Intro.
I did Nürburgring 24h in B-spec long time ago.
My Bobs had a hard time to win the race with fully tuned Toyota GT One, even though all Bobs were at level 40 for the time.
Myself I like a challenge and fair fight, I prefer to use bit weaker/odd cars, for example, I did Tsukuba 9h in Lotus Elise (tuned) and Le Mans 24h with stock Toyota GT One.
But taking into consideration the complexity of Nürburgring and experience from B-spec, I wanted a better car for this event. So I took R8 Race Car (PS team Oreca) '05, tuned it up and had a set of test laps/adjustments to cure its understeer.
Now I was ready.
Leg 1.
Race stars in rain. I get the lead already for the end of first straight and quickly leave the pack far back. Despite doing few spins, my lead is over a minute for the end of lap 1. I had clearly overpowered my car. So I stop the race and uninstall turbo from the car.
Restart.
For the end of the 1st lap I am again leading by a minute. I have nothing else to take off from the car, so I hope may be if fast cars break out of the pack, they will speed up. So I continue race. For the end of the 1st hour I lap everybody and have no motivation whatsoever to continue.
Complete failure.
R8 is out, have to find new car. Choose McLaren F1 GTR Race Car '97 in default conf. No Engine level 3 or turbo upgrade.
Try 3.
Leg 1 (laps 1-5).
This time it is dry.
Fastest cars in the pack seem to be Audi R10 and Peugeot 905. Other than that are cars from my class or below.
Making perfect start and manage go get lead at second corner. Start to increase my lead, but this time it is coming quite slowly. For the end of IMO near-perfect lap 1 I am leading by 20 sec.
On laps 2-4 manage to avoid serious mistakes and continue to do stable 8-min laps slowly but consistently increasing my lead.
Fuel consumption is low and I wonder if I could do 6 laps before pit when starting lap 5. This is a serious mistake. Even though tire indicator suggests enough grip, it is clearly not enough for fast corners. Spin out couple of times and finish the lap driving very slowly losing over 40 seconds with this lap.
Peugeot seems to suffer similar problem and loses its second place to Audi that was clever enough to pit after lap 4.
Entering first pit stop, driven 42 minutes, lead 1:40.
Leg 2 (laps 6-9).
Fill tank with 80l of fuel. It is too much for 4 laps, but I want to keep option to go to 5th lap + some reserve.
Pit stop is fast and I'm exiting pit on first place. In the end of lap 6 I pass first 2 outstanders that are in the pits. Laps 7-8 drive alone and on both laps achieve fastest lap 7:57 so far.
At the beginning of lap 9 I catch Corvette, but trying to overtake it, miss the breaking point and end up in the sand. Will take some time to catch it up again. In the end on lap 9 pass Audi R8 LMS and enter pits.
Leg 3 (laps 10-13).
75l of fuel in the tank this time, leaving the pit. Audi and Chevy both passed me while I was refueling.
I can catch and overtake Audi just in the end of Lap 9 again.
Laps 11-12 are quite uneventful, 8:01 and 8:03. On lap 12 catch another Audi R8 LMS and a Ford GT that probably has wore off its tires as it is barely moving.
Trying to tune my driving lines. No real luck so far. Car really dislikes curbs and if back gets off to the grass, spin is very easy to come. Find just few curbs that I can use, other than that I need to stay on the tarmac.
Entering pits for third time, 1h47 driven, lead 4:30.
Leg 4 (laps 14-17).
Decide to go with 4-laps cycles from now on. So taking only 60l of fuel to the tank.
Immediately I notice difference. Car handles better and for some reason, curbs are also friendlier.
As a result of everything, making my new lap record 7:52 at lap 15.
At lap 16, while trying to optimize breaking distance in the end of last straight, I get off to the grass and crash hard. In real life I would probably be in the hospital now.
Passing Peugeot 905 for first time.
Leg 5 (laps 18-21).
60l in the tank. Bad side effect of stopping more often than competitors is that I have to pass cars I passed on in-lap, again on out-lap. I have passed Corvette at least 4 times by now.
At lap 20 making a stupid spin at Hocheichen. Also, I have not recovered from crash at lap 16 and still taking last corner very carefully, losing valuable seconds every lap.
Before entering pits, I see back of R10 at the horizon.
Driven 2h52, lead 7:40
Leg 6 (laps 22-25).
I'm tired after hard week at work and drive badly. I don't crash or spin, but feel no confidence and driving is edgy. Going into lap 23 I pass R10 that is refueling and have now 1 lap lead. Manage to optimize driving line and speed at Schwedenkrenz. Unexpectedly pull new lap record 7:51.
Trying to calm myself down to drive smoothly and not to lose 1 lap lead while pitting.
Leg 7 (laps 26-29).
Exiting pits just few seconds ahead of R10. As this is last lap for R10 on these tires, it is slower and I extend the gap nicely. Starting to find a rhythm and making friends again with Hohenrain Schikane.
