Four Hours: The Nürburgring 4Hr Companion & Competition

[hugo24]

I'm attempting this race for the first time using an Audi R8 v10 road car fully modified and painted Modena Yellow.

This is the first race I have experienced GT5's tyre wear. I made a fatal mistake attempting 3 laps on racing mediums about an hour in and lost about 5 minutes on that lap when my tyres lost all grip and I had to crawl back to the pits.

I'm now doing 2 laps stints on racing hards and are currently running 8th. I can hopefully see me catching up to maybe 3rd by the end of the race but don't think I can catch 1st or 2nd. I was coming 2nd when I made the tyre mistake.

I've had a few big offs and started on racing softs which only lasted a lap so I have cost myself some time over the race so far. Can't wait to make up the last 2 levels so I can attempt the 24 hour race with time and weather changes

 

[sheenator91]

Hi Guys

I'm just about to embark upon the 4 hour Nurburgring a-spec race but am struggling to choose a car? and also what would be the best choice of tires. I've took a TVR Cerbera Speed 6 for a spin on the track and it was ok, handled relatively well (using SS tires) posted a 9:18 (went off track a few times so give or take a few seconds is this a good time?

Would appreciate some help
Thanks

 

[ev0lutionX]

Stock Lexus Weds Sport on sports soft should do the trick, unless you're up against the R8 LMS or the S2000 Turbo. It's slightly easier with an oil change and maxing downforce. I'd post my setup for it, but I'm in the middle of the 9h Tsukuba race. Try Praiano's thread for a tune, he's really good. You can also try any of the other GT300 cars. There's atleast a premium Subaru and a premium Arta Garayia as well.

 

[HaylRayzor]

I decided to work up a new tune for the N4 this weekend and I have some kind of problem with the video. The screen is very dark. If I change views it is bright for a couple of seconds and then dims again.

This only happens at the ring in offline mode. If I do a seasonal race at the ring it's fine. If I use any other track it's fine.

I'm afraid I'm going to have to reload the game software.

 

[Kiloknaller]

I decided to work up a new tune for the N4 this weekend and I have some kind of problem with the video. The screen is very dark. If I change views it is bright for a couple of seconds and then dims again.

This only happens at the ring in offline mode. If I do a seasonal race at the ring it's fine. If I use any other track it's fine.

I'm afraid I'm going to have to reload the game software.

Do you have a HD TV because they change the brightness all the time

 

[W1ldcard]

I've tried this Race with a SLS and was capable of times about 8.44min. The only problem is that you have to pit every 3 laps. Dropped out because I tried to run 4 laps on my first stint. So the question is: What average lap time must you have to drive with pitting every 3 laps?

 

[axletramp]

That depends one which grid you run and which tyres you use. If the Audi LMS race car or Amuse S2000 GTi Turbo are present, then you'll need to hit 8:30-8:40's. If not, then you can get away with 9:00 laps against other grids. RS tyres will only last 2 laps but you'll be at your optimum grip/speed and this strategy can work. If you're feeling braver then you can run anything from RH down to SS tyres and gain the extra laps (i.e. fewer pit stops) but you'll find yourself running in the midfield for periods of the race and using strategy a bit more to win.

 

[W1ldcard]

That depends one which grid you run and which tyres you use. If the Audi LMS race car or Amuse S2000 GTi Turbo are present, then you'll need to hit 8:30-8:40's. If not, then you can get away with 9:00 laps against other grids. RS tyres will only last 2 laps but you'll be at your optimum grip/speed and this strategy can work. If you're feeling braver then you can run anything from RH down to SS tyres and gain the extra laps (i.e. fewer pit stops) but you'll find yourself running in the midfield for periods of the race and using strategy a bit more to win.

I use RH and can only run 3 laps. After 3 laps I have lead with about 35sec. Will the other cars slow down during the race?

 

[axletramp]

A 35 sec lead is pretty healthy. Who's in 2nd? Are either of the 2 'rabbits' I mentioned above involved? Generally the car chasing you will run slightly faster in the second half of the race as the traffic is spread out and he isn't held up as badly. If you're 35 secs ahead at the half way point and pulling comparable lap times to the 2nd placed car, then your 3 stop strategy should easily win - barring any massive screw-ups on your part. What's your 3rd lap like? Doesn't sound like you're losing too much time on it.

 

[W1ldcard]

Ok, dominated the Race with my Mercedes, but now there is a timing bug saying that I am 4th. Is there anything I can do against it like switching the console of and starting from the last checkpoint. It makes me really upset after 4 exhausting hours >:/

 

[GTsail]

Ok, dominated the Race with my Mercedes, but now there is a timing bug saying that I am 4th. Is there anything I can do against it like switching the console of and starting from the last checkpoint. It makes me really upset after 4 exhausting hours >:/

Continue on and finish the lap you are on. The game should place you back up into 1st place once you cross the finish line.

