After weeks upon weeks of waiting, I finally got my chair!!! And man, does it feel amazing on my butt!
Here's some pics of the yummy goodness
My old rig.
BOXES!! Full of sweet chair-y goodness
SO MUCH STUFF!!
Courtesy of the good folks at GT Omega Racing (Buy their stuff!!!)
I would like to thank all you guys that participated again and give a special thanks to Jav and the guys at GT Omega Racing who put in all the effort and made this all possible!
On behalf of all of us on the GTPFIA and GTPlanet we woud like to thank the people of GTOmega for supporting our GT5online racing community! And to close out this thread and fantastic racing season, the season from the eyes of the champion:
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
After four long months and ten rounds of racing completed, season three of the GTP FIA series, hosted by Jav, has drawn to a close. The season was filled with both good times and bad times, but overall was a success. Id like to personally thank GT Omega on behalf of Jav, the GTP FIA series contenders, and all of GT Planet for extending their kind hands and offering, free of charge, a brand new racing seat to the winner of this series. Before we announce the winner, lets take you on the roller coaster ride that was GTP FIA GT Omega Season 3.
Late in October, Jav announced that season 3 was going to have something special in it, and that something special consisted of a prize, unseen by the likes of Gran Turismo and GT Planet, which turned out to be a full blown racing rig courtesy of GT Omega, home of simulation racing. In order to get the best guys in Gran Turismo in the series and in contention for the prize, Jav held a set of time trials just before the season started. The TTs were composed of six tracks, ranging from short, technical Laguna Seca to the wide open flat landscape of Fuji Speedway. Each prospective competitor had one chance to make time at every track. 4 flying laps were run in the Zonda R, completely stock, unturned, and the fastest clean lap was used as the competitors lap time. Once the deadline for running times was reached, they were added together and the drivers with the 16 fastest cumulative times were placed into Division 1 and also were in the running for the loot! The rest of the field, along with no-shows, was placed into Division 2 and raced for the fun of racing!
VELOCI_2NR was an early favorite, having swept the field by four seconds in the time trials, but being able to run one fast lap, and having the stamina and endurance to run 50 of them back-to-back are two very different things as we found out.
One of the rules in the series called for a maximum of two people in the same car, and with a wide variety of cars to choose from, ranging vastly in abilities, but each having their own strong suit, there was going to be a problem choosing cars. The easy answer to that was a lottery where the names of the competitors were placed into an order via a process similar to random number generating. This allowed for a totally unbiased assignment, and for further clarity was made when this process was videotaped and uploaded onto the forum. Once the order was chosen, people were allowed to choose their cars.
The anticipation for the first race at the brand-new circuit for GT5, Spa Francorchamps, was through the roof. Everyone had practiced and tuned and got their cars dialed in for this race and the weekly races to come. After a long off-season, it was finally time to take the green flag for GTP FIA Season 3!
The race was a huge success with plenty of battles throughout the field and all around the track. All 16 participants drove their tires off, but the race closed down in the final laps to Tissimo in his Oreca Viper and VELOCI_2NR in the Zonda LM, a foreshadowing, almost, of things to come.
This was VELOCI_2NRs first race with the group, and he had something to prove, or so he felt. However, with a 5-second lead with two laps to go, he went a hair off-line and found himself having an encounter with the Armco barriers. The race went to Tissimo with OwensRacing taking third in his Oreca Viper making a 1-3 finish for Dodge. With the points set up how they were and with VELOCI_2NR receiving bonus points for both pole position and fastest lap awards, Tissimo and VELOCI_2NR went into the second race tied for first in points.
The second race found our competitors shipped off to America to race at the famous Brickyard road course in Indianapolis, Indiana. This race probably showed early on, the groups true potential, as the entire field was within a couple tenths of each other. There was definitely a vibe in the air that this race was going to be a great one and it did not disappoint.
All race long, there were battle present around the track and this week saw two new faces on the top two steps of the podium: LuckyLefty2gunz in the infamous Ford GT Test car and Blaze_409 in his Ford GT Race car. Third place and the lead in the championship went to Tissimo. LuckyLefty2gunz grabbed pole whereas Tissimo took the fastest lap of the race inching Blaze_409 by thousandths.
