Gran Turismo World Series (Nations Cup Exhibition Season: Jan 22 - Feb 1)

[ElectricNaz]

Big congrats! 🥳

How does that compare to your previous best score before this season? I imagine it's a substantial step up.

Actually when I was in GT2 I used to get some good lobbies (as in the last one I started as B ranked but got to A during it so got better lobbies), I think my previous best is something like 163? So not a huge step.... I wanna be seeing triple digit numbers beginning with a 3! Haha

 

[stpatty]

Qualified 5th on my first go. No idea how. I was provisional pole by 2 tenths at one point so I was slightly taken aback, but fine. Started on hards and did 11H/9M just to be on the safe side. My first stint was fine, cars passing me here and there as it went on. I crossed the pit line on entry on my way in so I didn't really have any chance of anything once I'd served that. I finished 6th for 102, but 4th was in sight so I definitely felt there was more.

Went again, took a while to put a qualifying lap together but started 3rd. Survived the first lap no problem, start of the second lap I get put in the wall. In the post race chat I had no idea who to ask because it had happened so long ago. Finnish guy in a blue AMG said sorry, missed braking which was odd because I could have sworn I saw a red car in my mirror when it happened. So I checked the replay:

This is the first frame where the ABS starts flickering. You'll note at this point that we're still flat out, still not actually on the brakes, in the slipstream of another car and fully past the 100 board. Kids, when you're following another car, be aware of your surroundings. The Ferrari ended up putting me in the wall and I was down to last.

I had started on hards again so I ran the same strategy. My race was fairly uneventful up until lap 16 when I ended up in a gaggle from 5th to 9th. I emerged in 6th and couldn't quite catch up to 5th. The Ferrari in the picture was in 4th and getting closer because he ran M/H, but still too far ahead. I finished 6th again and managed 104 points so at least I improved, technically.

Not pictured: My car's absolutely ruined arse. My right rear panel is about 10% paint. I was really excited when I realised I had this livery and #5 because I had the same combo in a Gr.3 race at Bathurst in GT Sport in about 2018 where I managed to miss the pit lane and finish 3rd. I guess here the drive was just as good even if the result still feels a bit empty.

 

[afc5150]

I'm actually satisfied with a Q13 to P7 run. Slot 1 Americas, all A/S lobby worth 174 points. Door 9.

Just a mistake free drive and increasing pace throughout and I was looking at a top 5 at one point until my tires wore. I could see 4th at the finish. I ended up doing 11H - 9M.

Some great, clean mid field battles throughout and a race I thought I wouldn't enjoy was quite fun.

130 points in the end and a slight DR boost.

 

[newmedia_dev]

Nothing to report, I spent the entire day doing daily A from the back to repair some SR damage caused by daily B, 2 power cuts and a missed race start. No big deal SR is easy to gain if you aren't balls to the wall and pushing hard and close.

And then the afternoon slots open for GT1 and life gets in the way and I end up having to do the family taxi duty all afternoon and in to the late evening ferrying child to to children stuff, wife out for a girls night so missed all 3 slots.

This does mean I feel compelled to do Nurbs at the end of the season when I'd hoped to avoid that one in all honesty.

So sadly no races for round 1

 

[Moose78]

I ran the first GT1 slot in the Americas. I was in door #16, driving for Suzuki. There were 193 points up for grabs.

I wasn't expecting much from this race. I'm just horrible in this car. My goal was to finish better than last. A top 10 finish would be amazing.

Qualifying went as well as I could hope. I put in a time of 1:33.880, which was only a tenth off my best in Free Practice. That landed me in P14.

The race got off to a decent start. I started on RHs. There was a little bit of lap 1 drama, but nothing serious. As the race settled down, I picked up positions from drivers that crashed. I pitted on lap 6 for RM tires. I picked up a few more spots from crashed drivers. At one point, I was sitting in P9. It didn't last, eventually some of the faster drivers caught up. I let them go by without much of a fight.

