- 3,957
- Cleveland
So, I've enjoyed reading people's fun character diaries, and what can I say, I was inspired. Plus it helps to get me interested in GT2 in a different way. I've been too much into technical comparisons lately and it's starting to burn me out.
So what do we have here? the story of a British kid who drives an old Toyota (not an AE86...)
-----------------------------------------------------------
Got my first car and Im ready to ready to race. Let me back up a minute though.
Im a London boy from a nice family, good with figures and people. The family trade is international business, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Japan. So after my first two years at Oxford I moved to Tokyo to finish my schooling. Everything was going as planned until just after I graduated, when I decided to spend an extra year polishing off my grammar and kanji by living in the countryside teaching the Queens Engrish to a bunch of bumpkins.
We were getting along fine and were close in age so I wasnt surprised when they invited me to go out with them on occasion. Up the local mountain passes to little resort towns, down the freeway to a pleasant beach. They all had nice cars, pretty fast, but what did I know. Then one day there was an electric tension in the air, I was dying to be included so I took a chance and asked what was up. At first they hedged, said I wouldnt be interested, but after some persistence they gave in and let me know what was going on. Seems a lot of my kids were part of a street and mountain pass racing club, and another club from a neighboring prefecture was going to be in town to race them on their roads this weekend. This was totally illegal, and I knew my parents would frown on it, but I just had to go for some reason.
Well, I wasnt disappointed, I was captivated. Dozens of sweet rides and two pretty girls for each it seemed. Everybody was full of attitude but at the same time excitement and even glee. I got to watch half a dozen races from the gallery, uphill and downhill dogfights. There were some highway sprints going on down the hill, too, that I didnt get to see. My kids did pretty well for themselves, but after all it was their home course.
Over the remaining months of my teaching contract I became a fixture on the side of the road. A couple times one of my better friends among the students let me get behind the wheel of his car. I thought I was a pretty good driver back at home but I just couldnt handle this thing. Im used to low-power FFs, and this was a (relatively) high power FR. I was bitten. Before the end of my stay, I took a look at my personal savings account and decided that I was going to go home with a new car. An FR, something stylish, not too powerful but with potential. ****, my parents are gonna be pissed. Ill just tell them Im thinking ahead. Once Im a world famous figure in circuit racing, imagine how many more doors will open up for me in international business hope they buy that, because this is something that I have to do. They should just be thankful Im not planning on illegal and dangerous street racing!
So what did I get? Here they call it a Celica XX 2800GT, or a Celica Supra if you find it in the US. Top of the line, liftback from 83. Nice old-school side mirrors mounted up towards the front. Light grey on top, dark grey along the bottom. Pop-up headlights. MA61 body type. 165hp in the garage, 1235kg = 7.48 kg/hp. $5,900 price tag.
I cant wait to race it, and luckily the GT Japan Nationals are happening just before I ship out. I shouldnt expect much, since I wont have long to get used to it, but heck, nobody at home will hear about what happens here, so lets go!
Day 1: Race stock at Midfield 197hp Japan GT Nationals. Whew! Close. Got 2nd lap in under 1:32. Made my debut on the big stage. Still cant believe I won! Now back home to the UK, had to wait over a month for it to make its way first across the Pacific to LA, then through the Panama canal to NY, then across the Atlantic to Portsmouth and finally up to London.
Skiddy, want to get some sport tires ASAP. Drop some weight, upgrade suspension, too. Well, got that $4,100 saved out of the $10K I started with, and just made another $4K, lets see what I can afford with $8,100.
What next? Some amateur club events, a themed 80s sports car event, the UK GT National event, or take a trip around Europe to try my skills in Rome and Germany. Hate to say it, but at this point I have little hope of tackling much else, nothing serious certainly. And Im still just getting to know my baby. Gotta save some dough and get her into a tuner to upgrade the 5M-GEU (if anybody still knows how ) Of course some cheap upgrades like a lightweight flywheel or better exhaust and computer could help me to compete on the next level without the raw muscle of a full NA tune.