New fastest lap 27 - 7:50
I dislike new music background of GT5 spec II. Some tunes intercept with driving sounds and I have difficulties to get audible feedback from tires. Wondering if it is possible to turn music off.
Driven 3h58, lead 1 lap.
Leg 8 (laps 30-33).
While last two legs were edgy but fast then this one is smooth but slow. No real mistakes, but no flashes also.
Sun is getting very low, shadows are long and dark.
Leg 9 (laps 34-37).
Continuing with stable pace and trying to find breaking point indications for nighttime.
On lap 36 headlights turn on. Track is getting darker and darker. Based on my experience from Le Mans, hardest time to drive will be the day to night transition. I'm happy that it is not raining.
Driven 5h04, lead 1 lap.
Leg 10 (laps 38-41).
Driving is stable and slightly faster than last leg.
Sunset is very slow at Nürburgring, still not completely set.
Leg 11 (laps 42-45).
Sun is now completely below the horizon, there is still some light in the sky though.
Having trouble seeing the track and spin out couple of times. Reducing pace.
On lap 44, getting bit unexpectedly 2 lap lead over R10 while it pits.
Driven 6h09, lead 2 laps.
Leg 12 (laps 46-49).
Losing my 2-lap lead while pitting, but manage to take the lap back. R10 top speed is significantly higher than mine, it catches me again at last straight before goes to pit.
It is now completely dark and the track is scary as hell. The scariest part for me is Kesselchen straight, it feels impossible to keep full throttle there.
Making few spins and bunch of smaller errors. Main lap times have dropped to 8:10
Leg 13 (laps 50-53).
Every lap I'm losing lot of time in first double-hairpin corner as I cannot see it properly and taking both turns wide. Need to find a solution here. Managing new nighttime lap record, 8:04, which is still a light-year away from the best daytime lap.
Driven 7h17, lead 2 laps.
Leg 14 (laps 54-57).
My pace is ok and driving stable. On lap 56 have a clean road for full lap and manage to pull new best time for night - 8:00.
The excellent stint is ruined by last corner of last lap where I get out of track and crash. Not deadly this time, but losing valuable time.
Leg 15 (laps 58-61).
On fist lap getting off the track and spin at Adenauer Forst while trying to overtake Audi R8 LMS. Catching Audi again soon and lap time is OK, but the spin in such an early stage of the stint ruined my tires. On lap 60 I start to feel the unplanned tire wear. Reducing pace, but still spin out at Metzgesfeld wearing my tires off even more.
On lap 61 have to drive very carefully to remain on the track. Before Karussell catch up and pass conveniently 3 cars at once. So far I have passed all cars only one by one.
Pity that all these cars will pass me while I will be pitting.
Driven 8h23, lead 2 laps.
Leg 16 (laps 62-65).
The loneliest stint ever. The trio pitted as well and I see and pass only one car on the track during the stint.
This allows me to make new fastest night time on lap 63 - 7:59.
On last lap I get distracted for a sec and run long off the track at second corner. For some time I have no idea in which direction the track is and lose a lot of time.
Leg 17 (laps 66-69).
Stable stint. Have some trouble passing Corvette at Kesslechen, other than that no drama whatsoever.
Driven 9h30, lead 2 laps.
Leg 18 (laps 70-73).
Almost perfect stint. Smooth and fast out-lap, followed by two 7:59 laps.
A small spin at Hohe Acht on last lap ruins complete perfectness.
Night is clear and dry, which is nice.
Leg 19 (laps 74-77).
On first lap getting stuck behind Storm and bit later behind Corvette. Don't want to risk with spinning out on out-lap (which would ruin my tires for next 30 min), so taking it extremely carefully.
Set of stable laps allow me to pass R10 for 3rd time on lap 75, just when it exits pits.
Trying to gain some additional lead on remaining laps, but despite doing respectable 7:59 and 8:05 laps, don't really succeed. R10 has new tires and last straight is its friend.
Driven 10h36, lead 3 laps.
Leg 20 (laps 78-81).
While I'm refueling, R10 takes a lap back.
I answer with the same on next lap making best night-lap so far 7:56.
On next lap have some trouble passing Storm and R34. From one side being inspired by the last lap and on the other hand frustrated by bad overtakes, make childish mistake at Pflanzgarten and end the lap with just modest 8:20.
I guess I wore the tires off too much on the second lap, so have to reduce pace on last lap.
Leg 21 (laps 82-85).
Exiting pits with full 3 laps ahead.
My heart misses a beat when I pass Ford GT at Aremberg from outside, just right when it starts to slide off. Manage not to crash into it, but the event gets me out of rhythm and I'm only able to achieve 8:10 laps at this stint.
Leg 22 (laps 86-89).
Getting very tired and losing concentration. Starting to do strange unwanted gear-changes, premature breakings, etc. Deciding to reduce pace to remain on track. Taking everything, including car-passes very smoothly and safely. Because of smoothness, tires last until the end of the stint and quite respectable 8:05 lap times result very nice stint overall.
