All Japan GT Championship
I think that every JGTC supporter has one unique dream; to be able to beat GT500 car with a GT300 car. While in real life this proves to be quite difficult, in GT4 this
is possible due to some... hm...issues. So, in order to celebrate GT300 class I'll enter the competition with my lovely...
Toyota Superautobacs APEX MR-S (JGTC)
Power: 320 HP (oil)
Weight: 1125 kg
Tires: Racing Hard (R2/R2)
However, I have to make sure that I avoid racing fast rabbits like Motul Pitwork Z, Xanavi Nismo GT-R or Woodone Tom's Supra. The reason is simple; I want to race with all cars, not with just one. After a bit searching I found ideal AI grid filled with
ordinary JGTC cars:
Pennzoil Nismo GT-R (JGTC) '99
Castrol Tom's Supra (JGTC) '00
Castrol MUGEN NSX (JGTC) '00
au Cerumo Supra (JGTC) '01
Takata Dome NSX (JGTC) '03
Superautobacs APEX MR-S (JGTC) '00
Current setup:
Brakes: 5/4
Springs: 11.0/11.0
Ride Height: 75/75
Bound: 4/8
Rebound: 5/7
Camber: 2.0/1.0
Toe: 0/0
Stabiliser: 5/5
Downforce: 30/45
LSD: 5/35/25
TCS / ASM: 0/0
The setup could be enhanced a little bit more but since it works great, I don't want to touch anything more then necessary. Understeer is at the minimum and oversteer is on tolerable level, except during braking where I have to be a little more careful.
Race 1. Tokyo Route 246 (5 laps):
Qualification results:
1st - Toyota Superautobacs APEX MR-S '00 --- 1'42.842
2nd - Toyota au Cerumo Supra (JGTC) '01
3rd - Honda Takata Dome NSX (JGTC) '03
4th - Toyota Castrol Tom's Supra (JGTC) '00
5th - Nissan Pennzoil Nismo GT-R (JGTC) '99
6th - Honda Castrol MUGEN NSX (JGTC) '00
Race report:
Very bad acceleration (forgot to rev the engine high enough
), overtaken by almost anyone but somehow managed to retrieve 4th position on first corner. Uh, that was close
. I'm now gaining Takata who dropped to 3rd place right from the start, it looks like the gap is closing on T6. Yep, I managed to pass her on T7 from the inside and now I'm after Tom's Supra
. So far it's easy to catch up with the field since AI doesn't do well with cold tires. Hm, what will happen afterwards ? Well, now it's not time to think about that, rather think about how you failed to overtake Tom on last corner and how I'm losing him now
. Moreover, Takata picked enough speed on that straightway (Lap 2; difference is +0'01.881 - I must hurry, otherwise Cerumo will disappear) , so now I'm again on 4th position. Would you believe me if I were to tell you that the next 2 laps will be fully edged battle just against Takata ? Well, it is and whenever I have managed to overtake her ass, she would regain previous position on the straightway. I think I had at least 3 unsuccessful attempts but all of them were so close. But being close is not enough Matej, you need to push it more
!!! On lap 4 difference was +0'07.018. Yep, Cerumo is out of question, but who cares, now I need to think about securing that 4th position because our new guest is Pennzoil !!! This situation means only one thing; their tires are on optimal temperature and now, on final lap, I'm desperately trying to pull away but without success. Guess who pulled away ? Mrs. Takata, and she leaves me here with Pennzoil (who, by the way, overtook me on T4 from the inside ) and ... Mugen NSX
?! What's going on here ?! Even after T6 she was very close and I knew that I must hurry in order to stay (at least) on 5th position. Somehow I managed to overtook Pennzoil on T9 but car suddenly understeered (why now ?!
) and I had to brake in order to avoid hitting the outside wall. I never liked that corner, and now, on top of everything, it's working against me. Due to speed loss caused by hard braking, Pennzoil retrieved previous position and now we're exiting the final corner, and running towards the finish line. I tried to use as much slipstream as possible but it was useless; Pennzoil got away. Terrible. Oh, and do you know what happened to Mugen, that Mugen who crawled behind me like a snake ? Check the results, I'm to weak now, to speak
...
