GTsail's 4 Hour Nurburgring Races

[GTsail]

Its now time to try the 'Ring with sport soft tires, so I decide for my first attempt to use a car that the AI also uses. So I check the dealerships and pick up a brand-spanking-new Amuse NISMO 380RS Super Leggera and head off to Germany again.

After some fancy wrenching by my pit crew, my NISMO 380RS has the following spec's:

Horsepower: 364
Weight: 1150 (I added 30kg's of ballast)
PP value: 520
Wing @: 10/20
Tires: Sport soft tires used throughout the race

Sitting on the starting grid were the following cars:

1) High end Performance G37
2) Amuse NISMO 380RS (just like mine!)
3) Mine's BNR34 GTR N1 base '06
4) Amuse S2000 GT1
5) HPA Stage II R32
6) NISMO Fairlady Z Z-tune
7) me in my Super Leggera
8) RE Amemiya FD3S RX-7
9) Opera Performance 350Z
10) Lexus ISF Racing Concept
11) Nissan Gran Turismo Skyline GTR
12) Nissan Option Stream Z

From the start I get a good launch and I'm able to maintain my 7th place position. I dive in towards the apex of turn one and pas the 6th place HPA Stage II R32. The 5th place Mine's BNR34 GTR leaves the apex open when he starts to slow for the last left-hander on the GT circuit, so I dive cleanly up the inside and take over the position. The 4th place Amuse S2000 GT1 tip-toes thru Flugplatz (probably thinking that he's on cold tires) so I'm easily able to drive past for another position. The 3rd place High End G37 is slow going thru Wehreseifen, so I'm able to drive along-side the G37 going thru the corner and accelerate past him on the exit, and take over 3rd place. At the end of lap # 1, I'm 11 seconds behind the leading NISMO Fairlady Z-tune.

Lap # 2 goes well, so the Amuse S2000 GT1 doesn't catch me until we're half-way down the long straight. I let him by and get a good draft up to 178mph. At this speed I'm actually able to pass the Amuse just after the Antoniusbuche overpass!!

When I begin lap # 3, I see that I'm 17 seconds behind the leading NISMO Fairlady Z-tune. Lap three goes well, but I can't shake the Amuse S2000. He follows me closely for the entire lap, never more than about a second back. Once again the Amuse S2000 comes past me going down the long straight, so I get in his draft and pass him right back a bit before the overpass.

As I begin lap # 4, I see that I'm 20 seconds behind the leading NISMO Fairlady Z-tune and perhaps only 5 seconds behind the 2nd place NISMO 380RS Super Leggera. Just past the S/F line, the Amuse S2000 comes past me again, so I take the inside line into turn one and get back past him again as we head off on the GP circuit. By Adenaur Forst, I'm only one second behind the NISMO 380RS, so his time in 2nd place is surely limited. When we get to Breidscheid I take an inside line and pass the Super Leggera for 2nd place in the race. The track ahead is now clear, and since the margin is still 20 seconds to the leading NISMO Fairlady Z-tune, I know that I still have some work to do. I've pulled out a bit of a gap over the 3rd place NISMO Super Leggera so I don't have a drafting partner as I drive down the long straight this lap.

When I begin lap # 5, I see that I'm 19 seconds behind the leading NISMO Fairlady Z-tune. Looking back I see that the Amuse S2000 GT1 has passed the 380RS Super Leggera, so I expect to have company on the track again, since I'm driving a bit slower now because my tires are showing evidence that they need to be replaced. The 3rd place Amuse S2000 catches me by the Kesselchen curves, but does not try to get past. When I get to Brunnchen I see that the leading NISMO Fairlady Z-tune has come back to me because he's only about 2.5 seconds ahead of me. Carrying more speed than the NISMO Fairlady, I make short work of him as we drive thru Pflanzgarten III, so I take over the lead of the race for the first time!! It only took me 44 minutes and 30 seconds to catch him. Since I started the race about 100 feet behind him at the start, I gained one foot on him every 26.7 seconds!! That's some fast closing speed!! At the end of the lap I dive into the pits for some new SS tires and add 26 liters of fuel to the 49 liters of fuel still in my tank. The NISMO Fairlady Z-tune follows me into the pits, while the Amuse S2000 GT1 and the NISMO 380RS Super Leggera do not, so the latter two cars continue on without a pit stop.

At the 1st checkpoint on lap # 6, I get the news that the Amuse S2000 has a 36 second lead over me. I don't think that he's going to be able to keep this margin because I expect that his tires will go off about half-way thru the lap. When I head up the Kesselchen curves, I see that the margin is only 20 seconds. I catch the 2nd place NISMO 380RS Leggera as we get to Eiskurve, so I give a wave and drive on by. Up ahead I see a cloud of smoke so I know that the leading Amuse S2000 has pushed his tires too far! The Amuse is being very careful to stay on the track, so I drive past him as we negotiate Sprunghugel.

When I'm 17 seconds into lap # 7, I get the news that the Amuse S2000 and the NISMO 380RS have both pitted behind me so a race win seems pretty certain at this point (so I think I will condense my race notes). At the first checkpoint on lap # 7, I see that I have a 27 second lead over the NISMO Fairlady Z-tune who has driven past the other two pitting cars. The Mine's BNR34 GTR is now in 3rd place because he also drove past the pitting AI.

I have a 20 second lead at the beginning of lap # 8.
I have a 13 second lead at the beginning of lap # 9.
I have a 14 second lead at the beginning of lap # 10.

I'm still pushing my Super Leggera pretty hard so I carry too much speed into Mutkurve and catch the grass and perform a fan-pleasing (refreshment spilling) 360 and lose a bit of time. Not to worry, the 2nd place Fairlady has been losing time this lap because of his worn tires. I pit at the end of the lap and add 36 liters of fuel to the 24 liters in the tank.

At the 2nd checkpoint on lap # 11, I get the news that I have a 28 second lead over the Amuse S2000 who has taken over 2nd place. The NISMO 380RS Super Leggera is in 3rd.

I have a 33 second lead at the beginning of lap # 12.
I have a 55 second lead at the beginning of lap # 13.
I have a 52 second lead at the beginning of lap # 14.

At the end of lap # 14 I dive into the pits again for new tires and 32 liters of fuel.

At the first checkpoint on lap # 15, I see that my lead over the 2nd place NISMO Fairlady is only 12 seconds.

When I'm 62 seconds into lap # 16 I get the news that the 2nd place NSIMO Fairlady has pitted followed closely by the Mine's BNR34. After two minutes I see that the Amuse S2000 has taken over 2nd place so he was able to pass the two other AI when they pitted.

I have a 1 minute and 54 second lead at the beginning of lap # 17
I have a 1 minute and 50 second lead at the beginning of lap # 18

At the end of lap # 18 I head into the pits for a new set of tires and 42 liters of fuel.

At the first checkpoint on lap # 19 I see that my lead over the NISMO Fairlady is down to 51 seconds.

I have a 52 second lead at the beginning of lap # 20.

At the 4th checkpoint on lap # 21, I see that I have a 2 minute and 41 second lead over the 2nd place NISMO Fairlady who pitted last lap. When I get to the end of the lap I see that the 12th place car is in the pits so I drive past and put him a lap down.

I have a 2 minute and 31 second lead at the beginning of lap # 22. At the end of the lap I hit the pits again for new tires and 41 liters of fuel.

At the 4th checkpoint on lap # 23 I see that my lead over the NISMO Fairlady has been reduced to 1 minute and 37 seconds.

I have a 1 minute and 40 second lead at the beginning of lap # 24. On lap # 24, just before I get to the Karussel, I catch and pass the 11th place Opera Performance 350Z.

I have a 1 minute and 45 second lead at the beginning of lap # 25

When I'm 2 minutes and 34 seconds into lap # 26 I get the news that the 2nd place NISMO Fairlady has pitted. At the 6th checkpoint on lap # 26, I see that I've stretched my lead to 3 minutes and 38 seconds over the NISMO Fairlady.

Just as I start my drive down the S/F straight at the end of lap # 26, I see the 10th place car in the pits. I check the race clock and see that there is only one minute and 43 seconds left in the race, so I dive into the pits to see who the 10th place car might be. The tire and fuel selection menu comes up on my screen so I don't get a good look at the other car. I take on 15 liters of fuel and actually beat the 10th place car out of the pits.

There's now only 1 minute and 3 seconds left in the race before the 4 hour mark, so I jam on my brakes and wait for the 10th place car to exit the pits. After a 15 second wait, the Nissan Gran Turismo Skyline comes out of the pits. Now that the 10th place car has been confirmed, I re-accelerate and head off to finish the race!

During lap # 27 I get dropped down to 9th place but then vault back up to 1st place when I cross the Finish line after 4 hours 8 minutes and 12 seconds.

Another win is mine!

Post race notes: The NISMO 380RS Leggera is a pleasure to drive and can really smash the field. A much lower PP value is possible for a future attempt.

Enjoy the racing!
GTsail

 

[HaylRayzor]

Post race notes: The NISMO 380RS Leggera is a pleasure to drive and can really smash the field. A much lower PP value is possible for a future attempt.