Good luck
GTsail

 

[W1ldcard]

Continue on and finish the lap you are on. The game should place you back up into 1st place once you cross the finish line.

Good luck
GTsail

Thanks a lot
Almost ragequitted the race because of that bug o.O

 

[GTsail]

Thanks a lot
Almost ragequitted the race because of that bug o.O

No problem,

I was worried that your next post was going to be about the aerodynamic properties of a controller as it sails across the room.

Respectfully,
GTsail

 

[Slash]

You guys think it would be winnable with a Mustang Mach 1?

 

[HaylRayzor]

I decided to work up a new tune for the N4 this weekend and I have some kind of problem with the video. The screen is very dark. If I change views it is bright for a couple of seconds and then dims again.

This only happens at the ring in offline mode. If I do a seasonal race at the ring it's fine. If I use any other track it's fine.

I'm afraid I'm going to have to reload the game software.

Well I did have to reload the game software. On a different PS3. The graphics chip on my old fatty was done for. It got worse to the point that there were spikes and glitches all over the place in every game.

But back in business with a new slim. Fortunately I had no problems transferring my game saves.

 

[hofman]

Hello guys,

I am new to the Endurance races in GT5. Because of work and school, there was no time left but praise the Lord for vacations .

The Nurburgring / Nordschleife is one of my favorite tracks and I chose this one to be my first Endurance race. Usually I pick OP-cars to guarantee my win but after I've seen this thread I was like; let's pick a normal car. A car I like but also because it keeps the race tight and exciting.

So.. For the first challenge I will be using a 190E 2.5 EVO II '91 (388hp, 1115 kg, 491pp) with a tune from Deutsche Rennsport Tuning.

My report will be there when I finish the race. Hope you like the idea (car etc.) and I wish you guys some luck too with your races.

Greetz,
Hofman

 

[hofman]

Hello guys,

I am new to the Endurance races in GT5. Because of work and school, there was no time left but praise the Lord for vacations .

The Nurburgring / Nordschleife is one of my favorite tracks and I chose this one to be my first Endurance race. Usually I pick OP-cars to guarantee my win but after I've seen this thread I was like; let's pick a normal car. A car I like but also because it keeps the race tight and exciting.

So.. For the first challenge I will be using a 190E 2.5 EVO II '91 (388hp, 1115 kg, 491pp) with a tune from Deutsche Rennsport Tuning.

My report will be there when I finish the race. Hope you like the idea (car etc.) and I wish you guys some luck too with your races.

Greetz,
Hofman

So far very impressed by the Merc. I've red some stories about the handling but seriously, it is a dream. Have to be gentle when coming out of corners (especially 2nd and 3rd gear).

 

[benda18]

Prius TC at the Nordschleife 4 hours.

Oh, and I took on the grand total of 0 litres of fuel for the 4 hour race, and my fuel tank remained full. Something wrong there, methinks.

Just finished up with the Prius TC as well, and can report the same thing - never added any fuel and the most it ever said i needed to top off was 1 liter. If you do the math and assume that 1 liter was used for the duration of my race it works out to something like 1,400 MPG - I gotta get me one of these IRL.

I'm not very good (best lap was 9:34:xx), but found this race to be incredibly fun. I finished dead last, 2 laps down from the s2000 rabbit. at first i started out the event as a test but after not having to pit until lap 5 i was having a blast and continued on - the prius TC, although slow, is incredibly fun to drive. was trying to finish in 11th but made too many mistakes.

i found that a 4 lap tire strategy worked better for me. could finish 5 without complete tire failure (failure happened early on lap 6), but times began diminishing fast after lap 3. sticking around for a 5th lap was a lot slower for me.

can't wait to try again soon.

 

[starbutt033]

I just did this race with the lexus is350 gt300 racecar, I had to keep putting the hp back to 400hp to make it a challenge, seems like they made all the endurances easier, sucks.. I used to have to try really hard to win the 24h Nurb enduro, but now I could beat it with the slow heavy, N24 GTR, anyone else notice this?

 

[kingstang5oh]

I'm doing the race in a '69 Camaro RM.

I'm driving really easy and still leaving everything behind. But i like this car to much not to use it for this race.

 

[HaylRayzor]

With the tire wear update it will be interesting to see how this race changes. I never liked the extreme tire wear of the last update. It made tire and fuel strategy extremely limited in this event.