At the beginning of lap 88 reach 12-hour mark. Half is done.
Driven 12h15, lead 3 laps.
Leg 23 (laps 90-93).
Taking now 57l of fuel with me, out of which I use 53l, keeping 4l in reserve. Just in case.
Driving nice and stable throughout the stint doing two 8-min laps. On last lap, car gets out of hand while accelerating out from Kumho, very unexpected. It is still completely dark, I miss daylight.
Leg 24 (laps 94-97).
Another lonely stint. After passing Ford GT at the beginning, there is no car I meet during the whole stint.
Try to make things interesting and drive more aggressively. The result is more abused tyres and a spin at Kesselchen. No winnings in time.
Driven 13h22, lead 3 laps.
Leg 25 (laps 98-101).
On lap 99 notice light in the eastern sky. Dawn. Finally. Track gets lighter and lighter every lap.
Slightly foggy track and distant mountains in fog are extremely beautiful. Enjoying the view and find hard to concentrate on driving.
Leg 26 (lap 102-105).
Can now see first corner again and take it optimally. Didn't learn to take it properly throughout the night. Lap times are improving, doing 7:57 lap with one overtake at the lap. Passing R10 for 4th time at lap 104, while it pits.
Driven 14h28, lead 4 laps.
Leg 27 (laps 106-109).
See the sun through fog. Very, very beautiful. Western side of the track is in fog, eastern side clear.
Even though have to overtake cars, pulling stable under-8min laps.
Leg 28 (laps 110-113).
Lap times are getting better and better. Main laps are now under 7:55 and in-lap under 8 min.
Fog thickens, I can no longer see the sun.
Driven 15h34, lead 4 laps.
Leg 29 (laps 114-117).
Driving aggressively. Making small mistakes and losing some time, but lap 116 is a climax of my skill. I overtake 3 cars on that lap, out of which two with outside-corner high-speed powerslide, in Flugplatz and Kesselchen respectively. Repeating best lap time of the race, 7:50.
Leg 30 (laps 118-121).
Continuing with high pace. At lap 119 I have a clean road ahead and I try to pull the fastest lap. I succeed, new record is 7:46. Next lap 7:50. Despite doing very fast laps, I use slightly less fuel than I used at night -- 52l instead of 53l (for 4 laps). Very strange.
Driven 16h39, lead 4 laps.
Leg 31 (laps 122-125).
Taking this stint more relaxed, as have lot of traffic ahead of me. Pulling stable 7:54 laps.
Passing R10 for 5th time.
Leg 32 (laps 126-129).
Overtook whole pack at last stint, so have now over half a lap of clear road ahead of me. Despite that, catching R34 on lap 128, this car is really slow. Driving still relaxed, 7:54 laps.
Driven 17:44, lead 5 laps.
Leg 33 (laps 130-133).
More aggressive stint again. Trying to set new lap record at lap 132, but can't get pass Zonda at Karussell and crash. Understandably no new record this time.
On last lap hitting curbs at Tiergarten in bad angle and get out on grass. Manage to retain control but have no place to break. Crash is inevitable.
Leg 34 (laps 134-137).
Continuing aggressively and pulling the fastest stint so far.
Starting with 8:40 out lap, which I think is my fastest out lap in this race. Trying to pull new record on next lap and succeed - new lap record 7:44.
Following with 7:49 and then 7:55 in-lap.
Driven 18h48, lead 5 laps.
Leg 35 (laps 138-141).
GT5 proves itself as real driving simulator. As it may happen in racing, cars fail. My windshield (read: TV) broke down and had to be taken to repairs. Luckily a good friend of mine was willing to borrow me a spare "windshield", so that I could continue. New "windshield" is smaller, but it will do.
Passing R10 for 6th time.
Leg 36 (laps 142-145).
Experimenting with fast corners and manage to take two corners significantly faster, third one fails and I run out of track. Despite that, 7:51 lap time. I think that in case of clear track and flawless driving I'm able yet to improve my fastest time.
Driven 19:54, lead 6 laps.
Leg 37 (laps 146-149).
Pulling best out lap, 8:36. Next lap I have a clear road ahead and go for a record. Starting perfectly, but last section of the track brings set of smaller mistakes. Despite that, new record 7:43. I recon 7:40 is doable.
On next lap go out to sand at Pflanzgarten and ruin otherwise very good lap. Managed to avoid mistake in that tricky section throughout the race so far.
Leg 38 (laps 150-153).
Trying to continue fast, but hit traffic on out-lap. On next going for record, but hit traffic again. Repeating 7:43.
As I'm pushing very hard, mistakes tend to happen more often. Making small spin at Nordkehre, first time at that location.
Weather is cloudy, but dry. Wouldn't mind some rain.
Driven 20:58, lead 6 laps.
Leg 39 (laps 154-157).
Having clear track ahead, and go for another record try on lap 155. Succeed with 7:42.