Race results (200 A-spec):
1st - Toyota au Cerumo Supra (JGTC) '01 --- 8'25.509
2nd - Toyota Castrol Tom's Supra (JGTC) '00 --- +0'01.161
3rd - Honda Takata Dome NSX (JGTC) '03 --- +0'08.581
4th - Nissan Pennzoil Nismo GT-R (JGTC) '99 --- +0'13.470
5th - Honda Castrol MUGEN NSX (JGTC) '00 --- +0'14.878
6th - Toyota Superautobacs APEX MR-S '00 --- + 0'14.897
Conclusion:
Actually, I was skeptical from the beginning, Tokyo 246 is the ultimate track for AI, so somehow it was quite obvious that I will watch everyone's taillights. It's also very difficult track especially for MR drivetrain. I didn't said that, but I actually sweated a lot, since MR-S has a bad habit of doing sudden handling maneuvers if pushed to far. At least it was fun, though. Anyway, time for Suzuka, things will be quite different there...
Race 2. Suzuka Circuit East Course (10 laps):
Qualification results:
1st - Toyota Superautobacs APEX MR-S '00 --- 0'50.747
2nd - Toyota au Cerumo Supra (JGTC) '01
3rd - Honda Takata Dome NSX (JGTC) '03
4th - Honda Castrol MUGEN NSX (JGTC) '00
5th - Toyota Castrol Tom's Supra (JGTC) '00
6th - Nissan Pennzoil Nismo GT-R (JGTC) '99
Race report:
Nice start with excellent rev zone (you finally learned, haven't you ? 💡), but despite this, Cerumo still managed to overtook me before we reached the first corner. Surprisingly, Mrs Takata had terrible acceleration so she slowed down everyone. Aaa ? What happened, did she forgot that we're racing not
cruising 
... well who cares, at least I have one thing less to worry about. On first section of corners I'm closing up the gap between Cerumo and myself and I managed to overtook her on
Dunlop curve corner from the inside. I'm first
!!! But straightway is coming so I'm starting to feel uncomfortable; can he reach me ? I had an excellent driving line on
Last Curve but the straights are quite long here and if he brakes too late he we'll launch me to the sand traps
... No!! Stop doing that
! Think positive, he's still far away, so don't panic. We entered the second lap and I saw -0'00.987 difference; I guess he can't reach me. But let's not celebrate yet. I could still lost control since this tracks requires surgical precision when releasing acceleration. My tires are already picking up enough grip and now I got little more confidence. Go, little MR-S !!! Lap 3 and difference is -0.02.638. Good, let's keep up. Oh, as a side note, Takata is constantly blocking other cars in the field
. Anyway, we're now entering lap 5 and gap has increased to -0'06 sec
. Yep, I think I'll do a good job here. And just when I thought that my Tokyo misery was finally eradicated I noticed that Cerumo is closing gap (Lap 7 -0'05.869
). Tires ? Could be but is too early to judge, for now it's important to stay focused. I guess that you're the real example of how focused driver should be as on lap 8 you managed to touch the grass between
Dunlop and
Last Curve, almost losing complete control
. Luckily, speed was quite low, so little countersteer and applied brakes managed to solve the issue. However speed loss occured and now let's take a look on split times; Lap 9 - -0'04.820. You're doing wonderful thing Matej, any more low-level surprises
? Still, two laps to go and Cerumo is quite far away. Difference on final lap was -0'04.050. Well, time to relax. Why you wonder ? Obviously, because I won the race !! Yeaaah, time to celebrate.
Race results (200 A-spec):
1st - Toyota Superautobacs APEX MR-S '00 --- 10'09.992
2nd - Toyota au Cerumo Supra (JGTC) '01 --- +0'03.263
3rd - Toyota Castrol Tom's Supra (JGTC) '00 --- +0'08.022
4th - Honda Takata Dome NSX (JGTC) '03 --- +0'11.587
5th - Honda Castrol MUGEN NSX (JGTC) '00 --- +0'17.479
6th - Nissan Pennzoil Nismo GT-R (JGTC) '99 --- +0'18.724
Conclusion:
Well, small tracks for small class. What else should I say ? It suits GT300 cars perfectly and honestly, it's the best track (along with Tsukuba and long Suzuka) for testing your driving and tuning skills. Anyway, I just need to improve my consistency when pressure is on max level, otherwise I will suffer great fail ; difficult tracks are coming, so it's mandatory to keep your head cool. See you at the Seoul !
