Smallhorses' A-Spec Endurance Companion.

[Smallhorses]

That Mercedes with just the chip & exhaust on S1 tyres against the right AI field should give you a great race.
Considering this race has been won in an enormous number of stock cars for 200 points over in the Stock car race comparison/challenge thread, including the 216HP Chrysler Crossfire and 200HP DMC Delorean, I'd even hazard a guess that the Merc might even make a win out of this without any mods at all. Fancy that challenge?

 

[Maas]

Absolutely, since I consider myself a good driver, let's put myself to the test!
Maybe I'm being a pain in the 🤬...Do tell me when I am...

But wich cars should I definitely keep out of the lineup?
I'll try to make it a 120-150 points race...

Regards,
Maas

 

[Smallhorses]

I'm not going to spoonfeed you the info!
Have a look at Digital-Nitrate's thread, I told you where to find it before.
Based on the information (listed fastest to slowest), you can make your own decisions. The AI are really, really bad on cold tyres at El Capitan though, so don't let their fastlap times worry you unduly.

 

[flyingkiwi]

Smallhorses,
could you tell me what lap speed the a1 cars run in the 24 hour nurburgring race?

I'm guessing 7:15-7:20??

Cheers.

 

[Smallhorses]

Smallhorses,
could you tell me what lap speed the a1 cars run in the 24 hour nurburgring race?

I'm guessing 7:15-7:20??

Cheers.

Sorry, but I'm not a great one for paying attention to the AI's laptimes when I'm racing.
Your guesstimate sounds about right for the faster cars, BMW M3, Abt Audi TT, Audi A4 Touring car, but there are a few cars such as Spoon S2000 Race Car and Nissan Silvia JGTC300 that run much slower than this.
Best info I can find on this is the set of 5 average laptimes for the AI that Famine ran against.
It's on the front page of his Endurance companion which you can find here.

 

[Smallhorses]

Well, it's 11 months (to the day! ) since I posted an Enduro report and since I'm in the home stretch of my 100,000 A-spec points quest with no NOS use, I'm going back for points wherever and however I can find them.
Last time I ran the Roadster 4hrs Endurance, I came away with a 2 lap winning margin despite starting on N1 tyres and pitting on lap 1! Thus I still believed that more points could be had here, and went back to have a look at my Mazda MX-5 Miata '89 to see what could be done. Alas, this one was bought as a 6.2 mile special and was modified a little for my first run through the Roadster Cup in the Mazda Manufacturer races. Having had a Stage 1 weight reduction and not having black oil the power/weight ratio isn't able to be reduced to a level that I believe may give a significant points increase when lined up against the same field as I faced last time.
I therefore go off in search of a well used '89, and as I'm on day 3478, there happens to be a red one with 52,829.4 miles on the clock in the Historic Used Car Lot. 👍 Purchased it for 5,949Cr and set about upgrading it for it's arduous 4hr task ahead.
It's showing 107HP in the garage screen, and appears to have tar for oil. I'm leaving it that way though, and I add 110kg of ballast for good measure, taking the weight up to 1050kg, identical to that of the Mazda MX-5 Miata 1600 NR-A (NB,J) '04 that I ran last time, but lagging by some 17HP in power. I fit N tyres of all grades, racing brakes, brake controller, full-custom transmission, triple plate clutch, racing flywheel, 1.5-way LSD, carbon driveshaft and full-custom suspension.
Practicing with 75kg ballast at Tsukuba I'm able to come up with a setup that runs in the low to mid-1'12s, and since this had given me 2 laps victory before, I upped the ballast a little until low to mid-1'13s were obtained.
I now set off in search of the same lineup as before...

The writeup shall follow, and to make sure that at least 1 of you reads it , I'm going to do a 1-month Premium Membership giveaway once it's completed and you can answer 5 questions in relation to race or MX-5 Miata related trivia.

Watch this space...

 

[PF]

That's great news, Smallhorses, I'm looking forward to this report. Can one assume that you're going for the full 200pts? Either way, good luck on this notorious race.

 

[Smallhorses]

That's great news, Smallhorses, I'm looking forward to this report. Can one assume that you're going for the full 200pts? Either way, good luck on this notorious race.

Sadly that's a no.
Even the notoriously quick Austin343 required NOS for a full complement of A-spec points here, and many others have had to use shortcuts & AI abuse which I've done my level best to avoid.
I'm only 600 or so points from my 100,000 goal, and to cave to temptation now doesn't seem right.
I'm racing as clean as possible right to the end, but I'm gunning for 184 points, which is about as much as I believe may be possible here in my self-enforced format, and may possibly be the most that anyone's gone for sans-Laughing Gas!

 

[Watchman]

Good to see you're back with a new car and a new enduro, Smallhorses. I, as always, can't wait to read it. I'm sure it's going to be interesting and overall great.