I figured that when you said you were running 520PP. I was surprised to see you run it that high. I know from my own testing that a good car on sport soft only needs 470ish to be competitive. Maybe less.

EDIT: I've been teetering on which run to do next but this has tipped me over to a sport soft run.

 

[GTsail]

I figured that when you said you were running 520PP. I was surprised to see you run it that high. I know from my own testing that a good car on sport soft only needs 470ish to be competitive. Maybe less.

EDIT: I've been teetering on which run to do next but this has tipped me over to a sport soft run.

Yes, waaay too much car!!

This was my first attempt on sport softs, and I hadn't done much testing, so I'm afraid I had too much car. I had thought about exiting the game early on in the race, but did not because I wanted the XP points since I was running this race on a new game save.

Definitely give the sport tires a shot. It changes the flow of the race a bit because you have more speed on the straights and you can't kill the AI in the corners.

470PP on SS tires may be too low unless you find a really special car, but 480-485PP is surely possible. I have already run another race and won at 495PP, so slightly lower is possible, even for me!

Respectfully,
GTsail

 

[HaylRayzor]

Yes 470PP is a "special" car that can do the race on 3 stops. A normal car that needs 4 stops needs 480. I did 8 laps yesterday in the Amuse R1 at 480 and it's going to be a great race. I only had the lead briefly after the pit.

 

[GTsail]

I've decided to give another Premium car a shot, so I take a trip to my nearby Nissan dealer (who always lays out the red carpet whenever I show up with my checkbook), and after some test drives I pick out a nice silver Nissan Fairlady Z Z34 '08

The Nissan doesn't need much tuning, but I have my fabled pit crew give it a once over, and afterwards my Fairlady has the following spec's:

Horsepower: 405
Weight: 1350 (wgt reduction, then added back ballast)
PP value: 510
Wing @ --- 8
Tires: Sport Soft installed and used throughout the race

Sitting on the Nurburgring starting grid were the following:
1) Nissan Gran Turismo Skyline GTR
2) NISMO Skyline GTR R-tune
3) Art Morrison Corvette
4) Mine's Lancer Evolution VI
5) Mine's BNR34 Skyline GTR Vspec
6) NISMO Fairlady Z Z-tune
7) me
8) Opera Performance Gran Turismo 350Z RS
9) Amuse Carbon R R34
10) AEM S2000
11) RUF CTR Yellow Bird
12) NISMO 380RS Super Leggera

The flag drops and we're off!! I get a good launch off the line, so I'm able to pass the 6th place Lancer EVO before turn one. And then going thru turn one, I'm able to pass the 5th place NISMO Fairlady Z-tune. I get a good launch out of the final chicane on the GP circuit, so I'm able to beat the 4th place Mine's BNR34 Skyline to the last left-hander on the GP circuit. The Art Morrison Corvette is a bit slow going thru Hatzenbach so I slide past and take over 3rd place in the race. Going into Adenaur Forst I catch and pass the 2nd place Nissan Gran Turismo Skyline GTR. I now have a clear track ahead of me because the first place NISMO Skyline GTR R-tune is some 6 seconds further up the track. Pushing a bit too hard going up Kesselchen I catch some grass at Mutkurve and do a quick 360. I lose about 3 seconds, and find that the 3rd place RUF Yellow Bird is now on my rear bumper! I stay in front of the Yellow Bird until Dottinger, but then he just powers past me going about 180mph!! With the draft from the Yellow Bird I'm able to catch and pass the RUF going thru the Hohenrain esses and re-take 2nd place.

When I cross the S/F line to begin lap # 2, I see that I'm 6.8 seconds behind the leading NISMO Skyline R-tune. The Yellow Bird comes back past me just before turn one, but I agressively take the apex in turn two and get my position back. The Yellow Bird stays with me thru the next few turns and then comes up my inside in the very fast turn # 8 and runs me off the road!! I lose some time, so now I will have to chase hard again once I get on the Nordschleife proper. Luckily, when we get to Aremburg the Yellow Bird has driven off into the sand, so I just brake smoothly and re-take 2nd place in the race! All these battles with the Yellow Bird has allowed the first place NISMO Skyline R-tune to increase his lead to 9.8 seconds as shown at the next checkpoint. In third place is now the NISMO Fairlady Z-tune who begins to fill my mirrors for the rest of the lap. When we get to Dottinger, the Fairlady Z-tune powers past me and gives me a good draft so I'm able to stay with him and slide past him going thru the Hohenrain esses.

When I begin lap # 3, I'm 5.2 seconds behind the leading NISMO Skyline R-tune and I have the Fairlady Z-tune just along-side. The Fairlady beats me to turn one, but I dive up the inside and immediately take the position back. I carry too much speed into Flugplatz, so I end up off in the grass and ride the armco for a few seconds. This loses a ton of time so the 3rd place Fairlady Z-tune comes past and drops me to 3rd. Chastened suitably, I get back on the track and resume the race.

When I begin lap # 4, I see that I'm 14.5 seconds behind the leading Fairlady Z-tune who has passed the NISMO Skyline R-tune going down Dottinger last lap. I take another bad line thru Fuchsrohre, and do some grass-mowing, so I fall 22 seconds behind the leading Fairlady Z-tune. I decide not to push my luck on worn tires, so I head for the pits at the end of lap # 4 and get some new SS tires and 20 liters of fuel.

When I exit the pits to begin lap # 5, I see that I've fallen back to 4th place, just in front of the Nissan Skyline Gran Turismo GTR. At the first checkpoint on lap # 5, I see that I've fallen 59 seconds behind the leading Fairlady Z-tune. Now that I'm back on fresh rubber, I start to drive better again and make major in-roads into the Fairlady Z-tune's lead. By the T10 checkpoint, I have reduced his lead to 33 seconds. At the end of the lap I see that the first three AI cars are all in the pits, so I drive past and take over the lead of the race!! The NISMO 380RS Leggera does so as well, so he takes over 2nd place, and the AEM S2000 takes over 3rd place in the race.

At the first checkpoint on lap # 6, I see that I have a 24 second lead over the Super Leggera. The NISMO Fairlady Z-tune must have been slow in the pits and a very bad pit-in lap because he's fallen all the way back to 6th place.

When I begin lap # 7, I see that I've stretched out my lead to 51 seconds over the NISMO 380RS. I drive off the track going thru Schwedenkreuz and lose about 5 seconds before getting myself sorted again.

As I begin lap # 8, I see that I have a 42 second lead over the NISMO Fairlady Z-tune, who is now in 2nd place. In 3rd is the NISMO Skyline R-tune, with the Mine's BNR34 in 4th place. I catch the grass on the exit from Wehrseifen and execute another spin into the armco which loses another 10 seconds or so. At the end of the lap, I enter the pits for a new set of sport soft tires and 25 liters of fuel. While I'm in the pits the NISMO Fairlady Z-tune drives past and drops me to 2nd place.

As I exit the pits to begin lap # 9, the Mine's BNR34 Skyline comes past and he's being closely followed by the NISMO Skyline R-tune, so I head off towards turn one in 4th place. At the first checkpoint on lap # 9, I get the news that I'm in 4th place, some 16.8 seconds behind the leading NISMO Fairlady Z-tune. I get a good run thru Hocheichen, so I'm able to catch and pass the 3rd place NISMO Skyline R-tune. I get to Galgenkopf just behind the 2nd place Mine's BNR34 Skyline, so I get a great draft down the entire length of Dottinger. Going thru the Hohenrain esses I slide past the Mine's BNR34 and take over 2nd place in the race.

Just as I cross the S/F line to begin lap # 10, I get passed by the Mine's BNR34 Skyline, and I see that I'm 18.8 seconds behind the leading NISMO Fairlady Z-tune. I do a better job going thru turn one, so I re-take 2nd place from the Mine's BNR34. During lap # 10, the leading NISMO Fairlady Z-tune is coming back to me, so by the Karussel his lead is only 10 seconds. When I catch the leading Fairlady Z-tune as we go thru Pflanzgarten III, I can see that he is really struggling on his worn tires. I wave politely and drive past into the lead of the race.

I have a 8 second lead when I cross the S/F line to begin lap # 11. Looking back I watch all the following cars as they enter the pits. Its not until the 3rd checkpoint on lap # 11 do I find out that 2nd place has been taken over by the NISMO 380RS Leggera. The Super Leggera is fully 1 minute and 14 seconds behind me!! In 3rd is the Mine's BNR34, in 4th is the AEM S2000, and in 5th is the NSIMO Fairlady Z-tune.

When I'm 1 minute and 15 seconds into lap # 12, I get the news that the 2nd place NISMO Fairlady Z-tune has crossed the S/F line. The Mine's BNR34 is now in 3rd place, the NISMO 380RS has fallen back to 4th place, and the NISMO Skyline R-tune is in 5th. By the T11 checkpoint, I see that my lead is down to 57 seconds over the hard charging NSIMO Fairlady Z-tune. I've lost some time while being careful on my worn tires this last lap. I head for the pits at the end of the lap and take on 41 liters of fuel and a new set of SS tires.

