- 2,571
Grand Valley 300km Endurance Prize 400,000cr.
Ive been meaning to do this race for a while, largely because Ive always loved Grand Valley (despite that PD think its the hardest course you will face!) and I knew as well that 60 laps would only take about two hours in a well-matched car. So away we go in the Mitsubishi FTO Super Touring Car of 1997 that you win for doing the 200km race at R246, knowing that the rest of the grid would be JGTC and DTM cars and the like. The actual grid I was dealt lined up like this:
1. 2000 Falcon XR8
2. Opel Astra Touring Car (Opel Team Phoenix)
3. Nissan Zexel GT-R (R34) (Used to be known as the Pennzoil)
4. Toyota Toms Castrol Supra 01
5. Loctite Mugen NSX
6. Me. In my FTO.
All Id done to the car was fit a Stage Three Turbo kit, knowing that otherwise I wouldnt stand a chance against the JGTCs and lightweight Astra. I left the gear ratios and downforce etc. all as it was, because I wanted to feel the car in stock form as much as possible. Down on the grid with the big-engined Japanese cars and the Tickford Falcon and the DTM-ready Astra revving up I was only slightly daunted by the 1/60 where the lap counter goes Never mind that now. Id done one practice lap so that I wasnt too slow to start with, so it wasnt a new car, wasnt a new track I revved the Mitsubishi gently up to 6,000rpm then as the countdown hit zero floored the throttle.
The rear tyres screamed for grip, being pulled on slightly by the small amount of power from the front and I was off. I pulled off to the right-hand side of the track and slipped past the Mugen NSX, the Supra and the Nissan in turn, feeling the 430-odd horsepower thrusting me forwards. Turn one approached rapidly and I slid past the Astra too, chasing only the Falcon through the complex. I got him as well on the hairpin that followed, taking the lead through the rest of the lap. Having expected to pull away after the first laps performance. I was disconcerted to see the Astra and Falcon close behind me, never going more than a few seconds behind.
Faltering under pressure, I spun out approaching the hairpin on lap five, slipping back to third place four seconds behind the Astra. Trailing the two new leaders a little too hard, I grasstracked and the Pennzoil stole third from me. I set off in fourth, being considerably more measured so as not to lose another spot. After drawing closer and closer to the yellow Pennzoil we fought for dominance on lap eight, with 3rd place changing hands ten or twelve times in one lap. I came out on top, and with the Nissan hot on my tail I went after the leaders.
By the start of lap ten I was drafting the Falcon heavily and waiting for my time. I got past him without contact in the sector-one complex of lap ten, and despite his best efforts to ram me I got away in second place. By the start of lap 11 I was 6.6 seconds behind the Astra and not gaining. I raced on steadily, trying not to mash the Super-Hard tyres too much but equally making sure not to drop back. My front-left tyre was already going orange The Falcon fell off my tail when he pitted surprisingly early at the end of lap 11. I myself had to go in at the end of lap 12 as I was starting to lose time due to my poor front tyres. The NSX and Supra followed right behind me, but the Pennzoil stayed out and took back second place. After trailing him by over twenty seconds for a couple of laps he went in at the start of lap 14 and I seized back second.
But still the Astra had not gone in, and over thirty seconds behind him I was starting to lose hope for the race Then, as I was about three-quarters through lap 15 the game informed me that hed gone in. With a sigh of relief I pressed on hard and as I took the soft left-hander after the finishing straight he pulled out of the pit lane and I was only 1.481 seconds behind him. But his tyres were too cold for him to challenge me, and I blew past him on the finishing straight of lap 16. By the start of lap 18 Im six seconds ahead has he lost confidence somehow? Whatever the reason, by lap 20 I was ten seconds clear, and looking at this time caused me to run too wide in the sector-one complex and spin approaching the hairpin. Snatching at the analogue stick I pulled the car right round and kept the power coming, resulting in me doing a full 360-degree spin and keep going!
On lap 21 the Falcon pitted again. After serious thought regarding pit strategy, I went in on lap 24, followed by the NSX. Keeping the Super-hards on all round again I refuelled to 60/80 units and went off again, now in 4th and twenty seconds behind the Astra. The Supra pitted on lap 26, having apparently worked out some sort of plan to let him pit later. Now in third, I drove quickly but carefully, making sure not to screw up or bollock the tyres. On lap 28 the Pennzoil pitted, letting me up to second place and on lap 30 the Astra went in, followed by the Falcon. I got through into top spot by a huge margin, and when I pitted on lap 35 I rejoined in first!