On lap 16, after giving up P10 in the chicane, I was close behind the car ahead going into the final corner. I failed to account for the slipstream.

I went into the wall hard. Damage to front aero and front left suspension. It was too late in the race to make up another pit stop. I had to ride it out.

I gave up a couple more spots as I limped my way to the checkered flag. That gave me a P13 finish and 96 points. Not great, but at least it wasn't last.

Now, what misery awaits at Trial Mountain?

 

[newmedia_dev]

Now, what misery awaits at Trial Mountain?

I dunno, I've seen Konsta go nearly from the back with the little Suzi in top split do really well so there is potential there.

 

[ccc200]

Started p14 and fought my way up in the Renault to p8 not bad I don’t think for my first time competing in gt2

 

[D_Dragline]

2 very different races for me.

Ran slot 2 in Asia in the Supra. As expected, I really sucked at this course. No major issues in qualy and Q16.

Started on hards, made up a couple of places in the first 2 laps as people had “moments”. Lap 3 I touched the kerb exiting the first complex, spun and hit the wall.

Limped another 3 laps with damage and changed onto mediums. DFL.

Started to find a groove and a few other spinners had me hunting backmarkers before I rode the kerb at the hairpin exit and spun again. Ran the last 6 laps with damage and failed to finish before the countdown timer. Honestly, the kerbs on this track should be outlawed. IRL they would be causing fatalities.

Being a glutton for punishment, I decided to run a slot in my Canadian account. A random Manu selector gave me Peugeot so I rolled out the RCZ.

I was a full second slower in FP than my best in the Supra. Not promising.

All A+ lobby, qualified 9th.

Ran 9H11M, got 2 places from crashes ahead, including a Supra who did EXACTLY what I did in my first race. Glad to see it wasn’t only me.

Zero overtakes, zero positions lost. Finished alone in 7th in a VERY boring race. 189 points. Glad it’s over.

 

[24HuresdeLoL]

GTWS Manufacturers Cup Exhib.2 Rd.1

Only one slot, but one race of throttle management, tire management and not over driving. A car as tail happy as the F-Type doesn't warrant a lead foot, which is not easy around the hairpins and sausage-kerbed corners of DT Gardens on a controller. A solid Qualifying run to 6th on the grid, and the goal first stint was not to get into too much of a fight with the Medium tire runners. One Honda NSX would be my rabbit for the race beginning-to-end, with several times being close through several corners, but not quite there to pass. After getting from the hard to medium tires it was a literal chase towards the end of the race, with the last coupe corners thinking I had a chance in the downward chicane. Too severe, too little, too late. Let him through and finished 4th, but got 3rd since the Honda driver didn't change to hards at any point, they never ran mediums all stint, so a 2 minute penalty lead to a Podium (and beaten to fastest lap by .001 )

​

 

[Pfei]

GT1 North America Slot 1 A/S Lobby

After my recent post-update tire wear disaster which has made me lose a lot of race pace, I was not very optimistic for this one. I just want some fun racing at this point.

Obviously I went with Subaru again to honor the three badges I have parked in my real-life garage. But this time I decided to try out the BRZ instead of the WRX. I quickly realized I have been kneecapping myself in past seasons by staying loyal to my IRL WRX. The first practice lap in the BRZ was half a second quicker than my best in the WRX.

Jumped into slot one and qualified 3rd with a 1:32.3. I did a 11M-9H strategy and the race was pretty uneventful. Ran 2nd most of the first stint as the Genesis in front of me was slow and I got past him quickly. I was 3rd after the stops as someone evidently much faster did a H/M strategy.

I was on for a podium but in the late laps I made a couple of small mistakes which allowed the guy trailing me for many laps to get by on lap 19. I followed him home closely for fourth place and 178 points. The top two were miles ahead.

It's a good result after lots of post-update frustration. And I guess the WRX was really holding me back in the previous season. The BRZ seems much more capable.