At the first checkpoint on lap # 13, I see that my lead over the NISMO Fairlady Z-tune is down to only 7.6 seconds. I catch and pass the 12th place RUF Yellow Bird going thru Pflanzgarten I. This puts a car between me and a fast closing Fairlady Z-tune, who is only 2 seconds back!

When I cross the S/F line to begin lap # 14, I see that I only have a 0.41 second lead over the NISMO Fairlady Z-tune. The Fairlady beats me to turn one, but I'm able to quickly re-pass it and head off towards turn two with the lead of the race.

When I cross the S/F line to begin lap # 15, I see that I have a 1.6 second lead over the NISMO Fairlady Z-tune. About 15 seconds further back is the 3rd place Mine's BNR34 Skyline. When I pass the T10 checkpoint, I see that the Mine's BNR34 has passed the NISMO Fairlady Z-tune and taken over 2nd place.

When I cross the S/F line to begin lap # 16, I see that I have a 27 second lead over the Mine's BNR34 Skyline. Looking back I see that the Mine's BNR34 and the NISMO Fairlady Z-tune both pitted. At the 2nd checkpoint on lap # 16, I see that my lead is 1 minute and 34 seconds over the 2nd place Mine's BNR34 Skyline. When I get to Wippermann I have caught up with the 12th place Mine's Lancer EVO. Since my tires are worn, it takes me a few turns before I make my pass and put the Lancer EVO one lap down. I pit at the end of the lap and have my pit crew give me 43 liters of fuel and a new set of SS tires for my Fairlady. While I'm still in the pits, the Mine's Lancer EVO enters the pits and un-laps himself since his pit stall is in front of mine. After 40 seconds I get underway again and put the Mine's Lancer EVO one lap down again.

At the 3rd checkpoint on lap # 17, I see that my lead has shrunk to 37 seconds over the 2nd place NISMO Fairlady Z-tune who has passed the Mine's BNR34 Skyline. The NISMO 380RS Leggera is in 4th place and the NISMO Skyline GTR R-tune is in 5th place.

When I'm 23 seconds into lap # 18, I see that the 2nd place NISMO Fairlady Z-tune has crossed the S/F line.

When I'm 19 seconds into lap # 19, I see that the 2nd place NISMO Fairlady Z-tune has crossed the S/F line. Ahead of me on the track by about 15 seconds is the 11th place car (unknown at this point). I push my Nissan Z in an effort to catch it but carry too much speed into Flugplatz and go off into the grass and lose about 3 seconds. Once back on the track, I get up to speed and push hard to make up the lost time, so I carry too much speed into Mutkurve and slide off into the armco again!! Another 4 seconds lost! Slow learner I guess! I head off towards the Karussel and see that my lead over the 2nd place NISMO Fairlady Z-tune has been chopped to 9 seconds!!

When I cross the S/F line to begin lap # 20, I only have a 6 second lead over the NISMO Fairlady Z-tune. When I get to the Kleine-Karussel, I finally catch up with the 11th place car which happens to be the Art Morrison Corvette. I pass the Corvette going thru Galgenkopf and try to pull away, but can't because the Corvette catches my draft. The Corvette gets up to speed and slowly drives past me. His top speed is only a little bit faster than mine so he only gets about one car lenghth ahead of me when we get to the Antoniusbuche overpass. The Corvette slows a little at the kink so I drive past and take the position away before I begin my heavy braking for the esses. At the end of the lap I enter the pits and take on 46 liters of fuel. After about 15 seconds, the Mine's BNR34 Skyline, who has taken over 2nd place, follows me into the pits. About 15 seconds later, the 3rd place NISMO Fairlady Z-tune also enters the pits. Finally, after 40 seconds the 4th place NISMO Skyline R-tune joins us in the pits just as I get released.

At the 3rd checkpoint on lap # 21, I see that I have a 38 second lead over the 2nd place Mine's BNR34 Skyline.

When I'm 34 seconds into lap # 22, I see that the NISMO Fairlady Z-tune has crossed the S/F line in 2nd place.

When I begin lap # 23, I can see that the 10th place Opera Performance 350Z RS has just left the pits. I catch and pass the Opera 350Z RS as we head towards the final chicane on the GP circuit. I also get the news that I have a 26 second lead over the 2nd place NISMO Fairlady Z-tune. I get to the Karussel just behind the RUF YellowBird, so there is tire smoke everywhere! I quickly dispatch the YellowBird going thru the Karussel.

When I'm 14 seconds into lap # 24, the 2nd place NISMO Fairlady Z-tune crosses the S/F line. At the end of lap # 24, I pit for a new set of SS tires with a 7 second lead over the NISMO Fairlady Z-tune. I take on 24 liters of fuel to get me to the end of the race. So after a very short pit stop, I head off after the NISMO Fairlady, who has driven past me into the lead while I was stationary in the pits. Just as I get released, the Mine's BNR34 Skyline also drives past and takes over 2nd place in the race.

I exit the pits in 3rd place and immediately get passed by the Opera 350Z RS. At the first checkpoint on lap # 25, I see that I'm 30 seconds behind the NISMO Fairlady Z-tune. I get a good run on the Opera 350Z RS, so I re-pass him just before the final chicane on the GP circuit. About half-way thru lap # 25, I see that I'm catching the 2nd place Mine's BNR34 Skyline, who is about 10 seconds ahead of me. Futher ahead I can see that the 1st place NISMO Fairlady Z-tune is starting to slow down on its worn tires. When the two leaders get to the Kleine-Karussel, I can see that the Mine's BNR34 Skyline has caught and passed the NISMO Fairlady Z-tune. I'm only about 5 seconds back at this point! As I drive out of Galgenkopf I catch the NISMO Fairlady who is just getting up to speed. I jump into the NISMO Fairlady's draft and follow him down Dottinger. The Fairlady brakes a bit just as we get to the Antoniusbuche overpass, so I take the opening to pass him and take over 2nd place in the race.

When I get to the S/F straight, I see that the leading Mine's BNR34 Skyline has entered the pits, so after a quick glance to see if I have enough fuel, I continue on and take over the lead of the race when I begin lap # 26. The race clock has just ticked over with 7 minutes left before the 4 hour mark, so this will be my final lap. At the 3rd checkpoint on lap # 26, I see that I have a 59 second lead over the 2nd place Mine's BNR34 Skyline. At the T11 checkpoint I have a 52 second lead over the Mine's BNR34 Skyline.

After 4 hours 2 minutes and 11 seconds I cross the Finish Line and achieve another 'Ring win!

2nd - Mine's BNR34 Skyline
3rd - NISMO Fairlady
4th - NISMO 380RS Leggera
5th - NISMO Skyline R-tune
6th - AEM S2000
7th - Amuse Carbon R
8th - Nissan Gran Turismo Skyline GTR

I had a nice drive, though the 2008 Nissan Fairlady Z is a little too strong at this level of tune. Laps # 18 (at 9.00.xxx) and lap # 22 (at 9.00.xxx) were my two fastest laps since my Fairlady was gaining horsepower during the race. My Nissan Fairlady did eat its tires during the race, so I had to stop for new ones every 4 laps which is very unusual for me.

Enjoy the racing!
GTsail

 

[GTsail]

Post reserved for my Infiniti Coupe Concept race:

I need to copy/paste from the main thread
GTsail

 

[GTsail]

For my next attempt I decide to try a very nice BMW M3 CSL '03 that just happens to need to stretch its legs on the Nurburgring.

I have my pit crew give the CSL a once-over (after a very expensive engine overhaul and some much needed chassis maintenance on my high-mileage CSL) we end up with the following spec's:

Horsepower: 363
Weight: 1380kg
PP value: 495
Tires: SS (sport soft tires will be used throughout)

On the starting grid are the usual suspects:
1) Mine's BNR34 Skyline Vspec
2) HPA FT565 Audi TT
3) Amuse S2000 GT1
4) NISMO 400R
5) HPA Stage II R32
6) HKS CT230R
7) BMW M3 CSL (driven by GTsail)
8) NISMO Skyline GTR R-tune
9) NISMO Fairlady Z Z-tune
10) Mine's BNR34 N1 base '06
11) Nissan Gran Turismo Skyline GTR
12) NISMO 380RS Super Leggera

From the start I get dropped to the back of the pack. (my lap one notes have been lost, so the rest of the lap will likely remain a mystery to all). All I have is that the lap took 9.22.2xx.

When I begin lap # 2, I see that I'm 16 seconds behind the leader of the race and still in 8th place. When I get to Aremburg I find that the HPA Stage II R32 is in the sand on the outside of the turn and he's facing the wrong way! I wonder if someone encouraged him to try out the beach! This makes it easy to take over 7th place in the race.

When I begin lap # 3, I see that I'm 18.8 seconds behind the leader of the race. I catch a draft off the 6th place Mine's BNR34 Skyline '06 going down Dottinger, so this makes it possible to pass the BNR34 Skyline going thru the Hohenrain esses.