Spent $7,200 on sports tires and wr1, have $900 left. Weight down to 1210. Feeling pretty good about that 80s event, and I hear you get a prize car if you win! Not that Im going to keep it, my 2800GT would get jealous.
Day 2: 80s-1 Trial Mtn. Boy that was tough. Still getting to know my car, and I can tell theres a lot more to learn. As the other guys were fiddling with suspension settings, all I did was show up with my new tires and $1,200 worth of weight reduction (lighter headlights, pedals, lost the stereo, spare tire = 25kg.) So many lead changes. That RX-7 was on me the whole race, and I resorted to nudging from the inside on the last corner to finally get past him. Still almost lost it when my Celica wouldnt pull through that high speed S before the finish and I caught air for at least 30ft. Those were all tough cars, the MR-2, the 88 Celica GT-4. Even the boxy little Micra. Not what I would call a clean run, but a win, and something to learn from.
Still, watching the replay I can see that even at this level of competition Im going to need stiffer springs and the ability to adjust dampers and camber. I was loosing traction all over the place even on sport tires as my inside tires kept coming off the track around corners while my gripping tires were pushed off their contact patch by centrifugal G-forces. (Ha-ha, I sound like I know what Im talking about!)
$12,750 richer with $7K prize and after putting that Mugen Ferio on ebay and nabbing $5,750 gives me $13,650 total to play with lets see. I still want to compete in some 197hp-246hp events while Im getting used to my 2800GT, so Ill hold off yet on the NA-1 tuning. I think Ill add that sports suspension kit, whack some more weight off, and replace the granny clutch with something off the top shelf for $13,500, leaving me with just $150. Good thing the circuit covers transportation and room and board! Oh yeah, didnt go over so well with the parents. They cut me off. No more dipping out of the trust fund, Im going to have to make it on my own now.
Down to 1173kg, starting to feel like a race car in here. Lost the back seats = 37kg. Still only 165hp.
Feeling confident. UK Nationals are coming up so Im going to race this course again in the 197- category. Then Im going to run the Rome Short course in Italys Nationals and Deep Forest 216- in Germany. Three wins will bag me $12K and international celebrity (ok maybe not yet )
Day 3: UK GT Nationals 197-: Won by just 2 hundredths over a Mini! WTF? Still losing traction on the rear tires, and with sports suspension and tires Ive got to conclude that its my skills that are lacking, not the setup Im running with. In my arrogance I skipped the available test runs (I just won here after all), so I was probably a little cold coming off the start. Still, I led for most of the race. After running in traffic for the first half of the first lap, I passed the MDF VVC on the back straight and never saw taillights again until I lost too much speed on the last corner of the 2nd lap and the Mini caught me on the inside. What was really tough was that since he was on the inside, I couldnt get my line through the high speed S before the finish, and I seriously thought I had blew it. Well, I pushed him over just enough to plow pretty much straight though that wild last section, riding over the rumble strips and even some dirt while the Mini swung wide, and although my control suffered the extra speed I was able to maintain was just enough to get me past him and keep me ahead through the finish, barely.
So what happened? Im still not cornering well, and this course apparently favors agile handling, which the Mini has in plenty. Ill have to make sure I take those test laps in the future or at some time Ill be suffering an embarrassing defeat thats entire my fault and not the 2800GTs. Worst of all, Im pretty sure the competition was all on stock suspension here, so there really would have been no excuse for a loss. Well, maybe one excuse: I was the only 80s model in the event, and all these other guys are driving the most recent models. I also slew a trio of Opels in addition to the MGF and the Mini.
Day 4: German GT Nationals 216- at Deep Forest. This race has a higher hp allowance than Ive yet faced, but Im going to hold off on any more upgrades until after Rome. Got out in front early and never looked back. Even opened up some space at the end of the first lap down the stretch with a smooth high speed corner going into it. Alas, my concentration wavered at the last minute or it would have been a perfectly clean run. The second time through that high speed corner onto the main drag I got pulled wide because I miffed the entry, ran onto the dirt, and lost a lot of speed. Luckily I was far enough ahead at that point that nobody finished within half a second of me even so. Still, let that be a lesson, gotta stay focused for the entire race, no matter how well its been going into the last corner. Imagine how embarrassing a spinout there would have been!
