Smallhorses
Staff Emeritus
- 7,260
Back again folks, this time for one of the "million metre races", this one being:-
Suzuka 1000km Endurance!
Car: Toyota Altezza Touring Car '01 / FR / 321HP (on garage screen, new oil) / 1000kg / 3.1kg/HP / On R2 tyres, like the rest of the AI. There are 200 A-spec points on offer!
The grid lines up like this, before the green lights go on:-
Audi A4 Touring Car '04
Abt Audi TT-R Touring Car '02
Nissan Pennzoil Zexel GT-R (JGTC) '01
Nissan Calsonic Skyline GT-R '93
Nissan Xanavi Hiroto GT-R (JGTC) '01
Toyota Altezza Touring Car '01
Suzuka 1000km Endurance!
Car: Toyota Altezza Touring Car '01 / FR / 321HP (on garage screen, new oil) / 1000kg / 3.1kg/HP / On R2 tyres, like the rest of the AI. There are 200 A-spec points on offer!
The grid lines up like this, before the green lights go on:-
Audi A4 Touring Car '04
Abt Audi TT-R Touring Car '02
Nissan Pennzoil Zexel GT-R (JGTC) '01
Nissan Calsonic Skyline GT-R '93
Nissan Xanavi Hiroto GT-R (JGTC) '01
Toyota Altezza Touring Car '01
Hour 1 highlights.
Lap 1, passed Zexel just before Degner Curve (although he turns into the back of me and there's brief contact
) and the Calsonic coming out of there. 👍 A4 and Xanavi are passed cleanly going into Casio Triangle, and lap is completed in 2'14.527, finishing in 2nd place, 2.3s behind the leading TT.Pass TT cleanly under braking for Casio Triangle at the end of lap 3, dropping the fastest lap time down to 2'06.199 in the process.
6 silky smooth laps follow, and the lap record drops to 2'05.599 on lap 9, while the lead over 2nd placed TT has grown to 5.9s. The Calsonic pits from 6th place, some 38s behind the leader already, ending his 9th lap.
Pitted at the end of lap 11, since the front tyres are starting to go a dark orange colour.
Dropped back to 5th, and complete a 2'32 outlap leaving a 21s gap to the leader.Spectacular lap 13, is completed in 2'04.309, which has caught me back up to the end of the pack.
A4 is passed for 4th into the shallower part of Degner Curve on lap 14, and the lap is again completed in under 2'05. TT pits from the lead, followed by 2nd placed Xanavi and 3rd placed Zexel, allowing me back into 1st place.
2 more sub-2'05 laps follow, and the gap to 2nd placed TT at T2 on lap 16 is exactly 20.000s!
Lap 19 goes down in 2'04.036, so I'm close to breaking into the 2'03s!
Ending lap 20, which is the 8th consecutive lap in the 2'04s, I'm within sight of the backmarking Calsonic!
Lapped the Calsonic exiting 1st&2nd Curve. The fast laps have taken their toll on the front tyres though,
and I'm forced to pit ending lap 21, with orange front tyres, that would probably have made another lap, but would have cost 4-5s on the laptime. 
I'm holding a 29s lead over the TT now, but I know I'll have to make 4 more pitstops than him. At this point, 21 laps completed, 52 units of fuel have been consumed, so ~ 2.5 units per lap. Top up to 33 units to keep the car as light as possible to assist the tyre wear situation. The Calsonic unlaps himself while I'm pitted.
Outlap of 2'32 again sees me still holding 1st place, although the gap is now only 3.4s.
A 2'06 lap follows, and it's back into the 2'04s for a few laps after that until I have my first wild moment of the race,
and nearly get it all wrong through S Curve, but I somehow manage to keep myself on the tarmac! Tidy enough through the rest of the lap which finishes in 2'07s and thankfully my clean race (apart from the minor contact with the Zexel on lap 1) so far, is still maintained! The Calsonic is back in sight again. Lapped Calsonic for good on lap 27, exiting Degner Curve, just under the crossover.
