo-HC-Dotini2001/

The purpose of this race was to enjoy the sweet handling of the good-looking mid-engined Lotus Turbo HC with a suspension setup inspired by Sukerkin, http://www.gtvault.com/gt4/setup-view/s_sid::6967/Lotus-Esprit-Turbo-HC/

Respectfully submitted,
Steve

 

[Dotini]

Nurburgring 4 Hours of Endurance

Car: Mitsubishi Galant GTO MR '70, Etna Yellow color, (8600+ miles, no oil, S1/S1 tires) / FR / 213 HP / 1152kg / 5.41 kg/HP / 200 A-Spec by Dotini

Starting line-up NTSC #2 with Etna Yellow car:
Chevrolet Camaro SS '01
Lancia Delta HF Integrale Evoluzione '91
Audi RS 04 '01
Ford Focus RS '02
Pontiac GTO 5.7 Coupe '01

Completing 29 laps in 4:07'27.667
Fastest Lap 8'19.xxx
MoV ~30 seconds over Lancia

Complete setup: http://www.gtvault.com/gt4/setup-view/s_sid::8925/Galant-GTO-MR-Dotini2001/

The purpose of this race was to test the Mitsubishi Galant GTO in preparation for an attempt on the "1000 miles!" event. It proved more difficult than I anticipated, being unable to consolidate the lead until lap 20 when the Camaro missed his pit stop! It was really quite a battle, with every car except the Pontiac getting into the lead at one point or another. I was able to get 117/118 mph thru Kesselchen, and 137/138 mph at Antoniusbusche.

Respectfully submitted,
Steve

 

[Ignignoc N Err]

Grand Valley 300 km
Suzuki GSX R4, R2, chip, Eng Balance, polish, wing, FC tranny, RC suspension, aids 000, TR clutch, RC flywheel, RC exhaust.
Toyota Altezza Touring Car
Honda S2000 LM, standard (R1s)
Toyota WedsSport Celica, standard (R1s)

Used the Toyota to win the GV300 last night over the following lineup in finish order:
Xanavi/Hiroto GTR (mov ~1:05)
Pennzoil GTR
Mobil1 NSX
some other NSX that escapes me
au Cerumo Supra (lapped)

I used R1s the whole way and utilized a 2-stop pit strategy, pitting every 20 laps. I was managing rather consistent laps between 1:57.xxx and 1:55.xxx, but my fastest lap came on yellow/orange tires on lap 37 at 1:54.689, followed by a second fastest the next lap at 1:54.889. The race was not as tough as I had first thought. The Wedssport Celica is a fantastic machine and it stays pretty glued to the track, even with the (default) reduced aero settings. With cold tires, the AI would gain about a second on me on the home straight, but by the time I got to the consecutive esses on the middle of the course (following the 2nd hairpin), I could make back about half of that by outbraking and taking a better line, pretty much making it a wash. Once my R1s were warm, I could leave the AI behind uncontested, gaining as much as a second or two per lap. Having the 2-stop strategy really nailed the coffin closed. 200 points were never so easy.

Next up is the Tokyo R246 300km, and I'm curious if the Wedssport Celica will be able to take title again, or if I'll have to use something with higher top-end. In my experience, the AI drive very fast in Tokyo.

 

[Ignignoc N Err]

Eight months later, and I have yet another 200 point report.

Fuji 1000km
228 laps at Fuji 90s

Sauber Mercedes C9
Nissan R92CP
Nissan R89C
Nissan R390 GT1
Chevrolet Corvette C5R

And the vehicle I have chosen to enter:
Chaparral 2J

Suspension is nothing special, bottomed out, moderately high spring rates, moderate dampers and stabilizers, etc. Transmission is just a little higher than stock, topping out around 375 km/h with a draft, but usually hitting ~350 km/h right about the time I have to brake for the first hairpin. I have the car riding on R2s currently, but I started the race on R1s for points' sake. Thanks to the high points values of the competition, no ballast is necessary. Limited slip is set at 20/35/38, which is far higher than I typically favor.