When I begin lap # 4, I see that I'm 19.4 seconds behind the leading FT565 Audi. The Mine's BNR34 Skyline '06 re-passes me as we drive up the S/F straight, but I quickly out-brake the BNR34 going into turn one and re-take 6th place in the race. I see that the grass on both sides of the track looks a little tall, so on the exit from Ex-Muhle I take the time to do some grass mowing and lose about 3 seconds.

The closely following BNR34 Skyline '06 has pulled along-side my BMW as we cross the S/F line to begin lap # 5. The leading Audi has a 23 second lead over both of us. I re-pass the Mine's BNR34 Skyline going thru turn one. When I get to Pflanzgarten III I've caught the 5th place NISMO Fairlady Z Z-tune, so I pass him before we get to Schwalbenschwanz. I take a look at my tires during the blast down Dottinger and see that I have used about half their life. I get the feeling that they have give me 5 good laps and they shouldn't be asked for another. so I head into the pits at the end of the lap for a new set of SS tires. I have used 55 liters of fuel, so I ask my pit crew for another 35 liters. Already in the pits is the 1st place FT565 Audi and the 2nd place Amuse S2000 GT1 and the 3rd place Mine's BNR34 Skyline Vspec and the 4th place NSIMO Skyline GTR R-tune (its pretty crowded!). I'm surprised to see the Amuse S2000 GT1 since he ususually does 6 lap stints. Perhaps he's just being careful at the start of the race.

After 45 seconds, I get released and rejoin the race in 5th place, just behind the FT565 Audi. Of all the fast cars, only the HKS CT230R and the NISMO 380RS don't pit, so they drive past all of us (the 5 lap stint cars). The HKS CT230R takes over the lead of the race. At the first checkpoint on lap # 5, I see that I'm 54 seconds behind the leading HKS CT230R. I should be able to reduce this margin marketably during the lap since the HKS CT230R is on 6 lap tires and his lap time will suffer. When I get to Galgenkopf I see that the FT565 Audi has caught the 3rd place NISMO 380RS Super Leggera. The Audi gets slowed up by the Super Leggera so I pull up on the Audi's bright orange rear-bumper as we begin the blast down Dottinger. The FT565 Audi drafts past the NISMO Super Leggera, and I do so as well, just as we get to the Antoniusbuche overpass.

When I cross the S/F line to begin lap # 7, I'm told that I'm 40 seconds behind the HKS CT230R who has just entered the pits. The 5th place NISMO Super Leggera, who is about 3 seconds behind me also enters the pits. I'm now shown in 3rd place in the race. At the first checkpoint on lap # 7, I see that I'm 19 seconds behind the Amuse S2000 GT1 who is now leading the race. The FT565 Audi is in 2nd place about 3 seconds ahead of me. The 4th place Mine's BNR34 Skyline Vspec is about 5 seconds behind me. The HKS CT230R has fallen back to 5th place after his pit stop. The NISMO Fairlady Z-tune is in 6th place. The Mine's BNR34 Skyline N1 '06 is in 7th, and the NISMO Super Leggera has fallen back to 8th place. I push hard during lap # 7, which enables me to catch the 2nd place FT565 Audi going thru Pflanzgarten III, so I execute a clean pass as we go into Schwalbenschwanz. The Audi powers right back past me going down Dottinger, so I get a good draft and re-pass him going thru the Hohenrain esses.

When I cross the S/F line to begin lap # 8, I see that I'm 27 seconds behind the leading Amuse S2000. The closely trailing FT565 Audi drives past me on the S/F straight, but as usual, I beat him thru turn one and head off after the Amuse S2000.

When I cross the S/F line to begin lap # 9, I see that I'm 36 seconds behind the leading Amuse S2000 GT1.

When I cross the S/F line to begin lap # 10, I see that I'm 40 seconds behind the leading Amuse S2000. By the end of lap # 10 my tires are pretty worn out, so I head into the pits from 2nd place for a new set of SS tires. I have my trusty pit crew add 45 liters of fuel to my BMW's tank. The 3rd place FT565 Audi follows me into the pits, and about 10 seconds later the Mine's BNR34 Skyline Vspec does as well. While I'm still in the pits getting some fuel and refreshments, the HKS CT230R drives past the pits and takes over 2nd place in the race.

At the first checkpoint on lap # 11, I see that the leading Amuse S2000 has a 1 minute and 33 second lead over me. At the T7 checkpoint, I see that I've reduced the Amuse's lead to 55 seconds.

When I begin lap # 12, I see that the leading Amuse S2000 has pitted, so I drive past and take over 2nd place in the race. At the 1st checkpoint on lap # 12, I see that I'm now only 22 seconds behind the HKS CT230R. When I get to the end of lap # 12, I see that the leading HKS CT230R has entered the pits, so I drive past and begin lap # 13 with the lead of the race.

At the first checkpoint on lap # 13, I see that I have a 9 second lead over the 2nd place FT565 Audi. The Mine's BNR34 Skyline Vspec has taken over 3rd, the Amuse S2000 is in 4th, the NISMO Fairlady Z-tune is in 5th, the HKS CT230R is in 6th, the Mine's BNR34 N1 base '06 is in 7th, and the NISMO Skyline R-tune is in 8th place.

Just as the 2 hour mark is reached, the 2nd place FT565 Audi crosses the S/F line to begin lap # 14, and I get the news that I have a 3.9 second lead. I get pressured by the trailing Audi going thru the Kesselchen curves, so I put two wheels in the grass at Mutkurve and skid off the track and come to a full stop against the armco. I easily lose 10 seconds before getting straightened out and under-way again! This is confirmed when I cross the T7 checkpoint at Hohe Acht some 10 seconds behind the leading FT565 Audi. Ouch! At the end of the lap I head for the pits for a new set of SS tires and take on 35 liters of fuel. The 3rd place Amuse S2000 streaks by while I'm in the pits. The 4th place Mine's BNR34 Vspec also drives past, and about 10 seconds later, the 5th place NISMO Fairlady Z-tune does so as well. A bit later, I get to watch the HKS CT230R drive by too. And just as I get released, the 7th place Mine's BNR34 N1 base '06 drives past and drops me to 7th place in the race. Very slow pit stop I guess!

When I finally exit the pits to begin lap # 15, I'm 56 seconds behind the leading FT565 Audi. This deficit balloons out to 57 seconds as I drive thru the Kesselchen curves and then it starts to shrink as the leading FT 565 Audi begins to slow on its worn tires. I catch and pass the 6th place NISMO Fairlady Z-tune as we go thru the Kleine-Karussel. Just ahead is the 5th place Mine's BNR34 Skyline N1 base '06. I'm not close enough to catch his draft down Dottinger, but I do get to see him enter the pits at the end of the lap. Already in the pits are the FT565 Audi and the Mine's BNR34 Skyline Vspec. I've got plenty of fuel and decent tires, so I drive past and take over 3rd place in the race.

At the first checkpoint on lap # 16, I see that I'm 53 seconds behind the Amuse S2000 who is now leading the race. In 2nd place is the HKS CT230R. The FT565 Audi exits the pits in 4th place and is about 12 seconds behind my BMW CSL.

When I cross the S/F line to begin lap # 17, I see that I'm 54 seconds behind the leading Amuse S2000. When I get to Wippermann, I see that I've reduced the Amuse's lead to 15 seconds. He must really be stuggling on his worn tires. As the leading Amuse S2000 drives thru Pflanzgarten I, he gets passed by the 2nd place HKS CT230R. When I exit the Kleine-Karussel and head towards Galgenkopf, I can actually see the 2nd place Amuse S2000 as he's only about 2 seconds ahead of me! I carry far more speed thru Galgenkopf than the Amuse S2000 does, so I pass the Amuse when we exit the corner and begin the drive down Dottinger. The T10 checkpoint flashes by and gives me the news that I'm only 6.2 seconds behind the leading HKS CT230R.

When I cross the S/F line to begin lap # 18, I see that I'm 8.2 seconds behind the leading HKS CT230R. The 3rd place Amuse S2000 heads into the pits so the FT565 Audi takes over 3rd place and is about 6 seconds behind me. By the time I get to the Karussel I'm starting to get glimpses of the HKS CT230R ahead of me on the track. As I begin the long blast down Dottinger, I'm almost, but not quite close enough to catch a draft off the leading HKS CT230R. At the end of the lap, the HKS CT230R pulls into the pits so I follow him into the pits about 3 seconds later. I have my pit crew give me some new SS rubber and 42 liters of fuel. While I'm in the pits, the FT565 Audi drives past and takes over the lead of the race. After another 30 seconds or so, the Mine's BNR34 Skyline Vspec drives past and takes over 2nd place in the race.

After 42 seconds I get released from the pits and head off on lap # 19 in 3rd place after beating the HKS CT230R out of the pits. Actually, the HKS CT230R falls back to 5th place because the NISMO Fairlady Z-tune drives past the pits well before the HKS CT230R is released. At the first checkpoint on lap # 19, I see that I'm 44 seconds behind the leading FT565 Audi.

