Must say the more I drove GT4, the whole A-spec system seemed less and less believable.
Some races you can win 200points fairly easily (try taking the stock Honda S800 to the Sunday Cup HSring on N2 tyres with NOS and find a good lineup), while on others it gives you just about 15 points and you can't even see the opponent's cars having disappeared on the horizon after a lap or so. It's just too uneven and unrelated to the actual race difficulty to give the feeling of having real meaning.
Hmm, I think if you can't win a race with only 15 points at stake you may be playing the wrong game. I do agree it does seem uneven difficulty on 200 point events, for instance it is very easy for max points on say the Speedster Trophy, while on the Saleen races it is very very difficult.
I see it as quite a good system though and quite well balanced with easy and tough races for max points, some races are tough in different ways. Infact my only gripe with the A-Spec system is the fact you can't get 200 points for all races, have not done too much reading into why TBH, maybe a bug in the game I dunno but it seems very strange to me.
I can relate to both of your observations pointed out here. Of such as described is the 200 or Max. A-spec point challenge.
As to why, I think it could be speculated upon almost in definitely. Only Kaz knows for sure and I don't know if he's ever been asked about it outside the
the inner sanctum of PD. Thats quite a commentary at this point, coming on the eve of the release (I hope) of GT5.
With the exception of the 200pt. forum here at gtplanet, I am not aware of it being a topic for discussion elswhere, much less actual pursuance.
Having become intimately aquainted with all of these races, this is my theory, much of which has been pointed out, here and there, by others in the threads here:
If all the races in the game had been relegated to a "realistic status", once conquered, as with anything, the desire, interest, and draw of the challenge will wane considerably and thus the games playtime days are numbered.
Depending on individual "skill level" and approach", this can mean a short stint with many games, and as compared to most, GT4 even if approached on a realistic basis offers considerably more gameplay than average. To Kaz's credit, and I believe evidenced by the following of those here at gtplanet, he doesn't skimp but strives to provide a quality product and at the same time make it appealing to as broad a spectrum of gamers as possible.
His continual "give them more than their moneys worth approach" is a rare and noble principle that endears many, myself included, to him and the GT series. Herein lies the reason I believe the A-spec dimension of the game was added.
To provide a challenge beyond the norm, whereby the graduating A-spec points scale of difficulty, if pursued will in some events take you beyond what appears possible. At times this will leave the "norm or realistic" but contrary to the initial impression of "whats the point", I found the challenge so daunting in some ways it became irresistable to try to overcome. Likewise I found even though it left the norm, my skills actually had to expand and improve to overcome this obstacle.
The end result was a wealth of additional playtime (moneys worth) with this game that otherwise would have been lost and is rarely present in all but a handful of games.
Ultimately it is a game, a "fantasy" and to each his own, as has been pointed out by many. However, this fact in and of itself, gives me pause when attempting to restrict my participation to a "realistic only approach". While that certainly has its place, had that restriction been maintained I don't believe I could have ever really appreciated or understood this A-spec point dimension.
shows up in the white Hyundai on race day 