Now, the Chaparral is a peculiar beast, having a weight and power profile similar to any of the top tier prototypes, but it has some dissimilarities as well.

First, and most obvious would be the non-traditional downforce element. The well-known sucker fans produce a distinct (albeit unforgiving) cornering dynamic more akin to the old Group 5 and 6 sports cars of the 60s and 70s. It can corner just as well at the same speeds, on the same tires, etc, as any of the upper GT1s, LMPs and so forth, it just has to be approached... differently.

That brings us to the second dissimilarity. The short, boxy weight profile tends toward violent spin at only modest upset, and that means practically NO TRAIL BRAKING! EVER! But there is something that can help. For the most part, I've followed the "less is more" ideology for tuning limited slip settings on my differential. However, the 2J I have discovered to favor higher settings, even benefited by a decel bias. That has made the car far more stable when braking at speed, especially on those wide, sweeping turns which lead to sharp hairpins or chicanes.

Finally, since it lacks the added drag (read: "dynamic weight") of traditional downforce elements, tire life is ridonkolus. I am able to stretch a set of R2s a full 25 laps before handling degrades into unsafe tolerances. That is nearing the capacity of a tank of fuel! That also means the competition pits 5 times every third of my stops. That gives me a huge advantage, which I am certain will lead me to an easy victory.

After all, I'm a lap and a half ahead of the #2 Sauber on lap 75.

MID-RACE UPDATE: Pulling into the pits on lap 114 for fuel and tire change has me 3 laps ahead of the #2 Sauber. I should only need to pit 5 more times every 19 laps to win the race comfortably. I'm pulling laps in the 1:16.5xx range rather consistently, but fastest lap of 1:15.485 was clocked on lap 86 on banana-yellow tires.

END-RACE UPDATE: Fastest lap was 1:15.231 on lap 129. Came close a few times after, but never surpassed. Total elapsed time was 4:58:02, with the Sauber in 2nd a whopping 6 laps down. Altogether one of the easiest endurance races I've ever completed. Three quarters of a million bucks, and a shiny new R92CP in my pocet, and it's onto other pursuits.

 

[Ignignoc N Err]

Nürburgring 4hr

At stake: 200 A-spec points 200,000 Cr. and the 1967 Chaparral 2D race car

The competitors:
Skyline GTR (spec 2 or something whatever. It's one of 80 models of GTR. Use your imagination)
Lancial Delta HF Integrale (constantly jockeyed with the Skyline for #2)
Ford Focus RS (surprisingly good acceleration from 80 km/h up to 200 km/h)
Pontiac GTO 5.7 (drove like a jerk-ass if you tried to pass him)
Alfa Romeo 147 GTA (who pitted in with less than 30 seconds remaining in the race)

My vehicle of choice:
Suzuki GSX/R-4
Suspension set mid-height and soft to cope with the undulating course. Transmission was set WAY too high, but still was able to hit ~245 km/h down Dottinger Hohe and between Flugplatz and Aremburg. Limited Slip followed the "less is more" approach. Car was shod with N3's all around, managing 8 laps per stint, just slightly over an hour per stint. Could have gone longer, but the fronts wore out to the point that lap times degraded measurably. 200kg of ballast was dropped on the front axle, which caused the front-biased imbalance in tire wear. With proper ballast placement, this could be alleviated, I'm sure and possibly stretched the stints out to 10+ laps.

In my trials preparing the car for this race, I had entertained using lower ballast (35kg) on N1s. The car was nigh-uncontrollable on those ultra-slick tires, so I opted to go with maximum ballast on N3s instead. Now, I know I could have started on N1s to get the points, then immediately swapped out for N3s for an even faster race, but I wanted something slightly more challenging. Even as it was, I was still rocking laps between 8:10 and 8:05 on a regular basis, and my fastest lap #13 clocked in at 8:01.108.

