Gran Turismo World Series

[Gorefast]

Managed a PB of 1:41.8 with on optimal of 41.3 due to some freak sectors here and there in my 20 lap stint. A normal lap is around a 1:42.5 for me. I hope that it will be enough to be able to compete in GT2.


I managed to get through T1 cleanly roughly 17 out of my 20 laps without ever actually slamming into the barrier of death for a major crash.

I go very slightly right into the alternative road to the right, then immediately turn left to clip the edge of the white area and immediately start lifting. I do several micro lifts while trying to hit the left curb without getting on the grass too much and only stop the lifts when I'm completely comfortable that I will make the corner. Only very rarely am I able to keep a minimum speed of high 240s (kph) or even 250 and often go down to as much as 235 but I realized that this only costs you about a tenth max. This tradeoff is the best risk reward for me and my skills.

I approach T3 similarly. Here I ever so slightly break and try to stay above 175 kph with 180 being ideal. Hitting the walled apex is super tough for me though. I always fear hitting the wall and therefore usually leave too much space. When you happen to go below 170 here it could cost you quite a bit but that's still better than going into the wall or over the grass for a penalty.

Personally all 3 hairpins and especially the 2 left right ones are my nemesis. I am terrible at slow corners. Often either crawl through them if I break too early or lose tons of time with bad exits or outbreak my self in the latter two because I mess up the slight left hander approach.

This track is really challenging but also a lot of fun. I am looking forward to my lunch break to give it a go.

On a personal note I like to state that you cannot be that slow in tight corners with a lap time of 1:41:xxx... Just saying. 👍

 

[tankuroded]

Some points removals today just into the second half of the Asia-Oceania lower league slot; Renault hit the most. Updated standings and cutline:

Pos.	Make	Points	Gap
9​	Nissan	262.333​	+44.333​
10​	McLaren	242.333​	+24.333​
11​	Subaru	235​	+17​
12​	Renault	223​	+5​
13​	Honda	218​	-5​
14​	Genesis	181.5​	-41.5​
15​	Peugeot	167.5​	-55.5​
16​	Alfa Romeo	103.5​	-119.5​

EDIT: Additional context:

 

[GOTMAXPOWER]

Some points removals today just into the second half of the Asia-Oceania lower league slot; Renault hit the most. Updated standings and cutline:
View attachment 1444079

Pos.	Make	Points	Gap
9​	Nissan	262.333​	+44.333​
10​	McLaren	242.333​	+24.333​
11​	Subaru	235​	+17​
12​	Renault	223​	+5​
13​	Honda	218​	-5​
14​	Genesis	181.5​	-41.5​
15​	Peugeot	167.5​	-55.5​
16​	Alfa Romeo	103.5​	-119.5​

The Renault points deduction is because 4 of their players were using each others accounts to boost the manufacturers global ranking: https://longtweet.io/IeJIDlRO9

It sounds like those accounts are banned so Renault is done for.

 

[Wilsonson]

Just did the lunch break slot at 12pm CET. GT2 for 108 pts.

A typical first lap T2 I guess: 3 different dive bombs all of which impacting me, taking me from 3rd to 10th. Had to avoid the first and got bombed or bumper car'd by the others.

Even more carnage in the remaining race, luckily without me being involved. One lap going down the main straight I saw a driver in front of me pull inside of the other and I literally thought to myself: "you two are going to crash" and crash they did.

I managed to end up in the gravel exiting the final turn and to heavily hit the barrier of death in T1. Also missed tons of apexes, out broke myself or got on the throttle way too late.

Overall P8 and a race to forget. Qualifying was good however with a 1:41.8, which gives me hope. Will try again later tonight.

 

[911RSR]

A typical first lap T2 I guess: 3 different dive bombs all of which impacting me, taking me from 3rd to 10th. Had to avoid the first and got bombed or bumper car'd by the others.

Even more carnage in the remaining race

Wow, i hope that not all races will take that route!
Better luck next time to you and all others who give Sardegna a try!

 

[MetalApe]

The Renault points deduction is because 4 of their players were using each others accounts to boost the manufacturers global ranking: https://longtweet.io/IeJIDlRO9

It sounds like those accounts are banned so Renault is done for.

How does the teams thing work for the top players? Do they co-ordinate amongst themselves who's driving for which Manufacturer, then try to make sure the one they choose can qualify & that they're one of the top drivers in that car?