 

[HaylRayzor]

I did a test last night on AI tire wear. The R8 LMS did 28 laps 4:04:10. He is now running 4 laps on tires, with a fast lap of 8:25.5

So the LMS is now running faster laps and making half the pit stops, which explains why he's running almost 4 minutes faster now. Other cars should be faster also, so no low PP records to be broken methinks.

 

[axletramp]

Thanks for the update. 👍 Looking to get back into this again soon, so I might run a car I've run before and compare it to my previous report. Could be interesting.

 

[ItsHim]

Thanks for the info! Should breathe a bit of life into this race again.

 

[GTsail]

OK its time for another run at the 'Ring now that we have the new V2.08 tire model.

I'm going to use an Aston Martin DB9 that's previously done the 4 hour race.

I search my garage and find a very nice looking Derwent Green Aston Martin DB9 '03 that could use some lap time. This is the same car that I used for my 'Ring tire testing (see post # 10 in my thread), linked here: pre V2.02 race with DB9

After my crack pit-crew has done some wrenching, my DB9 has the following spec's:

Horsepower: 435
Weight: 1710
PP value: 501
P.Limiter: 98.5%
No skid
Tires: all racing grades are installed

I'm going to race against lineup # 1, which has the following cars:
--------------------------------------------------------------
1) Mine's BNR34 Skyline GTR V-spec
2) FT565 Twin Turbo Audi TT
3) Amuse S2000 GT1 '04
4) NISMO 400R '96
5) HPA Stage II R32
6) HKS CT230R '08
7) GTsail in the DB9
8) NISMO Skyline GTR R-tune '99
9) NISMO Fairlady Z Z-tune '03
10) Mine's BNR34 Skyline GTR N1 base
11) Nissan Gran Turismo Skyline GTR
12) NISMO 380RS Super Leggera

I start the race on race medium (RM) tires as before.

Off the start line I get swamped by the Skyline R-tune, the Fairlady Z-tune, and the Mine's BNR34 Skyline N1 base. I quickly re-pass the 9th place Mine's BNR34 Skyline as we go thru turn # 3. I then pass the 8th place Skyline R-tune and the 7th place NISMO 400R as we exit Flugplatz. I'm also able to pass the 6th place HKS CT230R as we exit the third Pflanzgarten since I'm able to somewhat straight-line the esses to my advantage. At the end of lap # 1, I'm 12 seconds behind the FT565 Audi TT after a 9.17.8 lap.

At the end of lap # 2, I see that I'm only 3 seconds behind the race leading FT565 Audi after a 8.49.3 lap. The three leading cars are all bunched up together. They had a nice drafting duel down the Dottinger straight.

On lap # 3, I pass the three leading cars and end the lap with a 6 second lead over the FT565 Audi after a 8.52.4 lap.

At the end of lap # 5, I have a 24 second lead over the 2nd place FT565 Audi. As I begin lap # 6, I can feel that my tires have begun to lose their grip. Looking back I can see that the FT565 Audi has pitted with a couple of other cars, so the HKS CT230R has taken over 2nd place in the race. At the 2nd checkpoint on lap # 6, the split to the HKS CT230R is 45 seconds.

I pit at the end of lap # 6 with a 54 second lead over the HKS CT230R. I estimate that my tires have about 15% left on their tire bars. I change my tires to race hards and take on 65 liters of fuel.

As I begin lap # 8, I see that I'm still 8 seconds behind the race leading Fairlady Z Z-tune.

As I begin lap # 9, I take over the race lead again as the Fairlady Z-tune pits from the lead.

The 2nd place Amuse S2000 GT1 pits at the end of lap # 5, which allows me to pull out to a decent 52 second lead over the Fairlady Z-tune on lap # 11.

As I begin lap # 12, I see that I have a 50 second lead over the 2nd place Fairlady Z-tune. My RH tires are holding up pretty well, so I turn in a 8.59.607 lap. As I near the end of lap # 12, I check my tires and see that they still have about 40% of their tire life remaining, so I decide to continue on for a 7th lap on them. At the 2nd checkpoint on lap # 12, I see that I have a 48 second lead over the Amuse S2000 GT1 since the Fairlady Z-tune has pitted again.

About half-way thru lap # 13, my tires begin to feel their age and I make my first trip thru the grass and leave some green paint on the armco. As I'm driving under the Antoniusbuche overpass, the fuel-tank on my DB9 runs dry so I just coast into the pits at the end of the lap and ask my pit crew for a set of race soft tires. At the end of lap, my RH tires still had about 30-35% of their tire bar life remaining, so they could have held up for another lap if I had the fuel. The tires were feeling pretty slippery though.

My fuel tank was completely empty when I hit the pits and the fuel tank indicator says that I should add 101 liters of fuel (which I do). This must be the work of my crack pit-crew, who has given me a fuel-tank with an extra liter, giving me an advantage over the opposition.

