Gran Turismo World Series (Manufacturers Cup 2025 Exhibition 3 season: 12 Nov - 29 Nov)

[Norbsthebald]

EMEA GT2 Slot 6, '18 Nissan. Door 10.
I'd been able to do a practice run on my AO account during the long break between EMEA slots 5 and 6 and i was convinced no-stop IM was the way to go. No pace for the 1st half of the race then reel 'em in.
RBR isn't my best track by any means so Q11 was better than expected. I was able to stay with the W runners in the 1st lap until someone in a McLaren saw us tiptoeing round the last corner trying to stay in track limits, thought "free places!", sent it and spun me round. DFL by 10s. Great. Actually it didn't matter as the field was battling so tightly that even though I wasn't on the optimum tyre for this part of the race, I was back on the tail end of the peloton by lap 8. The next few laps were as expected, I'd close up when the rain slackened and lose time when it poured down. From lap 15 I was able to make up a few places, one car was moving around under braking at every opportunity, moved over to cover me while we were overlapping and pit-manoeuvred themselves against my front bumper, which sounds like "run into my fist, Baldrick" but they got SR down while I got nothing, so...
As the IMs came into their own I passed a few folk and more pitted, so in the end after running P16 for 15 laps I brought it home P7 (and 0.05s off P6 - damn) for a triple figure points haul and DR up, which considering this is one of my worst tracks, and the lottery element inherent in a wet race, was more than satisfactory.

 

[ElectricNaz]

One thing I forgot to ask - when did PD change the damage in GT1 from heavy to light? I noticed yesterday that the damage I picked up on l1 was only light which is great. I always thought it was heavy in GT1 so is this new or am I completely out of the loop?

 

[Norbsthebald]

One thing I forgot to ask - when did PD change the damage in GT1 from heavy to light? I noticed yesterday that the damage I picked up on l1 was only light which is great. I always thought it was heavy in GT1 so is this new or am I completely out of the loop?

It's been like that for a couple of series now. It was certainly like that for the "proper" series in the spring that may have been the first or it may have changed for the last exhibition before that.

 

[Moose78]

Hey there moose
I’m BoredGreenFace (the guy in the Porsche on your 2d race with ford)
I wasn’t sure at first about the Inters for the start to finish but I turn out to be the best strat. Very nice racing you dude.

Yeah. That was a fun race! It was great racing with you! Congrats on the P2. Well deserved!

And welcome to GTPlanet! Glad to have you here.

 

[MetalApe]

Was the pace of the Inters on the no stop strategy due to the track drying effect of following a few cars? I seem to remember someone, was it @GOTMAXPOWER, mentioning this for one of the dailys, where if it was wet you basically needed to do the compulsory stop on lap 1 to get the track drying advantage. Otherwise anyone who did that would undercut you through the extra pace they got from the drying effect.

Although the pattern I saw seemed to be more than that. In my Inters no stop race once the first lap madness had settled I was in 9th place. I expected the leaders on wets to pull away, instead we seemed to settle into a holding pattern, I could keep sight of the cars in front, but couldn't close the gap down until the track dried and Inters had an advantage.

In my previous race on Wets, I'd had a poor qualifying and spent a few laps getting past a few slower cars to get up to 3rd place. During the passing cars phase I think I closed the gap to the leaders, but once in 3rd that stopped. I'd though I was going to easily pull away from the cars I'd passed, instead I found the pack closing in and had quite a line of cars keeping up not too far behind.

 

[Shackster]

Just to save anyone else the job - found Tidgney’s track guide for Wednesday from August 24 (goes without saying it’s incredibly helpful, obviously!):

 

[GOTMAXPOWER]

Was the pace of the Inters on the no stop strategy due to the track drying effect of following a few cars? I seem to remember someone, was it @GOTMAXPOWER, mentioning this for one of the dailys, where if it was wet you basically needed to do the compulsory stop on lap 1 to get the track drying advantage. Otherwise anyone who did that would undercut you through the extra pace they got from the drying effect.

