Smallhorses' A-Spec Endurance Companion.

[Smallhorses]

Edited first post with the necessary links to all race reports so you don't have to read all the "filler" posts.

Will be back to California from England later this week and have a 200 A-spec point report for a run at Nurburgring 4hr to prepare, wanted to grab pictures before I post it! Look out for it soon......

 

[Smallhorses]

Nurburgring 4hrs Endurance (MkII!)

200 A-spec points!

Having only grabbed 175 of a potential 200 points first time round, I decided to go back for the other 25 as my first repeated endurance race.

This time round, the weapon of choice is a Nissan Silvia Spec R Aero (S15) '99 which was acquired used, and is fitted with S1 tyres. The car was not given an oil change, and hence according to the selling screen, begins the race with the following stats:- 223HP / 1240kg / 5.6kg/HP powering the FR drivetrain, and 15,884.2 miles on the odometer.

Result:-
1st Nissan Silvia Spec R Aero (S15) '99 29 laps (4:01'31.115) Pitted every 5 laps.
2nd Subaru Impreza Sedan WRX STi sp.C '04 +5.910s (4:01'37.025) Pitted every 5 laps.
3rd Jaguar XKR R-Performance '02 +?s on lap 29 Pitted every 5-6 laps.
4th Jaguar S-Type R '02 +?s on lap 29 Pitted every 5 laps.
5th Alfa Romeo 147 GTA '02 +1 lap Pitted every 3 laps.
6th Fiat Coupe Turbo Plus '00 +2 laps Pitted every 3 laps.

An awesome race, as can be seen from the MOV! Full race report with photos is located here:-
200 A-spec Nurburgring 4hrs! (Stock Nissan Silvia Spec R Aero (S15) '99)

 

[Smallhorses]

New York Streets 200 miles (MkII!)

200 A-spec points!

Having left 19 paltry points here first time round, some tidying up was required.
This time round, my car, and stats are as follows: Honda NSX-R Concept '01 (Oil changed, S1 tyres) / MR / 300HP / 1270kg / 4.2kg/HP

Result:-
1st Honda NSX-R Concept '01 2:21'52.297 Pitted every 25-26 laps. Fastest lap 1'48.949.
2nd Ford Mustang SVT Cobra R '00 ~+28s Pitted every 18-19 laps
3rd Callaway C12 '03 ~+35s Pitted every 25-26 laps
4th Mercedes SL 65 AMG (R230) '04 On lap 76 Pitted every 18-19 laps
5th Dodge Viper GTS '99 On lap 76 Pitted every 22-23laps
6th Lotus Motorsport Elise '99 +1 Lap Pitted every 23 laps

Another scorching race, but not so close at the end as before. Full race report with photos is here:
200 A-spec New York Streets 200 miles. (Stock Honda NSX-R Concept '01)

 

[JosX]

Sweet! Nice reports & most of them for 200 A-Spec points! +Rep

 

[Smallhorses]

Roadster 4hrs Endurance (MkII!) (104 A-spec points)

Car: Mazda MX-5 Miata VR-Limited (NA,J) '95 (Used, no oil, S1(SH)tyres) / FR / 118HP / 980kg / 8.3kg/HP

vs. 18th lineup after reset. 1800 RS starts in 4th place, is slow on cold tyres and struggles to pass backmarkers, but once he's in clear air he's hellishly quick! Even so, there was only about 3 contacts between us in the whole race, once when he bumped by on the inside of the last turn and twice running into the back of me while braking for the last turn.

Won by 15.113s

Result:-

1st Mazda MX-5 Miata VR-Limited (J) '95 197 laps, 4:00'27.979, Fastest lap 1'11.590, 256.3 miles total
2nd Mazda MX-5 Miata 1800 RS (J) '00 197 laps completed 4:00'43.092
3rd Mazda MX-5 Miata 1.8 RS (J) '98 194 laps completed
4th Mazda MX-5 Miata VR-Limited (J) '95 on lap 194
5th Mazda MX-5 Miata J-Limited II (J) '93 on lap 194
6th Mazda MX-5 Miata SR-Limited (J) '97 193 laps completed

Wasn't able to get the pit info for the runners in this race as my laptop died about 40 laps in. Myself and the 1800 RS were running a 36 lap strategy for the most part.

 

[Smallhorses]

El Capitan 200 miles (MkII!) (200 A-spec points)

Car: Mazda RX-7 Type R Bathurst R (FD) '01 (Used, oil changed, SM tyres) / FR / 290HP / 1260kg / 4.3kg/HP. (Ending HP was 276HP for 4.6kg/HP.)

I've recently been trying to give all of the remaining unused cars in my garage a run out with the intention of driving them all, and earning some cash to buy the 200-odd other cars that I don't own yet. I'd got a little bored after a couple of runs through the World Compact Car series (in a few different cars), and several passes of Japanese 90's events (in a different car for each race every time) and came across this unused RX-7 in my garage. It'd been saved since it was the best of the bunch, but ultimately too light and fast to be anything but a walkover in many events, e.g. Japanese championship.
Decided it'd be better matched against some high HP monsters in the El Capitan race, which I'd enjoyed once before in a stock Toyota Supra RZ '97.
The 3rd lineup after a reset yields what seems like a good challenging field, particularly as it has the Pagani Zonda C12 in it, which is known to be fast, but also frugal with it's tyres, stopping just 3 times throughout the race.

Grid:-
Chevrolet Corvette ZR-1 (C4) '90
Pagani Zonda C12 '00
Chevrolet Corvette Z06 (C5) '00
Lotus Esprit Sport 350 '00
Dodge Viper SRT10 '03
Mazda RX-7 Type R Bathurst R (FD) '01

Go past Viper and Corvette Z06 on the downhill turn after the tunnel. Finished lap 1 in 4th place, with Zonda showing a 4s lead. Corvette ZR-1 brakes too much for the shallow right before the bridge, and allows me to close up and slip by cleanly under braking for turn 1, the looping left turn after the bridge. Close right up to the Lotus before the tunnel, and go by cleanly on the inside of the downhill right turn after the tunnel. Reel in the Zonda, but he pulls away with his HP advantage on the mainstraight. He's caught up to at the tunnel and passed in the usual style in the downhill right, and leaves me leading on down towards the Yosemite Lodge hairpin, and completing lap 3 in 1st place with a little under a 1s gap to 2nd placed Zonda. 👍

Scream through lap 4, posting a laptime of 1'56.450, (already quicker than my lap record from my first pass through this race in a stock Toyota Supra RZ '97) Lap cleanly for a few more laps, stripping the lap record down to 1'54.866 ending lap 8, and leaving just under a 12s gap to 2nd place. Pitted ending lap 11, from ~16s lead, taking on tyres only, and dropping back to 3rd place behind the 2 mid-engined monsters. Finished my outlap with a 12s deficit to make up to first place, and meanwhile the Corvette ZR-1 pits ending his 12th lap. Dropped lap record to 1'54.356 ending lap 14, having taken back 2nd place from the Lotus in time-honoured fashion after the tunnel on lap 13. The Lotus pits ending his 14th lap too, and the Zonda continues in 1st place. Continue to catch the Zonda, going into lap 17, while the Corvette Z06 pits ending lap 16. Close right up on the Zonda into the Lodge hairpin on lap 18, as the Viper pits ending his 17th lap. Take advantage of the Zonda's ponderous nature in the turns after the tunnel, and go round the outside down the hill, stealing back 1st place, before the Zonda makes his first stop ending lap 19.

Lapped Corvette ZR-1 into turn 1 on lap 22, but it'll be a temporary thing, as I'm due a stop ending this lap. Corvette ZR-1 unlaps himself while I'm pitted, but the Zonda shows a disappointing 53s deficit in 2nd place, as I leave the pits with my lead intact, although I'm also going to be due another pitstop before he makes his 2nd visit to the pitlane. The gap is a hair under 30s by the end of my outlap, so there's still a little work to be done, but I'm quickly up to speed again, as evidenced by the fact that as the Corvette ZR-1 pits at the end of his 24th lap, he's lapped in the pitlane by my RX-7 completing a new fastest time of 1'54.329 ending lap 25.

Continue to lap cleanly and catch the backmarkers for the next few laps, eventually lapping the Corvette Z06 around the outside of the downhill right after the tunnel on lap 30, and the Viper cleanly on the inside of the same bend a lap later. The Lotus has got 2 extra laps out of his second set of tyres and goes in ending his 30th lap. Make my 3rd stop ending lap 33, and take on tyres, and a dash of fuel, topping up to 25 units, which allows the Viper to unlap himself temporarily. The Zonda is too far back to challenge for the lead while I'm stopped, and the lapped Corvette Z06 makes his 2nd stop as I'm leaving the pitlane, confiming him as permanently lapped. The Viper stops a lap earlier than before, completing his 33rd lap, and is permanently lapped in the pitlane as I complete lap 34, with a 25s lead over 2nd placed Zonda.

More clean laps follow, extending the lead, and a super-tidy, staggeringly quick lap 37 sees the record drop to 1'53.439! Corvette ZR-1 pits at the end of his 36th lap, as expected, while the Zonda follows suit and pits ending his 38th lap leaving him with a massive gulf of 1'20 to make up to my RX-7. The Corvette ZR-1 is caught and lapped again under braking for turn 1, on lap 40, but with a pitstop due for me in the next 4 laps, this will be a temporary position. Pit in ending lap 44, from only a second or so behind lapping the Lotus, and about 11s from lapping the Zonda. Take on tyres, top fuel back up to 25 units and having romped away from the Corvette ZR-1, he doesn't get a sniff at taking his 2nd lap back. As if just to find a happy medium, the Lotus pits ending his 45th lap, this time a 15-lap pit interval, to go with his initial 14-lap window, and previous 16-lap stint! Regardless, he's lapped as he exits the pitlane while I begin my 47th lap. Lap 49 sees my rotary-powered rocket-ship take another 2/10ths from the lap record, 1'53.204 now.

