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

[SupaflyIRL]

I was in TC3 for the majority of the last round's GT3 race in the ferrari (3 laps, all wet with a vague drier line starting to form in the last lap) and was noticeably grippier than everyone except one alien and one guy who was about equal with me in pace. finished P2 by tenths.

i'm sure i could have gone with TC2 but it would have severely damaged my confidence on the millions of turn exits and would have made me slower overall, also allowed me to avoid the absolute chaos on the very wet start. was nice watching the guy who punted me on a straight in quali go nose first into the starting grid wall

 

[kjeldsen]

delete

 

[Talon16]

Just did two more tests. Had to finish the 3W, 2RM in the McLaren, then did a 3IM, 2RM in the Porsche. THis time around, I was able to drive the car just fine on the IMs likely due to all of the laps I've been doing lately.

Since my first set of laps in the Porsche were my first laps all around, I think it's a bit unfair to compare them [the W laps to the IM laps] to side-by-side. So I'll compare them to the McLaren.

First two laps were almost the same, but lap three was about five seconds faster on the IMs than the Ws. So it might just be worth the risk.

Pretty disappointed in that purple lap, I was expecting to be a lot quicker in the Porsche vs the Mustang but I guess not lol.

Next I want to try 2X, 3RMs. I am thinking that since the first two laps were so close between the W and IMs, a 2/3 strat may fall to Ws then RMs.

 

[Yard_Sale]

I’m out of town most this week, so my first real official test will be the first slot of the oceanic region. In the Ferrari. I honestly think I’m going to tank qualifying and try to start near the back on IM’s. My strategy is to stay as close as I can, and pick up positions as I go on the first lap. Then it will be a matter of a game time decision wether I put at the end of 2 for mediums, or stay out for an additional lap on inters. My gut is telling me to risk pitting at end of 2 for mediums, take it easy, and then make up time as the track dries out and hopefully jump people going into the pits at end of 3.

The Ferrari handles too horribly on worn tires to try and make wets last 3 laps. And regardless of tires, I don’t trust everyone else around not to wreck me in the first lap - resulting in having to pit for damage. Best to just hang back and play it safe I reckon

 

[Moose78]

I think I've figured out why I'm having so much difficulty reproducing the Free Practice conditions in a Custom Race. The Free Practice, at least in GT2 league, never gets a dry line. The whole track dries uniformly across the entire width. By the end of lap 3, the track is entirely dry; no puddles on the outside parts of the track. When I do Custom Races, the track never dries completely. There are always puddles along the edges of the track.

Is it different in GT1? From @Talon16's description, it sounds like GT1 is getting a drying line in Free Practice.

If this is a difference between GT1 and GT2/3, I wonder if it will carry through to the race.

 

[Talon16]

I think I've figured out why I'm having so much difficulty reproducing the Free Practice conditions in a Custom Race. The Free Practice, at least in GT2 league, never gets a dry line. The whole track dries uniformly across the entire width. By the end of lap 3, the track is entirely dry; no puddles on the outside parts of the track. When I do Custom Races, the track never dries completely. There are always puddles along the edges of the track.

Is it different in GT1? From @Talon16's description, it sounds like GT1 is getting a drying line in Free Practice.

If this is a difference between GT1 and GT2/3, I wonder if it will carry through to the race.

I've noticed no difference in the GT1 settings v the GT2 settings.

Maybe with 15 other cars on the track there will be a definitive dry line...?

 

[bduddy]

Welp, I guess I'm missing at least a couple rounds. A couple weeks ago my cats pushed over my Playseat Challenge, with the back of my Fanatec hitting the ground and breaking both ends of the power plug. I sent it off for repair and finally got it (or a new one) back yesterday... Well, today the cats did the same thing again, and now the power button won't work. Time to throw more good money after bad...