I don't think that was a factor last night because the pack weren't rubber banding behind the leader, the track drying seems like something PD can control when the weather is scripted like that but not when it's truly random like we get in the dailies. Yesterdays race it seemed like it never got wet enough for the full wets to gain a big advantage because the heavier stuff would come and go within a lap or two so it was pretty even until it dried out at the end. I wish the race had been a little bit longer to force everyone to go onto the slicks.

---

My race was pretty dull in a good way, I had heard before I started that others were no stopping on inters so decided to do that strategy, I didn't hear anyone say that qualifying was fully dry which came as a surprise! Luckily there was another Porsche ahead in the snake on the outlap which I could use as a pacemaker (I actually prefer to be right behind somebody on the hot lap rather than leaving the big gap which others do), that was good enough for P4.

In the race itself most at the front of the grid had started on full wets but unless you give the tyres a wiggle on the intro screen it's impossible to know that, there were a couple of issues finding the limit early on but after that it settled down nicely, I totally missed the braking point at turn 3 on lap 4 but somehow gained a place from it:



The 2 ahead were on full wets but with FR cars which spun within a lap coming out of the low speed traction corners, after that it was a yo-yo race, I would either gain a second a lap on the M6 behind or they would gain a second depending on if we were getting light rain or heavy rain on any given lap, that carried on until it dried out. It seems the cars are all pretty well balanced in full wet conditions but once you get to the drying tracking its properly Porsche weather where it will come alive and fly. P1 in the end 🥳

 

[VillaJ100]

Team Ford (attempt #1) - Ford GT Race Car '18 - GT2 - Americas - 10 AM EST - 133 points available - Door #2 - Q10 (1:31.177)
View attachment 1493771

Apparently I'm not very fast at this track when its dry. I could only muster a Q10. No matter. It was raining, and I W tires on. It only took a few laps to work my way to the front, where I battled for the lead with a GT-R until they went in for IMs on lap 15. I stayed out to lap 20 and pitted for RSs.

I felt pretty confident that I could follow the dry line. After all, I'd practiced it in Free Practice. No problem, right? Well, it didn't go as planned.

View attachment 1493772

The dry line was much narrower than what I'd practiced. I went off the track so many times, and even when I was able to keep the car on the track, I had to baby it so carefully through the corners that I was losing time everywhere.

Finished P8 for 94 points and a 0.3% DR gain, but was determined to try again.



Team Subaru - Subaru BRZ GT300 - GT2 - Americas - 12 PM EST - 133 points available - Door #7 - Q11 (1:31.866)
View attachment 1493773

In my Ford race, the winner had done a 15W-13IM strategy, but going back and watching the replay, they came out of the pits in P12 and only managed the win because of a massive pace advantage. Pace is something I don't really have at this track. I saw that the P2-P4 cars in that race were all running IM no-stop strategies, so I decided to give that a try for this race.

Things were going pretty well for the first few laps. I'd climbed my way up to P8. Then I spun out at turn 4 and dropped back down to P14.

It got frustrating for a while. I felt I was faster than the cars ahead, but it was really difficult to get any moves done. Even when I got a better exit out of a corner, the Subaru, with its dreadful lack of top-end speed, could only manage to get side-by-side with the car ahead and I'd have to back out at the next corner.

As the race went, though, I was able bit-by-bit to get ahead. Towards the end, there were several drivers that were trying a no-stop on the W tires. They were easy pickings.

I crossed the finish in P4 for 116 points and a 3.6% DR bump. Good enough. I feel like I was capable of a podium finish here, but it isn't worth the hassle to try again.


Team Ford (attempt #2) - Ford GT Race Car '18 - GT2 - Americas - 2 PM EST - 155 points available - Door #14 - Q9 (1:31.302)
View attachment 1493784

Another attempt at a no-stop IM strategy.