Qualy:

Race Results:

Points:

 

[smcqueen46]

I'm pretty happy with these results! The first time around on my alt account (Inigo Montoya) I couldn't understand why my lap times were several seconds slower than on my main account. After a few laps into the race, I looked at the tires to see how they were wearing and saw "IM"! Oh, no! I was still using the tires I had previously used in the Le Mans race for grinding credits. So I had to make 2 pitstops: 1 to change to RH and then to change that to RM later on! Ended up P11. Second time around on that account, I started Q6 and ended P6; much better! On my main account I started Q10 and ended P3. I was actually running P6 at the end, but 3 of the drivers ahead of me got 2 minute penalties; guess they didn't change tires. Oh, well, their loss is my gain.

 

[bduddy]

Finished 9th. Pitted too early. Whatever. Not my favorite track.

Takuma Miyazono is also getting into real-life racing, and improving:

 

[ElectricNaz]

Takuma Miyazono is also getting into real-life racing, and improving:

 

[Moose78]

I dunno, I've seen Konsta go nearly from the back with the little Suzi in top split do really well so there is potential there.

For sure. I'm no Konsta, though. I struggle a lot with cars that need to be short-shifted. It's the same thing with the Gr.4 BMW M4. I feel like I'm shifting at the right place -- at least when I compare to Tidney's video car profile video -- but I'm still always a second or more off the pace of other cars with it. 🤷‍♂️

As for Trial Mountain, I did a practice race earlier. It looks like strategy will be pretty straightforward. There are two mandatory stops, so some combination of 7-7-8 seems like it will be optimal. It looked to me like it might be possible to skip a tire change on one stop, but I expect the tires will be very worn by the end. Doing 11 laps should be doable, though. Maybe an 11-6-5 with only a single tire change would be faster. Maybe I have something to test after all.

 

[Kermit_2142]

It’s good to have manufacturers back!
I jumped in very last minute (I should have learned by now not to do this).
Picked out Subaru and the BRZ for the first time and was aiming for a top 10 but whatever happens happens.
Short practice didn’t feel great but my time looked good. I may switch back to abs weak after this update and I upped my tc to level 2.
Had a busy qualifying, but went quicker still and set p4. I think I could’ve gone better but I couldn’t find space in the last few minutes to really go for one.
I started the race well with good pace and wanted to push on. The BRZ is a monster at corner entry but lacking down the straights so I was struggling to find an easy & safe spot to overtake. I took opportunities as they came and defended hard using the BRZ’s strong entry speed.
I had made it up to the lead by lap 9 and then stacked it on the chicane with p2 following me into the same error. Then I cut the pit entry with damage…and then collided with another driver for more damage on my out lap (likely my fault). I pitted again for repairs and a second set of mediums and managed to catch a train stuck behind a blocking and weaving GTR. After some jostling and desperation from everyone I managed to sneak into p10 at the final corner taking advantage of the fresher tyres.
It’s good to be back, I will try and be a little more prepared next time.

 

[GT5Apex]

This exhibition season got of to a decent start. Thankfully the second race went better than the first race.

Slot 1, Door 7. I was in the same lobby as EERIEISSSS. I qualified P10 and i never finished race. I started on the hards and the first couple of laps went well but then it started going south, such as picking up rear damage, so i decided to quit the race.

Slot 2, Door 2 - This race went much better. I qualified P7 and finished P6.

The race got off to a decent start and i gained a couple of positions during the first lap thanks to a couple of Porsche's spinning out during the lap, but then i lost a place to a GTR when i went deep into the hairpin that leads onto the back straight. Then for the next couple of laps i had a BMW on my tail and then the BMW finally got passed me when i went deep into T1 at the start of lap 8.

I came into the pits at the end of lap 9 to change from the hards to the mediums but unfortunately i crossed the pit lane entry line, which gave me a 3 second penalty. Then 2 laps later i picked up a 0.5 second penalty at the chicane, and those 2 penalties annoyed me so for the first part of the medium tyre stint i was driving like crap, and that caused me to lose a place to a Porsche.