When I cross the S/F line to begin lap # 20, I'm still 44 seconds behind the leading FT565 Audi. Just ahead of me leaving the pits is the 12th place NISMO 400R. He's not moving very fast on his cold tires, so I'm able to drive past him as we go thru the right-hand kink on the way to the chicane at the end of the GP circuit. Heading up the hill towards the Karussel I catch a glimpse of the 2nd place Mine's BNR34 Skyline Vspec. His tires must be worn out for me to be reeling him in this early on the lap. The Mine's BNR34 Skyline is about 5 seconds ahead of me as we head down Dottinger, so I'm not close enough for a draft.

Whe I cross the S/F line to begin lap # 21, the news is flashed that I'm 39 seconds behind the leading FT565 Audi. This is going to change in a moment because I can see that the Audi is in the pits. I flash past both the leading Audi and the Mine's BNR34 Skyline Vspec, who also pitted, and take over the lead of the race. At the first checkpoint on lap # 21, I see that I have a 7 second lead over the 2nd place Amuse S2000 GT1. I'm pretty surprised that the Amuse S2000 is in 2nd place because last time I checked, he was in 7th place! He must of just had a blistering lap! The HKS CT230R is now in 3rd place. The FT565 Audi is in 4th, the Mine's BNR34 Skyline Vspec is in 5th, and the Mine's BNR34 Skyline N1 base '06 is in 6th place.

When I begin lap # 22, I see that I have a 2 second lead over the 2nd place Amuse S2000. It should be more but I had a small off going thru Bergwerk last lap. I maintain this 2 second gap for most of lap # 22, so the Amuse S2000 doesn't catch me until we get to Dottinger, where he easily powers past me. I catch a brief draft and re-pass the Amuse going thru the Hohenrain esses, so I have the lead of the race when I dive into the pits at the end of the lap for a new set of SS tires and 44 liters of fuel. The Amuse S2000 drives past and takes over the lead of the race. After another 15 seconds or so, the HKS CT230R and the FT565 Audi both drive past as well. There's barely a car length between them so I suspect that they are having a nice pitched battle.

After 42 seconds in the pits, I get released and begin lap # 23 about 3 seconds ahead of the 5th place Mine's BNR34 Skyline Vspec. At the first checkpoint on lap # 23, I see that the Amuse S2000 has a 46 second lead over me. This margin is only 40 seconds when I get to Aremberg, so I know that the Amuse S2000 is driving on some pretty worn tires. As I drive thru Klostertal I see that the Amuse S2000 has fallen down to 3rd place and the HKS CT230R has taken over the lead of the race. The FT565 Audi has claimed 2nd place. They are now only about 30 seconds ahead of me on the track. The 3rd place Amuse S2000 is now moving very slowly, so I catch and pass him just before the Kleine-Karussel.

When I begin lap # 24, I see that I'm 28 seconds behind the leading FT565 Audi.

When I begin lap # 25, I see that I'm 25 seconds behind the leading FT565 Audi. I can also see that the 2nd place HKS CT230R has pitted, so 2nd place will be mine without a struggle.

When I cross the S/F line to begin lap # 26, I see that the first place FT565 Audi is in the pits, so I drive on past and take over the lead of the race! There's only 8 minutes and 21 seconds left before the 4 hour mark, so I've begun my final lap. When I get to the 2nd checkpoint, I see taht I have a 42 second lead over the 2nd place FT565 Audi. The HKS CT230R has taken over 3rd place due to everyone's pit stops. The Amuse S2000 has taken over 4th place, the Mine's BNR34 Skyline Vspec is in 5th, the Mine's BNR34 Skyline N1 base '06 is in 6th, the NISMO Fairlady Z-tune is in 7th, and the NISMO 380RS Super Leggera is in 8th place.

I drive under the Audi R8 V10 banner just as the 4 hour mark is reached and see that I have a 38 second lead over the 2nd place FT565 Audi.

After 4 hours 0 minutes and 50 seconds I cross the Finish Line and take another WIN!

Enjoy the racing!
GTsail

 

[GTsail]

For my next attempt I have a very nice Acura NSX '04 that was picked up from the UCD. The previous owner put quite a few miles on the odometer so I again have to drop quite a bit of change at the Acura dealership for the Chassis maintenance and the Engine overhaul to put some life back in the NSX.

After a bit of tweeking and test runs my Acura NSX has the following spec's:

Horsepower: 385
Weight: 1445kg (15kg of ballast was added)
PP value: 490
Tires: SS (SS tires will be used throughout the race)

On the starting grid are a bunch of the usual suspects:
1) Mine's BNR34 Skyline Vspec
2) FT565 Audi TT
3) Amuse S2000 GT1
4) NISMO 400R
5) HPA Stage II R32
6) HKS CT230R
7) Acura NSX '04(driven by GTsail)
9) NISMO Skyline R-tune
10) NISMO Fairlady Z-tune
11) Mine's BNR34 Skyline N1 base '06
12) Nissan Gran Turismo Skyline GTR

From the start I get dropped to 10th place as the field powers away from me. I get a good launch out of turn seven, so I pass the 9th place NISMO Skyline R-tune. My NSX is able to carry good speed thru Flugplatz, so I'm able to pass both the 8th place Mine's BNR34 N1 base '06 and the 7th place NISMO 400R going down Kottenborn. At the end of lap # 1, I'm in 7th place some 17 seconds behind the leader after a 9.23.1xx lap.

Lap # 2 is un-eventful and I end the lap 19 seconds behind the leader after a 9.02.5xx.

Lap # 3 is also un-eventful, but I have edged closer to the 6th place HKS CT230R after a 9.03.2xx lap. At the end of the lap I'm 21 seconds behind the leader.

On lap # 4, I catch the HKS CT230R going thru the Kleine-Karussel because he's being slowed down by the 5th place HPA Stage II R32. I'm therefore close enough behind them both to watch them have a drafting duel down Dottinger Hohe. The HKS CT230R wins the duel and edges in front of the HPA Stage II R32 at the Antoniusbuche overpass. At the end of the lap I'm still 30 seconds behind the leader after a 9.08.3xx lap.

On lap # 5, I catch and pass the 6th place HPA Stage II R32 going thru Ex-Muhle. The 5th place NISMO Fairlady Z-tune is moving slowly when we both get to Galgenkopf, so I drive past and take over 5th place in the race. Behind me, the HPA Stage II R32 gets passed by the Mine's BNR34 Skyline N1 base '06 going down Dottinger Hohe, so the Mine's BNR34 drafts up to my rear-bumper by the Antoniusbuche overpass. I head into the pits at the end of the lap for a new set of SS tires. My fuel gauge says that I've used 59 liters of fuel, so I have my pit crew add59 liters to fill me up again. Already in the pits were the FT565 Audi and the Mine's BNR34 Skyline Vspec. The Amuse S2000 GT1 has continued on so he's now in first place in the race. While I'm in the pits, the NISMO 380RS Super Leggera drives past the pits without pitting, so he climbs up into 3rd place.

When I exit the pits to begin lap # 6, I've fallen back to 6th place in the race. At the first checkpoint, I see that the Amuse S2000 has a 1 minute and 35 second lead over me. The HKS CT230R is in 2nd place and the NSIMO 380RS Leggera is in 3rd. The FT565 Audi is in 4th, and the Mine's BNR34 Skyline Vspec is in 5th place. When I get to the end of the lap, I see that the three front-runners have all pitted, so I drive past and take over 3rd place in the race. Lap # 6 was done in 9.55.3xx.

At the first checkpoint on lap # 7, I see that I'm now only 17 seconds behind the leading FT565 Audi. The 2nd place Mine's BNR34 Skyline Vspec is about 6 seconds ahead of me. The HKS CT230R has fallen back to 4th place, the NISMO Fairlady Z-tune is in 5th, and the Mine's BNR34 Skyline N1 base '06 is in 6th place. Lap # 7 is done in 9.01.8xx which is a new lap record!

When I begin lap # 8, I get the news that I'm 19 seconds behind the leading FT565 Audi. Lap # 8 is pretty un-eventful since I'm just cruising in my 3rd place position. The margin to the leading Audi fluctuates between 20 and 23 seconds. I'm 23 seconds behind the Audi when the lap ends after a 9.04.9xx.

Lap # 9 goes well until Pflanzgarten III, where my NSX gets out of shape and smacks the armco and then does a 360! This loses a fair bit of time, so the 4th place NISMO Fairlady Z-tune catches and passes me as I start to re-accelerate from the woods. I quickly re-pass the Fairlady Z-tune going thru the Kleine-Karussel because the NSIMO Fairlady Z-tune is being overly careful going thru the corners at this point. About half-way down Dottinger the NISMO Fairlady Z-tune drafts past me. I jump into his draft and accelerate up to 173mph. This speed is needed since the 5th place car, the Amuse S2000 GT1 has caught both of us and is chomping on our rear-bumpers. I follow the Fairlady Z-tune thru the Hohenrain esses and stay in his draft going up the S/F straight. Lap 9 took 9.14.8xx.