Total elapsed time was 4:00'53.729, 29 laps (3 stops) with a margin of victory over 6.5 minutes. Could have gone more and had a bigger lead, but I took my time on a couple of laps to waste time, and even reading some of the signs marking the course. Had I pushed and minimized my mistakes, I could have lapped the #3 Delta and maybe even the #2 Skyline. As it were, I had a fun race, even though I spent 4 hours with Chewbacca screaming in my ear. Seriously, the engine noise occasionally sounds just like the Wookiee's howls, especially between 8k and 9k rpm, and even moreso when the undulations in the track make the engine revs bounce up and down.

Easy victory for 200 points. Off to other pursuits now...

 

[RVDNuT374]

Motegi 8 Hours- 200 A-spec points

Car: '62 Lotus Elan S1 with the following parts:

S1 tires
racing suspension
triple plate clutch
racing flywheel
1.5 way LSD

Once the car is setup, enter the race and select the 54th grid after a reset that pops up (NTSC/USA)*:

1. '03 Trial Celica
2. '00 Tom's Chaser X540
3. '00 Spoon Civic Type R
4. '95 Nismo GT-R LM Road Going Edition
5. '99 Spoon Integra Type R (DC2)

*To access this grid, first enter/exit the Sunday Cup race at Autumn Ring Mini. Then enter/exit the Motegi race 53 times in a '74 Lancer Rally Car. Then switch to the Elan and this lineup should be waiting for you.*

Believe it or not, this race is far easier than it seems. 👍 Despite the Elan giving up nearly 200 hp to the AI cars, it has great cornering and braking abilities which more than offset any straightline disadvantage. The only advice I really have is to be patient making passes and to pit every 20-21 laps.

 

[shotamagee]

Motegi 8 Hours- 200 A-spec points

Car: '62 Lotus Elan S1 with the following parts:

S1 tires
racing suspension
triple plate clutch
racing flywheel
1.5 way LSD

Once the car is setup, enter the race and select the 54th grid after a reset that pops up*:

1. '03 Trial Celica
2. '00 Tom's Chaser X540
3. '00 Spoon Civic Type R
4. '95 Nismo GT-R LM Road Going Edition
5. '99 Spoon Integra Type R (DC2)

*To access this grid, enter/exit the race 53 times in a '74 Lancer Rally Car. Then switch to the Elan and this lineup should be waiting for you.*

Believe it or not, this race is far easier than it seems. 👍 Despite the Elan giving up nearly 200 hp to the AI cars, it has great cornering and braking abilities which more than offset any straightline disadvantage. The only advice I really have is to be patient making passes and to pit every 20-21 laps.

Using that grid really is the key to victory, I used it too. (3 Fast FF cars, & the 2 slowest FR's makes for an easy endurance race.)
I also know that I wouldn't have entered 54 grids to get to it, but my notes from back when I did the race aren't as good as the line up info I keep now. I'll see If I can re-find it, although there may be a NTSC vs PAL issue, I'll try to check over the weekend.

Edit: No luck, found my notes, they say 1st or 2nd line up after a Sarthe2 preview, but that doesn't work, so I checked the first 20 lineups, then first 15 after a Sarthe I & SartheII and Motegi Race preview all without finding that lineup. So I have no idea how I found that line up back when I originally did it. (all this done with a Corolla GT Apex AE86 '83)

 

[shotamagee]

Here's the first ever 200 A-spec point win of the Super Speedway 150 without wallriding, AI interference, or nitrous!!! 👍

The car I used is the venerable black Mazda 787B with this setup:

Downforce- 63/63
Ballast- 18 @ 0
LSD- 12/5/17
Transmission autoset-15
Brake balance controller- 6/6

This setup is tailhappy at high speed through the corners, meaning strict concentration for 100 laps. Otherwise, the race is relatively simple to complete against the 4th lineup after reset (NTSC/USA).