 

[Yard_Sale]

Welp, I guess I'm missing at least a couple rounds. A couple weeks ago my cats pushed over my Playseat Challenge, with the back of my Fanatec hitting the ground and breaking both ends of the power plug. I sent it off for repair and finally got it (or a new one) back yesterday... Well, today the cats did the same thing again, and now the power button won't work. Time to throw more good money after bad...

Off topic, but how did the repair process go with Fanatec? I need to send my DD pro off to get the pedal jack fixed

 

[bduddy]

Off topic, but how did the repair process go with Fanatec? I need to send my DD pro off to get the pedal jack fixed

They initially wanted me to send everything, which would have been pointless since it was clearly just the wheel base that was broken, but aside from that it was fine and went quickly enough. (Honestly I think they just sent me a new one...)

 

[Fezzik]

Welp, I guess I'm missing at least a couple rounds. A couple weeks ago my cats pushed over my Playseat Challenge, with the back of my Fanatec hitting the ground and breaking both ends of the power plug. I sent it off for repair and finally got it (or a new one) back yesterday... Well, today the cats did the same thing again, and now the power button won't work. Time to throw more good money after bad...

Join the controller gang for those couple of rounds. It's a great ready-made excuse for any subpar driving.

 

[Moose78]

I've done a few custom races at the ring now, and the way that the track dries there -- with the definite dry line -- makes it a completely different experience to driving 5 laps in the Free Practice with its uniform drying.

A 2IM-3RM strategy, in theory, should be fast, but it all comes down to keeping the car on the dry part of the track. Miss one apex, and you are spinning into a barrier for damage and a penalty. The thing is, though, that the track never fully dries like it does in Free Practice. If you drive any laps on RM, you run the risk of spinning out somewhere.

I suppose a no-stop 5IM strategy might be possible, but the IMs wear down pretty fast once the dry line appears. I doubt they would last the whole race. I haven't tried it.

In all of the custom races that I've done so far, I've had multiple spin outs after switching to RMs. With each attempt, I'm learning where the line is and how to take the corners, but I'm pretty much expecting that I'll have a few wrecks on race day.

For anyone interested, the weather settings I'm using for the custom races are R07-R07-S02-S02-S02-S02-S01-S01, Evening, 4x time rate. It doesn't match exactly, but it is close enough for me. Interestingly, the sun sets on the opposite side of the track in Custom Races. 🤷‍♂️

 

[dazdilly75]

I've run this race quite a bit over the Christmas period, and I'm only just getting used to it. I know Nurb 24 very well, but as a wet track, it's a completely different animal. The most dangerous part of this race, is the transition from IM to RM tyre, if you can survive the outlap, then you should be ok for the rest of the race. I find it strange that we have to endure full damage in GT1 league but in the world series race, it was light damage. In my experience practising this race, most of the field don't understand the braking distance required to avoid collisions on a wet track, so expect carnage, no matter what split you're in. In terms of manufacturer choice, the usual suspects in the rain are Mclaren, Porsche and Merc AMG. As the track drys, the Supra 18 and the GTR 18 become a lot faster. In truth, any car can win this race, as long as they have a clean run and stay out of trouble. Remember, the dry line is your friend, especially as the light fades. Good luck guys!

 

[Talon16]

I've done a few custom races at the ring now, and the way that the track dries there -- with the definite dry line -- makes it a completely different experience to driving 5 laps in the Free Practice with its uniform drying.

A 2IM-3RM strategy, in theory, should be fast, but it all comes down to keeping the car on the dry part of the track. Miss one apex, and you are spinning into a barrier for damage and a penalty. The thing is, though, that the track never fully dries like it does in Free Practice. If you drive any laps on RM, you run the risk of spinning out somewhere.

I suppose a no-stop 5IM strategy might be possible, but the IMs wear down pretty fast once the dry line appears. I doubt they would last the whole race. I haven't tried it.

In all of the custom races that I've done so far, I've had multiple spin outs after switching to RMs. With each attempt, I'm learning where the line is and how to take the corners, but I'm pretty much expecting that I'll have a few wrecks on race day.