I get a decent speed boost from this draft, but its not enough to hold off the Amuse S2000 who comes past just as I cross the S/F line to begin lap # 10. At the same time I get the news that I've fallen 34 seconds behind the leading FT565 Audi. I do a better job going thru turn one than does the Amuse S2000, so I re-take 4th place in the race, and set off after the NSIMO Fairlady Z-tune. I carry more speed thru Flugplatz than the Fairlady Z-tune, so I catch and pass him at the beginning of Kottenborn. When I begin the drive up the Kesselchen curves, I see that the Fairlady Z-tune has been passed by both the Amuse S2000 and the HKS CT230R, who had been lurking behind us. I'm afraid that the Fairlady Z-tune has worn out his tires trying to stay ahead of my NSX. The Amuse S2000 drives past me down Dottinger, so I catch his draft and pass him right back going thru the Hohenrain esses. I dive into the pits at the end of the lap for some new SS tires and 40 liters of fuel. Lap # 10 took 9.12.5xx. Already in the pits were the 1st place FT565 Audi and the 2nd place Mine's BNR34 Skyline Vspec. While the three of us are in the pits, the Amuse S2000 and the HKS CT230R drive past and take over 1st and 2nd place in the race. After another 14 seconds or so, we are joined in the pits by the 6th place Mine's BNR34 Skyline N1 base '06. After another 13 seconds, we are joined by the 7th place HPA Stage II R32, so pit lane is pretty busy!!

After 40 seconds in the pits, I get released and immediately get passed by the NISMO 380RS S.Leggera who streaks past without a pit stop, so he climbs up into 4th place in the race. I begin lap # 11 in 5th place because I beat the Mine's BNR34 Skyline Vspec out of the pits. The previous leader, the FT565 Audi has beaten me out of the pits and is shown as the 3rd place car about 10 seconds ahead of me. At the first checkpoint on lap # 11, I see that the leading Amuse S2000 has a 42 second lead over my Acura NSX. I'm pushing hard on lap # 11 to catch the 4th place NISMO 380RS, so I've pulled up on his rear-bumper going into Wehrseifen. This means that I'm close enough to get a good run into Breidscheid, where I drive down the left side of the Super Leggera and easily take the position. Driving down Dottinger I suffer a momentary loss of concentration and drive off into the grass at full-throttle and smack the armco and perform a crowd pleasing 360! I'm getting back on the track when the following NISMO Super Leggera runs right into me and gives me another visit to the grass. This slows us both down, so the following Mine's BNR34 Skyline Vspec drives past both of us before our wits are gathered up (mine should be easy to gather since there are so few...). I'm actually a little slower getting underway again, so once I get my Acura NSX pointing in the corrrect direction I find myself just behind the NISMO Super Leggera as we go under the Antoniusbuche overpass, and I now see that I'm 57 seconds behind the leading Amuse S2000 GT1. I lost 13 seconds going down Dottinger!! At the end of lap # 11, I see that the leading Amuse S2000 has a 59 second lead over me and that the lap took 10 minutes and 2 seconds! That's pretty bad!

On lap # 12, the NISMO 380RS Leggera is already driving a bit slowly on its worn 6 lap tires, so I catch and pass him going thru turn five and take back 5th place in the race (of course, perhaps he's suffering from some aerodynamic front-end damage inflicted when he crashed into me last lap). The leading Amuse S2000 is also starting to come back to me because of its tires, so when I get to Aremburg, I see that his lead over me is only 50 seconds. The Amuse S2000 looses a drafting duel with the HKS CT230R going thru the Kesselchen curves and falls back to 2nd place. A minute later the Amuse S2000 gets passed by the FT565 Audi and drops to 3rd. I then see that the Amuse S2000 looses another drafting duel to the Mine's BNR34 Vspec as they drive down Dottinger, so he drops down to 4th place in the race.

As I begin the drive down the S/F straight at the end of lap # 12, I see that the HKS CT230R has pitted and he's followed into the pits by the Amuse S2000, so I drive past and begin lap # 13 and jump up into 3rd place in the race. The leading FT565 Audi has a 38 second lead over me at this point.

When I begin lap # 14, I see that I'm 46 seconds behind the leading FT565 Audi. In an effort to keep my tires fresh for the rest of the race, I dive into the pits at the end of the lap for a new set of SS tires. I have my pit crew give me 38 liters fo fuel. While I'm in the pits the Mine's BNR34 Skyline N1 base '06 and the HKS CT230R both drive past. About 12 seconds later the NISMO Fairlady Z-tune drives past as well and drops me to 6th place in the race. After another 12 seconds, both the Amuse S2000 and the HPA Stage II R32 drive past, so my Acura NSX gets dropped even further back to 8th place! Yikes! Getting dropped down the grid to 8th place allows me to see that the 12th place car is the NISMO 400R and the 11th place car is the Nissan Gran Turismo Skyline GTR (not that this information is going to be used to any advantage on the track!).

At the first checkpoint on lap # 15, I see that I'm 1 minute and 32 seconds behind the leading FT565 Audi. I catch and pass the 7th place HPA Stage II R32 when we get to Wehrseifen. The 6th place NISMO Fairlady Z-tune falls into my clutches and gets passed as my NSX heads up the hill towards the Karussel. When I get to the end of lap # 15, I see that the FT565 Audi and the Mine's BNR23 Skyline Vspec and the Mine's BNR34 Skyline N1 base '06 have all entered the pits.

I drive on past and leap into 4th place in the race when I begin lap # 16. The race clock says that I'm 1 minute and 29 seconds behind the leader of the race, but this is going to change shortly once timing and scoring gets updated for all the cars that pitted. Both Mine BNR34's are still in the pits when I drive past, while the FT565 Audi was able to get into and out of the pits before I arrived on the scene. The leader of the race is now the HKS CT230R. The FT565 Audi is in 2nd and the Amuse S2000 GT1 is in 3rd, with me in 4th place about 10 seconds behind the Amuse S2000. At the first checkpoint on lap # 16, I see that the HKA CT230R has a 34 second lead over me.

When I begin lap # 17, I see that the leading HKS CT230R has a 28 second lead over me. During the lap, I see that the leading HKS CT230R has started bo fade, and he loses a drafting duel to the FT565 Audi as they drive down Dottinger. The Audi takes over 1st place in the race.

When I begin lap # 18, I see that I'm 25 seconds behind the leading FT565 Audi. I also notice that the 5th place Mine's BNR34 Skyline Vspec has gained a bunch of time on me and is only about 3 seconds behind me. I catch the 3rd place Amuse S2000 GT1 as we go thru Klostertal on lap # 18. The Amuse S2000 has very worn tires, so I get a better launch up the hill towards the Karussel and take over 3rd place in the race. The Mine's BNR34 Skyline Vspec, who's been following me closely, also makes short work of the Amuse S2000 and continues to lurk in my mirrors. The Mine's BNR34 Skyline Vspec uses a draft off my Acurra NSX to drive past me going down Dottinger, so I re-pass him at the Antoniusbuche overpass. I dive into the pits at the end of the lap for new tires and 47 liters of fuel. The 2nd place HKS CT230R is aleady in the pits in front of me since he just finished a 6 lap stint on his tires. The Mine's BNR34 Skyline Vspec drives past jsut as I pit and heads offf for another lap in 2nd place. After 30 seconds, the Mine's BNR34 Skyline N1 base '06 drives past my stationary Acura and takes over 3rd place in the race. After 35 seconds or so, the Amuse S2000 finally follows us into the pits. The Amuse S2000 lost 35 seconds between the Karussel and the end of the lap driving on 5 1/2 lap tires.

After 42 seconds in the pits, I finally get released and head off to begin lap # 19 in 5th place. The HKS CT230R was released from the pits about two seconds before me, so I've got a rabbit to chase this lap. At the first checkpoint on lap # 19, I see that I'm 1 minute and 22 seconds behind the leading FT565 Audi. I catch up with the 4th place HKS CT230R as we get to Brunnchen. I follow closely for a few corners and then pass the HKS CT230R when he slows too much going into the Kleine-Karussel. The HKS CT230R gets to my rear-bumper going down Dottinger, but does not try to get past.

As I cross the S/F line to begin lap # 20, I see that the FT565 Audi has a 1 minute and 18 second lead over me. The HKS CT230R does drive past on the run into turn one, but as usual, I late-brake him and take the position right back. When I make the turn towards the Eiskurve, I catch a glimpse of the 3rd place Mine's BNR34 Skyline N1 base '06, so I suspect that all the front-runners are coming back to me since they are on worn tires at this point in the race, and will likely all need to pit. At the T10 checkpoint, I see that I'm now only 68 seconds behind the leading FT565 Audi. As I begin my drive down Dottinger, I catch the 12th place NISMO 400R and use a brief draft to accelerate past. This draft enables me to set my fastest lap of the race which is a 9.00.094.