 

[Smallhorses]

Roadster 4hrs Endurance (MkIV!) (184 A-spec points)

Car: Mazda MX-5 Miata (NA) '89 (N1/N3 Tyres) / FR / 107HP / 1050kg / 9.8kg/HP

Starting grid:
1st Mazda MX-5 Miata SR-Limited (J) '97 (Pits every 41 - 42 laps)
2nd Mazda MX-5 Miata S-Special Type I (J) '95 (Pits every 41 - 42 laps)
3rd Mazda MX-5 Miata 1.8 RS (J) '98 (Pits every 41 - 42 laps)
4th Mazda MX-5 Miata J-Limited II (J) '93 (Pits every 42 - 43 laps)
5th Mazda MX-5 Miata V-Special Type II (J) '93 (Pits every 42 - 43 laps)
6th Mazda MX-5 Miata (NA) '89 (Pits on lap 1, then every 34 laps thereafter)

Full race report with setup, pictures and map is here: (Enjoy!!!)
184 clean A-spec points, without NOS at Roadster 4hrs Endurance.

Result:
1st Mazda MX-5 Miata (NA) '89 4:00'36.964 (194 laps completed, 252.7 miles)
2nd Mazda MX-5 Miata SR-Limited (J) '97 (+~20s)
3rd Mazda MX-5 Miata 1.8 RS (J) '98 (+~27s)
4th Mazda MX-5 Miata S-Special Type I (J) '95 (+~50s)
5th Mazda MX-5 Miata J-Limited II (J) '93 (+~1'00)
6th Mazda MX-5 Miata V-Special Type II (J) '93 (+~1'13)

Decided this was such a lovely race that it warranted it's own thread.
The aforementioned Premium Giveaway questions are in the new thread!
Good luck!

 

[Smallhorses]

Super Speedway 150 miles (MkIV!) (165 A-spec points)

Car: Peugeot 905 Race Car '92 (R1 tyres) / MR / 799HP / 950kg / 1.2kg/HP

Setup:
Brake balance - Front 7, Rear 8
Driving Aids - 0 / 0 / 1 (TCS)
Spring Rate - Front 12.3, Rear 13.9
Ride Height - Front 58, Rear 57
Shock Bound - Front 5, Rear 7
Shock Rebound - Front 5, Rear 7
Camber Angle - Front 2.2, Rear 2.0
Toe Angle - Front 0, Rear -2
Stabilisers - Front 4, Rear 6
Transmission - Autoset 13.
Downforce - Front 53, Rear 72
LSD - 5 / 15 /25
Ballast - 200kg @ +5

Starting Grid:
1st Toyota GT-One Race Car (TS020) '99 (Pitted lap 45, 90)
2nd BMW V12 LMR Race Car '99 (Pitted lap 48, 97)
3rd Pescarolo Courage C60 Race Car '03 (Pitted lap 46, 91)
4th Bentley Speed 8 Race Car '03 (Pitted lap 43, 87)
5th PlayStation Pescarolo C60 Race Car '04 (Pitted lap 48, 96)
6th Peugeot 905 Race Car '92 (Pitted on lap 40 (R1 tyres), then every 20 laps thereafter (R3 tyres))

Race Action:

Ending the first 10 laps with a new fastest laptime of 31.130 I'm still back in 6th place and 10.211s behind the leading Toyota.
I also end the next set of 10 laps with a new fastest laptime, 30.811 on lap 20, sitting back in 6th place and 16.435s adrift of the leader. Had 1 momentary wall brush ending lap 13 as I exited the tighter turn.
Put in a new fast laptime of 30.761s on lap 24, before unexpectedly catching up to a slow moving 5th placed BMW on the backstraight on lap 25. Follow him around for a while, and his draft helps me to continue the trend of breaking the lap record every 10 laps! Finished lap 30 in 30.598s, and now trail the Toyota by 21.743s.
Touched the wall outside the faster turn on lap 37 as my tyres start to wear out and lose touch with the BMW.

The Toyota is gaining on me, and as I pass the 2nd checkpoint on my 40th lap, the gap is 29.037s. Pit in, top up to 38 units of fuel and switch to R3s all round. Lose a lap to everyone while I'm stopped and exit the pits only a few seconds away from a 2nd lapping by the Toyota.
The Bentley is the first AI driver to pit ending his 43rd lap, which allows me to unlap myself from him. My first few flying laps on R3 tyres are a revelation as the fast laptime drops first to 29.970s, then 29.154s ending lap 43! I'm catching the 5th placed BMW as the Toyota pits from the end of his 45th lap and hands me back my lap, leaving the Pescarolo Courage to take over top spot before he pits himself ending his 46th lap. Steal back my lap from him too as I unlap myself from the BMW into the tighter turn on my 45th lap, and the PlayStation Pescarolo has become the new leader. Ending my 47th lap I pass the PlayStation Pescarolo who has pitted from the lead ending his 48th lap, and I'm now back on the same lap as everyone else. The BMW also pits ending his 48th lap and as I come around again to begin lap 49 I take 5th place from the still stationary BMW and pass the PlayStation Pescarolo as he's accelerating out of the pitlane to move up into 4th place. Finish lap 50 in 4th place, within sight of 2nd & 3rd place, and just 5.905s behind the leader. Passed the Bentley for 3rd place exiting the tighter turn at the end of lap 51, followed by the Pescarolo Courage inside the exit of the faster turn on lap 52 to move into 2nd place and finish the lap exactly 3.000s behind the leader. Lap 53 is a new fastest, dropping below 29s for the first time, at 28.944s. 👍 Breezed through into the lead,