On next lap experiment on Klostertal, but unsuccessfully and spin out. Tires are in quite bad shape and have to reduce pace at last lap significantly, managing only modest 8:16 in-lap. Overtake R10 for 7th time, it took me only 2 hours to take a lap this time.
Leg 40 (laps 158-161).
Ok, enough of records for now. I have lot of traffic ahead of me and plan this stint more endurance-like, reducing pace, saving tires and try not to do any spins that have become common at last stints. Pulling stable 7:55 laps, tires do last and no driving errors.
Driven 22h03, lead 7 laps.
Leg 41 (laps 162-165).
Starting very relaxed and smooth pulling surprisingly fastest out-lap, 8.34. Trying to keep the rhythm, but getting too excited. Doing acceptable 7:46 and 7:51 laps, but making smaller mistakes on each and every lap.
Leg 42 (laps 166-169).
Lot of traffic ahead. Some overtakes succeed perfectly, some require patience and cause loss in time. Even though driving nice and stable, lap times vary a lot.
Just before the end of lap 168, 1h countdown begins.
Driven 23h08, lead 7 laps.
Leg 43 (laps 170-173).
Doing some simple math reveals that I have won the race. In some earlier endurances I have used this opportunity to park my car and relax. But this is my last event and I will drive until the end. To have some goal, calling catching R10 for 8th time my quest.
I know that to achieve it I have to drive error-free.
Start with nice 8:36 laps. Considering I have to overtake 2 cars, I'm pleased. I have now clear road ahead and try to do my best. 7:46 and 7:47 laps help me a lot. I see lot of traffic ahead and think if I should make pit stop lap earlier. Deciding not to, to have better tires for final lap. In-lap is hard, have to take slower cars one by one and lose time. I know that spinning off is absolute no-no, so prefer to lose some time waiting for opportunity for clean pass.
Audi is just half a minute ahead before we enter pits.
Leg 44 (laps 174-176).
To save time, taking just 40l of fuel with me for final stint. See R10 to exit pits few sec ahead of me. Catch him at Nordkehre and overtake right after. It lets me pass nicely. I have so much traffic ahead. Passing Peugeot 905, then catch R8 LMS, which has been very polite and easy to pass car through the race. This time it somehow blocks me and contact with my left-back tyre pushes me off to sand at Aremberg. Of course, immediately R10 catches up. After Audi I catch Corvette in the middle of Kesselchen and have once again problem passing. Looks like AI is cooperating not to let me win by 8 laps.
Going to last lap of the race, 3 minutes in timer, 25 sec ahead of R10. I have now less traffic on the road and I know that if I don't spin, I will win by 8 laps. Suddenly I feel mentally exhausted. Doing number of small mistakes on that lap and having lot of trouble to keep the car on track. I am happy that I have enough grip left in tires. Lap time is over 8 min.
24:05:00 in on the clock when I reach finish.
Driven 176 laps, lead 8 laps.
Final results.
1. My BMW McLaren F1 GTR (176 laps)
2. Audi R10 (+9 laps) *
3. Another BMW McLaren F1 GTR (+12 laps)
4. Peugeot 905 (+13 laps)
5. Zonda LM Race Car (+16 laps)
6. GT by Citroen Race Car (+17 laps)
* Somewhy GT5 displays lead 9 laps in final table, even though my lead is 8 laps + few sec.
Statistics.
Best lap: 7:42
Best night lap: 7:56
Average lap time including pit stops: 8:13
R10 average lap time with pit stops: 8:36
The car.
When I started the race, my BMW McLaren GTR had 633hp, at the end of race 599hp. Engine light did not come on.
Car was nice to drive, but had some quirks. Breaks were very good. Acceleration at slower speeds was good, but the lack of horsepower had its impact on high-speed acceleration and top speed. It didn't like Nürburgring high curbs at all. Also it didn't like mid-corner breaking and going into corner just slightly too fast had a very negative effect on exit speed. Slow-in-fast-out was the strategy we quickly agreed on.
Fuel consumption and tire wear were excellent. I was able easily to do 4-lap stints and used just 52-53l of fuel for it.
Looking at final results, I must admit that the car was bit too good for the race.
Weather.
I'm happy that the night was clear and dry, I think it would have been quite difficult to overtake slower cars at night in dust cloud on that slippery road. But I'm sad that I didn't have any rain whatsoever. Would have been interesting to rethink tire/pit strategy, relearn breaking points etc.
If you plan to do the Nürburgring 24h endurance, here are my suggestions.
Do not take 1000hp Le Mans car (or X2010/X2011) to Nürburgring. I suggest to choose a car which in your hands can do 8:00-8:20 main laps (+- few sec depending on rivals). 8:00 should give you relaxed challenge, 8:20 will give competition until last lap.
Tune the car not to under- or oversteer too much. Unbalanced car wears tires off much quicker.
Use driving aids to the minimum extent possible, keep in mind that you have 24h to learn the car and track. Definitely disable driving line as it completely voids nighttime experience.
Good luck!
