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

[Talon16]

Holy schnikes, it's no wonder the BMW is META. Just did a test run with the M6 End edition, 7RS to 13RM. Ran +4/+5 BB to help that LF tire.

Overall time it was over 12 seconds faster (35:40.0) than the Ford GT 18 (35:52.3 (which was 11 seconds faster than the GTR though I think I could do better in that car now that I know what I know)). Not only that but it wasn't until lap 15 (eight full laps on the RMs) where my lap time of 45.7 was slower than the fastest time in the GT 18 (which was lap two while on the RS tires, at a 45.4); fastest lap in the M6 was a 44.6. So it took 15 laps in the M6 to just start being slower than the GT 18 at its fastest. No wonder there was a 12 second difference at the end (~.600" delta, per lap!).

So the M6 is great on a one lap TT/quali lap, and is also great over the whole race distance. I may try the Supra as it was the second fastest TT car for me. But, I don't believe it's very good on tires. At least it wasn't pre 1.49.

Well done with the BoP, PD. Well done.

 

[D_Dragline]

Ran Slot 1 in Oceania. Door 11 in a stacked top split which included 3 World Tour finalists.

Ran the M6 and qualified 7th.

My race was remarkably well behaved and my pace was good and consistent. I ran 13 on mediums and 7 on softs. A lot of the others ran 8 hards and 12 mediums. One of the NPCs did a 6s7s7s but couldn’t make up enough time to compensate for the 4 minute penalty (lol).

When all the strats had played out I was p5 with a world tour finalist in p6 and a medium runner in front of me.

I ran down p4 on lap 18 but got passed by the NPC on lap 19. Lap 20 was tough on very worn rubber and I dropped back to 6th.

Crossed the line in a very satisfying p6 only to see both p4 and p5 had 4 minute pens.

P4 for 286 points and easily my best ever GTWS finish.

 

[Pau1_13th]

Gt2 League, mid DRB ranking. Qualified 5th and decided to start on mediums to see if 2nd stint is on soft or hard. After the start many of the soft starters overtook me. After 10 laps I went for hard, because I think I could not make the soft live long enough. Came back in 6th and was overtaken by some medium runners. Many who went for soft and medium had to pit a second time, so after a few laps I came back up to P6. Caught nearly the 5th in the last lap, but he didn't read the notes (and another one in front of him) so they got 4 min penalty and I became 4th for 92 points.

 

[D_Dragline]

Ran Slot 1 in Oceania. Door 11 in a stacked top split which included 3 World Tour finalists.

Ran the M6 and qualified 7th.

My race was remarkably well behaved and my pace was good and consistent. I ran 13 on mediums and 7 on softs. A lot of the others ran 8 hards and 12 mediums. One of the NPCs did a 6s7s7s but couldn’t make up enough time to compensate for the 4 minute penalty (lol).

When all the strats had played out I was p5 with a world tour finalist in p6 and a medium runner in front of me.

I ran down p4 on lap 18 but got passed by the NPC on lap 19. Lap 20 was tough on very worn rubber and I dropped back to 6th.

Crossed the line in a very satisfying p6 only to see both p4 and p5 had 4 minute pens.

P4 for 286 points and easily my best ever GTWS finish.

Finished the season 6th n Oceania.

Thinking about launching a training academy to ensure my legacy lives on. 🤣

 

[ZEE]

Ok so today morning, it was bit argy but a fun GTWS race notheless.

Managed to achieve 4th astsrtign from a qualifying 8th place. Lower C lobby 10am slot. I used my Vantage GT3. I always get good consistency with this car.

Had a tense battle with alot of 911 RSR's on thsi track but I prevailed and my outcome was pretty good. Alot of ppl spun out and that helped me gain some postions, the 1st place guy Angel in a 911 RSR was seriusly rapid.

I think i netted 31 points or sumthing and lets see what my overall is now for this Nations championship.