When I begin lap # 21, I see that I have passed the Mine's BNR34 N1 base '06 and the Mine's BNR Skyline Vspec, who are both still in the pits. The FT565 Audi has been released from his pit stop, but is slower to get underway, so I beat him to turn one. At the first checkpoint on lap #1, I have a 0.9 second lead over the FT565 Audi. The HKS CT230R is 1 second further back in 3rd place. My Accura NSX gets a little out of shape going thru Schweden Kreuz so the Audi gets past me going into Aremburg. I chase hard, and re-pass the Audi going thru Breidscheid. The Audi exhibits his superior top-end speed as he drives past me going down Dottinger. I catch his draft and re-pass him going thru the Hohenrain esses.

The FT565 Audi beats me to the S/F line as I begin lap # 22 with a deficit of 0.002 seconds!

I immediately re-pass the Audi going thru turn one. Just like last lap, the FT565 Audi drives past me going down Dottinger, so I re-pass him going thru the Hohenrain esses, which does cause a little bit of paint to be exchanged. I head into the pits for my final stop and take on 41 liters of fuel. This should be enough to get me to the end of the race. While I'm in the pits, the HKS CT230R drives past. After 30 seconds, the Mine's BNR34 Skyline Vspec drives past as well. After 35 seconds, the Amuse S2000 GT1 also drives past the pits and drops me down to 5th place in the race.

I get released from the pits and begin lap # 23 before any more cars come past, but I can see the 6th place Mine's BNR34 N1 base '06, who is about 10 seconds further back, and just starting to come thru the final esses. At the first checkpoint on lap # 23, I see that I'm 44 seconds behind the leading FT565 Audi. This is a small enough margin, so I should be able to pass the Audi when he pits at the end of lap # 25 if I don't lose any time over the last few laps.

When I begin lap # 24, I see that I'm 43 seconds behind the leading FT565 Audi. I also see that I'm only about 5 seconds behind the 4th place Amuse S2000, so I should be able to catch him soon, since he's on worn 6 lap tires. I catch the Amuse S2000 when we get to the Hatzenbach esses, so I put a move on him and pass him going thru Hocheichen. Up next is the 3rd place Mine's BNR Skyline Vspec, who has about a 5 second lead over me when I catch a glimpse of him going thru Eiskurve.

Just after I begin lap # 25, I pass the HKS CT230R who has just pitted, so I take over 3rd place in the race. I'm still some 36 seconds behind the leading FT565 Audi. I get a good run thru Flugplatz and Kottenborn, so I catch up with the 2nd place Mine's BNR34 Skyline Vspec as we exit Aremburg and head down the hill towards Fuchsrohre. I look for an opening to get past at Adenaur Forst, but don't find one since the Mine's BNR34 Skyline takes away the racing line. A bit later, the Mine's BNR34 Skyline is slow going thru Kallenhard, so I pounce and drive around the outside of the BNR34 Skyline and take over 2nd place in the race. There's 12 minutes left in the race and there's only one car ahead of me!

When I cross the S/F line to begin lap # 26, I see that the leading FT565 Audi has pitted, so seconds later I drive past and take over the lead of the race! The race clock shows 8m19sec's left, so I've begun my final lap. At the 2nd checkpoint on lap # 26, I see that I have a 39 second lead over the FT565 Audi. The HKS CT230R is in 3rd, the Mine's BNR34 Skyline Vspec is in 4th, the other Mine's Skyline is in 5th, the Amuse S2000 is in 6th, the NISMO Fairlady Z-tune is in 7th. I drive under the T10 banner with a 38 second lead, a few seconds before the 4 hour mark is reached, so I know I'm home free.

After 4 hours, 0 minutes and 45 seconds I cross the Finish line and take the win!

My final lap was a 9.05.5xx, which was quite decent since I was still enjoying the drive.

Enjoy the racing!
GTsail

 

[GTsail]

After using my RUF RGT '00 for some online racing, I decided to to give it another shot at the 'Ring. I have my pit crew install a few parts and end up with the following spec's:

Horsepower: 337
Weight: 1390 (60kg of ballast was added)
PP value: 480
Tires: SS (sport soft tires used throughout race)

On the starting grid were the usual suspects:
1) Mine's BNR34 Skyline GTR Vspec
2) FT565 Audi TT
3) Amuse S2000 GT1
4) NISMO 400R
5) HPA Stage II R32
6) HKS CT230R
7) RUF RGT '00 (driven by GTsail)
8) NISMO Skyline GTR R-tune
9) NISMO Fairlady Z Z-tune
10) Mine's BNR34 Skyline GTR N1 base '06
11) Nissan Gran Turismo Skyline GTR
12) NISMO 380RS Super Leggera

Fromn the start I get dropped to 10th place but immediately pass the Mine's BNR34 Skyline '06 in turn one and take over 9th place in the race. I go up the inside of the NISMO Skyline R-tune in turn three and quickly take over 8th place. The NISMO 400R is a bit slow on acceleration coming out of the GP chicane, so I pass him as we make the final left-hander on the GP circuit. The NISMO Fairlady Z Z-tune is fairly slow going thru turn one on the Nordschleife circuit proper, so I pass him as well and take over 6th place. I reach the rear-bumper of the 5th place HKS CT230R as we get to Adenaur Forst, but can't find an opening to get past. I continue to follow closely and when the HKS slows going thru Wehrseifen, I muscle my way past and take over 5th place.

When I cross the S/F line to begin lap # 2, I have the NISMO Fairlady Z-tune along-side me and I'm 11.5 seconds behind the leading FT565 Audi TT after a 9.16.9xx lap. The Fairlady drives past and is closely followed by the HKS CT230R, so I lose two places going into turn one. I out-brake the HKS CT230R going thru the turn and re-take 6th place in the race. In an effort to stay ahead of the HKS CT230R, I carry too much speed into Mutkurve and drive off into the grass for a little armco rubbing. This causes me to lose the position to the HKS CT230R. I continue on without my right-side mirror and I'm able to catch and pass the HKS CT230R going thru Pflanzgarten III (perhaps due to my newly streamlined RUF!). The HKS CT230R drives past me going down Dottinger, but I think that his top speed is limited to about 170mph, so I'm able to draft back past him as we get to the Antoniusbuche overpass. Lap # 2 was done in 9.05.7xx.

I begin lap # 3, 17 seconds behind the leading FT565 Audi and get immediately passed by the HKS CT230R going down the S/F straight. I dive in towards the apex of turn one and take the position right back! During lap # 3, I push my RUF hard but can't quite catch the 5th place HPA Stage II before Galgenkopf, so I don't get the draft down Dottinger that I had hoped for.

When I cross the S/F line to begin lap # 4, I see that I'm 19 seconds behind the leader of the race. I think that the 5th place HPA Stage II is slowing down a bit because I'm able to catch and pass him going thru Breidscheid with ease.

I begin lap # 5 some 21 seconds behind the leader. About half-way thru lap # 5, I have to slow down since my tires are nearly gone, however the good news is that so are the tires of the four front-runners, since I can see that they are all starting to come back to me. I catch a slowly moving NISMO Fairlady Z-tune when we get to the Kleine-Karussel. I take the inside of the turn and pass the Fairlady for 4th place. The Fairlady Z-tune had recently been leading the race so his tires have really fallen off. I dive into the pits at the end of the lap for a new set of SS tires and see that I've used 56 liters of fuel. I decide to take on 26 liters, which will give me a total of 70 liters for my next stint. Already in the pits are the Mine's BNR34 Skyline Vspec and the FT565 Audi. The Amuse S2000 GT1 continues on, so he takes over 1st place in the race. After about 5 seconds, the HKS CT230R drives past the pits and takes over 2nd place in the race. After another 5 seconds, the NISMO 380RS Super Leggera also drives past the pits and takes over 3rd place in the race. After 32 seconds, my RUF gets released, so I beat both the Mine's BNR34 Skyline and the FT565 Audi out of the pits which means that I'm now in 4th place.

At the first checkpoint on lap # 6, I see that I'm 52 seconds behind the leading Amuse S2000. The HKS CT230R is in 2nd place and the NISMO 380RS Super Leggera is in 3rd. The three leaders are all on 6 lap tires so they start to come back to me during the lap. I catch a slowly moving NISMO 380RS Leggera going into the Kleine-Karussel so I easily pass him on the exit. The 2nd place Amuse S2000 is just entering Galgenkopf, so I will try to catch him as well. The Amuse S2000 accelerates pretty slowly after Galgenkopf so I pull along-side as we get to the T10 checkpoint. The Amuse finally gets some traction because he immediately drives past me going down Dottinger. I slide over into his slipstream which enables me to drive past him just before the Antoniusbuche overpass. When I start my drive up the S/F straight, I see that the 1st place HKS CT230R is in the pits, so I drive on past and take over the lead of the race!

At the 2nd checkpoint on lap # 7, I see that I have a 13 second lead over the 2nd place FT565 Audi. The Mine's BNR34 Vspec in now in 3rd place, the NISMO Fairlady Z-tune is in 4th, the Mine's BNR34 N1 base '06 is in 5th, the HPA Stage II in in 6th, the HKS CT230R is in 7th, and the NISMO Skyline R-tune is in 8th place.