Thankfully i managed to get back pass the Porsche towards the end of the race. I also managed to snatch P6 from a Supra on the last lap because he made a mistake coming out of the right hander just after the chicane and he went off the track. I thought he was going to get passed me on the straight because my exit from the final corner was poor but thankfully his exit was also poor.

Im disappointed that i picked up those penalties because i feel like i could've had a slightly better result, because the BMW i was racing with earlier on in the race finished P3, and when i was just entering the penalty zone to serve my 0.5 second penalty, he was just exiting the pits. So if you if i never got a 3 second and 0.5 second penalties, i probably would have been P4 or maybe P3.

 

[MIE1992]

Gah, I wasn't able to make it yesterday. I was out with a friend. Next week, I'll be at an Oktoberfest celebration, then right after that, I'm going shopping at a mall with a friend. And then the weekend after that, I'll be visiting relatives in Cleveland, and then the weekend after that...well, actually, I think I should be able to make that final round. But I might be able to make the second round, too. Ah, it's only an exhibition series, anyway.

 

[bliprunner]

This exhibition season got of to a decent start. Thankfully the second race went better than the first race.

Slot 1, Door 7. I was in the same lobby as EERIEISSSS. I qualified P10 and i never finished race. I started on the hards and the first couple of laps went well but then it started going south, such as picking up rear damage, so i decided to quit the race.

View attachment 1395025

Slot 2, Door 2 - This race went much better. I qualified P7 and finished P6.

The race got off to a decent start and i gained a couple of positions during the first lap thanks to a couple of Porsche's spinning out during the lap, but then i lost a place to a GTR when i went deep into the hairpin that leads onto the back straight. Then for the next couple of laps i had a BMW on my tail and then the BMW finally got passed me when i went deep into T1 at the start of lap 8.

I came into the pits at the end of lap 9 to change from the hards to the mediums but unfortunately i crossed the pit lane entry line, which gave me a 3 second penalty. Then 2 laps later i picked up a 0.5 second penalty at the chicane, and those 2 penalties annoyed me so for the first part of the medium tyre stint i was driving like crap, and that caused me to lose a place to a Porsche.

Thankfully i managed to get back pass the Porsche towards the end of the race. I also managed to snatch P6 from a Supra on the last lap because he made a mistake coming out of the right hander just after the chicane and he went off the track. I thought he was going to get passed me on the straight because my exit from the final corner was poor but thankfully his exit was also poor.

Im disappointed that i picked up those penalties because i feel like i could've had a slightly better result, because the BMW i was racing with earlier on in the race finished P3, and when i was just entering the penalty zone to serve my 0.5 second penalty, he was just exiting the pits. So if you if i never got a 3 second and 0.5 second penalties, i probably would have been P4 or maybe P3.

View attachment 1395033

I may have watched some of the slot 1 race while looking for my replay. Looked like EERIEISSSS didn't have much fun either... got wide a few times in the Porsche and span at least twice!

 

[bliprunner]

First race for GTP Lavazza-Renault team was a modest success. UK slot one, door 15, solid quali put me in P6. Decided to start on mediums as I'd had very little practice on hards.

Didn't make a single proper overtake in this race, but that wasn't a problem as drivers ahead kept hitting the kerbs of death. First up was the Supra on lap 1...

Then a Genesis on lap two in the same place (exit of turn two). That left me P4 and chasing a GTR ahead. Front tyres were wearing quicker than mine and they were having trouble at the final chicane, eventually dropping it on lap 9...

P3 now with a Supra and Lexus ahead, both on mediums. The Supra chewed his up and pitted lap 9 leaving the Lexus about 6 seconds ahead. We both pitted at the end of lap 12, now in P3 on icy hard tyres and a BMW behind catching fast on fresh mediums. I decided to let him past at the hairpin on lap 15 and follow to try and keep clear of the chasing pack...