The lap is tidy and back in the 2'04s where it should be! 
Hour mark passes 18s into lap 29, a little under a 1/6th of the race distance completed, in 1st place and holding an 11s leadbefore TT pitted.
Hour 2 highlights.
First action of the hour is a pitstop on lap 32, front tyres are dark orange again, but the lighter fuel load and less frenetic pace, lapping mostly in the 2'05 - 2'06 arena has allowed them to go 11 laps again. The gap to second place stands at a whopping 54s
as I entered the pits. Considering there's 200 points on offer, and I'm well over 100HP down on even the least powerful AI entrant, I'd expected things to be a little closer than this! 
Top up fuel to 31 units and exit in 1st place.3rd outlap completed in 2'32s, so there's some consistency,
and leaves a gap of 27s to 2nd placed TT.A bevy of 2'05 laps is followed by a 2'04.042 on lap 37. A hairy moment on lap 38 sees me get up on the kerbing ouside Dunlop Curve but thankfully I'm able to ease the wayward Toyota back onto the tarmac, without ever touching the sand, or having 2 wheels not in contact with the rumble strip!
Lap 41 is incredible! Inch-perfect, and I don't just sneak into the 2'03s, I break in with guns blazing! 2'03.263 is now the lap record,
and I start to believe a 2'02 might be possible! The TT, Xanavi and Zexel all pit ending their 42nd lap, the TT is 2nd but 40s back when he pits.
The 2'03 lap has really taken a toll on the tyres,
they're more worn at 10 laps in than the last set, but I decide to go for the 11th lap. Take it very gingerly and make no mistakes, follow the A4 into the pits, so it looks a though he'll be the next lapping candidate. 
Top up to 32 units of fuel and exit in 1st place.Lap the A4 after slipstreaming him at full throttle and 148mph, through 130R, pulled out and went by cleanly before jumping on the brakes for Casio Triangle and pulling away.
Once again the outlap is a 2'32! 
Calsonic pits ending his 45th lap and is lapped a second time in the pits as I enter my 48th lap.
Lap 49 is in the high 2'03, but I finally, after nearly 2 hours, have an off-track moment on lap 51, running just over the kerb exiting 1st&2nd Curve.
I'm so shocked at my error, that I promptly make another error exiting Degner Curve and get my tyres sandy for the first time. A 2'09 lap results, I'm ashamed to say. 
Pit in on lap 53, front tyres were too orange, having been pushing for a new lap record, to go another lap. Top up to 31 units and exit in 1st place. Meanwhile the A4 unlaps itself.
Make a 2'33 outlap this time, which still leaves a 22s lead over the TT and I'm closing in to lap the A4 for good.
Hour mark passes 12s into lap 57, in 1st place with a 27s lead over TT.
Hour 3 highlights.
Calsonic pits at the end of his 54th lap, followed moments later by the other AI entrants pitting at the end of their 56th lap.
The A4 is lapped for good in the pits as I begin lap 58.
Struggling to get back into the fast groove of last night, lapping in the 2'06s, drop one lap into the 2'05s. Ran wide and over the rumble strip outside 130R on lap 62, spend a little time (ok, a fraction of a second!
) composing myself on the tarmac strip outside there, before rejoining the circuit proper. Pit in on lap 64, top up to 31 units of fuel. TT is a distant 1'16 behind.
Outlap is 2'33 again, leaving the gap to 2nd place at 50s. The Calsonic pits ending his 63rd lap.
Lap mainly in the 2'05s,
the Xanavi and Zexel maintain their 14-lap strategy, pitting at the end of their 70th laps, as does the A4, from a lap down. The TT goes in a lap later than usual, pitting on lap 71 after a 15 lap stint. Lap 73 is run in the mid-2'04 region after I catch up to the Calsonic again at Hairpin Curve, not powerful enough to catch a good draft up through 200R,
but close right up on him through Spoon Curve. Slipstream him through 130R at 154mph, and neatly pass by before braking into Casio Triangle again. Pit on lap 75, followed by Calsonic who is now ending his 72nd lap, 3 laps down.