For anyone interested, the weather settings I'm using for the custom races are R07-R07-S02-S02-S02-S02-S01-S01, Evening, 4x time rate. It doesn't match exactly, but it is close enough for me. Interestingly, the sun sets on the opposite side of the track in Custom Races. 🤷‍♂️

So all this practicing may be for naught then.

Interestingly enough, I did a practice session in the Porsche doing 2xIM, 3xRM and was faster on the 3xIM, 2xRM strat. I did not see that coming. Apparently, the loss in time at the beginning of lap three on the RMs did not make up for the loss of time on the latter bits on the IMs. Like, not even close, about 14 seconds difference overall.

On a side note, got a new purple time of 8:13.

 

[dazdilly75]

 

So all this practicing may be for naught then.

Interestingly enough, I did a practice session in the Porsche doing 2xIM, 3xRM and was faster on the 3xIM, 2xRM strat. I did not see that coming. Apparently, the loss in time at the beginning of lap three on the RMs did not make up for the loss of time on the latter bits on the IMs. Like, not even close, about 14 seconds difference overall.

On a side note, got a new purple time of 8:13.

View attachment 1314942

Nice work, I have been doing the x2 IM x3 RM strat and my best total time is 44:08 I've been using the GT500 Supra which seems to be much more stable than the 18 Supra in the wet. As the track dries, the 18 Supra catches up, but on Dottenger, the 97 Supra is actually equal in speed. It's really about keeping things clean. I still haven't decided which manufacturer I'm going to sign with. I may leave it to the last minute. Right now, it's between Toyota and AMG.

 

[LeGeNd-1]

Weather always makes good racing in real life thanks to unpredictability and narrowing the gap between superior/inferior machinery (i.e. driver skill becomes a bigger factor). Doing so much testing, trying to pick the "best" car and getting the tyre strategy down pat just takes away the fun in my opinion. It's bad enough that this is already a copy of the Manu Grand Final race with scripted weather. I would much prefer a fully random weather and having to think on the spot. Big risk, big reward.

 

[Roggers]

Not played GT7(competitively) for months now. I see GTWS is back for an exhibition round again so time to practice a little for this.
Looks like PD want to turn GT1 league into a Gr3 only series. This the 2nd or 3rd series now we had woth Gr3 only?

As for me in GT2, I have to pick a manufacturer that is either weak in Gr4 or Gr3. I want to run Porsche but the Gr4 car is bad. Obvious pick surely has to be McLaren no? I might go Mercedes or maybe Toyota (that if I can get to grips with the Gr4 car).

 

[MetalApe]

Just done my first 5 lap practice stint in the Ferrari, I had to pick Ferrari after seeing the film. I have to say, this is a truely awesome race setup, the differing conditions across the first 4 laps make it really interesting to drive. It feels so good the way the car gets so much faster each lap, until you're really flying on slicks at the end.

Those of us that have practiced the full 5 lap conditions are going to have a big advantage over the rest, assuming we do actually get those conditions in the race.

 

[Roggers]

Apologies but is tuning available for the Nurbs race? I’ve not picked a manus so can’t see the info

If so is it anti roll, damping and frequency?

 

[Talon16]

 

Nice work, I have been doing the x2 IM x3 RM strat and my best total time is 44:08 I've been using the GT500 Supra which seems to be much more stable than the 18 Supra in the wet. As the track dries, the 18 Supra catches up, but on Dottenger, the 97 Supra is actually equal in speed. It's really about keeping things clean. I still haven't decided which manufacturer I'm going to sign with. I may leave it to the last minute. Right now, it's between Toyota and AMG.

44:08? You're 33 seconds faster than me over five laps? Are you doing the free practice sessions or a simulated race like Moose setup or do I have to rethink my running on this one? I am just doing the free practice sessions; I think the simulated race will be much more of what the actual race will be like.