R1 tires must be equipped before the start to ensure full A-spec points. At the start, draft the Minolta as he picks his way from 5th position to the two leading Nissans, but do not pass him or any other AI car entering turn 3 at any point in the race, as they seem to think ramming you is an acceptable form of braking. For the first 15 laps it is possible, but not necessary to battle with the Minolta and Nissans for the lead because of their slower speed on cold tires compared to you. Lap times in a draft on cold R1 tires should be between 29.9-30.2 seconds. As the tires come to full temperature, the AI will start to pull away to the point where you lose the draft, but the 787B is still capable of running laps in the 29.8-29.9 second range. Keep running consistent laps until lap 34, when it is necessary to pit.

Switch to R2 tires and take no fuel. You will come out of the pits in 6th place nearly 2 laps behind, but the AI still have to make their first pit stops. The extra grip of the R2's is immediately obvious, as the first full lap out of the pits will more than likely break the fastest lap set on R1 tires. Laps on R2 tires will be more than a second quicker, meaning laps should range from 28.6-28.9 seconds on warm tires. After all the pitstops cycle through, you should be very close to taking the lead. As you pass the leading AI car around lap 45 or so, keep pushing hard, as one extra pitstop is required over the other cars.

Pit on lap 56 after running 22 laps on the R2 tires and fill up to 33 units of fuel. You'll exit the pits in 4th place nearly a lap behind, but should be able to gain 0.5-1.0 second a lap over the leading Minolta. As the final pit stops approach, the interval should be somewhere around 15 seconds to the leader.

Come into the pits for the final time on lap 78, changing tires and filling up to 33 units of fuel. After this pit stop, you should gain close to 2 seconds a lap over the leading AI car for the first 10 laps of the stint, as they are slow on cold tires. The interval will peak at about 21 seconds, then start to fall as the tires wear. After approximately 50 minutes of racing, 200,000 credits and a Honda NSX-R Prototype LM Race car should hopefully be yours!

Race Results

1. '91 Mazda 787B Race Car (black, no oil)
2. '89 Minolta Toyota 88 C-V (20.406 seconds behind at last seen checkpoint)
3. '92 Nissan R92CP
4. '89 Nissan R89C
5. '03 Bentley Speed 8 Race Car
6. '03 Pescarolo Judd Race Car (4 laps behind)

Facts of Interest

My fastest lap on R1 tires was 29.651 seconds, while my fastest lap on R2's was 28.360 seconds.

The Minolta hit the end of the pit wall head on coming in for his final pit stop, essentially handing me the race victory. 👍

The Pescarolo crashed into the turn 2 wall on lap 43, then again as he was trying to enter pit road.

Re: Posted because this is a mighty effort, but more so because I wonder if anyone in PAL land has seen this line up (long shot query I know). The closest I've come (for similar amount of points offered) has the Sauber C9 in it, and that car is just too fast to beat. However the above should be even easier for me, as I know the 88 C-V pits 3 times for us PAL users, and is just as prone to hitting the pit entry wall.

 

[shotamagee]

I've completed one run through the endurance hall doing most all the events for easy-ish 200 points.

However there were 3 races I still hadn't maxed out; so here they are.

I'm trying to win races for as many points as possible; Without any AI contact, No use of Nos or Qualifying and staying on the track and off the walls at all times.

These are the three redone Endurance Races which I was able to win for 200 A-Spec points under the above-mentioned conditions.


Roadster 4 Hours
Tsukuba
Mazda MX-5 J-Limited (j) 91' (Black Oil) Vs 34th Line up for 182 Points.
Parts -
N1,N2 Tyres, Race Brakes, Brake BC, FC Suspension, FC Transmission, Triple Clutch, Race Flywheel, Propshaft.
Settings -
Brake Balance: 5,3
Suspension: 8.5,9.0 110,112 -,- 5,6 6,7 1.8,1.5 0,0 3,5
Transmission: Auto1 Final4.950
Aids:000
Ballast: 84,42
Strategy: Pit lap 1 for N3,N3 then every 40 minutes.
Best Lap:1:12.385 (about 0.200 better than any other lap)