The Corvette Z06 sticks to his 16-lap strategy, going in at the end of his 48th lap. During my 51st lap, the Corvette ZR-1 pits ending his 48th lap, and the Viper ending his 49th, and I'm hot on the heels of handing the Corvette Z06 another lapping. It happens during lap 52, predictably at the downhill right after the tunnel, and is followed 2 laps later by the Viper's second lapping in the exact same place. Make my 5th and final pitstop ending lap 55, taking tyres and topping up fuel, as the Viper takes a lap back while I'm stopped. The Zonda was around 1'43 behind as I pitted, with a stop of his own still to come. The Corvette Z06 also sneaks back past as I'm exiting the pitlane, but he's only prolonging the inevitable 2nd permanent lapping! He's duly dispatched on lap 57, predictably at the usual passing spot. The Zonda makes his 3rd and final stop ending his 57th lap, an he just manages to exit the pitlane with his dignity intact, before immediately losing the lap as we cross the bridge into the braking zone for turn 1.

Having, of course, got a better line through the downhill right after the tunnel, I carry more speed out into the looping left which brings you to the small downhill straight to the Lodge hairpin, and I'm able to cleanly pass the Viper again for his now confirmed 2nd lapping, squeezing by on the inside before he tries to move over towards the wall on the inside line. The Lotus keeps up his inconsistent pit strategy, returning to a 14-lap window by pitting at the end of his 59th lap. The Corvette ZR-1 is humiliated a 3rd time on lap 63, this time being passed in the brief braking zone which precedes the uphill right-left flick before the tunnel entrance, and he pits ending his 60th lap as I begin my 64th. Finish the race without incident, but failed to note the winning time, as the phone rang!

Result:-

1st Mazda RX-7 Type R Bathurst R (FD) '01
2nd Pagani Zonda C12 '00 +1 Lap
3rd Lotus Esprit Sport 350 '00 +1 Lap
4th Dodge Viper SRT10 '03 +2 Laps
5th Chevrolet Corvette Z06 (C5) '00 +2 Laps
6th Chevrolet Corvette ZR-1 (C4) '90 +3 Laps

A surprisingly easy 200 point race, only made bearable by the fact that the Mazda is such a delight to drive! Coffers are swelled by 250,000Cr and a substancial sum for parting with the Minolta Toyota 88C-V Race Car '89 which was the prize for the victory.

 

[Digital-Nitrate]

+REP for an excellent write up on one of my very favorite races in GT4, and using a car that I have never even used yet... but now feel I must. 👍



EDIT:

You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to Smallhorses again.

I'm getting this message all the time now no matter who I try and give rep to?!?!?

 

[Smallhorses]

Circuit de la Sarthe II 24hr (MkII!)

200 A-spec points!

Having only got a measly 84 points first time round here, I came back with a new weapon!

Car: Nissan R390 GT1 Race Car '98 (Black used, no oil, R2 tyres, Downforce F/R 46/67) / MR / 712HP / 1000kg / 1.4kg/HP

1st Nissan R390 GT1 Race Car '98 24:01'21.xxx Pitted every 9 laps Fastest lap:- 3'10.235
2nd MINOLTA Toyota 88C-V Race Car '89 +2'43.505 Pitted every 8 laps
3rd Nissan R92CP Race Car '92 +1 Lap Pitted every 8 laps
4th Nissan R89C Race Car '89 +6 Laps Pitted every 8 laps
5th Jaguar XJR-9 Race Car '88 +8 Laps Pitted every 8 laps
6th Peugeot 905 Race Car '92 +11 Laps Pitted every 9 laps

Great race! A link to the full race report, can be found here:- 200 A-spec Sarthe 24hr II (Stock, used Nissan R390 GT1 Race Car '98)

 

[Smallhorses]

El Capitan 200 miles. (MkIII!) (200 A-spec points)

Holden Commodore SS '04 (SM (S2) Tyres) / FR / 328HP / 1658kg / 5.1kg/HP

Result:-
1st Holden Commodore SS '04 2:13'35.909 Pitted 11, 22, 33, 44, 55.
2nd Chevrolet Corvette Z06 (C5) '00 ~+ 1'17 Pitted 16, 32, 48, 64.
3rd TVR Cerbera Speed Six '97 Lap 66 Pitted 12, 24, 36, 48, 60.
4th Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport (C4) '96 Lap 66 Pitted 14, 28, 42, 56.
5th Dodge Viper GTS '99 + 1 Lap Pitted 13, 26, 39, 52, 65
6th Aston Martin V8 Vantage '99 + 2 Laps Pitted 11, 22, 33, 44, 55.

Lap 11, pit in from <4s lead, take on tyres, drop back to 5th place.
Lap 22, pit in from >30s lead, take on tyres, drop back to 3rd place.
Lap 29, lapped Aston, albeit temporarily since I'll now stop before he does.
Lap 33, pit in with 7 units of fuel remaining. Change tyres and top up fuel to 30 units. Exit in 1st place, ~7s ahead of 2nd placed TVR.
Lap 34, lapped Aston permanently as he pits at the end of his 33rd lap.
Lap 36, fastest lap of 1'56.341
Lap 44, pit in from ~29s lead, take on tyres, top up fuel to 31 units. Exit in 1st place only just ahead of Corvette Z06.
Lap 46, Corvette Z06 steals back the lead briefly down the mainstraight but loses it again out of the tunnel on lap 47.
Lap 49, Aston is lapped again, temporarily.
Lap 55, pit in from ~1 minute lead, take on tyres, top up fuel to 28 units. Exit in 1st place, while Aston just manages to take back his 2nd lap.
Lap 57, Aston's 2nd lapping becomes permanent.
Lap 64, Corvette Z06 pits with 2 laps to go from ~40s behind!
Lap 66, Lapped Viper in pits as I crossed the finish line!

Having made the somewhat shocking and shameful discovery that in the 2 years I've been playing this game I hadn't actually driven an Aussie car, I found that I'd got an unused Holden in the garage, and set about rectifying the situation immediately! Needless to say, the Holden is a hoot to drive, perhaps a little heavy on front tyres when pushed hard, but all in all a pleasure to have raced here! 👍

 

[Touring Mars]

Nice work! I'm equally ashamed to say that I haven't ever got round to half of the enduros in GT4, however I have done this one - albeit nowhere near 200 A-Spec points Come to mention it, I don't think I have done any enduros at anything like 200 A-spec points... Knowing how hard 200 A-Spec point races are, I can only doff the proverbial to you (Incidentally, I thought we had used a Holden at UKGTP, but it may have been UKGTP6... )

I'm glad to see you're still hammering away at these Enduros... almost two years since you started this thread... any plans for a commemorative race of some description?

 

[Ignignoc N Err]

I ran the El Capitan 200 in a bone-stock Honda NSX Type R '02 on S2's with an oil change for 196 points, and it was an EASY race. The only contender was a Lotus Esprit Sport 350 (just because he ran tons of laps before pitting), but I wound up lapping him at the very end of the race.

Today I ran the New York 200 in a stock HSC '04 for 154 points. The biggest contender was the frickin' Zonda that ran 29 laps per pit opposed to my 28, then 2 24's. Combined with his power to outgun me in the LONG straights, and it was a rather harrowing race indeed. Preceding his last pit on lap 58, I was only 4-7 seconds ahead of him, and he seemed to run faster on orange tires. It was a bit spooky to see him growing in my rearview mirror approaching the end of the main straight.

 

[Smallhorses]

Super Speedway 150 miles. (MkII!) (85 A-Spec points)

Used Black Nissan R92CP Race Car '92 (Used, no oil) / MR / 848HP / 900kg / 1.1kg/HP

Result:-

1st (Black) Nissan R92CP Race Car '92 50'31.899 Pitted on laps 34 and 69.
2nd MINOLTA Toyota 88C-V Race Car '89 ~+15s
3rd Nissan R92CP Race Car '92 ~+29s
4th Nissan R89C Race Car '89 ~+29s
5th Pescarolo Courage C60 Race Car '03 +4 laps
6th Bentley Speed 8 Race Car '03 +4 laps

Once again, event free and dull, but gained 55 A-spec points over the first run through!

 

[Smallhorses]

(Incidentally, I thought we had used a Holden at UKGTP, but it may have been UKGTP6... )

We did use an FPV GT '04 at UKGTP V in the Super Saloon Handicap, as I recall, and it had some garishly awful colour combinations!!!

I'm glad to see you're still hammering away at these Enduros... almost two years since you started this thread... any plans for a commemorative race of some description?

I've been really busy with preparations for SFGTP 1, but..... I finished this on June 27th, and hadn't had time to post it until now.
How does this sound? Grab yerself some

and read on......

Infineon World Sport Car Race (MkII!)

200 A-spec points!

Car: Nissan 350Z Concept LM Race Car '02 (Oil changed, R2/R3 tyres) / FR / 533HP on garage screen / 1120kg / 2.1kg/HP

Grid:-
Bentley Speed 8 Race Car '03
Pescarolo Courage C60 Race Car '03
Chevrolet Corvette C5R (C5) '00
Peugeot 905 Race Car '92
Toyota GT-One Race Car (TS020) '99
Nissan 350Z Concept LM Race Car '02

Race Highlights:-
Laps 1 - 10. Toyota & Peugeot held up by Chevy in turn 3, and both run wide over rumbly. Dive down inside of Toyota into turn 4, but he catches the back of me as I brake for the bend, shunting me into the Peugeot, and through into 4th place at the Peugeot's expense. Catch front pair throughout the rest of the lap, and pass Pescarolo into turn 3 on lap 2. Bentley is demoted to 2nd place shortly afterwards, going by cleanly over the crest into turn 6 (often referred to as "The Caroussel" by the track commentators at Infineon, doubtless in reference to the more famous, and tighter "Karussell" at Nurburgring ) and I'm able to brake and accelerate cleanly away. Spend the next 8 laps building a 13s lead by the time my R2 front tyres are turning orange during lap 10. Pitted in for a tyre stop, but no fuel, and drop back to 5th place. Best lap so far is a 1'23.426 (Turns out to be the fastest of the race too, as HP dropped away towards the end!