 

[Pau1_13th]

By the way, cheers to @Moose78 for publishing the studies of tire degradation, it is a huge help for those like me, who don't have time to do it themselves. My strategies are improved big time.

 

[Zorz]

One-and-done for me. That was a hard one.

Qualified P7 with a 1:44.133 and started on the Mediums for a 13M/7S. A French BMW ended up in a fight with a Polish BMW at Heel and lost a position, then I swooped in at the apex where the two layouts converge and took one myself. I then got turn 1 wrong and picked up a track limits penalty as I just couldn't quite get the car to turn in and strayed wide.

Serving the penalty dropped me to P10 and put me in the front seat for a nearly race-ending incident. A British BMW pit manoeuvred a Greek Nissan coming out of Heel right in front of me. I edged left slightly trying to avoid contact and ended up pit manoeuvring myself across a German BMW. There were just so many cars in close proximity as that all unfolded. I managed to hold it, but slid across the apex in the process and got slapped with another track limits penalty for it. Just... sigh. Serving that penalty dropped me down to P11.

A British Nissan had binned it after turn 1, so P10. On lap 5 I got alongside a French Lexus on the run down to the Inner Loop chicanes and sent it, so P9. A Swiss Nissan was serving a penalty which then also gave me the chance to go down the inside at Heel, P8.

Things then finally settled down for a while and I moved up another place after the German BMW from before got a snap of oversteer at Toe and then overcorrected and veered left. I caught up with the Polish BMW again over the course of the next few laps and we started fighting. I've never seen someone defend so hard, ever. I did manage to get alongside coming out of turn 1 on lap 8, but then almost sent myself into the wall at the Esses trying to go 2 wide on the outside, which made me fall back again.

The Polish BMW pit at the end of lap 9 and I carried on until lap 13 as planned, but the fighting had compromised me and my tyres were a lot worse at the end of the stint than they had been in practice.

I came out of the pits in P9 and caught the Swiss Nissan and Polish BMW fighting at Toe. I ended up going 2-wide with the Nissan through Heel and the last sector, only for him to then pit. I can't say I understood that - if you're intending on pitting in the next 10-15 seconds, why are you fighting someone who's just had a pit stop? He even risked putting himself into a position where he wouldn't be able to properly enter the pit lane too.

I caught the Polish BMW again on lap 16 and once again he was defending like his life depended on it. Turns out he was on Hards. I managed to get the job done at Heel, but the damage had already been done. All the fighting had wrecked my tyre management and the front left ended up completely red by the Outer Loop on the final lap. It just wouldn't turn right anymore, so much worse than the severely worn tyres I'd experienced in practice. My last lap was so, so slow; a 1:54.0.

I think there's a lesson in there. If you think you're going to get caught up fighting, the Softs might not last even if you've been able to comfortably manage them in custom races. And if they go, it's a whole world of hurt.

I ended up crossing the line in P9 but two people in front got the tyre rules wrong, so P7 and 195 points which will not count towards the season. I'd have needed P5 for even the slightest of improvements, which is where the Polish BMW finished.

​

 

[Moose78]

By the way, cheers to @Moose78 for publishing the studies of tire degradation, it is a huge help for those like me, who don't have time to do it themselves. My strategies are improved big time.

You're more than welcome. Happy to share. Glad you find it helpful. Congrats on the P4 finish!

 

[Pau1_13th]

You're more than welcome. Happy to share. Glad you find it helpful. Congrats on the P4 finish!

Thank you

 

[Cerebral303]

Thanks for the research everyone - I will be running the M6.

 

[icycls]

Ran a GT2 race just now, no reall practice, using the meta M6 and strats read here. This is my only nations, partly some time off and partly because the previous cars feel terrible on my wheel since the update. Patch please?

But 20 laps at the glen in gr3? Sign me up. Qualified terrible as usual, ran a 12M8S to a mediocre finish. The final lap (8th on softs) saw my ~2sec gap become 0.2 at the finish! If I go again, maybe do 13/7.