taking the Toyota inside the exit of the faster turn on lap 54 and set about pulling away until my tyres die away, although I do manage to lap the BMW cleanly during lap 57. Pit in from around 6s lead ending my 60th lap and drop back to 5th place.
Completed my outlap in 55.679s, leaving me 26.221s behind the leading Toyota. Back up into 4th place, slipping underneath the PlayStation Pescarolo exiting the faster turn on lap 64. Having broken the lap record again on lap 67 with a 28.919, I'm still pushing hard, too hard as it turns out and I clobbered the wall outside the tight turn hard on lap 69, skewing me across the straight and dropping my speed a lot as I brake to avoid the pitwall & a costly spin.

The gap to the Toyota jumps back up to 22.047s ending lap 70 after this stupid mistake. Make amends with a 28.839s fastest time on lap 72,

and continue to reel the Toyota in to within 14s before my tyres go away again on lap 77, leaving me to run three 31.xxx laps before my 80th lap pitstop and handing back a few seconds to the leader who is ~17s ahead when I pull in. Drop back to last place and a lap behind the leaders while I'm pitted. Able to take back 5th place from the BMW inside the exit of the faster turn on lap 86, and as the Bentley pits ending his 87th lap, I'm also able to pass the Pescarolo Courage as we cross the finish line to unlap myself from both of these cars too. I nick back 4th place from the Bentley around the outside of the faster turn on my 88th lap as he's exiting the pitlane acceleration area inside the curve.
The Toyota pits at the end of his 90th lap at much the same time as I begin mine, and I'm thus able to unlap myself as he's pulling into his pit bay. This leaves the Pescarolo Courage temporarily in the lead, until I steal 3rd place from the Toyota exiting the pits, and the Pescarolo Courage plunges pitwards ending his 91st lap. I steal 2nd place from him before he even starts moving again, and I'm left just 1.718s behind the PlayStation Pescarolo that's taken over 1st position as we begin lap 92. A final minor wall glance occurs exiting the tighter turn ending lap 96 as my tyres start to worsen, and the 2nd placed PlayStation Pescarolo makes his 2nd stop with just 4 laps remaining at the end of the same lap! This ensures that he'll finish the race in 5th place and a lap down as I pass him while he's pitted. The BMW makes his final stop ending his 97th lap, and I pass him in the pits as I begin my penultimate lap, leaving him 2 laps in arrears!

Go into lap 100 with almost bright red right tyres and very orange left tyres, but holding a 17.256s lead over the Toyota.

Result:

1st Peugeot 905 Race Car '92 0:52'11.111
2nd Toyota GT-One Race Car (TS020) '99 (+~16.2s)
3rd Bentley Speed 8 Race Car '03 (+~16.5s)
4th Pescarolo Courage C60 Race Car '03 (+~19s)
5th PlayStation Pescarolo C60 Race Car '04 (+1 lap)
6th BMW V12 LMR Race Car '99 (+2 laps)

Never thought I'd say it about an oval race, but this was actually fun!

 

[SportWagon]

Hmm. How would the math have worked if you had come in sooner to switch to R3?
Sort of like the N1 => N3 switch at Tsukuba, but not as severe a case.

Seems like R1 => R3 dropped your laptimes about 2seconds/lap. So 15 laps makes up for a pitstop. Was 20 laps as far as the R3s would go? (looks like it).

Hmm. So I guess you'd gain a little by pitting every 20, switching R1 => R3 on first stop. (You should have regained your pitstop time by lap 35, maybe earlier).

 

[Smallhorses]

Motegi 8hrs. (MkII!)

200 A-Spec points!

Since I'd only accomplished 168 points here before, I wanted to use the 200 pointing of this race as the one that pushed me into the 100,000 A-Spec club, and I was able to come up (with some assistance!) with the following stock combo:

Car: Mitsubishi Lancer 1600 GSR Rally Car '74 (fitted S1 tyres) / FR / ?HP (160HP on garage screen) / 825kg / ?HP/kg (5.2kg/HP using garage value)

Result:-

1st Mitsubishi Lancer 1600 GSR Rally Car '74 8:01'59.934
2nd Tom's X540 CHASER '00 (+3 laps)
3rd NISMO GT-R LM Road Going Version '95 (+3 laps)
4th TRIAL CELICA SS-II (ZZT231) '03 (+5 laps)
5th Spoon CIVIC TYPE R (EK) '00 (+7 laps)
6th Spoon INTEGRA TYPE R (DC2) '99 (+11 laps)

Full report is here, in it's own thread. 👍

 

[Floyd97]

Quite late to ask but does the AI use some components on Tsukuba 9 hs?

I saw a preview where there's a Lotus Elise 111R with exhaust pipes, something that a stock one doesn't have (or that's what I remember). Not sure if exhaust pipes is the only thing added to this car, it may be some serious setup also...