Notes: @Smallhorses has already done this race in the same fashion I intended to, so his notes re lap times etc were useful.
I grabbed the first lineup I came across with no '89, '91 J-Limited, 1800RS in the race and the 1.8 not on pole (it stated 5th).
I tried for 185 points but the car just wasn't fast enough, so I dropped the ballast down until I got 182, re adjusted the ballast position and started the race.
As per normal you pit in at the end of the first lap for N3,N3 tyres all round.
You've then got just under 240 mins to go, I settled on pitting every 40 minutes (roughly 32 laps) which split the race evenly and was when the tyres for me, (Smallhorses got better tyre life than me) were getting pretty worn.
The AI pit around every 50 minutes so they make 2 less pit stops, so you need to make up roughly 55 seconds on track and you've got 4 hours to do it.
I ended up winning the race by about 30 seconds.
I managed to pass the AI at lots of different spots during the race, inside @ T1, outside T2 (then inside for T3) & at the final hairpin, so I never got held up to much.
The race does include 2 off road & 1 AI contact (With self enforced stop go's for each) moments so a completely clean race should allow me to do this for 183 possibly even 184 points using this car.
Worth noting; A worn down 1600 NR-A might be even better but it weighs more so tyre life probably isn't as good, I'm not going to wear a new car down to check.


Tokyo R246 300km
Tokyo R246
Honda S2000 LM Race Car 01' Vs 5th Line up. (Xanavi GTR '03 is quickest AI car)
Parts -
R1 Tyres, NA Stage 3.
Settings -
Brake Balance: 6,5
Suspension: 12.8,13.2 80,82 -,- 4,5 5,6 2.2,2.0 0,2 4,5
Transmission: Auto1 Final3.050
Aids:000
Downforce: 25,32
LSD: 5 5 5
Ballast: 77,50
Strategy: Pit lap 16 for R2's, then every 11 laps.
Best Lap: 1:38.570

Notes: Same car I originally used on my first run through, just with a more refined grid & strategy. Start race and overtake the AI so that I'm already up to 2nd after 1 lap, clear the first placed car during lap 2 then start trying to clear out.
The AI only pit twice, whereas I'm going to pit 4 times, so you do need to make hay while they struggle with cold tyres.
I think the gap stabilized around 15 seconds before I made my first stop on lap 16.
Once you switch to R2, R2 tyres and you should be able to overtake when necessary and pull out enough of a lead whereby I eventually won by 51.5 seconds. Completely OLR Clean race, no wall or AI contact.


Super Speedway 150 Miles
Twin Ring Motegi (Super Speedway)
Mazda 787B Race Car '91 (Black Oil) Vs 3rd Line Up. (Enter the race twice in a Motul Pitwork Z'04, then enter the 3rd race in the 787B) (Audi R8, Sauber C9, Jaguar XJR-9, Bentley Speed 8, & Toyota 88C-V)
Parts -
R1 Tyres, Chassis Refresh.
Settings -
Brake Balance: 8,3
Suspension: 12.5,12.5 75,75 -,- 5,5 6,6 2.0,1.8 0,0 5,5
Transmission: Auto1 Final2.450
Aids:000
Downforce: 58,65
LSD: 5 5 20
Ballast: 10,-45
Strategy: Pit lap 42 for R2's then every 29 laps.
Best Lap: 28.960 (Prob in draft)

Notes: This may be the hardest 200 pointer of all the races I've done. This race is doable because the Sauber pits 3 times on an PAL console (which is different to what the AI endurance pit companion says), which makes this just winnable.
If you're NTSC see RVDNuT374's post (with a lineup I'd much prefer, but couldn't find) which I've quoted in the post above.
Anyway, this setup has been tuned to give 42 laps on R1's then 29 Laps on R2's so you only need to pit twice. The setup understeers a little on R1's but tyre life is pretty balanced on R2's. Due to the the lowered down force you can't really take the first corner flat out at all during the race, (small lift needed on R2's, need to brake with the R1's) and when you lift the rear normally slides, which is dramatic (300km drifting anyone?), but seems to be fairly controllable. Still this makes it a challenging race needing full attention for each corner.