But what I came here to say, becasue I was sure this happened to me in the manus recently - I get a 'ignore yellow' 3sec penalty when I passed the ghosted car that caused the penalty. grrrrrr. I was sure because I had a 1+ sec gap in front and behind. Saved the replay, which I almost never do, and yes, I passed it just as it unghosts but before the banner is over. Fix your stupid code PD. (the car behind plows into the unghosted car, but did not get any penalty for hitting)

That pissed me enough to spin a couple turns later, so now I'm dead last. Ran smooth easy laps and beat some cars trying two stops or just having a bad day.

Also, also - when did they start giving 4minute penalties? Did I miss a memo? And I waited about 4 minutes in the post race countdown - is that also new? I got a promotion when someone got tired of waiting and quit the lobby.

 

[mobilmasher]

Also, also - when did they start giving 4minute penalties? Did I miss a memo? And I waited about 4 minutes in the post race countdown - is that also new? I got a promotion when someone got tired of waiting and quit the lobby.

The 4 minute penalty has been in effect for a short while, don't recall if it was in effect for the Manu series. I believe I was in that race on my alt, as I believe you were. That quitter a 2 tire penalties gave me 6th. I was a few positions ahead of you in the Ford GTLM.

 

[stpatty]

Qualified 11th in my first slot and had the dirtiest opening five laps I've had in a long time. The highlight was a Mazda trying to go up the inside of me at the bus stop. I shouted at the television on that one. I started on mediums planning to see what happened, I ended up going 11M/9H to see what they were like because I had only used M/S in practice. My fastest lap came on lap 10 of the medium stint so I suppose I was still learning the track.

Second go I qualified 5th. I'm not sure how. Pole was a smurf who was 1.1 seconds ahead of P2. See if you're trying to level up an account? Do it in daily races. Don't spoil the races that actually have meaning.

Started on mediums again and just wanted a clean first lap, which happened. An Italian in a Supra in 3rd who had a bad time of it in my first race got a track limits penalty and ended up with just as bad a race as last time. (Just noticed he started on hards, bold move)

Stayed in 4th pretty comfortably for a few laps until lap 7 when the Dane behind me passed after I made a mess of the last turn (big fan of the sunset conditions) and the leader (not the smurf) pitted, keeping me in 4th. At the end of lap 7 the Frenchman in 2nd pitted and I saw him cut the pit line, so I knew he was going to get swallowed up by traffic when he served his penalty.

The gap to the Dane stayed pretty steady until we pitted on lap 10. He also got a penalty on pit entry so I got past him. I got past one straggler who hadn't pitted and was in 2nd, with the smurf well out in front (he went 14M/6S - everyone else in the top 6 of this race was in a BMW). The Dane eventually passed me at the start of lap 14, and the Belgian who had been behind us got past at the start of lap 15. We had kept a fairly consistent 2-3 second gap to him in the first stint, and when he got past me and started gapping me I assumed he'd gone H/M rather than M/H.

When I crossed the line and saw the final times I got a good laugh though:

On lap 19 the smurf in the lead binned it at the right hander after the penalty line and cost himself a good 13 seconds or so. He managed to go head first into the barrier on the right just before the tyres. Couldn't have hit the tyres or ended up glued to the barrier like I usually do or ended up backwards, nooooo.

I'm counting this as a win. It was a bit of a weird race with all the different strategy combos, but I had fun. The only time I'd raced Watkins Glen was the RA272 earlier this year which doesn't really count. I almost feel like I got the hang of it by the end. I also ended up top 5% in every ranking so I got 3mil for the season.

 

[MIE1992]

So I believe that the M6 Sprint is the best car from what I've heard, but what about tire strats? I think 9 on mediums and then 11 on softs should be fine, right?

 

[Zorz]

End of season stats:

Never been in the top 100 before, but I know I've managed that solely because participation this season has been incredibly low. I was UK #6 and EMEA #50 coming into this round which was even more ridiculous.