Putting in 101 liters of fuel takes forever, so I don't get released from the pits until 1 minute and 12 seconds have elapsed on lap # 14, and I've fallen back into 3rd place in the race.

At the 2nd checkpoint on lap # 14, I see that I've fallen 67 seconds behind the race leading Amuse S2000 GT1.

When I get to the end of lap # 15, I see that the race leading Amuse S2000 GT1 is in the pits. I drive past and take over the lead of the race. I set a new lap record of 8.41.1 on lap # 15 since I'm on RS tires (the RS tires are certainly worth their $36k price tag).

At the end of lap # 16, I draft past the 12th place NISMO 400R as we go underneath the Antoniusbuche overpass.

As I begin lap # 18, I see that I have a 33 second lead over the 2nd place Amuse S2000 GT1. As I near the end of lap # 18, I check my tires and see that they have about 15% of their tire bar life left. Can they give me one more lap? I will continue on and find out.....

About half-way thru lap # 19, my tires go bald and I lightly smack the armco for a second time in the race. At the end of the lap, I enter the pits with about 5% left on my tire bars.

I ask my crack pit-crew for a new set of RM tires and 65 liters of fuel.

At the first checkpoint on lap # 20, I see that I've fallen 35 seconds behind the race leading Amuse S2000 GT1.

As I begin lap # 22, I see that I have a 36 second lead over the Amuse S2000 GT1, who pitted at the end of lap # 20, and gave me the race lead.

As I begin lap # 25, I see that I have a 35 second lead over the Amuse S2000 GT1 who has been matching my pace over the last few laps.

With 12 minutes and 50 seconds left in the race, I pit at the end of lap # 25 and ask for another set of RM tires and 20 liters of fuel to get me to the end of the race. The 2nd place Amuse S2000 GT1 enters the pits behind me.

At the 2nd checkpoint on lap # 26, I see that I have a 67 second lead over the 2nd place Amuse S2000 GT1, who must have taken on a full fuel-load on his last stop, even though there are only 12 minutes left in the race before the 4 hour mark.

As I begin lap # 27, I see that there are only 3 minutes and 24 seconds left before the 4 hour mark. My lead over the 2nd place Amuse S2000 GT1 is 65 seconds, so I should be able to cruise for the final lap.

The 4 hour mark is reached as I drive thru Adenaur Forst.

After 4 hours, 5 minutes and 36 seconds I finish lap # 27 (which took 8.59.567) and win the race.

Finishing order:
---------------
1) GTsail in the Aston Martin DB9
2) Amuse S2000 GT1------------1min, 5 secs back(BL 8.48.7) pits every 5 laps
3) Fairlady Z Z-tune------------1min, 25 secs back(BL 8.50.3) pits every 4 laps
4) FT565 Audi TT--------------4min, 11 secs back(BL 8.57.5) pits every 5 laps
5) BNR34 Skyline V-spec--------5min, 7 secs back(BL 8.58.8) pits every 5 laps
6) HKS CT230R-----------------5min, 13 secs back(BL 9.01.3)pits every 6 laps
7) BNR34 Skyline N1 base-------5min, 22 secs back(BL 8.59.4) pits every 5 laps
8) HPA Stage II R32------------6min, 23 secs back(BL9.01.8) pits every 5 laps
9) Skyline R-tune--------------7min, 30 secs back(BL 9.03.9) pits every 5 laps
10) NISMO 380RS Leggera------ 1 lap down(BL 9.10.6) pits every 5 laps
11) Gran Turismo Skyline GTR--- 1 lap down(BL 9.11.8) pits every 5 laps
12) NISMO 400R '96------------ 1 lap down(BL 9.29.4) pits every 6 laps

The above finishing order reflects the position of the AI as they began their 27th lap (or 26th lap for the 3 back-markers). During my race, the FT565 Audi TT was the first car to cross the Finish line after 4 hours, so he took down the 2nd place earnings.

My lap times:
-------------
--on RM------on RH------on RS------on RM tires
1) 9.17.8--7)--9.55.2--14)-10.07.0--20)--9.50.3
2) 8.49.3--8)--8.55.3--15)--8.41.1--21)--8.51.9
3) 8.52.4--9)--8.54.8--16)--8.45.0--22)--8.50.6
4) 8.55.4--10)-8.57.0--17)--8.47.4--23)--8.52.7
5) 8.57.3--11)-8.59.6--18)--8.51.5--24)--8.56.8
6) 9.08.1--12)-9.03.7--19)--9.12.9--25)--9.07.0
-----------13)-9.33.9---------------26)--9.19.7

Average lap times discarding the pit-in and pit-out laps:
-----------------------------------------------------
On RS tires: 8m46sec laps
On RM tires: 8m53sec laps
On RH tires: 8m59sec laps