Week three was brought us to a bright sunny Japan at the beautiful figure-eight we know and love as Suzuka. Surprisingly it was not the Fords that dominated this race as would be expected, but instead, it was the Pagani Zondas that showed their true form and swept the top two spots of the podium with VELOCI_2NR taking the win and Magzire22 coming in a close second. LuckyLefty2gunz, who started on the pole by almost half a second, found himself third. Blaze_409 pulled out the fastest lap.
We were seeing a great three man battle unfold for the top spot of the championship standings and the amazing prize that went to the winner. As we ventured back across the Pacific to America once again, our competitors were seen relaxing on the beaches of Daytona days before the big race was to take place. But once they got all of the sand out of their fire suits, they were roaring and ready to race. This high speed track would show the Corvettes real ability and make up for its lesser cornering speeds, and Toyotsupra in his Z06 RM did not fail us. He drove at the front of the pack for most of the race until tragedy struck and his car lost all traction in the infield. He found himself too far back to make a good race out of it, even though he started second. He would show his true speed later on in the season. A surprising young lad from Jamaica, by the name of PJ-GM, took the top spot in this race, and in turn lost his win virginity in the process. He celebrated, rightly so, with a few donuts in tri-oval after the race. PJ-GM, in his Mercedes-powered CLK, took fastest lap. VELOCI_2NR, who started on pole, had a less victorious run and finished fifth.
The racers headed to the south of France and the beautiful Principality of Monaco for their fifth race. After enjoyng the fine cuisine, they enjoyed a heart-pumping race through the streets of Monaco. PJ-GM, who took the week previous win showed strong at Monaco as well, taking pole position. However, he had engine troubles and was forced to retire after only the formation lap.
The rest of the race showed a hard-fought battle between VELOCI_2NR and LuckLefty2gunz, with Lucky taking the win in the end. The tables would most likely have been turned, had VELOCI_2NR not received a pit-road speeding violation on his final pit and lost his ten second lead he had worked on the entire race. But thats racing! Blaze_409 put up a blistering number on fresh tires and low fuel and took fast lap at Monaco.
Another plane ride brought our racers back to Japan, but now they were to race at the flat, open expanse of Fuji F. After a long dispute with Citroen, Jav122678s team boss broke off the relationship, and sought refuge in a new factory sponsorship from Ford. Jav122678 was to drive the GT Spec II LM Race car from henceforth. The week before, the Zondas and the Ford GT Test car took a large horsepower penalty due to having an unfair speed advantage, but being that Monaco is such a small track, no one was to notice it; in fact, it could have been an advantage. Now that our racers were at a much faster track with a long half-mile straightaway and many high speed corners, the true test was to be had. Unsurprisingly, the two cars were a bit slower, but seemed much more even to the rest of the field. VELOCI_2NR brushed off the horsepower penalty and took home a strong second place finish, with Blaze_409 sweeping the weekend and taking home the maximum 19 possible points for the race, clinching both pole position and fastest lap. LuckyLefty2gunz rounded off the podium in third.
The championship battle was fierce as the group entered the holiday break and was scheduled to return in one month at the beginning of January. There was but a one-point separation between VELOCI_2NR and Blaze_409 with VELOCI_2NR having advantage. Tissimo was trailing a close third, only 8 points behind Blaze_409, and LuckyLefty2gunz only three points behind that.
Then disaster struck. The unpredictable GT5 servers finally let go and large group racing was compromised. A large storm hit the Nurburgring and caused the race to be cancelled and the series was postponed until the carnage was cleaned up. Racing on GP/F was never to be. Finally, early in February, the skies cleared and racing resumed at the hallowed Circuit De LaSarthe.
Once the drivers got to LeMans, there was an air of uncertainty. The group got hit with new tire compounds and regulations and some teams were underfunded and unable to afford the drastic changes and had to drop out. The most affected of the bunch was Blaze_409, who was only one point behind first in the standings; he was frantically searching for a ride. None were to be found.
Pipi-R6, who had previously been driving for Nissan in the Factory GTR, was released from his contract and began driving for the German group BMW McLaren in the F1 GTR. Perfect timing, seeing as Nissan didnt have the engine development program to get the horsepower they needed for LeMans. This switch would only be temporary, as Nissan would come back with the GTR LM at Grand Valley Speedway in two races.