Three P3s and a P7 with only one attempt on each round, so I'm very happy with that. Getting back into A+ after round 2 was also a big confidence booster. I just wonder how round 1 would have gone if not for my daft mistake on the second lap, as I really think I had the pace for a win there.

I do kind of worry for the post-physics update BOP in future Manufacturers seasons though after seeing this last round. Almost nothing but BMW M6s and Nissan GT-R '18s today, and those were the only two cars I could get into the 1:43s in practice. Everything else I tried was a high 1:44, assuming I could even get into the 1:44s.

 

[Moose78]

So I believe that the M6 Sprint is the best car from what I've heard, but what about tire strats? I think 9 on mediums and then 11 on softs should be fine, right?

I found the Endurance model was faster for me than the Sprint one. And I very much doubt you'll get 11 laps out of the softs. I'm planning a 13RM-7RS, myself. The most laps I've been able to get out of the softs was 8 at the end of the race when the car is lighter. Mediums can last 14, maybe 15.

I was UK #6 and EMEA #50 coming into this round which was even more ridiculous.

I hear you. I'm ranked #52 in North America going into this final race, which just seems bonkers when my DR is at 40% A. It's wild how unpopular this season has been.

Regardless, congrats on the top 100 finish!

 

[Moose78]

I ran the first GT1 slot in North America (7 PM EDT). I was driving the BMW M6 Endurance model from door #7. There were 191 points up for grabs. I needed P5 or better to improve my point total.

Qualifying was uneventful. I logged a 1:45.363, which was three tenths shy of my best lap in Free Practice. It landed me Q10 on the grid.

The race got off to a clean start. I was on RM tires, with the plan of doing a 13RM-7RS strategy. I let a driver on softs by and soon settled into a pack at the back of the field. I wasn't too concerned with gaining places. I figured my best hope was driving clean laps and avoiding any stupid mistakes.

So much for that. On lap 5, the two cars ahead of me decided to go into the bus stop side-by-side. There was light contact between them in the middle part and the outside car had to slow down to keep control. That meant the two of us were going to be side-by-side for the exit.

I didn't trust the angle that they were taking for the exit. I worried that they might run me wide and I'd end up in the wall. I tried to leave some extra space for them, but ended up leaving too much and ran myself wide and into the wall anyways.

Aero and suspension damage. I went into the pits at the end of the lap for repairs and a tire change. I decided to go with RH tires so I could go the rest of the race without any more stops. I was pretty sure from my testing that this was my best option. I wouldn't be able to make up the time of a second pit by running softs for two stints.

I spent the rest of the race puttering around the back by myself. A couple drivers quit. I eventually overtook a damaged car. In the end, I crossed the line in P13.

Happily, there were four drivers ahead of me that got the tire requirements wrong and ended up with 4-minute penalties. That promoted me to P9 for 127 points. I'll take it, I guess.

 

[Mert160]

That was a hard race, I burnt the tires down to the nub the last lap. I still managed to finish 7th because of the tire compound rule, 5 people got penalties.

 

[GTWolverine]

Slot 1: Qualified 12th in the most stacked Top Split race this season (350 points). I went with the 13M/7S strategy, and in fact the entire field except 10th place started on Mediums (they were on Softs). At the start, 11th place just didn't bother accelerating, so I instantly picked up a spot before even crossing the line. Lap 2 saw another position gained when the Soft starter spun another car at the corner where the short and full layout meet again. After that, the next several laps were about resisting the urge to push too hard while everyone in front pulled away from me. All the while, I was under slight pressure from a Lambo that never got quite close enough to challenge me in any of the braking zones. The Lambo lost the back end out of T1 on Lap 6, giving me some breathing room while he recollected himself, then on Lap 7 I caught up to the M6 that started on Softs as their tires died. They parked in the middle of the track in the esses, preventing me from getting by, but then overshot the chicane and allowed me to take the spot up the inside of the Outer Loop.