Review of the tire bars for my race tires:
--------------------------------------
After 6 laps---- RS tires have 5% life remaining
After 6 laps---- RM tires have 15% life remaining
After 6 laps---- RH tires have 40% life remaining

Comparison of V2.08 laps against pre-V2.02 laps:
--------------------------------------------

Tires	V2.08 laps	Pre-V2.02 laps
------	-------------	------------------
RH	9.55		9.58
RH	8.55		8.57
RH	8.55		8.58
RH	8.57		9.02
RH	9.00		9.04
RH	9.04		9.44

RM	9.18		9.09
RM	8.49		8.45
RM	8.52		8.47
RM	8.55		8.53
RM	8.57		8.59
RM	9.08		9.23

RS	10.07		9.50
RS	8.41		8.43
RS	8.45		8.45
RS	8.47		8.48
RS	8.51		8.51
RS	9.13		9.03

Looking at the above lap time comparison table, it seems to me that I was able to achieve similar lap times when I was on similar tires (ie. my V2.08 RH lap times were similar to my pre-V2.02 RH lap times, etc.)

However, it is also apparent that the different grades of tires fall-off at slightly different speeds than before. It seems to me that the RH and RM tires do not fall off a cliff like they did before, however the RS tires degrade a little worse on the final lap than before. This may be due to the differing amount of tire life left on the tire bars during the last lap before my pit stops.

See you on the 'Ring!
GTsail

 

[hellnback]

Hmmm interesting, although am I reading correctly???

You fill up completely instead of doing rough calculations on the fly in your head to only fill up as much as your tyre stint will last? Maybe you've just done this purely for comparison/experimental purposes?

I think it might be time for this race to go from a lowest PP or P2W or low HP race. To lowest beating the known rabbits... that is IF they are still the rabbits... I'll do my car stock standard test when able to next.

 

[axletramp]

Invaluable data as ever, GTsail290. 👍 Interesting you could push her to 6 laps on the RS as well, considering the Aston isn't exactly a lightweight. Interesting to see how far an Elise/S2000/Garaiya etc could go on RH's before needing a pitstop.

 

[GTsail]

Hmmm interesting, although am I reading correctly???

You fill up completely instead of doing rough calculations on the fly in your head to only fill up as much as your tyre stint will last? Maybe you've just done this purely for comparison/experimental purposes?

Yes, my race was for comparison purposes, so I did take on 101 liters of fuel during my pit-stop at the end of lap # 13.

I was astonished that the game said that I should/could take on 101 liters of fuel, so I took the max.

Usually, like you say, I would normally take on only enough fuel to get me to the next pit-stop, but during this tire-testing race, I wasn't too concerned with the ideal amount of fuel. If you notice, I only took on 20 liters of fuel during my last stop since that's all that was necessary to get me to the end of the race (though it probably gave me a cushion of 5-10 liters).

.....Interesting you could push her to 6 laps on the RS as well, considering the Aston isn't exactly a lightweight. Interesting to see how far an Elise/S2000/Garaiya etc could go on RH's before needing a pitstop.

I think a light-weight car like an Elise should be able to really stretch-out the life of some RH tires. I would think that 8 laps should be possible. We will still have to balance the time saved from skipping a pit-stop against the time wasted while stationary during the additional fueling times, against the time that is potentially lost during the 8th lap on the slightly worn-out tires. I would guess that a 7/14/21 pit-stop strategy would be better than a 8/16/24 pit-stop strategy, so going 8 laps might not be worth the effort for a 27 or a 28 lap race.

Respectfully,
GTsail

 

[GTsail]

To give myself a bit more of a challenge, my next race will be on sport soft tires, using an Opera Performance 350Z '04.

My ever-helpful pit-crew adjusts the spec's on my Opera 350Z, so I end up with the following:

Horsepower 401
Weight: 1365 (added 25kg of ballast)
PP value: 504
P.Limiter: 97.5%
Tires: SS (used throughout the race)
No skid

I'm going to race against lineup # 9, which has the following:
---------------------------------------------------------
1) FT565 Audi TT
2) RE Amemiya RX-7
3) Opera Performance 350Z '04
4) HKS CT230R
5) Fairlady Z Z-tune
6) RUF CTR2 '96
7) GTsail in my Opera 350Z
8) Skyline GTR R-tune '99
9) NISMO 380RS Super Leg
10) Nissan Gran Turismo 350Z RS
11) AEM S2000
12) Mine's BNR34 Skyline GTR N1 base

The flag drops and we're off!