I do have concerns that cars at the back will have a significant advantage as how quickly the track dries for them vs the leaders. @GOTMAXPOWER made a video about this a while back; the cars towards the back were at a big advantage due to the much drier track. This could be one of these races. Maybe the leaders have to stay on IMs for a third lap and the back of the pack can pit for RMs.
No idea how this will end up shaking out.

I did a couple more runs yesterday with the 3xIM, 2xRM strat. Had another crazy surprise: despite the Mustang being super slow in the wet, once the track started to dry out it was really quick. Ended up with a better overall time than the Porsche, and was ~.100" off my purple lap with it.

The Lambo was the exact opposite; quick in the wet and not so much in the dry. GOing to be a tale of two races, me thinks.

Not played GT7(competitively) for months now. I see GTWS is back for an exhibition round again so time to practice a little for this.
Looks like PD want to turn GT1 league into a Gr3 only series. This the 2nd or 3rd series now we had woth Gr3 only?

As for me in GT2, I have to pick a manufacturer that is either weak in Gr4 or Gr3. I want to run Porsche but the Gr4 car is bad. Obvious pick surely has to be McLaren no? I might go Mercedes or maybe Toyota (that if I can get to grips with the Gr4 car).

This is the second time it's Gr3 only for GT1. I am not a fan of the Gr4 cars in general, but eliminating them seems... wrong. I liked how we had to pick a manu based on both classes. Really made the decision that much more difficult/strategic. That being said, the Gr4 needs a BoP update to make some of the lacking cars more competitive, like the Porsche, Mustang and Corvette for example.

Apologies but is tuning available for the Nurbs race? I’ve not picked a manus so can’t see the info

If so is it anti roll, damping and frequency?

Just BB for Nord. All the other Manus are BB & Suspension.

 

[Roggers]

44:08? You're 33 seconds faster than me over five laps? Are you doing the free practice sessions or a simulated race like Moose setup or do I have to rethink my running on this one? I am just doing the free practice sessions; I think the simulated race will be much more of what the actual race will be like.

I do have concerns that cars at the back will have a significant advantage as how quickly the track dries for them vs the leaders. @GOTMAXPOWER made a video about this a while back; the cars towards the back were at a big advantage due to the much drier track. This could be one of these races. Maybe the leaders have to stay on IMs for a third lap and the back of the pack can pit for RMs.
No idea how this will end up shaking out.

I did a couple more runs yesterday with the 3xIM, 2xRM strat. Had another crazy surprise: despite the Mustang being super slow in the wet, once the track started to dry out it was really quick. Ended up with a better overall time than the Porsche, and was ~.100" off my purple lap with it.

View attachment 1315073

The Lambo was the exact opposite; quick in the wet and not so much in the dry. GOing to be a tale of two races, me thinks.


This is the second time it's Gr3 only for GT1. I am not a fan of the Gr4 cars in general, but eliminating them seems... wrong. I liked how we had to pick a manu based on both classes. Really made the decision that much more difficult/strategic. That being said, the Gr4 needs a BoP update to make some of the lacking cars more competitive, like the Porsche, Mustang and Corvette for example.

Yeah I’m just doing some testing now, and especially on Nords it’s a pain with the long outlap (on lobbies).
Im not a massive fan of Gr4 either but they do actually provide some good racing. I’m looking forward to Dragon Trail. Like them tracks and in Gr4 they are fun

Just BB for Nord. All the other Manus are BB & Suspension.

Thanks 👍🏻 Ah wish we suspension for Nords. Supra feels good but I could do with a little adjust on the rear.

 

[Moose78]

I do have concerns that cars at the back will have a significant advantage as how quickly the track dries for them vs the leaders. @GOTMAXPOWER made a video about this a while back; the cars towards the back were at a big advantage due to the much drier track. This could be one of these races. Maybe the leaders have to stay on IMs for a third lap and the back of the pack can pit for RMs.
No idea how this will end up shaking out.