When the 2nd place FT565 Audi crosses the S/F line to begin lap # 8, I see that I have a 12 second lead.

When I cross the S/F line to begin lap # 9, I can see that the 2nd place FT565 Audi is only 3 seconds behind me. This is an estimate only because the game does not flash the split time when the Audi crosses the S/F line for some reason. During lap # 9, I drive smoothly and increase my lead over the Audi to about 6 seconds before the run down Dottinger. This is still just an estimate because timing and scoring has stopped working. I wonder if they've taken a lunch break?

When the FT565 Audi crosses the S/F line to begin lap # 10, I see that I have a 2.7 second lead. Timing and scoring is back! They only took 9 minutes off for lunch! The NISMO Fairlady Z-tune is 6 seconds further back in 3rd. The Mine's BNR34 Vspec is right behind the Fairlady Z-tune. The other Mine's BNR34 is about 20 seconds further back in 5th place. The HKS CT230R is somewhat further back in 6th place, and the Amuse S2000 GT1 is in 8th place, behind the HPA Stage II R32. Even though my tires are pretty worn out, the lap goes pretty well, so when I dive into the pits at the end of the lap I still have a 4.5 second lead over the 2nd place FT565 Audi. I have my pit crew install another set of SS tires and give me 54 liters of fuel. The FT565 Audi follows me into the pits. About 25 seconds later the 3rd place Mine's BNR34 Vspec joins us as well. After another 10 seconds or so, the 4th place HKS CT230R drives past the pits and takes over 1st place in the race. After another 2 seconds or so, the second Mine's BNR34 joins us in the pits. Quite a crowd!

Just as I get released, the 6th place Amuse S2000 GT1 crosses the S/F line and begins lap # 11. Since the Amuse is going full speed, he easily beats me to turn one and takes over 2nd place in the race. Both the 7th place NISMO Fairlady Z-tune and the 8th place HPA Stage II R32 hit the pits as I get underway. The Amuse S2000 beats me to turn one by about 1.5 seconds. At the first checkpoint on lap # 11, I see that I'm 16 seconds behind the leading HKS CT230R. Eventually I need to catch him, but right now I will try to catch the Amuse S2000 who is only a little bit in front of me. I get close to the Amuse S2000 going into Adenaur Forst, and then close again going into Ex-Muhle, but both times the Amuse accelerates away from me before I have a chance. I close up again going thru the Karussel, but still not quite close enough to give the Amuse a scare. I reach the Amuse's rear-bumper going thru Brunnchen and give him a nice tap to remind him who has better tires! I give him another tap when he slows too much under braking for Schwalbenschwanz. With my fresher tires I'm able to carry more speed thru Galgenkopf, so I pull along-side the Amuse as we begin the drive down Dottinger. At the T10 checkpoint we are side-by-side and then the Amuse starts to edge in front of me, so I slide over and catch his draft. The Amuse drags me up to 178 mph before I bounce off the rev-limiter.

I continue to follow the Amuse S2000 and begin lap # 12 in 3rd place some 11 seconds behind the leading HKS CT230R. The Amuse S2000 is a bit slow going thru turn # 3, so I drive past and take over 2nd place in the race. The leading HKS CT230R is moving a little slower than normal (he's on badly worn 6 lap tires), so I catch and pass him going thru Pflanzgarten III and take over the lead of the race!

I cross the S/F line and begin lap # 13 with a 3 second lead over the HKS CT230R who heads into the pits. At the first checkpoint on lap # 13, I see that I have a 23 second lead over the FT565 Audi who has taken over 2nd place. The NISMO Fairlady Z-tune is in 3rd, the Mine's BNR34 Skyline Vspec is in 4th, the Mine's BNR34 Skyline N1 base '06 is in 5th, the HKS CT230R has dropped back to 6th place.

I have a 24 second lead over the FT565 Audi when I begin lap # 14. I dive into the pits at the end of lap # 14 and take on 38 liters of fuel and some new SS tires. While I'm in the pits the FT565 Audi drives by and takes over the lead of the race.

After 37 seconds in the pits, I get released and start off after the Audi. The 3rd place NISMO Fairlady Z-tune has just started up the S/F straight when I get underway. So he's just behind me as I go thru turn one on lap # 15. At the first checkpoint on lap # 15, I see that I'm 18 seconds behind the leading FT565 Audi. The Audi pits at the end of lap # 15, so I drive past and take over the lead of the race again.

At the 2nd checkpoint on lap # 16, I see that I have a 27 second lead over the HKS CT230R. The FT565 Audi is now in 3rd, the Mine's BNR34 Skyline Vspec is in 4th, the Amuse S2000 is in 5th, the NISMO 380RS Leggera is in 6th, the Mine's BNR34 Skyline N1 base '06 is in 7th, and the NISMO Fairlady Z-tune has fallen back to 8th place after a slow pit stop.

When I begin lap # 17, I see that I have a 36 second lead over the HKS CT230R.

When I begin lap # 18, I see that I have a 41 second lead over the HKS CT230R. I head into the pits at the end of the lap and take on 44 liters of fuel.

I get released from the pits just as the 2nd place HKS CT230R enters the pits for his stop. At the first checkpoint on lap # 19, I see that I have a 7 second lead over the 2nd place FT565 Audi. The Mine's BNR34 Skyline Vspec is in 3rd, the NISMO Fairlady Z-tune is in 4th, and the Mine's BNR34 Skyline N1 base '06 is in 5th place.

When I cross the S/F line to begin lap # 20, I see that the 12th place car is in the pits. My guess is that its the NISMO 400R. When the FT565 Audi crosses the S/F line to begin lap # 20, I see that I have a 9 second lead. When the 60 minute timer comes up, I see that I have a 14 second lead over the 2nd place FT565 Audi.

When the FT565 Audi dives into the pits at the end of lap # 20, I see that I have a 17 second lead over him as I begin lap # 21. At the 2nd checkpoint on lap # 21, I see that I now have a 70 second lead over the HKS CT230R who is now the 2nd place car.

When the HKS CT230R crosses the S/F line to begin lap # 22, I see that I have a 74 second lead over him. At the end of lap # 22, I head into the pits and get a new set of SS tires and add 50 liters of fuel to my tank.

I get into and out of the pits before the 2nd place HKS CT230R shows up, so the race certainly looks to be mine! At the first checkpoint on lap # 23, I see that I have 25 second lead over the HKS CT230R.

When the 2nd place FT565 Audi crosses the S/F line to begin lap # 24, I see that I have a 36 second lead. The HKS CT230R has fallen back to 3rd place in the race due to his worn tires.

When the 2nd place FT565 Audi crosses the S/F line to begin lap # 25, I see that I have a 41 second lead over him.

When I cross the S/F line to begin lap # 26, I see that there is 9 minutes and 29 seconds left in the race. I also see that I have 50 second lead over the 2nd place FT565 Audi. At the T10 checkpoint I have a 1 minute and 50 second lead over the 2nd place FT565 Audi who must have pitted. I slow down since I need to waste 25 seconds and cross the FINISH LINE after a 9 minute and 33 second lap for the WIN!

Total race time was 4 hours 0 minutes and 3 seconds.

As you can tell, by the end of the race, my RUF was the class of the field. All the other cars seemed to fade more than I expected. The RUF RGT is a bit of a handful on worn tires, but on fresh tires its very fast and I highly recommend it. I was not keeping track of my exact lap times, but my race notes say that I did four 9 minute flat laps (lap # 7, lap # 12, lap # 16 and lap # 24). So the RUF RGT can certainly win the race with a lower tune than the 480PP value that I had.

Enjoy the racing!
GTsail

 

[GTsail]

I've decided to take out the wonderful Honda NSX Type R '02 for another spin on the Nurburgring. I have my pit crew perform their usual magic and end up with the following spec's:

Horsepower: 321
Weight: 1350 (80kg's were added)
PP value: 478
Tires: SS (sport soft tires used throughout race)

On the starting grid are some of the usual suspects:
1) Nissan Gran Turismo Skyline
2) High End Performance G37
3) Amuse S2000 GT1 '04
4) NISMO Fairlady Z Z-tune
5) Mine's Lancer EVO VI
6) Opera Gran Turismo 350Z RS
7) Honda NSX Type R (driven by GTsail)
8) Opera 350Z '04
9) NISMO Skyline GTR S-tune
10) AEM S2000
11) RE Amemiya FD3S RX-7
12) NISMO 380RS Super Leggera

After the flag drops, I get dropped to 12th place as the field shows off their superior power and launch control. I pass the NISMO Super Leggera going thru turn one, so the game is afoot. I drive around the outside of the NISMO Skyline S-tune going thru turn five, and take over 10th place in the race. Next up is the RE Amemiya RX-7, who gets passed by my Honda NSX during heavy braking for the last left-hander on the GP circuit. Just ahead, in the same turn, is the 8th place Mine's Lancer EVO VI (who really doesn't belong in the race). I put a move on the Mine's Lancer EVO going thru the left-hander, and take the position as we exit the corner and head onto the Nurburgring circuit itself.

more to follow.....
GTsail