Race 3. Seoul Central (10 laps):
Qualification results:
1st - Toyota Superautobacs APEX MR-S '00 --- 1'00.149
2nd - Nissan Pennzoil Nismo GT-R (JGTC) '99
3rd - Toyota au Cerumo Supra (JGTC) '01
4th - Honda Takata Dome NSX (JGTC) '03
5th - Toyota Castrol Tom's Supra (JGTC) '00
6th - Honda Castrol MUGEN NSX (JGTC) '00
Race report:
Rolling start, finally! This will give me some extra time to run away from the field on that straightway as much as possible. I guess I was right - only Pennzoil overtook me but somehow I've managed to stay near him on the first corner. More corners are coming and it's now time to make a move. However, after the second corner he began to increase the gap and now I'm afraid that I won't be able to find a good place for overtaking. Lap 2 and the difference is +0'00.690. Despite the fact that I love city tracks and that I'm tackling those corners with maximum precision
, he's still very fast and if I can't get him on that first corner where he (or all of them) usually slows down too much, I will lose the race!! If we also include the fact that Cerumo is still far away, I think we can easily deduce Nissan's dominance on city tracks. Well, at least I'm still in front of Cerumo and that's all that matters for now
. To contradict myself now, I have managed to hit the inside wall on T4 corner which launched my car to the outside wall on T4 exit, resulting in a huge loss of speed
. I'm very impressed with your driving ignorance Matej, maybe you should let the Cerumo overtake you, so that we can stop with this reckless driving
. Lap 3, difference is +0'01.628 and increasing. I guess this is over now, I just need to secure my 2nd place by driving as fast as possible in order to avoid Cerumo meeting. She is faster then me, but the last corner is where I usually gain some advantage. My only hope is that Cerumo will keep his mouth shut and that Pennzoil will do some mistake, but I guess I'm not that lucky (emphasis on last part of sentence). We're now on lap 8 and nothing changed really
, difference is now +0'04.201 and Cerumo still keeps the same distance from me. Obviously, I can start declaring my 2nd place
. Final lap and difference is +0'05.573. Passed the finish line with silver trophy in my hands. Phew, what a race...
Race results (200 A-spec):
1st - Nissan Pennzoil Nismo GT-R (JGTC) '99 --- 9'51.064
2nd - Toyota Superautobacs APEX MR-S '00 --- +0'05.985
3rd - Toyota au Cerumo Supra (JGTC) '01 --- +0.09.839
4th - Honda Takata Dome NSX (JGTC) '03 --- +0'13.046
5th - Toyota Castrol Tom's Supra (JGTC) '00 --- +0'17.859
6th - Honda Castrol MUGEN NSX (JGTC) '00 --- +0'24.396
Since we had various winners from the start, I think it's now time to check our current placements:
Current standings (after 3rd race):
1st -
au Cerumo Supra (JGTC) '01 -
20pts
2nd -
Superautobacs APEX MR-S '00 ---
17pts
3rd -
Pennzoil Nismo GT-R (JGTC) '99 ---
14pts
4th -
Castrol Tom's Supra (JGTC) '00 ---
12pts
5th -
Takata Dome NSX (JGTC) '03 ---
10pts
6th -
Castrol MUGEN NSX (JGTC) '00 ---
5pts
Conclusion:
Honda underdogs are sharing last places while Toyota's are on top. I just hope I will gather some advantage once we reach Hong Kong, since Cerumo obviously, doesn't do well on city tracks. See you at the Fuji !!
Race 4. Fuji Speedway 90's (6 laps):
Qualification results:
1st - Toyota Superautobacs APEX MR-S '00 --- 1'31.388
2nd - Toyota au Cerumo Supra (JGTC) '01
3rd - Honda Takata Dome NSX (JGTC) '03
4th - Nissan Pennzoil Nismo GT-R (JGTC) '99
5th - Toyota Castrol Tom's Supra (JGTC) '00
6th - Honda Castrol MUGEN NSX (JGTC) '00
Race report:
Great acceleration but as always, someone took advantage of his torque to overtake me; this time it was Cerumo and Pennzoil, almost Takata too
! On first corner I've managed to remain on 3rd place and now I was hunting Pennzoil and Cerumo. This time they had quite nice driving line despite their cold tires, so I struggled up a bit to overtake Pennzoil on first couple of corners
. Straightway was not painful as I thought it would be, mainly due to their deceleration on last long corner, so using the slipstream I've managed to stick with him all the way up to the first corner on second lap
. Finally, I made my move on T7 corner; super late braking and Poof !... Pennzoil was dispatched by taking the inside line almost launching myself out of the track
but luckily, nothing bad happened. He passed me on the straightway but previous position was retrieved by performing late braking (again !!!