He thanked me for giving him the place in the lobby after. Probably the right call even if it meant giving up a podium chance. My pace on hards got quicker and the cars behind faded, and P4 netted me a decent 243 points

 

[Cerebral303]

I went with Dodge and had a boring race at the back. I felt like driving the Viper but had a hard time picking a car this season because I've driven them all so much.

Almost went with Ferrari but they're the same two cars I drove in the initial GT Sport seasons 7 years ago! Since then the 488 has been and gone and the 296 won LeMans last year but we're still racing the same old cars, it's the same situation for most manufacturers.

 

[GT5Apex]

I may have watched some of the slot 1 race while looking for my replay. Looked like EERIEISSSS didn't have much fun either... got wide a few times in the Porsche and span at least twice!

Yeah, i remember one of his mistakes was just after T2 because i passed him, then a corner or two later, i went wide and he re-passed me haha.

 

[Moose78]

I've been doing some testing to see if a single tire-change strategy is viable for me (in the Suzuki VGT car) at this week's race at Trial Mountain. In short, it isn't looking like it, but it isn't horrible.

I tested two strategies:

1. 7RM-7RM-8RM with a tire change on each stop, and
2. 1RM-10RM-11RM with a tire change only on the second stop

I did three test races for each strategy, then constructed an 'optimal' race for each from the best laps.

Here's how the numbers came out:

Strategy	Opt time	Best time	Avg time	Avg dev	Total time
1RM-10RM-11RM (single change)	1:53.479	1:53.595	1:56.910	0:02.887	42:52.030
7RM-7RM-8RM (double change)	1:53.699	1:53.797	1:56.639	0:03.297	42:46.068

Lap times:

Tire tread levels at first pit:

Strategy	Front left	Front right	Rear left	Rear right
1RM-10RM-11RM	95%	95%	95%	95%
7RM-7RM-8RM	65%	45%	70%	60%

Tire tread levels at second pit:

Strategy	Front left	Front right	Rear left	Rear right
1RM-10RM-11RM	40%	15%	45%	30%
7RM-7RM-8RM	65%	50%	70%	60%

Tire tread levels at finish:

Strategy	Front left	Front right	Rear left	Rear right
1RM-10RM-11RM	40%	20%	45%	30%
7RM-7RM-8RM	60%	40%	65%	50%

Comments and observations:

• I'm way off the pace in this car. I've never been great at Trial Mountain, but I'm even slower in the Suzuki. I feel like I'm pretty close to my limit, though.
• If you are faster than me -- and you probably are -- there's a good chance your tires will wear faster. I'd recommend you do your own tests.
• In the single tire-change strategy, the car was still quite driveable towards the end of the longer stints in the single tire-change strategy, but it did get much more difficult to get 'good' laps out the car. The best case scenario shown in these 'optimal' races are probably overly optimistic. I expect there to be more time loss on average, which would further magnify the difference between the two strategies.

 

[Zorz]

I've been doing some testing to see if a single tire-change strategy is viable for me (in the Suzuki VGT car) at this week's race at Trial Mountain. In short, it isn't looking like it, but it isn't horrible.

Comments and observations:

• I'm way off the pace in this car. I've never been great at Trial Mountain, but I'm even slower in the Suzuki. I feel like I'm pretty close to my limit, though.
• If you are faster than me -- and you probably are -- there's a good chance your tires will wear faster. I'd recommend you do your own tests.
• In the single tire-change strategy, the car was still quite driveable towards the end of the longer stints in the single tire-change strategy, but it did get much more difficult to get 'good' laps out the car. The best case scenario shown in these 'optimal' races are probably overly optimistic. I expect there to be more time loss on average, which would further magnify the difference between the two strategies.

If it's any consolation, that car does feel like it needs a serious buff. If there's a trick to driving it, I don't get it. Like you, I also really struggle to find any proper pace in it. I'm shortshifting it between 10000-11000rpm to try keep it in the power band and it's just... bad.

I just tried some laps in a custom race with tyre wear and fuel turned off to simulate free practice and I cannot get anywhere near my time in the Renault. I can run 1:51s in the Renault consistently, but my best in the Suzuki was a 1:52.5 and that was pushing. Most laps came out in the 1:53s.