This time, I screwed up even earlier. It was on lap 2. At T4. Again.

I spent a lot of the race battling with a couple other Canadians. One was on a no-stop W strategy. Once the rain stopped, they were pretty easy to get by.

The other was on the same strategy as me. We exchanged positions a few times, but eventually they got ahead of me and I wasn't able to catch them.

It didn't really matter much because as the cars ahead pitted and crashed, we rolled our way to the podium, for a P2-P3 finish. 142 points and a 4.9% DR increase.

That was a fun day of racing!


I've had good results with a no-stopper on IMs. They have no wear until the track starts drying out. At the finish, they are around 50% worn. Very manageable. No real tire saving required.

Good stuff, I felt largely similar, got 55 points for 5th in my low B lobby so did t think it was worth the effort to get a maximum another 8 or so points.

As I remember lap 8 on the IM is the 'preview' lap for how much time you'll pull later as the rain eases off then and you'll suddenly gain a second or more of pace that one lap, with the wet runners losing about the same.

 

[Talon16]

Interesting race. As mentioned, a carbon copy of the Nations race earlier this year (except for qualifying). I don't recall anyone doing an IM no stop then... it was either start on W and put for IMs at lap 15ish for IMs or do you start on W, run long, and go with RS at the end. It's cool that the IM no stop just popped up as the META strat, even after many had already run their races yesterday. Fair play to PD for this one (even if they did it twice!).

 

[AEther]

What an incredible race! The qualifying left something to be desired, finishing Q9 after the pace leader decided to bump me out of the way ruining my last flying lap. He called me slow, and fair, he started on pole. Ironically, he DNF'ed.

IM were too slow in practice in the full wet for me to justify using them on a no-stop strategy. Starting on Wets, I worked my way up through the ranks gradually. The Ws provided a lot of confidence and consistency. By Lap 12 or so, I was already P1!

But what is a Sport race without some drama. The track started drying around Lap 20 and the car was starting to shimmy a bit more in turns. I was losing my pace and confidence with P2 gaining on me. On Lap 21, he bump drafted me right before Turn 4 pushing me to a suboptimal entry. When I exited wide, P2 clipped my side sending me into the gravel and a full spin.

Now down to P3 and not at all confident the Wets were going to last on a drying track, I boxed for IM, committing finally to my initial strategy of 21W, 7IM. I was torn before on whether to try one stop or risk it on Softs toward the end with the track drying. But it was still wet enough that I was not at all convinced a slick tire wouldn't result in repeated track excursions.

It paid off very well. Despite my exit from the pits in P7, the one-stop strategists lost their pace precipitously, with my Ferrari furiously gaining including Fastest Laps on 24 & 25. By Lap 28, the race leader, desperately hanging on with dead Wets not having pitted, was crawling around the turns.

His tires completely toast, he lost grip and went very wide leaving me to pass on the very last turn.

Ecstatic P1 victory.

Big ups and thanks to @ElectricNaz and @Pakiti for sharing your experience on the IM. Also thanks to @Moose78 for all the info on your testing and races even though I didn't adopt your strategies in the end.

 

[BGreenFace]

Interesting race. As mentioned, a carbon copy of the Nations race earlier this year (except for qualifying). I don't recall anyone doing an IM no stop then... it was either start on W and put for IMs at lap 15ish for IMs or do you start on W, run long, and go with RS at the end. It's cool that the IM no stop just popped up as the META strat, even after many had already run their races yesterday. Fair play to PD for this one (even if they did it twice!).

I realized the Inters strat was an option back on Thursday when I did a long test run in free practice. I was more or less a second slower a lap on inters than on W. Yes the car was a little more slippery but with traction control set at 2 or 3 and BB set a rear 2 it was more manageable and the Porsche was more stable during breaking and acceleration.
Friday I didn’t had the chance to practice but Saturday before my race I managed a lap on inters that was less than .700 slower than my lap on wets. Then I knew the inters were viable and I saw that someone here tried it but said that they were dead at the end. I think maybe they didn’t cooled them enough cause mines where still a little pass halfway their lifespan at the end.