)

Laps 11 - 20. I'm 12.7s behind the leading Bentley after my outlap, but that's dropped to 10.4s by the end of lap 13, and should come down further during lap 14, as the leaders have caught the Chevy to lap him, and there's not even 20 minutes elapsed yet!

Sure enough, the gap is down to 8.1s ending lap 14. The Chevy has held up Peugeot more than anyone else, and I lap the Chevy out of turn 8a on lap 15, right on the tail of the Toyota who is close to the Peugeot. Take 4th from the Toyota again as he runs wide out of turn 2, and he pits ending his 16th lap. The Pescarolo has take over the lead spot now, and has opened the gap back up to about 9s. The Chevy pits ending his 15th lap, and the Peugeot is passed for 3rd on lap 17 as he runs wide exiting turn 3a and turn 4 consecutively, and I'm able to slip by cleanly. The Pescarolo, followed by the Bentley and then the Peugeot all pit ending lap 17, handing me back 1st place for a few laps. I extend my lead to 27s by the time I stop again ending lap 20 taking on tyres and checking the fuel situation, I've used 52 units in 20 laps, which is about 2.6 units per lap. Top up to 30 units just in case the lighter load means I can pull an 11 lap stint and get on my way.

Laps 21 - 30. Able to get away in the lead, and have 5s lead at the end of my outlap, but need to build a considerably bigger gap before my next stop. 💡 Easier said than done, as the Pescarolo is very quick now that the Bentley isn't holding him up. Lapped the Chevy again into turn 6 on lap 24, and hopefully he'll delay the pesky Pescarolo a little. Sadly it doesn't, the Pescarolo passes him like he's standing still and I have to continue my charge! I'm able to inch away, a little at a time though until my next rubber and fuel stop ending lap 30, from 11s lead, which I lose while I'm stopped.

Laps 31 - 40. Exited in 4th place, just behind the Peugeot who is battling the Bentley for 2nd place. The Pescarolo has a 15s lead, at the end of lap 32, while the Toyota pits again from 5th place, and I'm swarming around the back of the Peugeot. The Chevy pits ending his 30th lap, and exits right in front of our 3-way scrap for 2nd place. The Peugeot's antics, which I keep having to back off to avoid contact with,

have afforded the Pescarolo almost 2s to add to his lead on lap 33. Passed the Peugeot as he runs wide out of turn 2 on lap 34, lapped the Chevy again into turn 6, and as expected the Pescarolo, Bentley and Peugeot all pit ending this lap, the leader's cushion being 16s when he stopped. Take back the lead, and have fortune smiling on me as the Chevy passes the pit exit before the Pescarolo makes it out!

He struggles all the way round to turn 9 before he can pass the slower car, and it costs him over 6s, having posted a 10s deficit at T1, it's 14s at T2 and 16s at the end of his outlap! I pull away steadily, stretching the lead slowly but surely, until for some unknown reason the gap jumps by 3s on lap 38 alone! He must have had an incident, but considering there's no-one anywhere near him, it's all his own doing! Pitted for fuel and tyres ending lap 40 with 29s lead and almost 1 hour completed.

Laps 41 - 50. Exited in 1st place still, but the Pescarolo is flying too, and the gap ending my outlap is under 4s. Very slowly eke out a small cushion of 7s, and lap the Chevy again just before the final turn on lap 46. Thankfully I've now gota mobile roadblock between me and my pursuer, and hopefully he'll hold him up for a while again!

Somewhere a Genie is listening and grants my wish,

the Pescarolo catches the Chevy exiting turn 7a, and is baulked by him all the way down through the final turn, buying me an extra 3s of lead! The Toyota pits ending his 48th lap while I'm 28s into lap 49 so he's confirmed as non-threatening! I enter lap 50 with an 11.5s cushion, but knowing I'll be stopping ending this lap, although the Pescarolo will be making his next stop ending the following lap! The Chevy pits ending his 45th lap, 4 laps behind, as I approach turn 6. I stop from 12.4s lead, and lose 1st place temporarily.

Laps 51 - 60. Pescarolo pits from just over 13s lead ending lap 51, and I take back 1st place while he's stopped. I now have to build a huge cushion while his tyres are cold to ensure I can afford my 60th lap stop, since he'll not pause again until lap 68! The Bentley and Peugeot also stop from 3rd and 4th respectively ending their 51st laps. I get the hammer down and set about stretching

the gap as much as possible before the Pescarolo's tyres warm up, and it starts to build more quickly than I'd expected, and by the time I lap the Chevy a 5th time around the outside of turn 9 on lap 56, I have established a 26s advantage. As the 1:22'30.000 mark passes, signifying 1/2 race distance, I'm almost finished with lap 57, and 29s ahead, but the Pescarolo is now on warm tyres and the gap is not growing any more. Chevy shaped fortune smiles on me again before my next stop though, and the Pescarolo ends up 32s behind as I enter the pits for a 6th time.

Laps 61 - 70. Get away still holding the lead, but the gap is under 6s ending my outlap, and it's fairly stationary at that level for the next few laps, as I can't seem to pull away from the Pescarolo at all. The Toyota stops ending his 64th lap, and the Chevy ending his 60th lap, whereupon he's lapped again by the Pescarolo and I for a 6th time, as we begin our 67th lap, my lead over him just 4.7s at this point! At last, a moment of respite!

The Pescarolo pits ending lap 68, from under 4s behind my Nissan, and allowing me 2 more pressure-free laps before my own pitstop. The Bentley pits too, followed some considerable time later by the Peugeot who loses 4th place to the Toyota while stopped and perhaps more embarrassingly for supposedly the fastest car in the field, gets lapped by me beginning my 70th circuit!

It'll only be a temporary thing though, for my stop is imminent. What's reassuring, given that I'll have to stop again before the Pescarolo does, is that I held a 37s buffer when I entered the pits.

Laps 71 - 80. Sure enough the Peugeot takes back his lap while I'm stopped, but I exit the pits in the lead, and begin to feel a little more assured when the gap to 2nd place Pescarolo is a shade over 15s at the end of my outlap. Stretch it to 19s but that's all it'll go to no matter how hard I try. Lap the Chevy again exiting turn 7a on lap 79, but I expect he'll take that back as I'm due to stop ending lap 80, which I do, from 18.7s lead, which I lose for the first time in 29 laps while I'm stopped.

Laps 81 - 90. Sure enough, the Chevy goes back past while I'm pitted followed by the Pescarolo, who is then held up as he catches the Chevy during my outlap. The Toyota stops ending his 80th lap too, and I finish my outlap 6.6s behind the leader with a backmarking Chevy between us. The Chevy is lapped for a 7th time exiting turn 6 on lap 82 leaving clear track between me and the leader, while the Chevy pits ending his 75th lap behind us. The Pescarolo is really pushing hard and pulls out to 9s lead before his 85th lap stop, when he loses the lead to me again. The Bentley also pits ending his 85th lap, and doesn't lose anything other than a little time, while the Peugeot's 85th lap stop ends with me passing him again as he exits the pits. Again this may be a temporary thing, as my own stop is due in 4 laps time. Temporarily lap the Chevy again ending lap 88, and head for the pits ending lap 90 with a 29s lead over the Pescarolo.

Laps 91 - 100. Exit in 1st place and have only 4s in hand over Pescarolo at the end of my outlap. He's really flying too! Lapped the Chevy

again for an 8th time during lap 92, but he fails to hold up the Pescarolo much for me this time. The gap seems to stabilise at around 6s, and I lap the Toyota on lap 99, into turn 3, after he'd exited the pits just ahead of me beginning lap 98 after his 96th lap stop. With the knowledge that the Toyota on cold tyres may hold up the Pescarolo who is due only 1 more stop before the race end, I pit ending lap 99, so I can make my last stop around lap 108 and finish the race on warmish tyres too. Another act of fortune is that the Chevy who has pitted ending his 90th lap exits the pits just as I reach my pit bay, and gets out ahead of the Toyota and the Pescarolo! Nice!

Laps 101 - 110. Sadly though it doesn't work in my favour, the Chevy slows the Toyota, allowing the Pescarolo to pass them both. He maintains around 17s lead until he pits ending lap 102, allowing me to take back the lead. The Chevy is lapped at the last bend again ending lap 102, and the Bentley and Peugeot also pit ending this lap. Unfortunately, the Peugeot gets out of the pits just ahead of me and blocks me badly through the first 4 turns. He's lapped, again probably not for good, exiting turn 6, having cost me a precious couple of seconds. Still, I have him between me and the Pescarolo, and on cold tyres! Enter the pits ending lap 108 for the final splash & dash stop from 21s lead.... The Pescarolo takes over the lead and it registers just over 4s ending my outlap. Another stellar lap follows, and the gap drops a little, to 3.5s.

Laps 111 - 114. I continue to pressure the Pescarolo, growing ever closer lap by lap, until going into lap 114 I'm just 0.4s behind him. And what's this? The Toyota the pitted as we were passing through turns 7 and 7a on the previous lap is exiting the pits just ahead of us! It's all I need, the Pescarolo backs off through turn 2. I'm alongside into turn 3, and I think I'm away! Wrong! He broadsides me through 3a, onto the grass, but I hold on as he catches the Toyota in turn 4, and claw my way back up to them. The Toyota leads us through turns 5 & 6 and down into turn 7, where once again the Pescarolo backs off. I seize the opportunity, getting a nice line through 7a and slotting in between the backmarker and now 2nd placed Pescarolo! 👍 He's not overly happy about this, and has a good hard lunge into turn 8, which is clearly not a passing point, and I'm thankfully able to hold off the bumping. Trouble is I've a slow moving Toyota in front on cold tyres! The Pescarolo has saved the most desperate move for last though, trying to nudge me into the sand as we come through the fast turn 10. It backfires on him though, as he glances off my rear end and touches the sand himself, which slows him a little. I round the final hairpin, just inches away from lapping the Toyota, and hang on for the win, by 0.398s after a little over 2 hours and 45 minutes of intense racing! WOW!