Anyway race time; Dispatch the Bentley starting lap 3 through / entry to T1 (there's only T1 & T2 AFAIK, sorry Nascar fans, Ovals only have 2 turns I reckon) then pass the Jag on lap 4 exiting T1 and try to close in on the leading trio.
At some point the Sauber will overtake the Audi and begin to pull clear (for me about lap 5). You need to try to catch the draft of the 88C-V as it catches up to the Audi.
For me this occurred as the Toyota overtook the Audi R8, on lap 9 however by this stage the Sauber is 6 seconds up the road and pulling away.
By now the AI tyres are warm and they are now faster than me, so for the next 30 or so laps I cling to the draft of the Audi as the Sauber & trailing 88C-V increase the lead by about 0.750 per lap. The two lead cars (and the Jag) pit around lap 30, by which time the Sauber has come close to making up a lap on me and the Audi. (About 20 second lead)
When the Sauber exit's the pits it is about 10 seconds down on me and the Audi (now in 1st and 2nd), with the 88C-V still a further 6 or so seconds back.
I lose the Audi's draft around lap 32 as my tyres are starting to wear, but it pits on lap 40, which puts me in first but with the Sauber really starting to bare down on me as it's tyres warm up and mine wear out.
I make it to my necessary lap 42 pit stop still just in 1st, but with the Sauber getting pretty close (about 3 seconds back) behind as I pit, I switch to R2,R2 tyres (fuel up to about 44 Units) and come out in 4th just under a lap behind the Sauber.
As the Sauber's tyres are warm it overtakes me, but the extra grip of the R2's allow me to stay in it's draft, albeit one lap down (theme alert).
We tandem draft up to the Audi on lap 45 and the Sauber laps it and I follow it past which now puts me 3rd.
I continue to contentedly sit in the Sauber's draft, trying to save the tyres as much as I can until it pits on lap 60.
As the Sauber and Toyota lose time while in the pits I am promoted once again to 1st, and try to increase my narrow lead which was about 3.5 seconds after the Sauber has exited the pits.
I pit on lap 71, with the lead having got up to about 8 seconds (around lap 67) but now shrinking again to around 4 seconds due to worn tyres when I hit pit road.
(I refill to about 44 Units again) & come out again just under one lap behind the Sauber, back in 4th place.
(The Audi & Toyota (just) also gets back past me while I'm in the pits hence 4th, though the Audi loses 2nd & 3rd to the Toyota and me when it pits on lap 80)
The Sauber on warm tyres is catching me again so I elect to let it re lap me (I don't really have a choice it's pretty much faster than me and pushing hard will just chew up the tyres or possibly push me into a costly spin / wall contact).
This means I sit in it's draft (yet) again until it (and a few laps earlier the 88C-V) pits on lap 91.
Once this happens it leaves me in 1st with 9 laps to go, with a 4 second lead over the Sauber and it's for the moment cold tyres.
I go as fast as I dare and get the lead to around 8 seconds with 4 laps to go before tyre life starts to really slow me down.
They (yes the 88C-V & Sauber are together now, but with the 88C-V one lap back) are starting to shrink the lead back down again, by lap 97 it's about 7 seconds, then the Sauber gets slightly held up by the Jag so it loses its lap lead and the draft of the 88C-V.
Lap 99 and i have a 6 seconds lead, but with the 88C-V about 4 seconds + 1 lap behind.
So the race ends with me winning, the Sauber finishing 2nd 5.43 seconds back & 88C-V about 1 lap + 2 seconds (on the road between us) in 3rd. The Audi comes 4th, Bentley 5th & the fast but accident prone Jag 6th.
This race was completely OLR Clean, no wall or AI contact. Also no spins either, though for quite a lot of the race I was just conservatively as possible drafting other cars to help with speed & conserving tyres. Fun and rewarding to pull off the strategy, but I'm glad it's done.