Comming off the start line, I coast a bit to let the field thru (extremely confident of course!), and then I accelerate to follow everyone into turn # 1. I pass the 11th place Gran Turismo 350Z RS as we exit turn # 2. I then pass the 10th place BNR34 Skyline GTR going thru turn # 6. Up next is the 9th place AEM S2000, who I pass going thru Hocheichen. On lap # 1, I also pass the 8th place NISMO 380RS Leggera as we get to Schwedenkreuz, and the 7th place Skyline GTR R-tune as we go thru Wehrseifen. The 6th place Opera Performance 350Z gets taken down as we go thru Breidscheid. When I get to the Dottinger straight, the RE Amemiya RX-7 is just in front of me, so he gives me a nice draft, and 5th place is mine! At the end of the lap, I see that I'm 9 seconds behind the race leading FT565 Audi after a 9.14.6xx lap.

On lap # 2, I pass the 4th place HKS CT230R going thru Wehrseifen. At the end of lap # 2, I'm only 6.2 seconds behind the race leading FT565 Audi after an 8.55.2 lap.

On lap # 3, I pass the 3rd place RUF CTR2 going thru Wehrseifen. At the end of lap # 3, I see that I'm only 4 seconds behind the race leading FT565 Audi after a 8.57.8xx lap.

On lap # 4, I catch and pass the 2nd place Fairlady Z Z-tune going thru Eiskurve. At the end of lap # 4, I'm only 1.3 seconds behind the race leading FT565 Audi after a 9.01.7xx lap. The 3rd place Fairlady Z-tune pits at the end of lap # 4, so the RUF CTR2 takes over 3rd place in the race, about 5 seconds behind me.

On lap # 5, I get a draft for part of the Kesselchen curves, so I'm able to pass the FT565 Audi going into Mutkurve, so I take over first place in the race. At the end of lap # 5, I cross the S/F line with a 5 second lead over the FT565 Audi. The lead quickly grows since the FT565 Audi takes to the pits. The HKS CT230R does not pit, so he takes over 2nd place in the race and give chase after my Opera 350Z. Lap # 5 took 9.03.6xx.

At the first checkpoint on lap # 6, I get the news that I have an 18 second lead over the 2nd place HKS CT230R. During lap # 6, I can tell that my tires have lost their edge, even though they still show about 40% remaining on their tire bars. I enter the pits at the end of lap # 6 and get a new set of SS tires and 46 liters of fuel. After 20 seconds or so, the 2nd place HKS CT230R joins me in the pits. Lap # 6 took 9.09.3xx.

Just before I get released from the pits, the Fairlady Z Z-tune drives past and takes over the lead of the race. At the first checkpoint on lap # 7, I see that I've fallen 8 seconds behind the race leading Fairlady Z-tune. On lap # 7, I lose control of my Opera 350Z and smack the armco going thru Wehrseifen and lose about 8 seconds. At the end of lap # 7, I see that I've fallen 17 seconds behind the race leading Fairlady Z-tune after a 9.51.8 lap. Time to take a break I think....

When I cross the S/F line at the end of lap # 8, I get the news that I am only 9 seconds behind the Fairlady Z-tune, who has just entered the pits for a second time. I continue on and begin lap # 9 and take over the race lead after a 8.55.7xx lap.

At the first checkpoint on lap # 9, I see that I have a 13 second lead over the FT565 Audi who is just ahead of the 3rd place RUF CTR2, while the Fairlady Z-tune has fallen back into 4th place. At the end of lap # 9, I see that I have a 15 second lead over the FT565 Audi after a 9.02.2xx lap. The FT565 Audi just can't keep up with me! My slower than normal lap was due to some in-advertent grass cutting.

By the end of lap # 10, I see that I have a 22 second lead over the Fairlady Z-tune after a 9.00.6xx lap. The FT565 Audi and the RUF CTR2 have just pitted again.

On lap # 11, after about 45 seconds, I look back and see that the HKS CT230R has taken over 3rd place in the race, and the RE Amemiya RX-7 has taken over 4th place, since they are both on 6 lap pit-stop schedules. At the end of lap # 11, I have a 23 second lead over the Fairlady Z-tune after a 9.02.4xx lap.

At the end of lap # 12 my tires still feel pretty decent, so I continue on for one more lap just to see how they hold up. Lap # 12 took me 9.06.7xx, so the effect of worn tires is starting to be evident.

The 2nd place Fairlady Z-tune pitted at the end of lap # 12, so at the 2nd checkpoint on lap # 13, I see that I have a 1 minute and 9 second lead (sounds pretty comfortable doesn't it?).

I pit at the end of lap # 13 and ask for 78 liters of fuel and another set of SS tires. My lap time for lap # 13 was 9.13.0xx. After 55 seconds in the pits, the Fairlady Z-tune drives past and drops me into 2nd place.