Result:-

Nissan 350Z Concept LM Race Car '02 2:45'53.214
Pescarolo Courage C60 Race Car '03 2:45'53.612!
Bentley Speed 8 Race Car '03 On lead lap
Peugeot 905 Race Car '92 On lead lap
Toyota GT-One Race Car (TS020) '99 On lead lap
Chevrolet Corvette C5R (C5) '00 +9 laps

Unfortunately I was so excited by the finish and eager to save my extra A-spec points that I forgot to save the replay to take pictures of, so no separate race report for this one, and it'll look good here in my A-Spec Endurance Companion! The Nissan was back to 507HP stock power without oil change, by the end of the race too.

 

[Digital-Nitrate]

Another first rate endurance race report!

I'd +REP you, but I just did that recently so instead here's a pint on me...

 

[stinger061]

Cracking report as always Smallhorses. As all of them have been. Your reports have really given me some good ideas for cars to run the enduros with as well as providing invaluable insight into AI pit strategies and lap times.

Thanks a bunch:tup:

 

[Smallhorses]

Thank you kind sirs! 👍

@ stinger061, if you're after all the pit info you could ever hope for for the endurance races, try
Complete AI Pit strategy guide for the 16 Endurance races
and definitely check out the FAQs on the main GT4 board. There's a link there to the wealth of information compiled by Digital-Nitrate which I often find myself referring back to, over & over again!

 

[Smallhorses]

New York Streets 200 miles (MkIII!)

200 A-spec points! (Again!)

Wanted to see if it was possible to find a good 200 point race here in a stock car that's winnable against the fastest AI car available, i.e. Pagani Zonda C12. A little research shows NTSC lineup 10 (after console reset) yields 200 points and has the Pagani on pole!

This time my ride is Acura HSC '04 (S1 tyres) / MR / ?HP (330HP on garage screen) / 1150kg / ?kg/HP (3.5kg/HP using garage value)

Result:-
1st Acura HSC '04 2:16'12.031 Pitted every 25-26 laps. Fastest lap 1'44.675
2nd Pagani Zonda C12 '00 + ~54s Pitted every 30 laps.
3rd Proto Motors Spirra 4.6 V8 '04 +1 Lap Pitted every 18-19 laps.
4th TVR Cerbera Speed Six '97 +1 Lap Pitted every 18 laps.
5th Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport (C4) '96 +2 Laps Pitted every 23 laps.
6th TVR T350C '03 +3 Laps Pitted every 18-19 laps.

Race Highlights:-

Into 1st by end of lap 3. Edge away from Zonda a fraction at a time, pulling out through the bendy bits and being caught down the long straights.
Lap 15: 1'45.223 is new fastest lap.
Lap 21: Lapped T350C while he's pitted and he gets out in between me and 2nd placed Zonda.
Lap 25: Corvette is lapped when he pits ending his 23rd lap. At this point a 2 stop strategy looks most favourable as the right tyres are just beginning to show the first signs of orange.
Lap 26: Stop from a little under 12s ahead of Zonda, taking on tyres and having used 46 units of fuel in 26 laps, I needed to take on enough for a 25 lap stint now to see me through to the next stop. 45 units should do it, but I opt for a little buffer and top up to 48. Drop to 2nd place while stopped, finishing my outlap 11s behind.
Lap 30: Claim back 1st when Zonda pits.
Lap 34: New fast lap of 1'44.675.
Lap 39: Pass Spirra exiting the pits to put it 1 lap down, and Zonda must be having a horrible time on new tyres as he's now over 40s back. Also lapped Cerbera, so Zonda is only car still on lead lap with just over 1/2 race distance completed.
Lap 44: Lap T350C a 2nd time.
Lap 49: Pass Corvette a 2nd time as he exits pits to put it 2 laps back.
Lap 51: Pit in from 29s lead, a longer stop this time topping up from 4 units to 48 again, and losing the 2nd lapping of the Corvette temporarily in the process. Cerbera also takes back his lap as I exited the pits, and the T350C has his 2nd lap back off me running me into the wall at the Broadway hairpin.
Lap 52: Followed T350C through my outlap.
Lap 53: Lose my lap on the Spirra into Broadway hairpin, then 1st place to the Zonda out of it.
Lap 56: Retake the lap back from the Cerbera when he pits again.
Lap 57: Take back the 2nd lap from T350C before taking back the lap from the Spirra too as he spins out unprovoked in Columbus Circle! Hold ups from backmarkers have allowed Zonda to build 6s lead.
Lap 61: Take back 1st place when Zonda pits.
Lap 65: Nick back my 2nd lap over the Corvette.
Lap 76: Pass the T350C a 3rd and final time and go on to take the win by ~54s from the Zonda. 👍

 

[Digital-Nitrate]

I knew you'd get addicted to the NY 200. Nice job as always! 👍

 

[Smallhorses]

Circuit de la Sarthe I 24 Hours (MkII!)

200 A-spec points!

Car: Toyota GT-One Race Car (TS020) '99 (Black used, no chassis refresh, no oil) / MR / R1 Tyres, Downforce 47/64 (F/R)

Grid (in starting order):-
1st

Nissan R92CP Race Car '92
2nd

Nissan R89C Race Car '89
3rd

Sauber Mercedes C 9 Race Car '89
4th

Toyota GT-One Race Car (TS020) '99 (Red)
5th

Mazda 787B Race Car '91
6th

Toyota GT-One Race Car (TS020) '99 (Black)

Hour 1:-

Trundle round in 4th for most of hour. Nissans & Sauber pit ending lap 7, Mazda ending lap 8 & Toyota lap 9. Stop myself ending lap 10, relinquishing the lead I'd taken over. Drop back to 5th while pitted only rising to 3rd when the R89C & Mazda make their 2nd stops. Still behind leaders even after their 2nd stop.

Hour mark passes 2'42 into lap 17, in 3rd place, ~12s behind leading R92CP.

Hour 2:-

Spent most of this hour in 3rd place, though it dipped to 5th when I made my second stop, and got as high as 1st when the leaders pitted ending lap 28. The R92CP & Sauber appear to be helping each other pull away, but they don't appear to be changing places, the R92CP having lead through every checkpoint so far.

Hour mark passes 1'56 into lap 34, in 3rd place, ~33s behind leading R92CP.

Hour 3:-

Most of this hour still in 3rd place, although after R92CP and Sauber pit ending lap 35, I was able to get past Sauber into 2nd for a while, and had a brief sniff of 1st before pitting on lap 40. Lapped Toyota beginning lap 44 while he's stopped.

Lead for a full lap after leaders pit, before diving pitwards again myself on lap 50, and drop back to 3rd place while stopped.

Hour mark passes 1'48 into lap 51, in 3rd place, ~21s behind leading R92CP.

Hour 4:-

Once again most of the hour is spent cruising in 3rd place. Took the lead when leaders pitted ending lap 56, but only for a little while, stopping from ~2s lead myself on lap 60. Not sure what befell the R92CP on this lap, but the Sauber goes by him into 2nd place and proceeds to run away like a scalded cheetah!

Leaders stop again ending lap 63, but get out with their lead still marginally intact.

Hour mark passes 57s into lap 68, in 3rd place, ~12s behind leading Sauber.

Hour 5:-

All of top 3 stop on lap 70, the Sauber is 21s ahead of me in 3rd place. Keep gap fairly stable at around 19s and lap the Toyota a 2nd time beginning lap 76. Take over lead when Sauber & R92CP pit again ending lap 77. Drop back to 2nd when I pit myself ending lap 80, and lose 2nd to the R92CP before the end of my outlap, falling back to 21s behind Sauber again. Drop even further back after a mistake at L'Arche chicane, but the 84th lap stop by leaders leaves me just a few seconds back.

Hour mark passes 26s into lap 85, in 2nd place, ~2s behind leading Sauber.

Hour 6:-

Spend much of this hour in 2nd place, should've been 1st, but a mistake right at beginning of hour while close to Sauber at Tertre Rouge costs me 8s!

Back to 50s behind after 90th lap stop, dropping to 3rd and leaves me still 15s behind after leaders pit on lap 91, but up into 2nd place. Take lead again on lap 98 when Sauber pits from 15s lead, but relinquish position again when I make my 100th lap stop. Also lapped R89C temporarily beginning lap 99, while he's pitted, but he gets it back during my stop for the time being.....

Hour mark passes 3'58 into lap 101, in 2nd place, ~14s behind leading Sauber.

Hour 7:-

An hour of which I spend a fair percentage in the lead. The Sauber makes good ground, pulling out to 35s lead before his 105th lap stop, leaving me with not much of an advantage when I go by him exiting the pits. Keep him behind to the tune of about 8s before making my next stop, passing the R89C to re-lap him again when he stops. He unlaps himself again during my 111th lap as I'm on cold tyres, but loses the lap permanently when he stops as I begin lap 113. The Sauber also drops back to 2nd place with his 112th lap stop, but eases down the gap to a little over 2s by the end of the hour. Lapped Toyata a 3rd time during lap 110 too, but not before he'd given me a vital fuel-saving draft down many of the straights!

Hour mark passes 5s into lap 119, in 1st place, ~2s ahead of 2nd placed Sauber.