 

[RoadHazzard]

Hi all!!

Not sure if anyone remembers me, but I'm finally attacking my GT4 "perfectionist" gamesave again! I lost a lot of replays when Google videos went out, and trying to figure out the best way to get my replays up.

Anyhow, one of the reasons why I took a hiatus was that I had to wear down one of my vehicles to get a 200pt offer for the Super Speedway 150. I put on about 500 extra miles with GT All Stars (Champ): High Speed Ring practice sessions to wear down my R8 from 780hp to 743hp (Settings Screen readings)!!

Against lineup#4:
PS Pesky
Nissan R89
Nissan R92
Bentley Speed 6
Minolta 88

Me: Audi R8 Race Car, 4241mi, original oil, 743hp (settings screen), R1/R1, full DF, 181/0 Ballast

Holy MF Crap!! It was VERY difficult. I had to put the Monolta and Nissans into the wall multiple times to get it done, and the Minolta is the one to beat. I pitted after laps 33 and 67, filling to 60 for fuel.

Ended with a 9.5" win with the R92 in second.

I'll post some screenshots later and provide more details...

RoadHazzard

........

Edit: here's a link to my replay, but it doesn't show the A-spec total...


As it turns out, I had to roll back my gamesave to day 694!!!
I realized that I never saved my game after purchasing the used MB Avantgarde on day 773... Nearly 150 days lost! Fortunately, most of the races I had to redo weren't difficult, but this race was one I have to do again.

 

[SleepyDragon]

Hi all

Way late but here's my 1st ever 200pt a spec enduro and 1st 200 pt race period (That I know of. Not clean. just glad to get it in.

El Capitan
Motorsports Elise

2'14'22'902 (wasn't quick enough to catch fast lap. Been ages since I wrote down times for OLR)

SR exaust
NA1
S2 tires
brakes & ctrl
Full tran & sus mods

Field


speed 6
viper rt/10
Calaway
M5
merc SL 65

That was about the 5th or 6th try with that car. Had one just before that where i finished 2nd with about a +4. that hurt. Caught an oil change boost right after and had to go down a notch on muffler to keep it at 200 for this one.

 

[jbrennen]

Don't think this particular car/track combo had been mentioned before as a 200 pointer...

No lineup hunting, no wearing out oil, and get to use a prize car.

Car: the '01 NSX-R Concept that you get for winning Race of NA Sports.
Race: Grand Valley Endurance Race, against some tough JGTC competition.

Mods to the car: All non-point performance upgrades + NA stage 3. (Had nitrous, but didn't use it.)
Tires: Start on R1 tires. Have R2 tires available in the pits.

I just took the first lineup offered in the NTSC-J game. Probably many lineups would work.

I did the first two tire stints on R1 tires, 12 laps each, then switched to R2 tires for four tire stints, 9 laps each. The main competition was the '01 PENNZOIL ZEXEL GT-R (JGTC). That car only made 3 pit stops compared to my 5 stops, so I had to beat him on pace, not on strategy.

Good laps on R1 tires were in the 1:58.xxx range, on R2 tires the 1:56.xxx range was the goal.

I took the lead near the end of lap 1 -- after that, I'd generally give up the lead by pitting, and then have to catch and pass the leader again. I wasn't 100% confident that I was going to be able to win until I came out of the pits on lap 52 out of 60, with no more pit stops needed, and only about 5 seconds behind the leader.

Best lap of the race was on the final sprint to the finish, lap 56, with a time of 1'55.984. Total time was 2:01'42.130 for a margin of victory of 9.964 seconds over the '01 PENNZOIL ZEXEL GT-R.

A lot of fun this one was, and a real test of consistency -- if I'd run 0.2 seconds slower per lap, I would have fallen short.