Pleased by this turn-up, despite only being 3.4 seconds ahead I was spurred on to drive my fastest lap on lap 37, even though I was on cold tyres! The NSX pitted on lap 37. But, again fading under pressure again I spun out big-time on lap 38 and dropped down to third. A good five seconds behind I didnt aim to take the Pennzoil or the Astra as I knew I would make a mistake if I did.
However, on lap 39 I scrapped that plan in favour of going for top again, and I took the Pennzoil on the first turn, then after a battle secured first from the Astra. The Supra pitted on lap 40. Also on lap 40, I noticed in the final sector that the Pennzoil had taken second from the Astra, who was falling behind. The Falcon pitted on lap 41, then the Pennzoil on 43. My lead increased significantly as the Astra took second place, due to him losing confidence again after going behind the Pennzoil. After losing seven seconds to me in one lap the Astra pits at last on lap 46. Spotting my front left tyre slipping again I took a decision to carry on anyway. I should have gone in at the end of lap 46 but if I did I would have had to pit again on lap 59 by my calculations so I drove on with very bad front tyres. From a 51 second lead I pit at the end of lap 47, unable to go on. Knowing that the Pennzoil and Astra were battling, I figured maybe, just maybe, I would have enough time to come home first. I only filled the fuel tank to the bare minimum to save the tyres as much as possible. The NSX goes in on lap 48, then the Falcon on 51.
The Pennzoil pits on lap 57, finally freeing the Astra from time-wasting battle. He gains steadily on me, on optimal tyre conditions, until I accept at the start of lap 58 that my 20-second lead is going fast My front tyres, both of them, are going fast I would normally pit at the next chance, but that is not an option. I start the final lap of Grand Valley with a fifteen-second lead, knowing full well that the Astra could easily gain that in just one lap of me with dying front tyres. But, as I pull out of turn one a godsend appears on my screen : Opel Astra Touring Car (Opel Team Phoenix) is Pitting In..
Sparing not one second considering the stupidity of the AI to pit in at the start of the last lap, Im hit by elation that there is No Way Whatsoever I can lose the race now. I carry on regardless, pushing the car to its limits for the final lap. I cross the line with a shout of victory, with a total time of 1:55.531 and a margin of victory of fifty seconds.
There it is, then : Theres my report of the two hours that won me 400,000credits, an Auto Union V16-C and a very close, tense race!
B-Spec Sux.
DE
Ive been meaning to do this race for a while, largely because Ive always loved Grand Valley (despite that PD think its the hardest course you will face!) and I knew as well that 60 laps would only take about two hours in a well-matched car. So away we go in the Mitsubishi FTO Super Touring Car of 1997 that you win for doing the 200km race at R246, knowing that the rest of the grid would be JGTC and DTM cars and the like. The actual grid I was dealt lined up like this:
1. 2000 Falcon XR8
2. Opel Astra Touring Car (Opel Team Phoenix)
3. Nissan Zexel GT-R (R34) (Used to be known as the Pennzoil)
4. Toyota Toms Castrol Supra 01
5. Loctite Mugen NSX
6. Me. In my FTO.
All Id done to the car was fit a Stage Three Turbo kit, knowing that otherwise I wouldnt stand a chance against the JGTCs and lightweight Astra. I left the gear ratios and downforce etc. all as it was, because I wanted to feel the car in stock form as much as possible. Down on the grid with the big-engined Japanese cars and the Tickford Falcon and the DTM-ready Astra revving up I was only slightly daunted by the 1/60 where the lap counter goes Never mind that now. Id done one practice lap so that I wasnt too slow to start with, so it wasnt a new car, wasnt a new track I revved the Mitsubishi gently up to 6,000rpm then as the countdown hit zero floored the throttle.
The rear tyres screamed for grip, being pulled on slightly by the small amount of power from the front and I was off. I pulled off to the right-hand side of the track and slipped past the Mugen NSX, the Supra and the Nissan in turn, feeling the 430-odd horsepower thrusting me forwards. Turn one approached rapidly and I slid past the Astra too, chasing only the Falcon through the complex. I got him as well on the hairpin that followed, taking the lead through the rest of the lap. Having expected to pull away after the first laps performance. I was disconcerted to see the Astra and Falcon close behind me, never going more than a few seconds behind.
Faltering under pressure, I spun out approaching the hairpin on lap five, slipping back to third place four seconds behind the Astra. Trailing the two new leaders a little too hard, I grasstracked and the Pennzoil stole third from me. I set off in fourth, being considerably more measured so as not to lose another spot. After drawing closer and closer to the yellow Pennzoil we fought for dominance on lap eight, with 3rd place changing hands ten or twelve times in one lap. I came out on top, and with the Nissan hot on my tail I went after the leaders.