Hour 8:-

Sauber hand over lead again ending lap 119, but I only hold it for a lap before pitting myself. Drop back over then next 7 laps to around 22s behind before the Sauber's 126th lap stop. Keep ahead for the next 4 laps extending the gap to about 20s,

before my 130th lap stop, a lap during which I passed the Mazda to lap him, albeit briefly. After the Sauber's 133rd lap stop he comes out around 17s back, and we round out the hour with him getting tyres up to race temperature and beginning to gain again.

Hour mark passes 2'55s into lap 134, in 1st place, ~14s ahead of 2nd placed Sauber.

Hour 9:-

Stop together on lap 140, my Toyota leading the Sauber by under 2s. Able to stay in lead for much of the Sauber's next 7 lap stint, although he gets away toward the end of it, and pulls away to about 6s lead before stopping on lap 147. Pass the Mazda again, and the Toyota a 4th time,

although the Mazda takes his lap back again after my 150th lap stop.

Hour mark passes 2'11 into lap 152, in 2nd place, ~13s behind leading Sauber.

Hour 10:-

An hour in which the lead see-saws between myself & the Sauber swapping each time we pitted. Also passed the Mazda again as he stops, but it still appears only a temporary thing. Sauber catches & passes me on lap 167 at Porsche Curves, after an earlier mistake at Mulsanne Hairpin on lap 164, but leads for 1 lap only as he stops ending lap 168. The lead I show ending the hour is flattering to me, given that I've a stop to come in 1 1/2 laps time.

Hour mark passes 1'57 into lap 169, in 1st place, ~35s ahead of 2nd placed Sauber.

Hour 11:-

Mazda's permanent lapping is confirmed as he stops ending his 168th lap, while I begin lap 170. No way back for him this time. Stopped from 37s ahead of Sauber ending lap 170. Passed during outlap, and lose about 8s with a mistake at Indianapolis on lap 172. Take over lead again beginning lap 176 when Sauber stops. Passed R89C a second time during lap 179,but lapping is only temporary as I stop, relinquishing lead again, on lap 180. Pass Toyota a 5th time during lap 185, and R89C during 186, although since my stop is due soon this'll prove a temporary arrangement.

Hour mark passes 1'11 into lap 186, in 1st place, ~10s ahead of 2nd placed Sauber.

Hour 12:-

An awful hour, that should have seen my lead cemented, turns out to be a disaster. Sauber stops ending lap 189, before I go in myself on lap 190, and I exit with the lead intact at around 7s. With next stop due for me at lap 200, and the Sauber at 196, I should be well away. Not so. Series of mistakes prove costly a spin at Porsche Curves letting the Sauber by, and a subsequent error exiting Maison Blanche trying to recover sees a 5s lead turn into a 13s deficit by the end of the lap. Pass him when he pits, but he gets the lead back when I pit having made a few more errors while being held up by R89C.

Exit pits on lap 201, and make a hash of Dunlop Curves, finishing my outlap 26s behind. Humph.

Hour mark passes 11s into lap 203, in 2nd place, ~31s behind leading Sauber.

1/2 distance standings:-

1st

Sauber Mercedes C 9 Race Car '89 12:00'00.000
2nd

Toyota GT-One Race Car (TS020) '99 (Black) +31s
3rd

Nissan R92CP Race Car '92 ~ +2'00 (a guess based on track position)
4th

Mazda 787B Race Car '91 +1 Lap
5th

Nissan R89C Race Car '89 +2 Laps
6th

Toyota GT-One Race Car (TS020) '99 (Red) +5 Laps

Hour 13:-

Atone for the awfulness of the previous 60 minutes, by turning in nearly 16 laps of unmatched awesomenitude! Another mistake at Porsche Curves on lap 203, affords Sauber a 44s cushion as he pits in, escaping with his lead intact. However, for the next 7 laps I pursue him relentlessly, and by the time we both pit at then end of lap 210, he still has only a 4s lead. He's got a 7s lead by Tertre Rouge checkpoint on our outlap, but I reel him in while his tyres are cold, and we swap places over and over again, during the next few laps, even posting a new fastest laptime of 3'25.690. His 217th lap stop from under 2s ahead ends the Cat'n'Mouse game, and again the lead I show as the hour passes is again flattering due to the fact that my next stop is imminent.

Hour mark passes 1'25 into lap 220, in 1st place, ~44s ahead of 2nd placed Sauber.

Hour 14:-

Another otherwise good hour that began badly! Pitted from 44s ahead of Sauber, and exited pits with lead intact. Sauber on warm tyres caught throughout lap, until after a bit of overenthusiasm on my part at Indianapolis, and the world goes blurry as I spin.

Gives Sauber the lead and we catch the Toyota again. Spend 3/4 lap behind the red roadblock, but save fuel in the process, eventually putting him 6 laps under.

Sauber stops from 10s ahead on lap 224, and I go through into lead again. My 230th lap stop gives back lead to Sauber for a lap, until he pits again ending lap 231, and we press on toward the hour's end.

Hour mark passes 3'23 into lap 236, in 1st place, ~27s ahead of 2nd placed Sauber.

Hour 15:-

Once again, with the Sauber not really a threat, and approaching a pitstop, I feel needless pressure to try and pull away & in doing so make a mistake, watching the timer to see the gap at Indianapolis checkpoint instead of looking at the track. Consequently a 27s gap turns into 8s, after I spin into the sand having hit the brakes for Porsche Curve with 2 wheels on grass!

Sauber stops on lap 238, and is 51s behind when I stop on lap 240, getting away with lead intact. Sauber closes to within 2s before 245th lap stop, and I spin out again at Indianapolis trying to lap R92CP. Lose time, and therefore the lead when I stop on lap 250, but go back in front after Sauber's 252nd lap stop.

Hour mark passes 2'24 into lap 253, in 1st place, ~19s ahead of 2nd placed Sauber.

Hour 16:-

A great hour! Catching up to not one but two Nissans during laps 254 and 255, and set a blistering new fastlap of 3'25.256 on lap 256 with the R92CP in sight, but not drafted! Pass back and too with Nissans during lap 257 & 258 and the Toyota is lapped a 7th time while stopped. Sauber pits on lap 259, leaving him over a minute behind when I stop on lap 260, directly behind R92CP making his 259th lap stop. Sauber stops ending lap 266, and I pass the R92CP again when he stops almost a lap down. Sauber is 56s back as I go into lap 270, which I'll stop at the end of, probably losing laps back to the Nissan pair.

Hour mark passes 2'38 into lap 270, in 1st place, ~56s ahead of 2nd placed Sauber.

Hour 17:-

Stop with just 47s of the hour gone, losing back laps to the Nissans, but still emerging ahead of Sauber, 👍 who gains through the next 7 laps while I duke it out with the R92CP attempting to permanently lap him. 👎 His lapping is confirmed when he stopsending his 273rd lap while I begin my 275th.The R89C's 3rd lapping is confirmed after he stops ending his 273rd lap while I begin lap 277. Lap 280 stop for me from some 35s ahead of Sauber, who also pits in keeping the gap stationary. Lap Mazda a 2nd time out on the track a lap after he emerged from the pits, and since his next stop will coincide with mine it's a fixed arrangement!

Hour mark passes 1'56 into lap 287, in 1st place, ~35s ahead of 2nd placed Sauber.

Hour 18:-

Sauber pits ending lap 287, but my comments about permanently lapping Mazda have me "Murraying" * myself into a mistake at Tertre Rouge on lap 288, spinning out, letting the Mazda back through and costing myself 15s! Still pitted ending lap 290 from over 50s lead, right behind Madza. Pass Mazda very permanently this time during lap 292, confirmed when he stops as I begin lap 299, and the Toyota takes an 8th lapping beginning my 295th lap. Sauber stops ending lap 294, leaving him over a minute down, but he gains a bit back at my 300th lap stop, before dropping back to around 1 minute with his 301st lap stop.

Hour mark passes 1'14 into lap 304, in 1st place, ~59s ahead of 2nd placed Sauber.

* "Murraying" - Suffering from a case of the commentator's curse, best demonstrated repeatedly by the great Murray Walker, whose habit of managing to say just the wrong thing at the right moment, made him one of the most legendary of motorsports commentators. Observe......

​

Hour 19:-

All in all a dull hour, no action apart from pitstops!

Sauber stops from 47s back on lap 308, dropping him to almost 1 1/2 minutes behind after his outlap. Stop myself ending lap 310, allowing the Sauber to close within 40s, before his next pit visit ending lap 315. Make my second stop of the hour ending lap 320 from way over a minute ahead of the Sauber, and the hour ends shortly afterwards.

Hour mark passes 1'20 into lap 321, in 1st place, ~46s ahead of 2nd placed Sauber.

Hour 20:-

Again a relatively incident free hour. Sauber pits on laps 322, and 329, dropping him back to around 1'45 behind. Passed the Toyota again during lap 328, but pit ending lap 330, running out of fuel as I enter the pitlane! Toyota is handed his 9th lapping, beginning lap 332 when he stops again. Sauber is back to under a minute behind when he's pitbound again ending lap 336, leaving the hour mark to pass with nearly 1 1/2 minute lead again.

Hour mark passes 27s into lap 338, in 1st place, ~1'28 ahead of 2nd placed Sauber.

Hour 21:-

A third consecutive hour of excitementlessness!

The gap between the Sauber & I see-saws one last time between the 40s & 1'20 marks, as I stop on lap 340, then he pits on lap 343. Since we both pit ending lap 350, the gap then stabilises around the 1'20 mark, since he'll stop again before I do. Lapped and lost lapping to R89C again several times during this period too.

Hour mark passes 3'15 into lap 354, in 1st place, ~1'16 ahead of 2nd placed Sauber.

Hour 22:-

Something to do! 👍 Sauber's 357th lap stop leaves him back at 1'46 in arrears. Stop ending lap 360 myself, having temporarily passed the Toyota again. Actually lap the Toyota during lap 367, confirming him as 10 laps down, so far down in fact that he'll need a snorkel!

