4 Months
Having now had the G25 for 4 months, I'm still noticing improvements in my driving, most of all in consistency and race pace, and of course laptime although the latter has been an improvement I didn't really
notice occuring.
It was my greatest hope that changing to this mode of controller would get me the laptimes I always saw others achieving and myself chasing hopelessly. 4 months on and the improvements are still coming incrementally, but surely.
I've just recently tried my hand at some Lotus Evora arcade Time Trials to see where I ended up on the leaderboards. After a couple of days hotlapping (max 1.5 hour sessions) at Suzuka East I managed to get up to #4 on the board, only 0.03s slower than our newest D1 gold alien, GTP_Hyperspeed. Mine is the second-best non-clutch time on that leaderboard
http://www.gtrankings.com/jp/gt5p/ranking/co6ca74s1m0.html
I then moved to Fuji Speedway F in the same car and after a couple of hours managed 7th on that leaderboard
http://www.gtrankings.com/jp/gt5p/ranking/co9ca74s1m0.html
I'm also still participating in GTP Race Event 03 where I maintain a
thread with all the best laptimes from any particular combo from that championship so far. You can see pretty much that in each successive stage (most recent at the top), I've been getting closer to the top time at each combo, and now in the most recent combo I'm currently faster than anyone else who has posted their time, at a track that I really don't consider my best at all. I'm pretty sure aliens like Mad94D, MeAgainstYou, Hyperspeed and Racer_LP will eventually beat my time with a few more laps, but for now I just cannot believe how much I've improved to be able to even compete at their level.
Since last month I've been promoted to Division 2 gold, and hopefully will make the final step up to Division 1 in the not too distant future by either getting a decent finish in Event 03 or continuing to hotlap in the WRS, which i intend to go straight back to after my event run is over.
This is the area, just like last month, where I feel very significant gains have been made. The Thunder & Lightning team started a
Ferrari 512BB event at Suzuka 550PP on S3 tyres, and I've been able to run 5-lap races nose-to-tail with drivers such as Zabeu, Hyperspeed, RudiRaser, KOR team drivers, mr_VOLCANO, PrudentBear, JvM and MADFORCE and actually beat them as well. I know most of these guys are genuinely faster but the slipstream keeps you in touch enough to negate a 0.3s deficit between people's best laptimes. It's a very tricky car on S3s at Suzuka but I have been able to complete 95% of my races without error and running at the front, competitive with anybody. The best part being that if I did fall back a bit, I was able to pull it together and catch up again. Only on one or two occasions did Hyperspeed break free and just disappear. I've had some really nice compliments and messages from these guys throughout this event saying how much I've improved as well 👍
I've also spent a lot of today running 10-lap races in the Amuse/Opera 350Z Tuned at Fuji 700PP where I have the current best posted hotlap. I ran about three or four races with Racer_LP (D1 silver) and JvM. What I noticed was that I was able to lap in the 1'39s occasionally maybe once per race, but still race close with and beat Racer_LP over 10 laps and 2 pitstops. What I have seen very clearly though is that every race, Stijn (Racer_LP) got more and more competitive and eventually he was running hotlaps just hundredths off my 1'39.628. The difference was he was running them lap after lap and once he was in that bracket, he was never out of it again. The last race we ran he was uncatchable. 39.9, 39.8, 40.0, 39.9. That's the kind of ability, consistency and speed I'm still aspiring to. In that same race I did a single 39 coupled with a 40.9, 40.1, 41.2 etc etc all over the place and a bunch of spins thrown in for good measure.
I wasn't too thrilled about this, who is when they get put back in their place?
I ran a few more hotlaps to try and rediscover my pace, practised more races and in my last attempt managed a string like this: 1'39.6, 1'39.9, 1'39.9, 1'40.9 (oops), 1'39.8 etc. Much better, but probably won't be able to pull this off race after race like Stijn does.
This is also something I feel is improving, especially in areas like trailbraking, left-foot braking, throttle control and using as little steering input as possible. It's far from where it needs to be to compete at the very top but so much better than anything I ever managed on Sixaxis.
I've recently done 3 laps I was very very pleased with and I've uploaded the replays
HERE for anyone who wishes to view how I'm actually getting on by watching my throttle, brake and steering input. They're smoother, but not yet smooth enough to get the absolute most out of a combo. The laps are Ferrari 512BB at Suzuka 550PP on S3 tyres (2'16.849 - T&L event), Ferrari F430 at Suzuka 700PP (2'00.774 - GTP Event 03 stage 2 week 3) and Amuse/Opera 350Z Tuned at Fuji 700PP (1'39.628 - GTP event 03 Stage 3 week 1).
So which corners do I notice the G25 has now helped me improve at significantly over the last 4 months? Which corners just would not be possible to take as fast or as controlled with a Sixaxis?
1. Dunlop at Suzuka
2. Turn 1 Suzuka
3. Right-hander uphill after chicane at Fuji F
4. Hairpin after T1 at Fuji
The most important factor in these corners for me has been able to adjust/hold/reduce the steering angle on exit with as much throttle as the car can take using very very small and precise inputs and angles which I just was not able to apply using the D-pad or analog sticks on a Sixaxis. Also, powering out of Spoon 2 and holding the steering juuust straight enough to keep the car's rear in check is a wonderful sensation.
Incidentally, one night just for a laugh while I couldn't be bothered to set up the G25+shoeboxes+woodplank I just used the Sixaxis to run the Lotus Evora Suzuka East time trial I mentioned. At the time I hadn't hit #4 yet, but was around #6. First thing of note, I went straight to the analog sticks, which I have NEVER been comfortable with on the GT series, and yet they felt completely natural now! Secondly, I was immediately 0.3 behind my ghost and noticeably faster on the Sixaxis than I ever remember being before. The wheel has actually increased my ability on the Sixaxis...
I do sincerely apologise if much of this post sounds big-headed and a bragfest, but these are all 100% genuine observations and improvements that I have seen myself make. I've got nothing to gain by kidding myself or lying about my relative ability compared to the best, I had enough of that when I joined GTP thinking I was the puppy's plums on a Sixaxis
All the best
Maz