). We're now on lap 3 and I'm gradually loosing Pennzoil. Lap 4 and difference was +0'01.909 for Cerumo. Yep, she's not far away but I'm definitely far from 1st place. Even if I can keep up on the corners she always makes up for that on straights - like always. On T5 I touched the grass on the corner exit almost spi... well I did recovered but the gap was now +0'03.822 (lap 5). It doesn't matter actually (second place is secured), so I'll skip harsh words and personal abuse
. Pennzoil is still far away which means that I can relax a bit. Finished the race 2nd with +0'06.307 difference. Solid race, I must say.
Race results (200 A-spec):
1st - Toyota au Cerumo Supra (JGTC) '01 --- 9'08.818
2nd - Toyota Superautobacs APEX MR-S '00 --- +0.06.307
3rd - Nissan Pennzoil Nismo GT-R (JGTC) '99 --- +0'09.247
4th - Honda Takata Dome NSX (JGTC) '03 --- +0'12.451
5th - Toyota Castrol Tom's Supra (JGTC) '00 --- +0'14.566
6th - Honda Castrol MUGEN NSX (JGTC) '00 --- +0'19.882
Conclusion:
Cerumo is definitely the biggest threat here and I just can't find proper circuit to use my handling abilities. Well, the next track is even worse, so until we reach the Hong Kong I need to hold my breath. Next station, ugly Super Speedway!!
Race 5. Twin Ring Motegi Super Speedway (12 laps):
Qualification results:
1st - Honda Takata Dome NSX (JGTC) '03
2nd - Toyota Superautobacs APEX MR-S '00 --- 0'37.572
3rd - Toyota au Cerumo Supra (JGTC) '01
4th - Toyota Castrol Tom's Supra (JGTC) '00
5th - Nissan Pennzoil Nismo GT-R (JGTC) '99
6th - Honda Castrol MUGEN NSX (JGTC) '00
Race report:
Surprisingly, Takata is totally unbeatable here which is a good news if you know how to use such fact. Obviously I don't know, not with 300hp car and micro downforce. My progress here was based purely on drafting and nothing else. Well, back to topic. Cerumo overtook me but I retrieved position on the T2. Same thing on last corner. On Lap 2 Tom's joined the
conference , so now I had the same procedure with both Supra's. Triple battle of Toyota models, very interesting and unique 👍. Lap 3 and difference was +0'01.971; maybe it's best to forget about Takata, who really cares when you're constantly in battle with Toyota sisters . Overtake on corner exits, watch being passed on corner entries; yeah, that used to be a routine up to the lap 7 (where tragedy occurred) but at least it was a very fun while it lasted. Just imagine endurance with JGTC cars on this track. Beautifully. But I guess PD's imagination is not on such level... yet. On lap 6 the difference between Cerumo and myself was +0'01.599. I started to think whether I (read:
we , they are still near me!!
) can reach Takata using only slipstream. But that hope passed away on lap 7 since I took the outside line (why are you doing this in a first place ?? Are you sick ?
) on the first corner and couldn't clear the whole corner without releasing the acceleration pedal. Now you think, should I hit the wall a bit, or should I say my prayers and release the acceleration pedal and cope with sudden... whatever it comes ?? I decided to hit the wall
and luckily, the hit was quite small, so I lost only a small fraction of speed. Of course that was more then enough to lose the Supra folks and now I'm, for the first time, sharing the 4th place with my MR-S
. Well, it's was a good experience at the end but without drafting MR_S is vulnerable here.
Race results (200 A-spec):
1st - Honda Takata Dome NSX (JGTC) '03 --- 7'23.871
2nd - Toyota au Cerumo Supra (JGTC) '01 --- +0'00.687
3rd - Toyota Castrol Tom's Supra (JGTC) '00 --- +0'02.048
4th - Toyota Superautobacs APEX MR-S '00 --- +0'04.737
5th - Nissan Pennzoil Nismo GT-R (JGTC) '99 --- +0'09.372
6th - Honda Castrol MUGEN NSX (JGTC) '00 --- +0'17.360
Conclusion:
Our next location is Laguna Seca, it's time to raise up my points a bit!! I presume that both Laguna and Hong Kong will be my last chance to win this tournament. After that, well...