Pretty embarrassing for a car identical to my own that started the race with the benefit of fresh, clean oil and an unbent chassis! The R89Cs 4th lapping is also cemented during this session, and the Sauber's 364th lap stop combined with my own ending lap 370, restores the status quo, at around 1 minute again after I lost time with an error at Dunlop Curves beginning my in-lap.

Hour mark passes 2'59 into lap 371, in 1st place, ~53s ahead of 2nd placed Sauber.

Hour 23:-

Not much passing during this hour, the Sauber dropping back further with 2 stops on lap 371 and 378 before I make my 380th lap stop. Sauber then goes in again ending lap 385 to leave him trailing by almost 2 full minutes. Catch right up within sight

of Mazda and R92CP towards the end of the hour, suggesting they'll both lose another lap each by the race finish.

Hour mark passes 2'30 into lap 388, in 1st place, ~2'00 ahead of 2nd placed Sauber.

Hour 24:-

Pitted ending lap 390, letting the Mazda gain back the lap I'd just taken from him. Sauber pits ending lap 392, and 399 dropping back to over 2 minutes again. Pitted ending lap 400 myself, but don't take on a full fuel load this time, only 42 units

which should be enough to see me through to the end. Lapped R92CP a 2nd time when he pits, Toyota again for an amazing 11 laps total

while he's stopped again, and Mazda stops as I begin lap 403, taking his 3rd lapping while stationary. Race on through the end of lap 405, dropping the fuel gauge down to nothing coming up to Porsche Curves. Enough to see me home for the 200 point win though!

Race ends 24:01'22.635 405 laps completed, 1'52 ahead of 2nd placed Sauber.

Result:-

1st

Toyota GT-One Race Car (TS020) '99 (Black) 24:01'22.635 Pitted every 10 laps
2nd

Sauber Mercedes C 9 Race Car '89 +1'52 Pitted every 7 laps
3rd

Nissan R92CP Race Car '92 +2 Laps Pitted every 7 laps
4th

Mazda 787B Race Car '91 +3 Laps Pitted every 8 laps
5th

Nissan R89C Race Car '89 +4 Laps Pitted every 7 laps
6th

Toyota GT-One Race Car (TS020) '99 (Red) +11 Laps Pitted every 9 laps


Music during race:-
The Orb - Aubrey Mixes: The Ultraworld Excursions, Astralasia - Axis Mundi, The Charlatans - Between 10th and 11th, Morrissey - Bona Drag, Feeder - Comfort In Sound, Beth Orton - Comfort Of Strangers, Pet Shop Boys - Disco, Portishead - Dummy, (Sunderland 0 vs. 2 Liverpool - Liverpoolfc.tv live commentary), Snow Patrol - Eyes Open, Goldfrapp - Felt Mountain, Franz Ferdinand - Franz Ferdinand, Shed 7 - Going For Gold, Beta Band - Heroes To Zeroes, Ivy - In The Clear, (Liverpool 4 vs. 0 Toulouse - Liverpoolfc.tv live commentary), Phish - Junta (Disc 1), Kasabian - Kasabian, Mansun - Little Kix, They Might Be Giants - Mink Car, Roni Size - New Forms (Disc 1), Ride - OX4_ The Best Of Ride, Coldplay - Parachutes, Inspiral Carpets - Revenge Of The Goldfish.

 

[Smallhorses]

Sarthe I 24hrs now happily completed for a full complement of A-spec points, which just leaves Nurburgring 24hrs, out of the 3 24hr races, with points outstanding. Hmmm. I've got an idea! 💡 !!!

 

[Touring Mars]

Amazing achievement, and an absolutely phenomenal post 👍

I will have to wait to +rep that last report, but somehow even that seems pathetically inadequate We need a super-rep button or something...

 

[Digital-Nitrate]

Circuit de la Sarthe I 24 Hours (MkII!)

+REP Absolutely Brilliant work, and I agree with TM, we need a SuperRep button for your monumental efforts! 👍👍

 

[Smallhorses]

Tokyo R246 300km (MkII!) (128 A-Spec points)

Inspired by a sorely missed old friend that's no longer around GT Planet any more, Old Geezer, whose report on this race found here lead me to believe that I could win this event in the magnificently close style I crave, I took the following ride into battle:

Mitsubishi FTO Super Touring Car '97 (No oil, R1 tyres) / 4WD / ?HP (430HP on garage screen) / 980kg / ?kg/HP (2.3kg/HP using garage value)

vs. 13th lineup after reset, NTSC.

Grid:-
1st

Opel Astra Touring Car '00 Pitted 29 - 30 laps
2nd

Toyota au Cerumo Supra (JGTC) '01 Pitted every 27 laps
3rd

Mazda RX-8 Concept LM Race Car '01 Pitted every 22 laps
4th

Nissan Xanavi Hiroto GT-R (JGTC) '01 Pitted 27 -28 laps
5th

Ford Falcon XR8 '00 Pitted every 22 laps
6th

Mitsubishi FTO Super Touring Car '97 Pitted every 15 laps


Race highlights:-

Took lead on lap 4, from Toyota, but am quickly followed past by Mazda who assumes 2nd place.
Despite my best efforts to pull away, Mazda remains in touch, around 2s behind until lap 10 when I begin to lap consistently in the 1'40 range, growing the gap slightly to 4s beginning lap 15. With front tyres orange/red, it's time to pit, from a little under 3s lead, making the race a 3-stopper for me.

Take tyres, and gamble on fuel remaining lasting me another stint.

Stop drops me back to last place, and I conclude my outlap a massive 32s behind Mazda who is now lapping his quickest on warm tyres. Gap stabilises around 34s before the Mazda, who is out on his own ahead of the other group of 4 cars, stops himself.
Caught the tail-enders on lap 20, and pass first the Nissan before the end of this lap, followed by the Toyota on lap 21, and the Opel & Ford on lap 22.
Mazda and Ford pit ending their respective 22nd laps. Passed Mazda as he exits pits, and he gets tied up in the traffic behind me.
Open a 6s lead by the end of his outlap, and go on to extend this to 17s while his tyres warm before my 30th lap stop. 👍
Toyota pits ending lap 27, Nissan goes in ending lap 28, while Opel waits until lap 30, making this a potential 1-stop race for him!
My 2nd stop on lap 30, with just 3 fuel units remaining, which leaves me trailing in 2nd place by 22s, a gap which is whittled down to 16s once my tyres warm up with a series of alien-like

laps in the 1'39 frame! Lap 41 being the fastest lap at 1'39.036!
Mazda & Ford pit ending lap 44, allowing me to take the lead again from the Mazda, but only temporarily as I'm due back in the pits ending lap 45, a stop which ends up leaving me 8s behind the Mazda who is now at his slowest on cold tyres!
Gained quickly and passed Mazda during lap 50, pulling away to around 5s lead.
Toyota stops again ending his 54th lap, and Nissan stops a 2nd time ending his 55th lap.
Lapped Toyota on lap 56, and Nissan on lap 57, getting them between me & pursuing Mazda.

Finished race just over 6s ahead of Mazda!

Result:-

1st

Mitsubishi FTO Super Touring Car '97 1:42'58.850 (190.4 miles)
2nd

Mazda RX-8 Concept LM Race Car '01 +6.583
3rd

Opel Astra Touring Car '00 +~1'00 (guesstimate based on track position)
4th

Ford Falcon XR8 '00 +~1'20 (guesstimate based on track position)
5th

Nissan Xanavi Hiroto GT-R (JGTC) '01 +1 Lap
6th

Toyota au Cerumo Supra (JGTC) '01 +1 Lap

 

[Smallhorses]

Grand Valley 300km (MkII!) (13 A-Spec points)

While I'm not usually a great advocate of low points races, they occasionally belie the competetive, close racing that they seem not to forecast. So this time round the A-Spec points are irrelevant, as they don't reflect the true nature of this race! My ride for this time through is the 1963 Corvette Z06 Race Car, which has over 600HP stock, but gives away a lot of downforce to it's competitors here, not to mention nearly 40 years of technical expertise!