I had no idea that was a thing. Good to know. Now that you mention it, though, I feel like this effect is going to be most pronounced on the second lap. In the custom races that I'm doing, the AI always does a 1W-1IM-3RM strategy, which invariably puts me in P1 at the start of lap 2. Even though the moisture gauge is in the IM range -- albeit towards the top -- I have to be extra careful around the GP part to avoid going off the track.

As for me in GT2, I have to pick a manufacturer that is either weak in Gr4 or Gr3. I want to run Porsche but the Gr4 car is bad. Obvious pick surely has to be McLaren no? I might go Mercedes or maybe Toyota (that if I can get to grips with the Gr4 car).

If you have time, I'd recommend doing some full practice races at Watkins Glen. I picked Mazda expecting the MAZDA3 to dominate there, and, yes, it is really fast... for the first 6 laps. Then the tire wear starts kicking in and the lap times fall off pretty quick. I'm beginning to think it wasn't the best choice.

That being said, the Gr4 needs a BoP update to make some of the lacking cars more competitive, like the Porsche, Mustang and Corvette for example.

And the BMW. That Gr.4 car is absolutely wretched.

 

[Talon16]

And the BMW. That Gr.4 car is absolutely wretched.

Yep, BMW for sure. Then there are some Manus that are lopsided in teh other direction. The Gr4 Ferrari, Viper, and Aston are good IMO but their Gr3 counterparts not so much.

 

[GOTMAXPOWER]

I do have concerns that cars at the back will have a significant advantage as how quickly the track dries for them vs the leaders. @GOTMAXPOWER made a video about this a while back; the cars towards the back were at a big advantage due to the much drier track. This could be one of these races. Maybe the leaders have to stay on IMs for a third lap and the back of the pack can pit for RMs.
No idea how this will end up shaking out.

It's not good. Here was the video I posted with the comparison from the front of the grid to the back, that was 8 months ago but those of us who did the first wet daily race (Gr4 at Le Mans) had a good idea what was happening a couple of months before that. That is essentially an entire year and as far as I know PD have done nothing to fix it, in my opinion it's pretty close to a game-breaking error since it takes all the skill out of driving in the rain.

Assuming the race weather matches what we have in practice the leaders will be quickest for the first half a lap on full wets since the surface water will be up at around 70-75% on the GP loop, the cars at the back will be closer to 40% so can survive easily on slicks, with that kind of track drying I reckon it might be possible to pit at the end of lap 1 for mediums if you can come out at the back without damaging the car (the first half a lap and the pit exit especially will be dicey).

As for qualifying I don't see the point, last time I fed the cat whilst everybody else was doing there laps and started 16th but was 3rd after half a lap because you're always going to have better track conditions than the car ahead.

 

[SupaflyIRL]

Weather always makes good racing in real life thanks to unpredictability and narrowing the gap between superior/inferior machinery (i.e. driver skill becomes a bigger factor). Doing so much testing, trying to pick the "best" car and getting the tyre strategy down pat just takes away the fun in my opinion. It's bad enough that this is already a copy of the Manu Grand Final race with scripted weather. I would much prefer a fully random weather and having to think on the spot. Big risk, big reward.

i like my version of testing from the season 1 wet nurburgring race. i'm not smart enough with the racing stuff to learn much from specific testing so i just made it rain as hard as i could and practiced driving in a hurricane lmao

 

[SPL170db]

Was there any indication that the weather in practice is going to be replicated in the race, or is it going to be a crap shoot? Is it the same as the Mfg World Championship race from a few weeks ago?

 

[Roggers]

So ended up with Toyota. Honestly couldn’t really be bothered to test a lot of cars, plus I don’t want to use a manufacturer I’ve used in the past. Toyota I’ve not used plus I’ve not driven the Gr4 Supra much so all a challenge for me.

Did some running in the TT, I assume end of Lap 3 to pit? Track looked way to wet end of lap 2, but dried about half way through.

My times were 10.24, 9.43, 8.57 p, 8.43 ol, 8.27. Made a few mistakes on all laps, so know I have a few more seconds in me.