What happens to the not quite top players? Do they face a choice of picking a top manufacturer that will qualify, but risking themselves not being one of the top drivers of that car. With the alternative of being one of the top drivers for a Manufacturer that is unlikely to get through?

 

[Gorefast]

Just did the lunch break slot at 12pm CET. GT2 for 108 pts.

A typical first lap T2 I guess: 3 different dive bombs all of which impacting me, taking me from 3rd to 10th. Had to avoid the first and got bombed or bumper car'd by the others.

Even more carnage in the remaining race, luckily without me being involved. One lap going down the main straight I saw a driver in front of me pull inside of the other and I literally thought to myself: "you two are going to crash" and crash they did.

I managed to end up in the gravel exiting the final turn and to heavily hit the barrier of death in T1. Also missed tons of apexes, out broke myself or got on the throttle way too late.

Overall P8 and a race to forget. Qualifying was good however with a 1:41.8, which gives me hope. Will try again later tonight.

That's what I am expecting for today and I doubt that it will get any better. I will do one race and leave. At Suzuka everything looks better and then this Cup is already finished.

So far everything went great and I might close this chapter on saturday as I step back at the best moment... Right now I race in GT3 in B/S-lobbies and there are already many drivers much faster than me. Competing in GT2 would be frustrating for me so I save my freshly earned B-status and will focus on time trials again. I like to thank everyone in this section of GTPlanet for support and motivation. See ya!

 

[tankuroded]

Update on the scandal as it broke (Romero's quoted tweet was dated yesterday):


Some thoughts from other drivers.

Sota Moriyama (Renault Asia-Oceania driver): I think we're all aware that there are serious problems happening with Renault right now, and I'm part of the team, but I had no idea that this kind of misconduct was happening with four of our drivers without my knowledge. I don't know if Renault will be able to advance to the World Championships this season, but I would like to give it my all until the very end.

(unrolled)

Manuel Rodriguez: What do you think about what happened with Renault to qualify for the @thegranturismo World Series? What if I told you it's not the first time this has happened? What if I told you that the respect and dignity of many of the drivers was lost a long time ago? Such drivers driving on other drivers' accounts to try to get the brand into the top 12, how low do you have to stoop... where is your dignity? How difficult it is to be yourself these days and keep your feet on the ground…

That's why I decided to "dedicate myself" to creating content, because, aside from that, there are drivers who are surpassing you, the behavior of most drivers, the "cries" of many drivers saying they're retiring and coming back, the fact that underage drivers can affect the results of others, the ignored feedback on Polyphony's part, most of the things they're told to try to make things better turn out the other way around, and for all these reasons, I put the competition aside because it wasn't worth it, and it really isn't worth it…

I can only congratulate all those who continue fighting and sacrificing day after day to try to qualify, always doing things right. In my case, I'm very calm about having always done things right, except for one thing that happened to me with Sparks, who wasn't a gentleman at all. Is there anything more important than sleeping peacefully day after day? Not for me, really. Good luck to all of you who are trying to qualify this week. Well done @thegranturismo, but there's much more to do, I assure you.

 

[Famine]

Q13, get punted by a German moron in a green Supra in the second big stopping right-hander (Piaggio) who just shovelled through it, finish 14 due to one guy quitting and the guy who started right behind me in the McLaren spinning at the same corner (we were pretty close after that, and he raced very nicely). Given the lap one time loss, P6 was possible.

Good going, Supra moron.

 

[GOTMAXPOWER]

How does the teams thing work for the top players? Do they co-ordinate amongst themselves who's driving for which Manufacturer, then try to make sure the one they choose can qualify & that they're one of the top drivers in that car?

What happens to the not quite top players? Do they face a choice of picking a top manufacturer that will qualify, but risking themselves not being one of the top drivers of that car. With the alternative of being one of the top drivers for a Manufacturer that is unlikely to get through?

They must do but there is a fine balance, they can't overload a manufacturer with players because only one per region can qualify but it makes sense to get some strong teammates in the other regions, the cheating team above have players in the top divisions in all regions (there is no suspicion of wrong doing from the one in the Asian region) so a good spread of high scores.

Of the players I know about who have had all their scores deleted one is underage and not eligible to take part in the live events but since their account has enough DR to be in the high splits they obviously used that to manipulate the results.

 

[newmedia_dev]

GT2 Slot 4? 1pm - EMEA - 160pts A/S

QT 10th 1.42:1

Lap 11 8th and then a Russian I was battling with twated the wall so as I went to pass him he put me in to the wall and on the next corner I went to pass him he turned in anyway. Finished P9 102 pts

Not going again this would feel like a daily C if the QT wasn’t comically long….