Grid:
1st

Audi A4 Touring Car '04 Pitted every 14 laps
2nd

Honda Takata Dome NSX (JGTC) '03 Pitted every 15 laps
3rd

BMW M3 GTR Race Car '01 Pitted every 12 laps
4th

Honda Loctite Mugen NSX (JGTC) '01 Pitted every 14 -15 laps
5th

Nissan Pennzoil Zexel GT-R (JGTC) '01 Pitted every 15 laps
6th

Chevrolet Corvette Z06 (C2) Race Car '63 Pitted every 8 - 9 laps

Race Highlights:-

While it's apparent early on that the 'Vette has a straightline advantage here, the lack of downforce and enormous torque of the big V8 are tyre-shredding qualities which mean I'm certainly going to be pitting more than the other runners. 👎 Make several clean passes during lap 1, and finish it in 3rd place, just inches away from passing Takata Dome NSX. Set about catching leading Audi. Planning to try for 10 laps per set of tyres for a 5 stop strategy, but it doesn't work, rears are shot after 9 laps. Having taken lead ending lap 2 and built up to just under 9s lead at one point, I went into 9th lap with 8s lead, and allow the Audi, which is now on warm tyres to gain a second or 2 as my rear tyres deteriorate and I head pitwards. Exit in 6th place with a seemingly unconquerable task ahead! Ended outlap 23s behind Audi, and he maintains that gap for the new couple of laps. BMW is passed again in pits ending lap 12. Audi's stop comes at the end of lap 14, from 21s lead, allows me through into 4th, as JGTC trio continue for another lap before their stop, headed in by the Takata Dome NSX. They emerge as the Audi comes through, the Takata Dome NSX managing to hold onto 2nd place and ending his outlap 20s behind my 'Vette but knowing I'll have to stop in 2 laps time. My tyres are wearing as theirs are warming, but I'm still able to grow the gap to 26s ahead of Audi, when I stop ending lap 18. Emerge from pits as a gaggle of cars flies by, getting out in 5th, with only the Nissan behind me. Beautiful clean move even on cold tyres out of the 2nd hairpin sees me past the BMW & Takata Dome NSX, leaving me in 3rd with the Loctite NSX and Audi ahead. The 2nd Honda is quickly dispatched, and I set about making up the 5s I need to take from the Audi. (At this point the replay ends so it's memory from here on in!)
Having taken the lead and moved away from the Audi, I'm due to pit ending lap 27, followed then by the Audi on lap 28. We're left 4th and 5th, behind the JGTC trio, but ahead of the BMW. Take the lead when the leaders pit ending lap 30, this time lead in by the Loctite NSX, but predictably lose it again during my next stop on lap 36. The Audi has dropped back by this point, leaving the Loctite NSX as the front runner. At this point I know I have 2 stops to make, on laps 45 and 53 if I stick to my 9 lap current plan. However, I can get 2 x good 8 lap stints in if I do laps 44 and 52, eliminating a costly 9th lap on worn rear tyres. Since the Loctite NSX is only 5s behind at this point, and around 11s ahead of the chasing Nissan & Takata Dome NSX, I take the gamble, knowing that they should all only have one further stop to make, and it's going to be touch-and-go whether I get the win or not! I'm surprised then, when the Loctite follows me in ending lap 44! This means unless he's able to do a 16 lap stint on his last set of tyres he'll have to stop again before the end! Exit pits in 3rd place, and take over lead at the end of my outlap when the Nissan & Takata Dome NSX pit. Need to build as big a gap as possible being as I have another stop to go, and put in some consistent fast laps in the 1'54 arena. Pull into pits for last stop on lap 52, holding almost 30s lead. It's enough to get me out just in front of the Nissan, but having lost the lead to the Loctite NSX. As predicted, he only gets another 14 lap stint from his tyres, and pits ending lap 58! I'm handed back the lead, and cruise home to finish 11s ahead of the 2nd placed Nissan!

Result:-
1st

Chevrolet Corvette Z06 (C2) Race Car '63 1:59'54.231
2nd

Nissan Pennzoil Zexel GT-R (JGTC) '01 + 11.905s
3rd

Honda Loctite Mugen NSX (JGTC) '01 On lead lap
4th

Honda Takata Dome NSX (JGTC) '03 On lead lap
5th

BMW M3 GTR Race Car '01 On lead lap
6th

Audi A4 Touring Car '04 On lead lap

The Audi's poor pit strategy, pitting 4 laps from the end also ensures that the BMW who has made 4 equally spaced stops, nicks 5th place from him at the death!

 

[Smallhorses]

El Capitan 200 miles (MkIV!!) (200 A-spec points)

Car: Lotus Esprit Turbo HC '87 (S2 Tyres) / MR / 215HP / 1146kg / 5.3kg/HP

Somehow I can't get enough of this race, and marked my 4th running of it with something of a record with regards to the highest WPR ratio yet to win this in stock form, given 5.3kg/HP! The Esprit is absolutely bone-stock, 0.0 miles as won from MR Challenge in beginner hall, no oil change, stock SM (S2) tyres, and had the driving aids set to zero. Giving away more than 274HP to my closest rival, this should be something of a challenge!

Grid:-

Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport (C4) '96 [496HP] Pits 13 - 14 laps

Chevrolet Corvette Z06 (C5) '00 [493HP] Pits 16 laps

TVR Cerbera Speed Six '97 [489HP] Pits 12 laps

TVR T350C '03 [489HP] Pits 12 laps

Aston Martin V8 Vantage '99 [559HP] Pits 11 laps

Lotus Esprit Turbo HC '87 [215HP] Pits 11 laps

Laps 1 - 10:
Sneak my way through into the lead by lap 3, but am unable to pull away from the Z06 in 2nd place. For the next 7 laps the gap fluctuates consistently throughout the lap showing ~2.3s at T1, ~4.2s at T2, and ~2.5s at the line.

Laps 11 - 20:
My right rear tyre is showing definite signs of wear, dark orange, versus the other 3 tyres which are still yellow. With a 3.2s gap shown at T2 on lap 11, it's obvious I'm losing time to the Z06, and opt for a pitstop, leaving me running a 5 stop strategy here.
Drop back to 5th place while pitted. The Aston also stops from 6th place ending lap 11, leaving him a very distant last! The TVR pairing pit ending lap 12, and allow me to go back through into 3rd place ending my outlap, showing a 25s deficit from the leading Z06. The C4 'Vette stops ending lap 14, handing 2nd place back to me, although the Z06 has made a few seconds on me, up to 27s lead, while my new tyres warm up to their task. He stops ending lap 16, having given away 4s in his inlap by the T2 checkpoint, and I'm able to re-take the lead spot. The Z06 really struggles with his cold tyres, finishing his outlap 10s behind me, but allowing me to grow the gap to a hair under 22s by the end of lap 20!

Laps 21 - 30:
Pitted in from ~24s lead ending lap 22, taking on tyres but no fuel, which has seen 34 units consumed in 22 laps, leaving me a 46 unit surplus which'll easily last me another couple of stops. Get down off the jacks and accelerate off down the pitlane as the leaders pass by, the Z06, with the T350C hot on his heels. Exit the pitlane as 3rd placed Cerbera is turning into the shallow bend before the first bridge, and I'm unable to pull out of his way to let him go before he slams into the back of the Lotus at full-tilt!
Finish my outlap moving over to allow the Cerbera past, dropping to 4th place in the process and 6s behind the leader. Take back 3rd place in the bend complex after the tunnel on lap 24, and 2nd place becomes mine again when the T350C pits ending lap 24, followed by the 4th placed Cerbera. The Z06 built his lead to 9s, and the C4 'Vette edges closer, until he pits ending lap 28. The Z06 runs laps 28, 29 and 30 directly behind the Aston, which he's caught but seems unable to pass & lap. A new fastest lap for me, 1'58.522 on lap 30 sees me close to within 3s of the leader.

Laps 31 - 40:
Passed the Z06 for the lead again out of the Lodge hairpin on lap 32, as he's still struggling with the Aston. The Z06 pits ending the same lap, and I go on behind the Aston, eventually dropping him back a lap out of the tunnel on lap 33, but since I pit ending the lap he takes it back temporarily. Again tyres go on, but no fuel is taken, since there's 29 units remaining which is more than enough for another stint.
Aston lapped permanently in pits beginning lap 34, which I begin in 1st place
having exited pits with my lead intact. The T350C makes a nuisance of himself for a couple of laps, and we trade 1st & 2nd throughout laps 35 & 36 before his next pitstop. He's not liking the fact that my 200HP Lotus is kicking his 400HP TVR butt, and runs me wide into the bridge wall towards T2, when there was really no gap to go for. The Cerbera flies through into 2nd as I drop back to 3rd recovering from the spin caused by the impact with the wall. Still, it's the first major error in 36 laps! :tup:Take back the lead when the TVRs pit ending lap 36, but swiftly lose it again, as I'm still lamenting my misfortune in being spun by the TVR, and I spin myself into the first turn, allowing the 2 Chevys past. 👎
Pass the Z06 repeatedly during the next 3 laps but keep losing the place again when he blows by on the start/finish straight! Finish lap 40, in 2nd place about 3s behind leading C4 'Vette, and only a few yards ahead of the Z06 in 3rd place!

Laps 41 - 50:
The C4 'Vette is struggling with tyres during lap 41, allowing me to close right up on him, and it's no surprise when he opts to pit a lap earlier than he normally would, at the end of lap 41 instead of 42. Pit from just over 2s lead on Z06 at the end of lap 44, taking tyres and fuelling up to 20 units. End outlap a little over 22s behind Z06, but down in 4th place right behind the Cerbera.
New fastest lap on lap 47 drops the record to 1'57.790. The leading trio of Z06, T350C and Cerbera all pit ending lap 48 and I retake top spot. Knock 3/100ths of the lap record on lap 49, down to 1'57.760. Once again the Z06 struggles on cold tyres, meaning that a 10s gap quickly becomes 20s by the end of lap 50.

Laps 51 - 60:
5 uneventful laps stretch the gap to 29s before my 55th lap, and final stop. Tyres go on, fuel goes in and I get away with the lead still. The C4 'Vette resumes his 14 lap strategy, pitting at the end of lap 55, and I finish my outlap just 1.5s ahead of the Z06. End lap 60 with a little under 4s lead over Z06, and the TVR twins make their last pitstops. I'm also within sight of the Aston again, to potentially hand a car with more than double (559HP) the power of my Lotus (215HP) a second lapping!

Lap 61 - Finish:
Slip by the Aston again during lap 62, and he goes on to hold up the Z06 a bit. Break the fastest laptime again with a 1'57.592 on lap 63. Z06 pits ending lap 64, with just 2 laps to go and almost costs himself 2nd place!!! Finish race with a touch over 40s lead.

Result:-

1st

Lotus Esprit Turbo HC '87
2nd

Chevrolet Corvette Z06 (C5) '00
3rd

TVR T350C '03
4th

TVR Cerbera Speed Six '97
5th

Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport (C4) '96
6th

Aston Martin V8 Vantage '99

 

[Smallhorses]

Nurburgring 4hr (MkIII!) (152 A-spec points)

Car: Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution II GSR '94 (6.2mile Used, Tyres F/R S1/S2) / 4WD / 263HP / 1250kg / 4.8kg/HP

I don't know why, but I had this strange affection for this second generation Evo, that was acquired as a 6.2 mile used special, and wanted to give it a nice long drive. It's adequately powerful, but the 4WD system on these older cars resulted in chronic understeer and an appetite for front tyres that makes Mr. Creosote look like a fastidious dieter!
Conseqently I knew Nurburgring 4 hours would be a good test for it, and while not a maximum A-spec point race, with my awkward need to stop for tyres every 3 laps even with S1s on the front, it would be a close race given the right kind of opposition.