I'm holding a 1'36 lead over 2nd place.Outlap is in the 2'32s again,
leaving the gap at 1'06 to the TT.Lap 79 is awful. Dipped tyres in sand outside S Curve, and then again exiting Spoon Curve trying to make up for my earlier mistake. Result is a 2'10 lap. I'm very disappointed by this.
Respond with a 2'04 on lap 81, which goes some way to redressing the balance. Lap 83 I make a departure into the sand exiting Degner Curve again. I have to put the mistakes down to having only come back to the paused game for about 10 minutes in each of the past 2 days, having started the race early on Friday evening.
Responded immediately with a low 2'05 lap, so it doesn't take long to get back into the groove!
Hour mark passes 15s into lap 85, in 1st place with > 1'00 lead over TT.
Hour 4 highlights.
Calsonic pits at the end of his 81st lap, 3 laps down. Xanavi pits ending his 84th lap, as does the Zexel. The A4 also maintains his 14-lap strategy from a lap behind. The TT drops back to a 14-lap interval too, pitting at the end of his 85th lap.
I pit ending lap 86, with half the race distance gone. Top up to 30 units of fuel and exit in 1st place.
Again, the outlap is a 2'32,
leaving 1'11 gap to the TT down in 2nd place.Lap 92 is impressive, a mid-2'03, but is followed by a 2'10 after I get all 4 wheels in the sand outside Spoon Curve.
I was pushing just a little too hard to find those extra 1/10ths to grab a 2'02 lap, but decide it's better not to push so hard in future! Calsonic pits again ending his 90th lap. Catch up to him on lap 96, and lose concentration, acclerating out of Anti-Banked Curve as though it was the previous S Curve, so I run wide and give the tyres some more sand to deal with.
A 2'09 results, followed by a timid in-lap on tyres showing signs of pushing for a lap record. 
Pit in on lap 97, topping up to 31 units of fuel again. Outlap is a poor 2'34, following sushi & sake dinner!!!
Gap to TT is down to 45s while the Xanavi and Zexel pit again ending their 98th laps. The Audis pit in more or less together, the A4 ending his 98th lap, and the TT ending his 99th maintaining the 14 lap strategy again.Calsonic dives back into the pits ending his 99th lap, as I complete my 103rd, so he's lapped a 4th time!
Pitted on lap 108, topped up to 30 fuel units and get on my way again, for the 2nd time in a row, my outlap is a 2'34 after catching a little too much kerb on the way out of Spoon Curve, leading to a big wiggle in the middle of the track!
Hour mark passes 1'54 into lap 112, in 1st place with 1'00 lead over TT.
Hour 5 highlights.
Calsonic steals the 1st action again, pitting from 4 laps down ending his 108th lap, while I'm on lap 113.
The (JGTC) Skyline twins pit in more or less together ending their 112th lap, the Xanavi leading the Zexel by only a few seconds. The Audi twins also pit more or less together, the A4 ending his 112th lap only a second or so ahead of the TT who pits ending his 113th lap.
A little over-excited on my in-lap this time, as I'm catching another backmarker, can't see clearly who it is, and start to push a little harder than is sensible on worn tyres.
Run wide over the kerbs between the fast and slow apexes of Degner Curve, and get all 4 tyres sandy momentarily. Back on course and still catch up within identifiying distance of the Zexel ahead before diving into the pits for new tyres and fuel.Outlap of 2'33 leaves 1'16 gap to 2nd placed TT. 👍
Calsonic is in the pits again ending his 117th lap, while I'm halfway through lap 122. Catch up to him on lap 126, and pull the same move as before, slipstream through 130R, and pass before braking into Casio Triangle, to put him 5 laps back.
The Xanavi and Zexel pit again ending their 126th laps, with a little more space between them this time. The Zexel is passed in the pits as I begin lap 128, with the Xanavi emerging just ahead of me, and getting through 1st&2nd Curves with an advantage.