Edit:

Who was it that got banned?

 

[tankuroded]

Update on the scandal as it broke (Romero's quoted tweet was dated yesterday):
(tweets)

Follow-up:


Related smoking gun (re: Karl): (EDIT: deleted after being called out)

 

[RX8 Racer]

Related smoking gun (re: Karl):

Sorry, could you elaborate on how Karl’s tweet is a smoking gun?

 

[tankuroded]

Sorry, could you elaborate on how Karl’s tweet is a smoking gun?

Apologies for being unclear. Rayan Derrouiche (now leading Renault in EMEA provisionally) QRTed it as he called out Karl:

 

[stpatty]

I don't really know the names of these people or what regions they're in (and I don't care) but why are they racing for other people, rather than just themselves? Is it just to boost the manufacturer across different regions?

 

[tankuroded]

I don't really know the names of these people or what regions they're in (and I don't care) but why are they racing for other people, rather than just themselves? Is it just to boost the manufacturer across different regions?

Manufacturer point boosting seems to be the motivation.

 

[GBalao888]

This incident regarding the GTWS is beginning to sound like the fall of the F9000 from WipEout Fusion, with stories of rampant race-fixing and illicit practices from behind the scenes, and this account and artificial manufacturer-boosting scheme regarding Renault could serve as a catalyst for the esports series' slow, impending downfall.

Other stories of GTWS/FIA Certified Gran Turismo Championships race-fixing and controversies I may have missed?

 

[Nakano219]

This incident regarding the GTWS is beginning to sound like the fall of the F9000 from WipEout Fusion, with stories of rampant race-fixing and illicit practices from behind the scenes, and this account and artificial manufacturer-boosting scheme regarding Renault could serve as a catalyst for the esports series' slow, impending downfall.

Other stories of GTWS/FIA Certified Gran Turismo Championships race-fixing and controversies I may have missed?

Lots of people wallrode at a round at High Speed Ring in 2022.

Didn't really affect that GTWS too much other than the points being wiped, but it's why you hardly ever see HSR/Blue Moon Bay/Tokyo/St Croix in dailies, PD have avoided tracks with close walls ever since.

 

[stpatty]

Manufacturer point boosting seems to be the motivation.

Lots of obvious reasons this is stupid, but why bother? If you qualify for events you're still going to have drivers competing who decided they weren't good enough to drive the car themselves.

 

[Wilsonson]

Follow-up:


Related smoking gun (re: Karl): (EDIT: deleted after being called out)

This really fascinating but I feel a bit dumb tbh. Could someone help me out and answer these questions?

Are all these guys in the same team, i.e. like a clan in classical gaming (sorry I'm a noob at this stuff)?

Did all of them race for Renault? Or only the guys whose accounts were used by the others?

And what has the ineligible underaged kid to do with this? Is it because his points still count for the manufacturer leader board and a stronger driver using it means more points?

This is all super weird and also kinda sad. GTWS doesn't even have any meaningful prizes on the line. It's not like any one will be able to make a living going to the finals.

 

[RX8 Racer]

It’s official: Karl ‘Prez’ Etyemezian has been dropped by GTS92.

longtweet by @GTSpain92

Further acknowledgement, After doing some research and looking more deeply into what developed this turn of events, the management of GTS92 has decided that, from this moment and with immediate effec

longtweet.io

 

[mastretta_mx]

This really fascinating but I feel a bit dumb tbh. Could someone help me out and answer these questions?

Are all these guys in the same team, i.e. like a clan in classical gaming (sorry I'm a noob at this stuff)?

Did all of them race for Renault? Or only the guys whose accounts were used by the others?

And what has the ineligible underaged kid to do with this? Is it because his points still count for the manufacturer leader board and a stronger driver using it means more points?

This is all super weird and also kinda sad. GTWS doesn't even have any meaningful prizes on the line. It's not like any one will be able to make a living going to the finals.

All of them are members from Spanish team GTS92, the 4 involved drivers were running for Renault in the current championship.

The top performer in the team started to run in the accounts of other 3 members to secure Renault points in the EMEA region so any of the 4 drivers would secure an spot on the finals.

Apparently PD detected the situation and removed the points and banned indefinitely the accounts of these 4 drivers.

Also the team has put it out of any championship to this 4 guys, but is not kicking them out of the team, this is causing that others members of GTS92 are quitting and running for themselves onwards.