I did Nürburgring 24h in B-spec long time ago.
My Bobs had a hard time to win the race with fully tuned Toyota GT One, even though all Bobs were at level 40 for the time.
Myself I like a challenge and fair fight, I prefer to use bit weaker/odd cars, for example, I did Tsukuba 9h in Lotus Elise (tuned) and Le Mans 24h with stock Toyota GT One.
But taking into consideration the complexity of Nürburgring and experience from B-spec, I wanted a better car for this event. So I took R8 Race Car (PS team Oreca) '05, tuned it up and had a set of test laps/adjustments to cure its understeer.
Now I was ready.
Leg 1.
Race stars in rain. I get the lead already for the end of first straight and quickly leave the pack far back. Despite doing few spins, my lead is over a minute for the end of lap 1. I had clearly overpowered my car. So I stop the race and uninstall turbo from the car.
Restart.
For the end of the 1st lap I am again leading by a minute. I have nothing else to take off from the car, so I hope may be if fast cars break out of the pack, they will speed up. So I continue race. For the end of the 1st hour I lap everybody and have no motivation whatsoever to continue.
Complete failure.
R8 is out, have to find new car. Choose McLaren F1 GTR Race Car '97 in default conf. No Engine level 3 or turbo upgrade.
Try 3.
Leg 1 (laps 1-5).
This time it is dry.
Fastest cars in the pack seem to be Audi R10 and Peugeot 905. Other than that are cars from my class or below.
Making perfect start and manage go get lead at second corner. Start to increase my lead, but this time it is coming quite slowly. For the end of IMO near-perfect lap 1 I am leading by 20 sec.
On laps 2-4 manage to avoid serious mistakes and continue to do stable 8-min laps slowly but consistently increasing my lead.
Fuel consumption is low and I wonder if I could do 6 laps before pit when starting lap 5. This is a serious mistake. Even though tire indicator suggests enough grip, it is clearly not enough for fast corners. Spin out couple of times and finish the lap driving very slowly losing over 40 seconds with this lap.
Peugeot seems to suffer similar problem and loses its second place to Audi that was clever enough to pit after lap 4.
Entering first pit stop, driven 42 minutes, lead 1:40.
Leg 2 (laps 6-9).
Fill tank with 80l of fuel. It is too much for 4 laps, but I want to keep option to go to 5th lap + some reserve.
Pit stop is fast and I'm exiting pit on first place. In the end of lap 6 I pass first 2 outstanders that are in the pits. Laps 7-8 drive alone and on both laps achieve fastest lap 7:57 so far.
At the beginning of lap 9 I catch Corvette, but trying to overtake it, miss the breaking point and end up in the sand. Will take some time to catch it up again. In the end on lap 9 pass Audi R8 LMS and enter pits.
Leg 3 (laps 10-13).
75l of fuel in the tank this time, leaving the pit. Audi and Chevy both passed me while I was refueling.
I can catch and overtake Audi just in the end of Lap 9 again.
Laps 11-12 are quite uneventful, 8:01 and 8:03. On lap 12 catch another Audi R8 LMS and a Ford GT that probably has wore off its tires as it is barely moving.
Trying to tune my driving lines. No real luck so far. Car really dislikes curbs and if back gets off to the grass, spin is very easy to come. Find just few curbs that I can use, other than that I need to stay on the tarmac.
Entering pits for third time, 1h47 driven, lead 4:30.
Leg 4 (laps 14-17).
Decide to go with 4-laps cycles from now on. So taking only 60l of fuel to the tank.
Immediately I notice difference. Car handles better and for some reason, curbs are also friendlier.
As a result of everything, making my new lap record 7:52 at lap 15.
At lap 16, while trying to optimize breaking distance in the end of last straight, I get off to the grass and crash hard. In real life I would probably be in the hospital now.
Passing Peugeot 905 for first time.
Leg 5 (laps 18-21).
60l in the tank. Bad side effect of stopping more often than competitors is that I have to pass cars I passed on in-lap, again on out-lap. I have passed Corvette at least 4 times by now.
At lap 20 making a stupid spin at Hocheichen. Also, I have not recovered from crash at lap 16 and still taking last corner very carefully, losing valuable seconds every lap.
Before entering pits, I see back of R10 at the horizon.
Driven 2h52, lead 7:40
Leg 6 (laps 22-25).
I'm tired after hard week at work and drive badly. I don't crash or spin, but feel no confidence and driving is edgy. Going into lap 23 I pass R10 that is refueling and have now 1 lap lead. Manage to optimize driving line and speed at Schwedenkrenz. Unexpectedly pull new lap record 7:51.
Trying to calm myself down to drive smoothly and not to lose 1 lap lead while pitting.
Leg 7 (laps 26-29).
Exiting pits just few seconds ahead of R10. As this is last lap for R10 on these tires, it is slower and I extend the gap nicely. Starting to find a rhythm and making friends again with Hohenrain Schikane.