Grid:-
1st

Renault Clio Sport V6 Phase 2 '03
2nd

Jaguar S-Type R '02
3rd

Alfa Romeo 147 GTA '02
4th

Audi S4 '03
5th

Lancia Delta HF Integrale Evoluzione '91
6th

Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution II GSR '94

Race Highlights:-

Lap 1: Pass Lancia & Audi cleanly under braking for Arembergkurve, while the Alfa follows, cleanly passed for 3rd place at the braking point for Wehrseifen. Hang on to the Jaguar's coat-tails for the rest of the lap, but haven't got the power to make a clean pass. Renault pulls away to around 14s lead.

Lap 2: Passed Jaguar in a similar manner to the Lancia & Audi. His power advantage shows out of Adenauer Forst as he's able to get alongside and nearly knock me off track at Metzgesfeld. Pull away through the next turn complex and that's the last I see of him for a while. Renault leads by 26s ending lap 2.

Lap 3: Pit in from about 45s behind the Renault at the end of lap 3, allowing the Jaguar back into 2nd place. The Lancia also pits in while I'm stopped. The Alfa stops from last place, entering the pits while I'm 39s into the next lap.

Lap 4: The gap to the Renault continues to increase up to 1'12 by Wippermann checkpoint, but then falls dramatically as the Renault's overcooked tyres punish him badly. By the Dottinger Hohe checkpoint, the gap shows 15.5s to the leading Jaguar! I pass the Renault who's trying to regain the track again just by the pit entry. The Audi also stops ending his 4th lap.

Lap 5: Begin the lap 16s behind the leading Jaguar, who pits from a 6s lead ending the lap, which I finish in a new record of 8'19.392 to take the lead for the first time, with just over 42 minutes past.

Lap 6: Quite surprisingly, it's the Lancia who flashes up as 2nd at the beginning of the lap. He's 14s behind, a gap which grows to 16s at one point, but by Dottinger Hohe checkpoint the Renault is back through into 2nd place, and he's 12s back when I pit again, followed once more by the Lancia, and almost a 1/4 of a lap later by the Alfa.

Lap 7: Exit pits in 2nd, having taken on tyres but no fuel again. Finished a clean lap, but the Renault extends the lead from 10s at Quiddlebacher Hohe, to 26s by the end of the lap!

Lap 8: Gap seems to stay reasonably static again between 25 - 28s round most of the lap, until I suddenly go from 24s behind at Wippermann checkpoint, to passing the stricken Renault who is reversing on the grass outside Eiskurve! Through into the lead, and finish the lap with the now 2nd placed Jaguar just 7.6s behind, while the Renault & Audi make their 2nd stops.

Lap 9: Build lead to 11s at one point before falling back to just under 9s by Antoniusbrucke checkpoint prior to pitting in and relinquishing the lead to the Jaguar again. Fuel gauge has dropped into the last bar, so a top up is required to 26 units this time, as well as the tyres.

Lap 10: Exit pits in 2nd place, some 12s or so behind the Jaguar, and the Lancia stops again as I pull away. I'm over 3 minutes into lap 10 by the time the Alfa makes his end of 9th lap stop! The Jaguar is down to a little under 4s ahead when he pits, and I take back the lead.

Lap 11: It's the Renault that takes over 2nd place, some 17s behind my Mitsubishi, and the Lancia also sneaks ahead of the Jaguar before he escapes the pits.

(Lost data for next 10 laps when PC battery runs out!
Well, actually it doesn't run out. My Dell Laptop goes into that special standby mode that only it understands. What's supposed to happen is that it detects the battery has gone below 10% capacity and I've not responded to the warning (Upstairs eating dinner or something...) so it drops to 5% at which point it's supposed to enter the hibernation state, enabling me to reactivate it in exactly the same state as it was left later on when it's either charged back up or connected to AC power.
But it doesn't.
It enters Dumbass mode.
It partially hibernates, meaning the lights stay on, screen goes black, but regardless of what you do, move the mouse, gently hit the power button, press the keys, absolutely diddly-squat happens. The only way to recover from this state is to hold the power button for more than 5s. Which powers the whole thing off completely and anything open, but unsaved, is lost. Thanks Dell. )

Fast lap time becomes 8'15.389 at some point during this period.

Pit from 57s lead over 2nd placed Jaguar ending lap 21, but know there's still a stop to go before the Jaguar pits again, so I need to try and maintain as big an advantage as possible. Ending lap 22, the Jaguar has dropped the gap from 35s entering the lap to 28s, and I'm due to pit again before he does. It'll be a close one! The Alfa is lapped while stopped in the pits completing his 21st lap.
Enter lap 24 with 27s advantage over Jaguar, but am due a stop, and will probably lose the lead if I'm unable to pull away a bit. The gap is 30s at Dottinger Hohe, but back to 27s by Antoniusbrucke. I get into the pits, fuelled up to 26 units and take new tyres, getting away as the Jaguar and the Alfa he's still trying to lap enter Hohenrain Schikane. The gap is down to a measely 8s at Quiddelbacher Hohe on lap 25. The Jaguar drops back on his tiring tyres (<---- see, there's a reason we Limeys spell tyres with a Y, to avoid confusion in statements like that! ) to 15s behind when he stops again ending this lap. With just over 3 1/2 hours gone, I know I'll be looking at 28 or 29 laps total, meaning I will have to make 1 more stop ending lap 27, so this is by no means over. Or maybe not, the Jaguar drops back & back on his cold tyres to finish his outlap some 49s behind. I have enough of a comfortable cushion now! Pit in from 47s lead, with a little over 11 minutes remaining, meaning I'll have to do 2 more laps. Top up to 18 units, take the new tyres and get underway again for the run to the finish line. Dive into lap 29 after my outlap, with a 25s lead over the Jaguar, and the 4 hour mark passes 2'26 into lap 29 approaching Kallenhard. 8'14.755 is the new fast lap on the final lap too, as I finish a shade under 30s ahead of the 2nd place Jaguar. 👍

Result:-
1st

Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution II GSR '94 4:05'48.309
2nd

Jaguar S-Type R '02
3rd

Lancia Delta HF Integrale Evoluzione '91
4th

Renault Clio Sport V6 Phase 2 '03
5th

Audi S4 '03
6th

Alfa Romeo 147 GTA '02

 

[ceiling_fan]

Nice write-up. 👍 That's cool the final lap was also the fastest. That never happens with me.

 

[SportWagon]

I'm a mediocre to bad driver.

From

http://www.geocities.com/gt2toxs/gt/logs/gt4-game1.txt

December 07, 2007
2426 whiteMiataNRA'04 E/Roadster4 nq6th1st +117-79A next

That was winning by over a lap. So I should have been able to reduce power and get about 124pts or so.

Using the Mazda MX-5 Miata 1600 NR-A (J) '04, I used power mods plus ballast, and started on N1 tires, switching to and staying on N3's after lap 1. I made 7 pitstops including the one on lap 1, stopping about every 28 laps. and winning by a lap.

Here are the results:
1. Mazda MX-5 Miata 1600 NR-A (J) '04 (me) 195 laps 4-00:52.722
2. Mazda MX-5 Miata SR Limited '97 +1 lap
3. Mazda MX-5 Miata 1.8RS (J) '98 +1 lap (+7 sec)
4. Mazda MX-5 Miata J Limited II (J)'93 +1 lap (+14 sec)
5. Mazda MX-5 Miata S-Special Type I (J) '95 +1 lap
6. Mazda MX-5 Miata V-Special Type II (J) '93 +? lap
pits 1,30,59,87,115,142,170

Used: NA1, chip, SRmuff ~155hp, and 200kg of ballast.
It seemed to break in as the race progressed, which was nice.

I might be wrong, but I'd think you (Smallhorses) could take the same basic approach, and remove a lot more power, and achieve the same number of laps against the same field, or perhaps even manage 197 laps against the 1800RS'00, for a lot more points. And this approach makes it a fun handicap event.

 

[Smallhorses]

New York Streets 200 miles (MkIV!)

200 A-spec points! (Again!)

Car: Honda NSX Type S Zero '99 (Used, oil changed, S1 tyres) / MR / 284HP / 1270kg / 4.5kg/HP (At end of race: 271HP / 1270kg / 4.7kg/HP)

Starting Grid:-
1st Dodge Viper GTS '99
2nd Lotus Motor Sport Elise '99
3rd Callaway C12 '03
4th Ford Mustang SVT Cobra R '00
5th Chevrolet Corvette ZR-1 (C4) '90
6th Honda NSX Type S Zero '99

Full race report with map and pictures is here!!! (Enjoy!!!)
Another 200 A-spec New York Streets 200 miles. (Stock Honda NSX Type S Zero '99)

Result:-
1st Honda NSX Type S Zero '99 2:22'24.893
2nd Ford Mustang SVT Cobra R '00 +4.794s
3rd Dodge Viper GTS '99 On lap 76
4th Callaway C12 '03 On lap 76
5th Chevrolet Corvette ZR-1 (C4) '90 On lap 76
6th Lotus Motor Sport Elise '99 On lap 76

 

[Duke]

Super Speedway 150 miles. (30 A-Spec points)

Result:-

1st MINOLTA Toyota 88C-V Race Car '89 50'27.786 Pitted on laps 35 and 68.
2nd MINOLTA Toyota 88C-V Race Car '89 + 15s Pitted on laps 39 and 76.

Next please.....

And herein lies the total problem with the A-spec system: You won a 50-minute race by 0.5% margin of victory, and you were awarded a whopping 30 points. I know you're not a slow driver and I doubt you were fluffing it in this race. Yet a combination of the Rabbit Effect and the crappy A-spec calculation yet again yielded an inappropriate award.