At the first checkpoint on lap # 14, I see that I have fallen 15 seconds behind the race leading Fairlady Z-tune. The 3rd place FT565 Audi is about 5 seconds behind me as we begin lap # 14. At the end of lap # 14, I see that I have fallen 27 seconds behind the race leading Fairlady Z-tune, who has run a very fast lap, especially as compared to my 10.09.0xx lap (which includes nearly a minute of stationary re-fueling time).

At the end of lap # 15, I see that I've fallen 36 seconds behind the race leading Fairlady Z-tune after a sloppy 9.03.3xx lap. I lost 8-9 seconds to the Fairlady Z-tune, so he must have run about a 8m54sec lap, which is faster than my best lap so far. I did pull away from the 3rd place FT565 Audi, who then pits at the end of lap # 15, which allows the HKS CT230R to drive past and take over 3rd place in the race. The HKS CT230R is a good 30 seconds behind me. Time for another break.....

The Fairlady Z-tune pits at the end of lap # 16, so I drive past and take over 1st place in the race again. My lap took 8.58.8xx.

At the first checkpoint on lap # 17, I see that I have a 23 second lead over the Fairlady Z-tune. At the end of lap # 17, I have a 16 second lead over the Fairlady Z-tune after a decent 8.57.1xx lap. The Fairlady Z-tune must really be flying to have cut into my lead by so much!

At the end of lap # 18, I see that I only have a 6 second lead over the Fairlady Z-tune after a 9.01.5xx lap. I think that the Fairlady Z-tune must have run an 8minute.52second lap. Wow!! Yikes!! I'm starting to get worried about the Fairlady's pace!!

On lap # 19, the Fairlady Z-tune catches up with me when we get to Adenaur Forst. He stays in my mirrors until we get to Schwalbenschwanz, and then he falls back just a bit. The Fairlady then drafts past me going down the Dottinger straight. I catch a bit of grass coming into the Hohenrain esses at speed and smack the armco! Ouch! At the end of the lap, which took a terrible 9.11.5xx, I'm a full 5 seconds behind the streaking Fairlady Z-tune. (on a side note: the Fairlady Z-tune that I'm up against is crazy fast. According to Bri-Y's post # 9, from preV2.02, the Fairlady's best lap was about an 8min and 51 second lap, so the Fairlady that I'm now running against (V2.08) is probably matching this lap time, and because he's now on a 4-lap pit strategy instead of a 5-lap strategy, he doesn't have a bad pit-in lap).

By the 3rd checkpoint on lap # 20, I see that I've fallen 8 seconds behind the race leading Fairlady Z-tune. The Fairlady pits at the end of lap # 20. About 10 seconds later, I join him in the pits for my final stop as well. Lap # 20 took 9.08.4xx.

I ask my pit-crew for another set of SS tires and 85 liters of fuel. There's already a back-marker in the pits, who gets underway after I'm in the pits for about 45 seconds. The Fairlady Z-tune beats me out of the pits by about 10 seconds.

At the first checkpoint on lap # 21, I see that I have fallen 25 seconds behind the race leading Fairlady Z-tune who had a much faster pit stop than I did. Looking back, I see that the AEM S2000 has climbed up into 3rd place in the race. The AEM S2000 is at least a full minute behind me, so he's not any kind of threat.

On lap # 21, I pass the 12th place Nissan Gran Turismo 350Z RS (who was the back-marker in the pits) as we go thru Eschbach. At the end of lap # 21, I see that I've fallen 37 seconds behind the race leading Fairlady Z-tune after a slow pit-out lap of 10.11.9xx.

At the end of lap # 22, I see that I've fallen 43 seconds behind the race leading Fairlady Z-tune after a decent 8.56.5xx lap.

At the end of lap # 23, I see that I've fallen 44 seconds behind the race leading Fairlady Z-tune after another decent lap which took 8.56.3xx. Time for another break......

At the end of lap # 24, I get the news that I'm 42 seconds behind the Fairlady Z-tune who is stopped in the pits for his final pit-stop. Lap # 24 took me 9.01.7xx.

I drive past the stationary Fairlady and take over the race lead when I begin lap # 25. At the first checkpoint on lap # 25, I see that I have a 9 second lead over the Fairlady Z-tune, who is moving very fast on his fresh tires.

The Fairlady Z-tune catches me as we drive down the Dottinger straight at the end of lap # 25. Looking for more speed, somehow my racing line seems to swerve left and right, the Fairlady is swerving too, so my racing line must be fast!

At the end of lap # 25, I have a 0.133 second lead over the Fairlady Z-tune, and checking the race clock, there are still 10 minutes and 42 seconds left before the 4 hour mark. Lap # 25 took me 9.05.5xx.