New fastest lap 27 - 7:50
I dislike new music background of GT5 spec II. Some tunes intercept with driving sounds and I have difficulties to get audible feedback from tires. Wondering if it is possible to turn music off.
Driven 3h58, lead 1 lap.
Leg 8 (laps 30-33).
While last two legs were edgy but fast then this one is smooth but slow. No real mistakes, but no flashes also.
Sun is getting very low, shadows are long and dark.
Leg 9 (laps 34-37).
Continuing with stable pace and trying to find breaking point indications for nighttime.
On lap 36 headlights turn on. Track is getting darker and darker. Based on my experience from Le Mans, hardest time to drive will be the day to night transition. I'm happy that it is not raining.
Driven 5h04, lead 1 lap.
Leg 10 (laps 38-41).
Driving is stable and slightly faster than last leg.
Sunset is very slow at Nürburgring, still not completely set.
Leg 11 (laps 42-45).
Sun is now completely below the horizon, there is still some light in the sky though.
Having trouble seeing the track and spin out couple of times. Reducing pace.
On lap 44, getting bit unexpectedly 2 lap lead over R10 while it pits.
Driven 6h09, lead 2 laps.
Leg 12 (laps 46-49).
Losing my 2-lap lead while pitting, but manage to take the lap back. R10 top speed is significantly higher than mine, it catches me again at last straight before goes to pit.
It is now completely dark and the track is scary as hell. The scariest part for me is Kesselchen straight, it feels impossible to keep full throttle there.
Making few spins and bunch of smaller errors. Main lap times have dropped to 8:10
Leg 13 (laps 50-53).
Every lap I'm losing lot of time in first double-hairpin corner as I cannot see it properly and taking both turns wide. Need to find a solution here. Managing new nighttime lap record, 8:04, which is still a light-year away from the best daytime lap.
Driven 7h17, lead 2 laps.
Leg 14 (laps 54-57).
My pace is ok and driving stable. On lap 56 have a clean road for full lap and manage to pull new best time for night - 8:00.
The excellent stint is ruined by last corner of last lap where I get out of track and crash. Not deadly this time, but losing valuable time.
Leg 15 (laps 58-61).
On fist lap getting off the track and spin at Adenauer Forst while trying to overtake Audi R8 LMS. Catching Audi again soon and lap time is OK, but the spin in such an early stage of the stint ruined my tires. On lap 60 I start to feel the unplanned tire wear. Reducing pace, but still spin out at Metzgesfeld wearing my tires off even more.
On lap 61 have to drive very carefully to remain on the track. Before Karussell catch up and pass conveniently 3 cars at once. So far I have passed all cars only one by one.
Pity that all these cars will pass me while I will be pitting.
Driven 8h23, lead 2 laps.
Leg 16 (laps 62-65).
The loneliest stint ever. The trio pitted as well and I see and pass only one car on the track during the stint.
This allows me to make new fastest night time on lap 63 - 7:59.
On last lap I get distracted for a sec and run long off the track at second corner. For some time I have no idea in which direction the track is and lose a lot of time.
Leg 17 (laps 66-69).
Stable stint. Have some trouble passing Corvette at Kesslechen, other than that no drama whatsoever.
Driven 9h30, lead 2 laps.
Leg 18 (laps 70-73).
Almost perfect stint. Smooth and fast out-lap, followed by two 7:59 laps.
A small spin at Hohe Acht on last lap ruins complete perfectness.
Night is clear and dry, which is nice.
Leg 19 (laps 74-77).
On first lap getting stuck behind Storm and bit later behind Corvette. Don't want to risk with spinning out on out-lap (which would ruin my tires for next 30 min), so taking it extremely carefully.
Set of stable laps allow me to pass R10 for 3rd time on lap 75, just when it exits pits.
Trying to gain some additional lead on remaining laps, but despite doing respectable 7:59 and 8:05 laps, don't really succeed. R10 has new tires and last straight is its friend.
Driven 10h36, lead 3 laps.
Leg 20 (laps 78-81).
While I'm refueling, R10 takes a lap back.
I answer with the same on next lap making best night-lap so far 7:56.
On next lap have some trouble passing Storm and R34. From one side being inspired by the last lap and on the other hand frustrated by bad overtakes, make childish mistake at Pflanzgarten and end the lap with just modest 8:20.
I guess I wore the tires off too much on the second lap, so have to reduce pace on last lap.
Leg 21 (laps 82-85).
Exiting pits with full 3 laps ahead.
My heart misses a beat when I pass Ford GT at Aremberg from outside, just right when it starts to slide off. Manage not to crash into it, but the event gets me out of rhythm and I'm only able to achieve 8:10 laps at this stint.
Leg 22 (laps 86-89).
Getting very tired and losing concentration. Starting to do strange unwanted gear-changes, premature breakings, etc. Deciding to reduce pace to remain on track. Taking everything, including car-passes very smoothly and safely. Because of smoothness, tires last until the end of the stint and quite respectable 8:05 lap times result very nice stint overall.