Maybe it will be better in the race? I get the impression the car is generally lacking but could be a surprise threat when it comes to slipstreaming down the tunnel.

 

[Buffalo_DRD]

GT2 - Low B - AMERICAS - Door #8 - 80pts for the Victory

My story from last weekend.

I rarely do daily races since I've joined The Snail Racing League last January, but I decided to hop on and give this short Manufacturers Cup season a try. I signed on with Porsche and managed to qualify 4th, 0.004 seconds behind the Batman in his Huracan.

A little door to door action between the top two allowed Batman and myself to get through.

Batman got a little squirrelly at one point and I managed to take the lead. The order changed a little bit but the top 4 in qualifying also claimed the top 4 spots in the race.

I led until lap 7, being chased by this pink Porsche the entire time. He overtook me and I struggled keeping up with his pace.

Having started on RM's, I pitted at the end of lap 9 for me RH's. I took a silly pit-entry penalty of 3 secs and at the start of lap 12, I saw none other than Batman exiting the pits and in my rearview mirror.

Although I wasn't in a dark pink Maserati, I felt like the Penguin being chased by the Batman like in that awesome scene from the movie a couple years ago.

This time, I guess the villain got away because after stalking me for several laps, Vengeance lost the grip a little bit coming out of the hairpin turn. He recovered quickly but the pressure was off.

I was able to have a stress free cruise to the finish line and claim 2nd place and the 77 points that came with it.

This was a fun experience and from my perspective, it seems like a clean race. Maybe I'll give the daily races another try one day.
Thanks for your patience.

 

[Moose78]

If it's any consolation, that car does feel like it needs a serious buff. If there's a trick to driving it, I don't get it. Like you, I also really struggle to find any proper pace in it. I'm shortshifting it between 10000-11000rpm to try keep it in the power band and it's just... bad.

I tried the opposite, and tried a few laps in a car that I expected to be better: the BMW M6 Endurance. I wasn't any faster. It's starting to feel like the bigger problem exists between the seat and the steering wheel (or in my case, the controller).

Thanks for taking the time to try it out. I appreciate it.

 

[Talon16]

Not gonna lie, I am a little bummed right now. Of all the races the one at Nord was the only one that really looked good to me (RA looks alright as well). So I was looking forward to doing that across various accounts.

I put in some time and tested 11 different manus in a mock, three lap race (I know GT1 is five laps but three is enough to give me an idea). Yadda yadda yadda the Porsche felt the best, but I was consistently fastest in the Genesis. I picked Porsche the last two Manus and was looking for something new. Thus, even though I'd not pulled the trigger yet, I was all but going with Genesis.

Then I looked at my calendar and saw that I am busy the Saturday evenings of both RA and Nord. You know, PD... to help people that have lives and obligations outside of your game you could add more GT1 timeslots so............ you know what, never mind. 😐

 

[MCL1974]

Not gonna lie, I am a little bummed right now. Of all the races the one at Nord was the only one that really looked good to me (RA looks alright as well). So I was looking forward to doing that across various accounts.

I put in some time and tested 11 different manus in a mock, three lap race (I know GT1 is five laps but three is enough to give me an idea). Yadda yadda yadda the Porsche felt the best, but I was consistently fastest in the Genesis. I picked Porsche the last two Manus and was looking for something new. Thus, even though I'd not pulled the trigger yet, I was all but going with Genesis.

Then I looked at my calendar and saw that I am busy the Saturday evenings of both RA and Nord. You know, PD... to help people that have lives and obligations outside of your game you could add more GT1 timeslots so............ you know what, never mind. 😐

Sorry for you, 3 slots a day is just too little. Although in Gt2 I have the same issue; working tomorrow so can not race in the EMEA.

So some time ago I made 2 additional accounts, one for Asia and one for the US. This because I work in shifts and often in the weekend, so when I can not race during the EMEA times then I can at least sometimes race before or after my shift.