Follow him through the rest of the lap, he uses all the track space through S, Anti-Banked, Dunlop and Degner Curves, forcing me to back off to avoid contact several times.
Can't draft him out of the Hairpin, but catch up again through Spoon Curve and catch the slipstream through 130R before the time-honoured outbraking move into Casio Triangle works again, and high 2'08 lap is the result! Meanwhile the Audi twins have pitted again, and it seems the TT is having a torrid time trying to pass the A4,
as he once again pits from about a second behind it. I have a pitstop coming up in a couple of laps myself which'll allow all 3 Skylines to un-lap themselves and make for an exciting next stretch while I catch and pass them again! 
Began lap 130, my in-lap within sight of both Audis, and end it by giving the TT a brief taste of a lapping by outbraking him into Casio Triangle.
I'm just yards away from a 2nd lapping of the A4 too, as I dive into the pits for a 12th time. As predicted everyone except the A4 takes back a lap while I'm getting new rubber & fuel. A 2'33 outlap is completed, and the Calsonic heads pitwards as I exit Last Curve, meaning he'll stay a definite 5 laps behind now. The gap to the 2nd placed TT is now around 1'45.
A 3-wheel dip into the sand outside Dunlop Curve occurs on lap 133, resulting in a high 2'07 laptime.
Same thing happens again, resulting in a major wiggle on lap 134! Why have I suddenly forgotten the line through this bend?
A 2'08 lap is the punishment. Redress the balance by following up with a low 2'04 and a high 2'03.
A 2'05 follows that after an over zealous exit to Spoon Curve while catching the Zexel. 2 more consecutive 2'04s put me past him going into lap 140, but he didn't go down without a fight. He got high on the kerb exiting Degner Curve and it allowed me to nose ahead, however, his superior power allowed him to catch up and then very unfairly turn right across the front of me in the shallow right before Hairpin curve. 
It's only the 2nd AI contact in 139 laps though, and significantly, both have been caused by the Zexel! He's handed his lapping in the usual fashion, under braking for Casio Triangle.I speak too soon though.
He takes back his lap powering down the mainstraight, passing by me on the right and cutting in toosoon again to line up for the 1st&2nd Curve. Crunch. I move out to his right and slip cleanly through by the 1st apex. He doesn't like this and crunch, again as he plows the back of me braking for the 2nd apex. This knocks me off line and out over the kerbing exiting the bend. He's fine having used me to slow down, but crunch again! He charges into the back of me for no readily apparent reason while I'm regaining the track, despite having the entire width of the track to go by my slower car. Idiot. Pull away through the rest of the lap, but my tyres are cooked after just 10 laps this time, so I dive into the pits, with the hour mark approaching. The git in the Zexel takes back his lap again.
It's been a much more exciting hour than the previous 2 though!
Hour mark passes 8s into lap 141, in the pits for the 13th time. The TT is a distant 1'51 back at T1, and due to stop soon.
Hour 6 and 8 extra minutes(!) highlights.
Determined not to have it's limelight stolen, the Calsonic pitting at the end of his 135th lap is the first action of the hour.
A 2'32 outlap again has me lapping the Zexel in the pits after he's followed the Xanavi in ending their 140th laps. The Xanavi manages to escape the pit lane before I can pass him again.
A slow moment follows through S Curve, as my excitement at seeing the Xanavi in front causes me to forget I'm on cold tyres and I narrowly avoid the sand trap outside S Curve.
The Audis pit in together again, the A4 still in front of the TT, who still hasn't been able to lap the A4!
I begin lap 144, on the tail of the Xanavi down the mainstraight, with a 1'57 gap to 2nd placed TT. Once again he's slow through the twisty section and I manage to avoid him by backing off.