At the beginning of lap 88 reach 12-hour mark. Half is done.
Driven 12h15, lead 3 laps.
Leg 23 (laps 90-93).
Taking now 57l of fuel with me, out of which I use 53l, keeping 4l in reserve. Just in case.
Driving nice and stable throughout the stint doing two 8-min laps. On last lap, car gets out of hand while accelerating out from Kumho, very unexpected. It is still completely dark, I miss daylight.
Leg 24 (laps 94-97).
Another lonely stint. After passing Ford GT at the beginning, there is no car I meet during the whole stint.
Try to make things interesting and drive more aggressively. The result is more abused tyres and a spin at Kesselchen. No winnings in time.
Driven 13h22, lead 3 laps.
Leg 25 (laps 98-101).
On lap 99 notice light in the eastern sky. Dawn. Finally. Track gets lighter and lighter every lap.
Slightly foggy track and distant mountains in fog are extremely beautiful. Enjoying the view and find hard to concentrate on driving.
Leg 26 (lap 102-105).
Can now see first corner again and take it optimally. Didn't learn to take it properly throughout the night. Lap times are improving, doing 7:57 lap with one overtake at the lap. Passing R10 for 4th time at lap 104, while it pits.
Driven 14h28, lead 4 laps.
Leg 27 (laps 106-109).
See the sun through fog. Very, very beautiful. Western side of the track is in fog, eastern side clear.
Even though have to overtake cars, pulling stable under-8min laps.
Leg 28 (laps 110-113).
Lap times are getting better and better. Main laps are now under 7:55 and in-lap under 8 min.
Fog thickens, I can no longer see the sun.
Driven 15h34, lead 4 laps.
Leg 29 (laps 114-117).
Driving aggressively. Making small mistakes and losing some time, but lap 116 is a climax of my skill. I overtake 3 cars on that lap, out of which two with outside-corner high-speed powerslide, in Flugplatz and Kesselchen respectively. Repeating best lap time of the race, 7:50.
Leg 30 (laps 118-121).
Continuing with high pace. At lap 119 I have a clean road ahead and I try to pull the fastest lap. I succeed, new record is 7:46. Next lap 7:50. Despite doing very fast laps, I use slightly less fuel than I used at night -- 52l instead of 53l (for 4 laps). Very strange.
Driven 16h39, lead 4 laps.
Leg 31 (laps 122-125).
Taking this stint more relaxed, as have lot of traffic ahead of me. Pulling stable 7:54 laps.
Passing R10 for 5th time.
Leg 32 (laps 126-129).
Overtook whole pack at last stint, so have now over half a lap of clear road ahead of me. Despite that, catching R34 on lap 128, this car is really slow. Driving still relaxed, 7:54 laps.
Driven 17:44, lead 5 laps.
Leg 33 (laps 130-133).
More aggressive stint again. Trying to set new lap record at lap 132, but can't get pass Zonda at Karussell and crash. Understandably no new record this time.
On last lap hitting curbs at Tiergarten in bad angle and get out on grass. Manage to retain control but have no place to break. Crash is inevitable.
Leg 34 (laps 134-137).
Continuing aggressively and pulling the fastest stint so far.
Starting with 8:40 out lap, which I think is my fastest out lap in this race. Trying to pull new record on next lap and succeed - new lap record 7:44.
Following with 7:49 and then 7:55 in-lap.
Driven 18h48, lead 5 laps.
Leg 35 (laps 138-141).
GT5 proves itself as real driving simulator. As it may happen in racing, cars fail. My windshield (read: TV) broke down and had to be taken to repairs. Luckily a good friend of mine was willing to borrow me a spare "windshield", so that I could continue. New "windshield" is smaller, but it will do.
Passing R10 for 6th time.
Leg 36 (laps 142-145).
Experimenting with fast corners and manage to take two corners significantly faster, third one fails and I run out of track. Despite that, 7:51 lap time. I think that in case of clear track and flawless driving I'm able yet to improve my fastest time.
Driven 19:54, lead 6 laps.
Leg 37 (laps 146-149).
Pulling best out lap, 8:36. Next lap I have a clear road ahead and go for a record. Starting perfectly, but last section of the track brings set of smaller mistakes. Despite that, new record 7:43. I recon 7:40 is doable.
On next lap go out to sand at Pflanzgarten and ruin otherwise very good lap. Managed to avoid mistake in that tricky section throughout the race so far.
Leg 38 (laps 150-153).
Trying to continue fast, but hit traffic on out-lap. On next going for record, but hit traffic again. Repeating 7:43.
As I'm pushing very hard, mistakes tend to happen more often. Making small spin at Nordkehre, first time at that location.
Weather is cloudy, but dry. Wouldn't mind some rain.
Driven 20:58, lead 6 laps.
Leg 39 (laps 154-157).
Having clear track ahead, and go for another record try on lap 155. Succeed with 7:42.