Also just for those wandering and for reference i use a ps5 controller and not a wheel.

 

[VillaJ100]

I realized the Inters strat was an option back on Thursday when I did a long test run in free practice. I was more or less a second slower a lap on inters than on W. Yes the car was a little more slippery but with traction control set at 2 or 3 and BB set a rear 2 it was more manageable and the Porsche was more stable during breaking and acceleration.
Friday I didn’t had the chance to practice but Saturday before my race I managed a lap on inters that was less than .700 slower than my lap on wets. Then I knew the inters were viable and I saw that someone here tried it but said that they were dead at the end. I think maybe they didn’t cooled them enough cause mines where still a little pass halfway their lifespan at the end.

Also just for those wandering and for reference i use a ps5 controller and not a wheel.

Very similar to me but I didn't adjust the BB and left TC on 1, IM's had about a quarter life left.

Just putting some free practice laps in on Blue Moon, not my favourite track, think I need to put some work in as fastest laps are in the mid 1:14's and thats with no fuel or tyre wear.

I wonder if 28 laps on RM the strategy will either be a one stop gentle or 2 stop full send 🤔

 

[dazdilly75]

Didn't get to practice much for this round. My son had a Taekwondo competition on Saturday late afternoon, so I missed the first slot.

Slot 2: GT1 League. Door #1! (Wtf) Q7 46K DR lobby P4 finish.

Quali was meh, as I realised I hadn't actually done any dry runs, even in the free practice. So I only managed a very low 1:30.049 which was enough for a midpack start.

Decided to go for the IM no stop strategy, which worked out to be the right choice for me. I'm relatively poor on RBR, it's a track which I know is very popular but I just don't have that natural feel for it, like I did in the previous rounds, so I tend to overdrive it.

After losing about 4 places to all the wet tyre starters, I cruised around in 10th/11th for about 18 laps, with a Russian Audi driver (on rhe same strategy as myself), until the first of the 1 stoppers came in for their tyre change. By around lap 22, I found myself in 5th and chasing down P4, who was on a no stop wet tyre strat. I managed to pass him on the last lap, to take home P4 and 192 points.

That was good enough for me. The Renault was competent and felt good in the rain but the track combo was holding my pace back more than the weather itself.

Anyway, I'm now provisionally in the top 100 EMEA. Hope to finish the season strongly! On to Round 5 and GR4 again!

 

[Moose78]

I wonder if 28 laps on RM the strategy will either be a one stop gentle or 2 stop full send 🤔

If you are referring to the next round at Blue Moon Bay, it is only 23 laps. There is one mandatory pit stop. I've already started doing some testing (more details to come). From what I've seen so far, I expect only the single stop will be needed. It looks like the main strategy decision will be whether to change tires.

 

[tmtk]

Then I knew the inters were viable and I saw that someone here tried it but said that they were dead at the end. I think maybe they didn’t cooled them enough cause mines where still a little pass halfway their lifespan at the end.

That might be me with the dead tires.
My tire saving abilities are non-existent and the driving style doesn't help to be smooth on inputs, so basically everyone will have more tire life than me on the same distance. So take my words on tire state at the end of the race with some perspective.

I did cool them on every wet patch I could come across. If I didn't do it I would probably be out of top 5 in this race.

 

[VillaJ100]

If you are referring to the next round at Blue Moon Bay, it is only 23 laps. There is one mandatory pit stop. I've already started doing some testing (more details to come). From what I've seen so far, I expect only the single stop will be needed. It looks like the main strategy decision will be whether to change tires.

Nice, in that case would probably make sense to change, it only takes another 4-5 seconds?