Race 6. Laguna Seca (7 laps):
Qualification results:
1st - Toyota Superautobacs APEX MR-S '00 --- 1'29.433
2nd - Honda Takata Dome NSX (JGTC) '03
3rd - Toyota au Cerumo Supra (JGTC) '01
4th - Toyota Castrol Tom's Supra (JGTC) '00
5th - Honda Castrol MUGEN NSX (JGTC) '00
6th - Nissan Pennzoil Nismo GT-R (JGTC) '99
Race report:
This is going to be the shortest report I had made so far, for one simple reason; AI drives sooo slow here, are they on drugs or what
? And what JGTC events is doing in America in a first place ? Ok, let's forget about this things. Usually, this circuit is fun and challenging to drive but only if you have
someone to race with. Honestly, I was racing alone for the whole race. On lap 2 difference was -0'04.487 sec while on lap 4 it was -0'09.462 . Only disturbing thing that happened was when the Takata was overtaken by Cerumo
on lap 4 which is something I do not approve since it will affect my points, but in general it's ok, at least I'm first. rest of the race was pure boredom. Digging your nose (or someone's else) is more fun then this. You know how many people usually dig nose with small finger or forefinger ? Well, you can try digging with other fingers, I do believe that you will come up with an interesting results !! You'll receive +Rep if you can drive with other hand in the same time, too. You also have enough time to wash you hands before Cerumo overtakes you...
.
Race results (200 A-spec):
1st - Toyota Superautobacs APEX MR-S '00 --- 10'20.843
2nd - Toyota au Cerumo Supra (JGTC) '01 --- +0'12.326
3rd - Toyota Castrol Tom's Supra (JGTC) '00 --- +0'16.356
4th - Honda Takata Dome NSX (JGTC) '03 --- +0'21.664
5th - Nissan Pennzoil Nismo GT-R (JGTC) '99 --- +0'23.823
6th - Honda Castrol MUGEN NSX (JGTC) '00 --- +0'31.445
Conclusion:
Takata glows on first couple of laps but then she gives up after that. Well, I don't mind as long as she keeps the 2nd place away from the Cerumo. Anyway, Hong Kong is next and is time to increase my standings even further. So far so good!!
Race 7. Hong Kong (9 laps):
Qualification results:
1st - Toyota Superautobacs APEX MR-S '00 --- 1'23.543
2nd - Toyota au Cerumo Supra (JGTC) '01
3rd - Honda Takata Dome NSX (JGTC) '03
4th - Nissan Pennzoil Nismo GT-R (JGTC) '99
5th - Toyota Castrol Tom's Supra (JGTC) '00
6th - Honda Castrol MUGEN NSX (JGTC) '00
Race report:
This report is going to be short too, since the whole race was monotonous except the fact that I
did had some things to worry about; Cerumo on my tail for example. On first couple of laps everything was fine, the gap was gradually increasing (on lap 2 difference was -0'02.288, on lap 4 -0'03.287) until we reached lap 7, when Cerumo suddenly started to close the gap. Luckily, on such narrow track there are no good overtaking places, so chances that you will be beaten on corners is minimal (straightways are different story, though). We reached the final lap and the difference was -0'01.414. Yep, another sure victory!! And another Takata's blocking actions
. I crossed the finish line with another gold trophy in my hand!! 👍
Race results (200 A-spec):
1st - Toyota Superautobacs APEX MR-S '00 --- 12'28.938
2nd - Toyota au Cerumo Supra (JGTC) '01 --- +0'01.685
3rd - Honda Takata Dome NSX (JGTC) '03 --- +0'14.577
4th - Nissan Pennzoil Nismo GT-R (JGTC) '99 --- +0'15.907
5th - Toyota Castrol Tom's Supra (JGTC) '00 --- +0'16.928
6th - Honda Castrol MUGEN NSX (JGTC) '00 --- +0'23.325
Current standings (after 7th race):
1st -
au Cerumo Supra (JGTC) '01 -
48pts
2nd -
Superautobacs APEX MR-S '00 ---
46pts
3rd -
Takata Dome NSX (JGTC) '03 ---
30pts
4th -
Pennzoil Nismo GT-R (JGTC) '99 ---
25pts
5th -
Castrol Tom's Supra (JGTC) '00 ---
24pts
6th -
Castrol MUGEN NSX (JGTC) '00 ---
9pts
Conclusion:
I still do not understand why Hong Kong is a such unpopular track
, it's narrow, it's beautiful (well, it's my personal opinion but those lights surely looks impressive) and it checks your driving and tuning skills on almost every corner. Anyway, ugly Motegi is next, so I have to take some sleep before going into this sunset boredom. After all, in terms of points, I'm right behind Cerumo!!!