By the start of lap ten I was drafting the Falcon heavily and waiting for my time. I got past him without contact in the sector-one complex of lap ten, and despite his best efforts to ram me I got away in second place. By the start of lap 11 I was 6.6 seconds behind the Astra and not gaining. I raced on steadily, trying not to mash the Super-Hard tyres too much but equally making sure not to drop back. My front-left tyre was already going orange The Falcon fell off my tail when he pitted surprisingly early at the end of lap 11. I myself had to go in at the end of lap 12 as I was starting to lose time due to my poor front tyres. The NSX and Supra followed right behind me, but the Pennzoil stayed out and took back second place. After trailing him by over twenty seconds for a couple of laps he went in at the start of lap 14 and I seized back second.
But still the Astra had not gone in, and over thirty seconds behind him I was starting to lose hope for the race Then, as I was about three-quarters through lap 15 the game informed me that hed gone in. With a sigh of relief I pressed on hard and as I took the soft left-hander after the finishing straight he pulled out of the pit lane and I was only 1.481 seconds behind him. But his tyres were too cold for him to challenge me, and I blew past him on the finishing straight of lap 16. By the start of lap 18 Im six seconds ahead has he lost confidence somehow? Whatever the reason, by lap 20 I was ten seconds clear, and looking at this time caused me to run too wide in the sector-one complex and spin approaching the hairpin. Snatching at the analogue stick I pulled the car right round and kept the power coming, resulting in me doing a full 360-degree spin and keep going!
On lap 21 the Falcon pitted again. After serious thought regarding pit strategy, I went in on lap 24, followed by the NSX. Keeping the Super-hards on all round again I refuelled to 60/80 units and went off again, now in 4th and twenty seconds behind the Astra. The Supra pitted on lap 26, having apparently worked out some sort of plan to let him pit later. Now in third, I drove quickly but carefully, making sure not to screw up or bollock the tyres. On lap 28 the Pennzoil pitted, letting me up to second place and on lap 30 the Astra went in, followed by the Falcon. I got through into top spot by a huge margin, and when I pitted on lap 35 I rejoined in first!
Pleased by this turn-up, despite only being 3.4 seconds ahead I was spurred on to drive my fastest lap on lap 37, even though I was on cold tyres! The NSX pitted on lap 37. But, again fading under pressure again I spun out big-time on lap 38 and dropped down to third. A good five seconds behind I didnt aim to take the Pennzoil or the Astra as I knew I would make a mistake if I did.
However, on lap 39 I scrapped that plan in favour of going for top again, and I took the Pennzoil on the first turn, then after a battle secured first from the Astra. The Supra pitted on lap 40. Also on lap 40, I noticed in the final sector that the Pennzoil had taken second from the Astra, who was falling behind. The Falcon pitted on lap 41, then the Pennzoil on 43. My lead increased significantly as the Astra took second place, due to him losing confidence again after going behind the Pennzoil. After losing seven seconds to me in one lap the Astra pits at last on lap 46. Spotting my front left tyre slipping again I took a decision to carry on anyway. I should have gone in at the end of lap 46 but if I did I would have had to pit again on lap 59 by my calculations so I drove on with very bad front tyres. From a 51 second lead I pit at the end of lap 47, unable to go on. Knowing that the Pennzoil and Astra were battling, I figured maybe, just maybe, I would have enough time to come home first. I only filled the fuel tank to the bare minimum to save the tyres as much as possible. The NSX goes in on lap 48, then the Falcon on 51.
The Pennzoil pits on lap 57, finally freeing the Astra from time-wasting battle. He gains steadily on me, on optimal tyre conditions, until I accept at the start of lap 58 that my 20-second lead is going fast My front tyres, both of them, are going fast I would normally pit at the next chance, but that is not an option. I start the final lap of Grand Valley with a fifteen-second lead, knowing full well that the Astra could easily gain that in just one lap of me with dying front tyres. But, as I pull out of turn one a godsend appears on my screen : Opel Astra Touring Car (Opel Team Phoenix) is Pitting In..
Sparing not one second considering the stupidity of the AI to pit in at the start of the last lap, Im hit by elation that there is No Way Whatsoever I can lose the race now. I carry on regardless, pushing the car to its limits for the final lap. I cross the line with a shout of victory, with a total time of 1:55.531 and a margin of victory of fifty seconds.
There it is, then : Theres my report of the two hours that won me 400,000credits, an Auto Union V16-C and a very close, tense race!
B-Spec Sux.
DE
Great Race - Great Write-Up! 👍 ...O.G. 
so it's go on ragged tyres... or let him blast through when I pit... Oh dear. Meh... I'll try a few grids and see if he turns up, then race him anyway!
. It'll be here!