The Fairlady Z-tune hounds me for every inch of lap # 26. I again use a surpentine race line to negotiate down Dottinger, so I end the lap with a 0.125 second lead over the Fairlady Z-tune after a 9.07.7xx lap.

As we begin lap # 27 there is only 1 minute and 34 seconds left before the 4 hour mark.

Going thru turn # 3, the Fairlady Z-tune muscles his way past me. I try to get back along-side him, but skid off the track and watch him disappear into the distance. I quickly recover and chase hard after the Fairlady, but corner after corner he gets smaller and smaller. My tires still have a decent amount of life left on them, but they are feeling a bit slippery, so I no longer have the speed to stay with the Fairlady. Still pushing hard, I touch some grass going thru Mutkurve and perform a nice 360 and smack the armco again.

After 4 hours, 7 minutes and 42 seconds, the Fairlady Z-tune crosses the Finish line and takes the win. About 20 seconds later I limp my battered and bruised Opera 350Z across the Finish line in second place.

Finishing order:
---------------
1) Fairlady Z-tune ------------------------------(pits every 4 laps)(BL 8.50.5)
2) GTsail in the Opera 350Z --- 20 seconds back------(my best lap was a 8.55.2)
3) AEM S2000 ----------------1 min 17 sec back---(pits every 5 laps)(BL 8.55.2)
4) RUF CTR2 ----------------- 1 min 23 secs back--(pits every 5 laps)(BL 8.55.0)
5) FT565 Audi ---------------- 1 min 29 secs back--(pits every 5 laps)(BL 8.57.5)
6) HKS CT230R ---------------3 min 2 secs back----(pits every 6 laps)(BL 9.01.1)
7) Mine's BNR34 Skyline -------3 min 7 secs back----(pits every 5 laps)(BL 8.59.5)
8) RE Amemiya RX-7 ---------- 3 min 47 secs back--(pits every 6 laps)(BL 9.02.3)
9) NISMO Skyline R-tune ------ 4 min 25 secs back--(pits every 5 laps)(BL 9.03.8)
10) NISMO Super Leggera ----- 6 min 36 secs back--(pits every 5 laps)(BL 9.10.3)
11) Opera 350Z --------------- 7 min 22 secs back--(pits every 5 laps)(BL 9.13.6)
12) Gran Turismo 350Z -------- 1 lap down----------(pits every 6 laps)(BL 9.24.6)

Post race notes:
----------------
A pretty good race! I'm a bit disappointed that I couldn't hold off the Fairlady, but by the end of the race, I just didn't have enough speed or tires to keep him behind me. A slightly better driver could have taken the win. I checked the spec's for my Opera 350Z after the race and saw that my 350Z had lost 19HP and 7PP (down to 382HP and 497PP, respectively), so I guess I shouldn't be surprised that I couldn't set any new lap records (when I really needed some!) as we neared the end of the race.

See you on the 'Ring!
GTsail

 

[HaylRayzor]

AI times 2.07 vs 2.08

Since this data is specific to the N4 race, I'll post it here

Note that pit stops were always required for tires in 2.07. But in 2.08 some cars ran out of tires first, some ran out of fuel first, and some ran out of both at the same time.

............................... 2.07 ............................ 2.08

Audi R8 LMS ...... 28 laps 4:08'04 2-lap.......... 28 4:04:10 4-lap Tires
Z-tune Z33 ....... 26 laps 4:00'54 2-lap.......... 27 4:07:01 4-lap Tires
RUF CTR2 .......... 26 laps 4:03'17 2-lap......... 26 4:00:36 5-lap Tires/Fuel
380RS .............. 26 laps 4:03'30 3-lap.......... 26 4:06:34 4-lap Tires
Yellow Bird ........ 26 laps 4:03'38 1-lap.......... 26 4:02:10 2-lap Tires
Mines BNR34 Vsp. 26 laps 4:03'34 4-lap.......... 26 4:01:39 5-lap Fuel
Mines BNR34 N1 .. 26 laps 4:03'58 4-lap......... 26 4:02:24 5-lap Fuel
HKS CT230R ...... 26 laps 4:03'48 4-lap.......... 26 4:01:33 6-lap Fuel
Opera 350Z ....... 26 laps 4:09'19 2or3-lap...... 25 4:01:50 6-lap Tires/Fuel
GT Skyline ........ 25 laps 4:00'15 3-lap........... 26 4:08:06 5-lap Fuel
Art Morrison ...... 25 laps 4:01'11 2-lap........... 26 4:08:36 4-lap Tires

Only the Opera 350Z ran slower, but I suspect he had some kind of problem (probably the Yellow Bird which was still crashing multiple times).