For tomorrow I expect to be at home around 2300 hrs lt, so will use the US account and race 2400 hrs lt.. Only issue is that both accounts are still E level, only did a few races so far so not made any real progress...

 

[Talon16]

Sorry for you, 3 slots a day is just too little. Although in Gt2 I have the same issue; working tomorrow so can not race in the EMEA.

So some time ago I made 2 additional accounts, one for Asia and one for the US. This because I work in shifts and often in the weekend, so when I can not race during the EMEA times then I can at least sometimes race before or after my shift.

For tomorrow I expect to be at home around 2300 hrs lt, so will use the US account and race 2400 hrs lt.. Only issue is that both accounts are still E level, only did a few races so far so not made any real progress...

I hear ya, my friend. I did the same for the exact same reason as you may be aware. I should be able to do a GT1 in EMEA but I picked Porsche there fully expecting to use the Genesis on the US GT1 account. Now I wish I had picked Genesis in EMEA but I guess that's my fault for not looking at my own calendar.

Ah well, so it is... life goes on.

---

If anyone cares, here are the following cars I tried with their respective fastest laps (FL) and overall times (OAT) for three laps:

Audi R8, '19- 8:02.29; 24:05.98
McLaren F1 - 8:09.96; 24:30.51
Ferrari - 8:02.12; 24:04.86
Toyota FT-1 - 8:08.04; 24:23.71
Vette - 8:03.75; 24:10.36
Porsche - 8:01.78; 24:02.40
AMG SLS - 8:05.92; 24:15.66
Lexus - 8:03.03; 24:07.44
Nissan GTR '18 - 8:01.98; 24:04.04
Genesis - 7:59.91; 23:59.86
Toyota Supra - 8:02.36; 24:07.80

Take these with a grain of salt as I just dropped in and went. Was figuring out BB on the fly. YMMV

I really wanted the F1 to be good. It was so nice to drive I was considering picking it until I saw the times. Same with the FT-1.

 

[MCL1974]

So, regarding tomorrow's race; I really do not get this track.

It looks very nice, it really does. Arguably the best looking track in the game. And I do like driving it. But I just can not figure this track out, not able to get those stable laptimes.

One lap I think I am doing fine and it turns out I am a second slower then I thought I would be. But I just knocked a few tenths of my fastest lap while the lap itself just felt very sloppy. I'm just not getting to terms with this track for some reason. It's that final chicane, that midd section and the first few corners, so pretty much the whole lap I seem to have issues with...but mostly that final chicane. Some laps are relatively fast though, but others....

Qualifying will be interesting, that's for sure!

 

[OJBrit]

Entered the 2nd slot with very little practice and it showed. Not a track that gels with me too much and as I've not been doing dailies recently not one I have much practice at either. Add to that and the two straights do not work into my car's strengths I was potentially at a disadvantage here. As so it proved as once everything shook out I was 16th on the grid. At least this limited the potential for carnage and I could run my own race and with a mandatory pit stop I could find clean air and could undercut like last week.
Well I was only only one who started mid corner so thanks PD! I caught up by the end of the lap and some carnage happened into the chicane. A Ferrari and a Supra span and I nabbed their spots. I held onto those ahead as further spins and penalties hit. I was not likely to be in a position to make a move and came in on lap 4 for my stop. (But not before an Italian in a Supra dived me and shoved me aside. ) I came out last and set about putting some laps in. I did get past a couple of cars but I was now in other's crosshairs. A Lambo had spun and myself and a Vantage got past. The Aston went wide into the hairpin and my superior cornering got me past and they fell back. A little in part to the Lambo coming back through. They caught up to me and I had no answer to their speed and to be fair I wasn't going to fight it anyway.

And that was that for my race. I came home in 12th place, so I had made some good progress whilst keeping my nose clean. This was always going to be a dropped score for me unless a miracle happened. The next 2 should be tracks I enjoy so hoping for better there.