Race 8. Twin Ring Motegi - Road Course (6 laps):
Qualification results:
1st - Toyota Superautobacs APEX MR-S '00 --- 1'57.108
2nd - Toyota au Cerumo Supra (JGTC) '01
3rd - Nissan Pennzoil Nismo GT-R (JGTC) '99
4th - Honda Castrol MUGEN NSX (JGTC) '00
5th - Honda Takata Dome NSX (JGTC) '03
6th - Toyota Castrol Tom's Supra (JGTC) '00
Race report:
Unfortunately, I can't win this one. It's a track made for speed, a factor that still needs to be unleashed from MR-S. For the whole first lap Cerumo was right behind me along with Pennzoil who obviously decided to pick up some extra points before retiring for good
. Lap 2 and the difference is -0'00.478. Uhh I can't escape
!! On
Victory corner I finally got what I deserved - braked too late and my car understeered into sand traps resulting in a huge loss of speed and a definite pass of both Cerumo and Pennzoil
. Yeah Matej, I guess your old wound is still alive and kicking. You can only receive this from me = 👎, and nothing else. But I didn't had any chances here to be honest, sooner or later the same destiny would occur whether I like it or not. Luckily, rest of the field was still far enough, so 3rd place was definite. You know the rest of story; on lap 4 the difference was +0'09.066 while on final lap gap increased significantly to filthy +0'17.490 second difference. Finished the race on 3rd place. What a relief
.
Race results (200 A-spec):
1st - Toyota au Cerumo Supra (JGTC) '01 --- 11'27.871
2nd - Nissan Pennzoil Nismo GT-R (JGTC) '99 --- +0'04.683
3rd - Toyota Superautobacs APEX MR-S '00 --- +0'20.897
4th - Honda Takata Dome NSX (JGTC) '03 --- +0'23.369
5th - Honda Castrol MUGEN NSX (JGTC) '00 --- +0'26.075
6th - Toyota Castrol Tom's Supra (JGTC) '00 --- +0'26.218
Conclusion:
This ugly and boring track ruined my overall position but I still have some chance on Fuji and Suzuka. Hopefully...
Race 9. Fuji Speedway 2005 GT (6 laps):
Qualification results:
1st - Toyota Superautobacs APEX MR-S '00 --- 1'40.003
2nd - Honda Takata Dome NSX (JGTC) '03
3rd - Toyota au Cerumo Supra (JGTC) '01
4th - Toyota Castrol Tom's Supra (JGTC) '00
5th - Honda Castrol MUGEN NSX (JGTC) '00
6th - Nissan Pennzoil Nismo GT-R (JGTC) '99
Race report:
Another easy race, another short report. And whoa, it's been a while since I had a start from a stand still. And despite the nice acceleration, both Takata and Cerumo overtook me before we reached the
First corner. However, I've managed to retrieve 2nd place on
Coca Cola and now I'm gaining on Cerumo. I guess AI stupidity shines again as I retrieved the 1st position on T4/5 from the outside
. Now it's time for running away!! AI slows down quite more then necessary on final section of corners which means that I could save some time before reaching that painful long straightway. And it happened, just as I thought. On lap 2 the difference was -0'02.759, on lap 3 -0'04.154. On lap 4 the gap started to decrease a little bit but nothing too much comparing to Motegi or Tokyo for example. Final lap and the difference is -0'03.946. Yep, another pure victory, who would thought about that ?!