He does, however, take me by surprise by braking monsterously early for the hairpin, and I can't slow down quickly enough to avoid tapping his back end. It's minor contact though and doesn't affect his line at all. He's lapped, you guessed it, into Casio Triangle, and I have the TT in sight!The TT doesn't put up much of a fight, slow out of Dunlop, he's passed entering the fast part of Degner.
Run wide onto the tarmac strip outside 130R having caught an unexpected tow from the A4 on lap 146 and entered the bend much quicker than usual! Still finish the lap in 2'04 though!
A4 is passed in the same fashion as the TT entering Degner Curve. Go on to complete the lap in 2'04 and follow it with a high 2'03! Sweet.
Calsonic is pitting again ending lap 144 for him, as I complete lap 150, so I pass him in the pitlane.
Force the tyres to go for an 11th lap and the car becomes understeery, a little trip to the sand exiting Spoon Curve results.
Pit in ending lap 151, and everyone unlaps themselves while I'm stopped. A 2'33 outlap leaves 1'46 gap to the TT again.
Tried to pass Calsonic again under braking for Spoon Curve on lap 153, overcooked it a bit,
and try to let him go back through. He chooses not to see me and runs me off into the sand for good measure anyway! Dreadfully close to actually spinning for the first time in the whole race, but some deft trickery with the brake, throttle and steering gets the car straightened out and I go on to complete a high 2'08 lap. Catch him again exiting Degner where he's run wide and is very wiggly over the kerb, go past on his right, can clearly see him in the rearview, meaning I'm clean through 💡 and a take the shallow right, then onto the brakes for the hairpin. Suddenly I'm sideways across the track
and heading for a collision with the Armco inside the haipin, as the Calsonic tags the back end! Yanked the wheel hard to the right and jammed on the anchors! The Calsonic sails off into the sand outside the hairpin, and I manage to crawl back on track ahead of him without colliding (by some minor miracle) with the barriers. He's left 6 laps down and is clearly unhappy about it! A 2'09 lap is completed without further ado. Both (JGTC) Skylines are lapped in the pits ending their 154th lap as I begin my 156th. A mid-2'04 does nicely and I lap the Audi pair in the pits beginning lap 157.
Nothing more happens other than the Calsonic pitting until I pit on lap 161, for the final time. Almost get away without anyone unlapping themselves, but the A4 sneaks by.
I'm very close to taking the lap back at Casio Triangle, but I can't quite see me making it, and back out to let the Audi go. I'll have him next lap! Nevertheless,the outlap is a 2'33, and the TT is still a lap behind!Get by the A4 at Casio Triangle on lap 163, and cruise away from the pack with a string of 2'04 laps.
The Calsonic pits ending his 162nd lap, 6 laps down. The other Skylines go in ending their 168th laps as I begin my 170th.
The Audis pit together the following lap, as I'm in my penultimate lap. Round out the race with a leisurely 2'09 lap to nurse my somewhat reddening tyres home! 200 A-spec points and the race win is mine!
Somewhat unbelievably, although probably quite deservedly for his ineptitude in passing the A4,
the TT doesn't finish 2nd, he's been taken by the Xanavi, on the very last lap and relegated to 3rd! Results:-
1st Toyota Altezza Touring Car '01 6:08'30.799 617.6 miles completed.
2nd Nissan Xanavi Hiroto GT-R (JGTC) '01 +1 lap
3rd Abt Audi TT-R Touring Car '02 +1 lap
4th Nissan Pennzoil Zexel GT-R (JGTC) '01 +1 lap
5th Audi A4 Touring Car '04 +2 laps
6th Nissan Calsonic Skyline GT-R '93 +6 laps
Prizes:-
350,000Cr and Lister Storm V12 Race Car '99
Sayonara Suzuka! 
just recently, but I'm encouraged to see someone still going for these races, so sorry for my delayed response. In terms of the 2'03 lap, it was, as are all my races, clean, with no shortcuts. You'll also notice that it was completed on a very light fuel load and with optimal tyre temperatures. In the main my laptimes were averaging in the 2'04 - 2'05s.