Love that PD have made this a 5 lap race for the GT2 leagues too. The 3 laps they normally give are good, but too short

 

[dazdilly75]

44:08? You're 33 seconds faster than me over five laps? Are you doing the free practice sessions or a simulated race like Moose setup or do I have to rethink my running on this one? I am just doing the free practice sessions; I think the simulated race will be much more of what the actual race will be like.

I do have concerns that cars at the back will have a significant advantage as how quickly the track dries for them vs the leaders. @GOTMAXPOWER made a video about this a while back; the cars towards the back were at a big advantage due to the much drier track. This could be one of these races. Maybe the leaders have to stay on IMs for a third lap and the back of the pack can pit for RMs.
No idea how this will end up shaking out.

I did a couple more runs yesterday with the 3xIM, 2xRM strat. Had another crazy surprise: despite the Mustang being super slow in the wet, once the track started to dry out it was really quick. Ended up with a better overall time than the Porsche, and was ~.100" off my purple lap with it.

View attachment 1315073

The Lambo was the exact opposite; quick in the wet and not so much in the dry. GOing to be a tale of two races, me thinks.


This is the second time it's Gr3 only for GT1. I am not a fan of the Gr4 cars in general, but eliminating them seems... wrong. I liked how we had to pick a manu based on both classes. Really made the decision that much more difficult/strategic. That being said, the Gr4 needs a BoP update to make some of the lacking cars more competitive, like the Porsche, Mustang and Corvette for example.


Just BB for Nord. All the other Manus are BB & Suspension.

No, I just had the ultimate run, no crashes perfect outlap and damage free for 5 laps. It wasn't a normal run by any means. I expect race day to throw up some more variables, (like the custom slip) which means getting away from the pack will be much harder. My best dryrun time on the mediums is a high 8:09xxx I've not been practising the TT, I've been trying to perfect my race pace, because I think it's more important on the day.

 

[Moose78]

Was there any indication that the weather in practice is going to be replicated in the race, or is it going to be a crap shoot? Is it the same as the Mfg World Championship race from a few weeks ago?

As far as I know, there's no way to be sure, but the weather in the Free Practice matches what they used at the GTWS Grand Final, so that is what I'm expecting for the race.

Did some running in the TT, I assume end of Lap 3 to pit? Track looked way to wet end of lap 2, but dried about half way through.

With other cars driving on the track, it dries out a lot sooner, at least that's what I've seen in the custom races I've been using to practice. There is a dry line by the start of the third lap. I've been practicing with a 2IM-3RM strategy, but @GOTMAXPOWER suggested a 1IM-4RM strategy might be viable (see his comments from earlier today). I haven't tested that.

Edit: A couple other bits of advice, while I'm thinking of it:

1. When coming out of the pits on fresh slicks, DO NOT step on the gas. Otherwise, you'll immediately spin out, cross the pit line and get a 3-second penalty. Instead, coast to the turn. Start braking early because you'll be on slippery surface. The tires will only start to stick once you hit the dry line.
2. When approaching T1 on slicks, make sure you follow the dry line. If you try to go wide or defend inside, you will be sliding into Narnia.

 

[tankuroded]

Signed with Nissan again... and this time the "what to drive" RNG is back again. For round 1:

 

[GOTMAXPOWER]

With other cars driving on the track, it dries out a lot sooner, at least that's what I've seen in the custom races I've been using to practice. There is a dry line by the start of the third lap. I've been practicing with a 2IM-3RM strategy, but @GOTMAXPOWER suggested a 1IM-4RM strategy might be viable (see his comments from earlier today). I haven't tested that.

Don't pay too much attention to what I said I haven't done a practice lobby with other cars just the solo time trial just guessing from how much the other cars will dry the track. I guess the weather will be the same every time so we'll see how it looks in Asia in the morning. With the low tyre wear the inters should be fine to do a couple of laps on a bone dry circuit anyway and you're less likely to throw it off the road, just have to watch out for people going for the undercut.