By Lap 10, the Lambo had caught back up to me and this time had enough of a run to poke his nose in at the chicane. I held my nerve and hoped he'd chicken out, but instead we both held our nerves and went into the chicane side-by-side. We gave each other space and made it through the chicane side-by-side as well, but now he was on the inside and clearly had slightly better front tires, so I had to concede the spot. He didn't really pull away though, and next lap he lost the back end at the chicane as his rear tires started to give out, handing me the spot back. He then pitted at the end of the lap (Lap 11) while I continued on to my planned stop on Lap 13.

After pitting, I came out in 10th, having been jumped by the Lambo. I came out just in front of the M6 that started the race on Softs, and we went into the chicane side-by-side, but his Mediums were no match for my Softs so I held the spot. I babied my tires for the next 4 laps, knowing the Lambo wouldn't be able to go 9 laps on the Softs, and by Lap 17 I was all over the Lambo again for 8th place (someone ahead had pitted a 2nd time, giving us both another free place), but I couldn't get by until the start of Lap 18 when his tires finally gave up. Up ahead, one more M6 killed their tires and pitted at the end of Lap 18, giving me one more spot for 7th place. 6th also killed their tires on the last lap, but they were too far ahead for me to capitalize, so I finished 7th for 262 points and a CRB.

 

[Moose78]

Woohoo! Now I, too, can brag about finishing in the top 100 in a GTWS season. Totally bonkers. I wonder how many players participated in the end. If I remember right, in North America, there were only 254 drivers with points going into the final round.

I'm not sure how I feel about this season. My races at Dragon Trail and Watkins Glen were spoiled by my own mistakes (as much as I like to blame the Death Chicken). The race at Eiger was kinda fun, but way too short. Monza was the only one that felt like actual racing.

It was nice that three of the races had some elements of strategy, anyways. That gave me lots of opportunities to test out the different options.

I'm guessing we won't see another GTWS season until after the live event in Tokyo. I'm not entirely sure how I'm going to fill my time until then. It's been a while since we had a gap with no GTWS/TGR series to prepare for. I'm expecting the next one will be Manu Cup Exhibition 2, so I'm going to spend some time getting familiar with the Hyundai and Suzuki cars, as those are the options I'm giving myself this time around.

As always, the community here has been great! Thanks to everyone! See you next season!

 

[afc5150]

Watkins Glen was very forgettable for me but overall, my first foray into GT1 league was not too bad. I prefer the longer races and even though the damage aspect bit me at the Glen, I don't mind it at all. And while the limited slots work for me, I can see how it doesn't work for others. Not sure what the solution is for that.

Thanks for all the race and strategy reports and a special thanks to @Moose78 for all his testing and reports. Where do you find the time?!

Looking forward to the next one, whenever that may be.

 

[xDriver69x]

Is the McLaren just that non competitive or is the Nissan GTR just the one to go with? ~57 minutes in is surreal how it felt like I was in a multi-class race getting run past.

 

[Dragonwhisky]

Yeah, pretty sure without all the input from @Moose78 and others, I'd have no idea what to plan for tire strategy/management. Last night I did 2 slots in GT2. First one I tried the 12RM/8RS strategy. Stuck with my, now traditional, no qualy tactic, and my familiar 'Vette from the Manu series. Started 14th of 14, made a couple spots in the first lap silliness and then got punted sideways into the chicken from P9 on L3 and dropped down to P13. Driver that sent me got a 4sec penalty dropping him from 8th to 11th for his inattention. Sometimes the system works in a fair way. By L8 I was running in third on pit rotations and by L12 the mediums had gone off enough I was getting caught and/or passed by the those that swapped tires earlier. The track and my driving were destroying the front left pretty quick. I probably coulda' made one more lap work but, with L11 in the low 50s, I didn't the think the time lost on track was worth another lap so, end of L12, from 4th, I stop for RS tires and roll out in 9th. Caught the 5-8 group by L14 and pretty much just chased them around, gaining a couple spots from mistakes costing time and some penalties. By L15 I was running in 3rd with those softs fading fast. By L17 the left front was at 1/3rd. I was losing over 1 second a lap after L16, tiptoeing through the rights. Someone in front pit at EOL18 and gave me back 3rd. Didn't last long though. By EOL19 the LF had a sliver left. Lost 2 spots on the front straight and one more later in L20. Finished a skittish 6th with nothing at all left on the LF tire for all of L20. I beat the pole sitter so that was well.