On next lap experiment on Klostertal, but unsuccessfully and spin out. Tires are in quite bad shape and have to reduce pace at last lap significantly, managing only modest 8:16 in-lap. Overtake R10 for 7th time, it took me only 2 hours to take a lap this time.
Leg 40 (laps 158-161).
Ok, enough of records for now. I have lot of traffic ahead of me and plan this stint more endurance-like, reducing pace, saving tires and try not to do any spins that have become common at last stints. Pulling stable 7:55 laps, tires do last and no driving errors.
Driven 22h03, lead 7 laps.
Leg 41 (laps 162-165).
Starting very relaxed and smooth pulling surprisingly fastest out-lap, 8.34. Trying to keep the rhythm, but getting too excited. Doing acceptable 7:46 and 7:51 laps, but making smaller mistakes on each and every lap.
Leg 42 (laps 166-169).
Lot of traffic ahead. Some overtakes succeed perfectly, some require patience and cause loss in time. Even though driving nice and stable, lap times vary a lot.
Just before the end of lap 168, 1h countdown begins.
Driven 23h08, lead 7 laps.
Leg 43 (laps 170-173).
Doing some simple math reveals that I have won the race. In some earlier endurances I have used this opportunity to park my car and relax. But this is my last event and I will drive until the end. To have some goal, calling catching R10 for 8th time my quest.
I know that to achieve it I have to drive error-free.
Start with nice 8:36 laps. Considering I have to overtake 2 cars, I'm pleased. I have now clear road ahead and try to do my best. 7:46 and 7:47 laps help me a lot. I see lot of traffic ahead and think if I should make pit stop lap earlier. Deciding not to, to have better tires for final lap. In-lap is hard, have to take slower cars one by one and lose time. I know that spinning off is absolute no-no, so prefer to lose some time waiting for opportunity for clean pass.
Audi is just half a minute ahead before we enter pits.
Leg 44 (laps 174-176).
To save time, taking just 40l of fuel with me for final stint. See R10 to exit pits few sec ahead of me. Catch him at Nordkehre and overtake right after. It lets me pass nicely. I have so much traffic ahead. Passing Peugeot 905, then catch R8 LMS, which has been very polite and easy to pass car through the race. This time it somehow blocks me and contact with my left-back tyre pushes me off to sand at Aremberg. Of course, immediately R10 catches up. After Audi I catch Corvette in the middle of Kesselchen and have once again problem passing. Looks like AI is cooperating not to let me win by 8 laps.
Going to last lap of the race, 3 minutes in timer, 25 sec ahead of R10. I have now less traffic on the road and I know that if I don't spin, I will win by 8 laps. Suddenly I feel mentally exhausted. Doing number of small mistakes on that lap and having lot of trouble to keep the car on track. I am happy that I have enough grip left in tires. Lap time is over 8 min.
24:05:00 in on the clock when I reach finish.
Driven 176 laps, lead 8 laps.
Final results.
1. My BMW McLaren F1 GTR (176 laps)
2. Audi R10 (+9 laps) *
3. Another BMW McLaren F1 GTR (+12 laps)
4. Peugeot 905 (+13 laps)
5. Zonda LM Race Car (+16 laps)
6. GT by Citroen Race Car (+17 laps)
* Somewhy GT5 displays lead 9 laps in final table, even though my lead is 8 laps + few sec.
Statistics.
Best lap: 7:42
Best night lap: 7:56
Average lap time including pit stops: 8:13
R10 average lap time with pit stops: 8:36
The car.
When I started the race, my BMW McLaren GTR had 633hp, at the end of race 599hp. Engine light did not come on.
Car was nice to drive, but had some quirks. Breaks were very good. Acceleration at slower speeds was good, but the lack of horsepower had its impact on high-speed acceleration and top speed. It didn't like Nürburgring high curbs at all. Also it didn't like mid-corner breaking and going into corner just slightly too fast had a very negative effect on exit speed. Slow-in-fast-out was the strategy we quickly agreed on.
Fuel consumption and tire wear were excellent. I was able easily to do 4-lap stints and used just 52-53l of fuel for it.
Looking at final results, I must admit that the car was bit too good for the race.
Weather.
I'm happy that the night was clear and dry, I think it would have been quite difficult to overtake slower cars at night in dust cloud on that slippery road. But I'm sad that I didn't have any rain whatsoever. Would have been interesting to rethink tire/pit strategy, relearn breaking points etc.
If you plan to do the Nürburgring 24h endurance, here are my suggestions.
Do not take 1000hp Le Mans car (or X2010/X2011) to Nürburgring. I suggest to choose a car which in your hands can do 8:00-8:20 main laps (+- few sec depending on rivals). 8:00 should give you relaxed challenge, 8:20 will give competition until last lap.
Tune the car not to under- or oversteer too much. Unbalanced car wears tires off much quicker.
Use driving aids to the minimum extent possible, keep in mind that you have 24h to learn the car and track. Definitely disable driving line as it completely voids nighttime experience.
Good luck!