The race at LaSarthe went off without much drama, however only seven competitors participated in the race. The win went by a landslide victory margin of over one-and-half minutes to Tissimo, who made excellent mileage and to great care of his newly regulated tires. VELOCI_2NR finished second and the Corvette of Toyotsupra rounded off the podium. Toyotsupra showed true prowess by taking fast lap; however the racing gods were not on his side when his chief engineer accidentally put the wrong set of tires on his car. Taolung received his first pole award in the BMW McLaren F1.
From one high-speed circuit to another, the group traveled to Autodromo Nazionale Monza, in Italy. The Pagani Race Team had lost a major sponsor, and forced VELOCI_2NR out of a car, but to his fortune, a spot immediately opened up for the championship points leader in the Mercedes camp, and VELOCI_2NR began driving the CLK LM race car. He would immediately show speed in his new ride, and took the pole from Toyotsupra by less than a tenth of a second.
The race went off without incident, and different strategies were used regarding pitting. Most of the front runners opted for a three stop strategy, but a couple notables like Toyotsupra and Pipi-R6 chose a four-stop routine so they spent more time on pit-road, but less time with compromised tires.
This strategy worked out very well for Toyotsupra, as he finished a solid second place and also received the fastest lap award. However, there was no stopping VELOCI_2NR, who was on a mission in his new ride to prove that there was still fight left in him, and went on to win the race.
Off to the only conceptual track on the circuit for season 3, and arguably the best race circuit put out by Polyphony digital, Grand Valley Speedway, went these now seasoned veterans of the GT1 class. Everyone had their cars dialed in by this race, but tire wear and consistency were key on this long, technical track. The clear front runner here was the current series point leader, VELOCI_2NR, who put down a blistering qualifying lap almost a second quicker than the nearest competitor. The speeds during qualifying here, however, far exceed race pace due to the need to conserve tires for a full stint. Putting together a perfect race, VELOCI_2NR stomped the field at Grand Valley and ran the fastest lap. The spectators, however, were not paying attention to him, but instead the race for second. Tissimo passed Magzire22 in the tunnel on the last few corners of the last lap of the race. Magzire22s tires were holding on by a thread. He had no traction left and came a couple car lengths from giving away third place to Pipi-R6 as well. Just one of those times where his strategy didnt pay off.
The final race was here. VELOCI_2NR came into Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca with a 16 point advantage over Tissimo thanks to winning the last two races. All he had to do was finish at least half the race and the championship was his! He did even better, but it didnt come easy. Jepoks was the lowest ranking Division 1 driver from time trials upon entering this series, but he showed that he deserves to race with the fast guys by taking pole at the season finale.
His Nissan GTR Touring Car was strong, and he was running an astounding race until his car ran over a dusty portion of the track exiting the corkscrew and caused his car to go careening into the turn 9 fences. His race was over from there. Toyotsupra ran a fast race and had the second quickest qualifying time, about one hundredth of a second ahead of VELOCI_2NR. He and Ronin85 had an old-fashioned drag race coming out of the final corner of the season, and Toyotsupra edged Ronin85 by a nose. Must have been the extra power made by the guys down at the Chevrolet factory over the Mercedes engines. Even with that upsetting pass, Ronin85 scored his best finish of the season, third, in the Mercedes CLK LM Race car, giving the Mercedes boys a 1-3 finish to wind up the season!
We caught up with VELOCI_2NR as he climbed out of his decrepit office chair and laptop table he called a gaming rig, one last time.
Man, am I glad I dont have to race in this anymore! he exclaimed, pointing to his chair and alluding to the prize he will be receiving sometime in the near future. I just want to thank the guys at GT Planet for giving us a great place to congregate which gives us the ability to host fine events and series like this. I would also like to thank Jav for putting on one of the best series in all of simulation console racing, and putting up with all of us through good times and bad. I would like to specially thank GT Omega for supplying possibly the coolest and biggest prize ever to reach amateur racing sim drivers. That is a really amazing thing that you guys have done, and I hope you guys succeed in all you endeavors! Finally, I would like to personally thank Blaze_409, without him I would have never known about this series and would, in turn, never have known all of these fine gentlemen that I have grown to love racing. And too all my competitors, you guys are awesome. Thanks for the wonderful races!
Spoken like a true racecar driver, humble and modest, yet still knows he has accomplished something. But seriously, He added, you guys rock!
We asked him where he was going after the race, Im going to Disneyland! he laughed, playing on the quote that originated when Phil Simms helped lead the New York Giants to victory in Superbowl XXI. No really, Im going to Disneyland on Tuesday!