 

[RX8 Racer]

Also the team has put it out of any championship to this 4 guys, but is not kicking them out of the team, this is causing that others members of GTS92 are quitting and running for themselves onwards.

Karl ‘Prez’ Etyemezian has been thrown out of GTS92, refer to my previous post. No further word on the three remaining members involved yet.

 

[Wilsonson]

All of them are members from Spanish team GTS92, the 4 involved drivers were running for Renault in the current championship.

The top performer in the team started to run in the accounts of other 3 members to secure Renault points in the EMEA region so any of the 4 drivers would secure an spot on the finals.

Apparently PD detected the situation and removed the points and banned indefinitely the accounts of these 4 drivers.

Also the team has put it out of any championship to this 4 guys, but is not kicking them out of the team, this is causing that others members of GTS92 are quitting and running for themselves onwards.

Thanks for the detailed explanation. And nice PSN name. 🙂

 

[mastretta_mx]

Karl ‘Prez’ Etyemezian has been thrown out of GTS92, refer to my previous post. No further word on the three remaining members involved yet.

It would be bad if at least Moreno is not kicked out of the team too, at the end he decided and competed under the accounts of the other 3 members, it would look like they are protecting the spanish drivers

 

[tankuroded]

Papo statement (Spanish, unrolled):

Hello everyone, This is a message of apology to the entire GT community, especially GTS92 and Mario Soler, who went above and beyond to get me a steering wheel from Spain so I could compete, and I repaid him in the worst possible way.

I hope no one takes this as an excuse, but I want to share a little bit from my perspective. I'm a grown man now, I have a home, I'm a father, and they depend exclusively on me. By this, I mean that my time behind the wheel has been reduced by 90% in the last two years.

In addition to health problems that prevent me from driving for more than two hours, my level of performance simply declined. The confidence I had in myself gradually vanished. I was overcome by the desire to be in a GT event again. Today I understand the mistake I made.

I accept the punishment and I'm not going to hide. Again, I repeat, this is not an excuse; I'm just sharing my perspective on this situation. This year, I will be completely out of all types of competition. And fate willing, I'll try again next year.

I apologize again to the entire GT community and GTS92 who weren't aware of what was happening. ❤️‍🩹

EDIT: Estevez statement:

 

[newmedia_dev]

This is so so so sad as it’s basically a bunch of kids/young adults/kids in young adults bodies sweating it at the sharp end.

We are all just racing for ourselves and having “fun”

Edit:

All that considered and none of their stuff affects me in the slightest I did go again as I’d dropped to B after the “joy” of Atlanta.

This was an issue, I’m on a fast lap and there is is jus some guy coasting around in auto drive…screw you!!!

Then in the race to token “I’m sorry” but I continued and got more that you muppet.

Last throw of the dice.

 

[Nakano219]

I feel bad for the Japanese Renault driver.

He's apparently somehow managed to put them fourth in Asia-Pacific despite that car not being all that great, and now either most likely all these DQs will make him not qualify, or Renault do still sneak in but this will probably cloud that team's entire live event campaign.

 

[newmedia_dev]

I feel bad for the Japanese Renault driver.

He's apparently somehow managed to put them fourth in Asia-Pacific despite that car not being all that great, and now either most likely all these DQs will make him not qualify, or Renault do still sneak in but this will probably cloud that team's entire live event campaign.

it’s all a bit scandal in a teacup, who of us has this affected? Interesting to know and get excited about but…

 

[stpatty]

Qualified 2nd, 0.004 off pole. I had the pace to go about a tenth faster if I'd put every sector together.

Bottled it on lap 7 after a back and forth with the leader. I was behind him at t1 and misjudged it completely. Down to 4th. Followed an AMG for a bit and we were gaining on the top two. Lap 11, had the exact same crash. The three of them converged by the end of the last lap and this happened:

AMG ended up backwards, Porsche tried putting the Supra in the wall and got penalties. Looking at his youtube he looks like a young guy. I'll choose to believe he's just immature rather than dirty. I suppose there's a scenario here where I won this race on the last straight, but going on pace I should have been comfortably out in front anyway. I have an excuse, I'm tired, leave me alone. I'm so tired I spelled that as tyred initially.

175 points for me, and I can't race on Saturday so I'm finishing with... 626 points, I think. A bit of a frustrating season but I'm still ending up in higher lobbies each time, so I'm improving, which is the most important thing.