Second race I decided to run the RHs for 14 laps and swapped to RS for the remainder. Didn't have any serious incidents, although I lost the CRB for some minor contact I caused a couple three times. Started 16th and finished 5th on that one. Was a much better feeling finishing with a good chunk of those softs left. Called it a night after that.

 

[bduddy]

Is the McLaren just that non competitive or is the Nissan GTR just the one to go with? ~57 minutes in is surreal how it felt like I was in a multi-class race getting run past.

I mean, you were exiting the pits and they weren't? The Watkins Glen pit exit is unnecessarily slow, so of course you'll be slower going up the hill. But yes, the Gr.3 F1 isn't a very good car.

 

[Nakano219]

Is the McLaren just that non competitive or is the Nissan GTR just the one to go with? ~57 minutes in is surreal how it felt like I was in a multi-class race getting run past.

As a general rule, do not expect any car that isn't the most modern one of that manufacturer in to be competitive in Gr.3.

There are exceptions (the Ford GT LM R is normally better than the newer Ford GT, the old Super GT GT500s can be good in certain spots), but in general the BoP is always geared so that you want to always be using a manufacturer's most up-to-date car.

 

[xDriver69x]

I mean, you were exiting the pits and they weren't? The Watkins Glen pit exit is unnecessarily slow, so of course you'll be slower going up the hill. But yes, the Gr.3 F1 isn't a very good car.

Once things equalize at the bus stop where I gain on the position ahead and then the position behind rolls past like 20 mph out of the bus stop. Like multi-class difference in acceleration. BoP?😂😂😭

 

[bduddy]

Once things equalize at the bus stop where I gain on the position ahead and then the position behind rolls past like 20 mph out of the bus stop. Like multi-class difference in acceleration. BoP?😂😂😭

No offense, dude, you had a horrible run through the bus stop. The difference in acceleration is because they accelerated 100m before you did.

 

[watto79]

Once things equalize at the bus stop where I gain on the position ahead and then the position behind rolls past like 20 mph out of the bus stop. Like multi-class difference in acceleration. BoP?😂😂😭

I have to agree with @bduddy This was nothing to do with BoP and everything to do with your line through the bus stop. The below grab shows where you get back on the power, and you'd been slowing the car all the way up to that point. You need to be on the power immediately after the first left (or even on it).
The GTR just took a better line than you did.

EDIT - Just to illustrate, this is you on lap 5 taking a much better line, same part of the track, you're 7mph faster and on the power much earlier

 

[xDriver69x]

I have to agree with @bduddy This was nothing to do with BoP and everything to do with your line through the bus stop. The below grab shows where you get back on the power, and you'd been slowing the car all the way up to that point. You need to be on the power immediately after the first left (or even on it).
The GTR just took a better line than you did.View attachment 1387939

EDIT - Just to illustrate, this is you on lap 5 taking a much better line, same part of the track, you're 7mph faster and on the power much earlierView attachment 1387942

Totally appreciate the details on this, that's also the grip difference between cold 140s ish tires and optimal 180s. Still the roll by was like 3x my variation. Not having a replay save because of the inane artificially imposed space nonsense makes this so much worse - unable to properly analyze and compare. :frustrated girl:🤦🏼‍♀️

 

[MIE1992]

I was too busy to do the last round, but I’d say my final results are pretty great!