Race results (200 A-spec):
1st - Toyota Superautobacs APEX MR-S '00 --- 10'01.421
2nd - Toyota au Cerumo Supra (JGTC) '01 --- +0'03.193
3rd - Toyota Castrol Tom's Supra (JGTC) '00 --- +0'06.136
4th - Honda Takata Dome NSX (JGTC) '03 --- +0'12.460
5th - Nissan Pennzoil Nismo GT-R (JGTC) '99 --- +0'15.279
6th - Honda Castrol MUGEN NSX (JGTC) '00 --- +0'21.606
Conclusion:
I had a bad expectations on this track since I lost once on Fuji 90's, so I thought that the same situation would occur again on a newer version. But due to AI's pushovers skills I did a great job here, and I just hope that the same luck while shine up on me again, on the final race in Suzuka. I need to win 10 points in next race to equalize my states with Cerumo (if she wins 2nd place) and if that happens I'll win the championship right on the edge. Final race guys, I'm so nervous!!
Race 10. Suzuka Circuit (5 laps):
Qualification results:
1st - Toyota Superautobacs APEX MR-S '00 --- 2'07.527
2nd - Toyota au Cerumo Supra (JGTC) '01
3rd - Honda Takata Dome NSX (JGTC) '03
4th - Toyota Castrol Tom's Supra (JGTC) '00
5th - Nissan Pennzoil Nismo GT-R (JGTC) '99
6th - Honda Castrol MUGEN NSX (JGTC) '00
Race report:
Great acceleration but sadly, this time Takata failed to block the rest of the AI grid, sooo... everyone, yes, everyone
overtook me which came like a shock to me. However, AI's stupidity rocks again 👍, and I've managed to retrieve 4th position from the inside on
1st & 2nd Curve's exit. I also succeeded in overtaking Takata on
Degner curve but she retrieved her previous position using her speed. But I'm still persistent, there is now way I would allow Cerumo's departure
!! I tried again on
200R straightway using slipstream tactics and finally managed to overtook her again on a
Spoon curve from the inside by braking as late as possible. Whoa, I almost touched the outside sand traps but luck is on my side this time
. Well not quite, as Takata swapped places again, on last straightway just before
Casio Triangle. She also tried to compress me out of the track, right on the grass (no brain = much pain
) but I managed to save myself using the extra part of the track. Can you stop with this AI ?? Well, it doesn't matter, I finally secured my 3rd place by literally conquering the
Casio Triangle corner (AI sucks there). Lap 2 and the difference is now +0'03.445 against Cerumo. Uh, I'm afraid that I'm out of this championship for good. I'm driving like a maniac and I still can't catch up with Cerumo
. Well, at least, I'll keep my pride by defeating Tom's as I managed to close the gap on
130R during lap 2 (she made a mistake touching the outside sand traps). However, the procedure was quite the same as with Takata; overtaking maneuvers on corners, watching her ass on straights. Another two laps went by, and I totally forgot about Cerumo (and my trophy). Lap 4 and the difference is +0'05.829; I just need to keep up with Tom's so that I can overtake him on that mighty
Casino corner. And it happened, just as I thought, on the final lap (difference is +0'08.043) I destroyed a bit of Supra's dominance by overtaking her on a ditto corner. She tried to use her speed to change the situation but I'm not giving up. Never!! Yahoo, 2nd place on palm of my hand
. Am I happy ? Tough question, honestly...
Race results (200 A-spec):
1st - Toyota au Cerumo Supra (JGTC) '01 --- 10'25.823
2nd - Toyota Superautobacs APEX MR-S '00 --- +0'10.324
3rd - Toyota Castrol Tom's Supra (JGTC) '00 --- +0'10.678
4th - Honda Takata Dome NSX (JGTC) '03 --- +0'14.317
5th - Nissan Pennzoil Nismo GT-R (JGTC) '99 --- +0'16.493
6th - Honda Castrol MUGEN NSX (JGTC) '00 --- +0'19.519
Final standings:
1st -
au Cerumo Supra (JGTC) '01 -
74pts
2nd -
Superautobacs APEX MR-S '00 ---
66pts
3rd -
Takata Dome NSX (JGTC) '03 ---
39pts
4th -
Pennzoil Nismo GT-R (JGTC) '99 ---
35pts
5th -
Castrol Tom's Supra (JGTC) '00 ---
33pts
6th -
Castrol MUGEN NSX (JGTC) '00 ---
13pts
Conclusion:
I lost the trophy but I'm not sad. In fact, I really have enjoyed the racing, especially on Suzuka East, Hong Kong and Super Speedway where the battle was really intensive on some point. I need to try this again some time, maybe with Cusco Impreza against similar or same opponents
? Well, until that happens see you around!!
Not that I find this unusual or anything, but still... I'm not used to being that popular, you know.