Day 5: Italy GT Nationals 197- Rome Short. Couple of corners here have me a little worried. Really gonna work on the test laps. Still, something about being in the moment of the race which can throw all that practice out the window. First lap stuck in traffic, didnt pass than Lancia Y until I edged inside as we were rounding the high speed corner after the main stretch on the 2nd lap. Played it conservative from there, missed my practice speeds through corners by 3-4 mph, but held the best line so nobody could sneak past me. Competition was all .8-1.6 seconds behind me at the finish.
Woo hoo! Thought I could let myself cheer for a moment. 5 races, 5 wins. Where to next??? Ill keep the Amateur events for later when things are getting more serious so I can just blow off some steam without any pressure, even if I have to de-tune my 2800GT to make it competitive. Ive heard about an Endurance event coming up back on Trial Mountain thats for almost-stock competition that I think Id like to try. I have $12,150 in the bank now. Dont want to be a total cheater but I think its time for a few more upgrades. The engine power is definitely lacking in the 3-4000 range, and I hardly get into 5th on these circuits, so Im going to help the power a little with a chip (did they even have computers back in 83?) and an exhaust upgrade and the efficiency with a lightweight flywheel and carbon driveshaft. I still dont like how the rear end brakes loose under power, but Ive heard that a Limited Slip Differential can help with that so Im also going to get a 1.5 way installed and see if thatll enable me to pull out of corners with more power. Well, thats $11,600 more into this car, $550 left in the bank, lets see what my baby can do now!
Hp in the garage is up to 178, still at 1173kg, kg/hp=6.6. If I can pull off this Enduro Ill have plenty of bank to get me all the upgrades I need to compete at the next level and more. If. 30 excruciating laps will decide that big question. Ill have to pit, and theres probably some strategy around that. Ive got a couple wins here already so there may be a cheering section for me that I cant disappoint!
Spent most of the day doing laps, getting used to the new capabilities of this old Celica. I feel way too tense, though, so Im taking the evening off to relax. Time for a marathon of a great racing anime my friends in Japan got me started on, Wangan Midnight. Just relax tonight and win tomorrow!
Day 6: Trial Mountain Enduro 295hp-
51:36.490 later Im the winner. Before I take the podium however, Ive gotta PEE! Outa my way! Okay, race recap. Took me 2 laps to get past the Focus Ghia Zetec, 2 laps of sweating and wondering if I was out of my league. Once I calmed down though and got some distance between us the only other time I saw a car was when I lapped the BMW 328 and then the Megane when it was pitting on like the 26th lap. Pretty lonely race, actually. The MGF ended up finishing 2nd about 4 seconds ahead of the Focus, and even it was over a minute behind me, about 2 seconds per lap slower. I pulled in one great lap of 1:38.938 but I was usually in the 1:41s and 1:42s. Only pitted once at the end of 15.
The LSD made a HUGE difference, I had to really abuse my 2800GT to get it to come loose on acceleration, though I still had to be somewhat careful braking and cutting into corners or I would end up loosing speed as the rear came out. In exchange for stability however I found I had to learn to cope with some understeer by letting off the gas or even tapping the brake to get the front end to nose in.
Wow. I feel like a professional racer after that. So what now? I won $150K plus a Denso Sard Supra. Kinda nice to have won a modern Supra monster with this original Supra, but I think Im going to leave this 600hp+ beast parked for a while. I still need to improve my skills before Im comfortable taking on the big boys, even if I do have a car to compete with theirs. So, Ill upgrade my 2800GT and try out some 295-345hp events. Maybe I should leave some cash to get another car started from stock, an FF or 4WD.
I think a customizable tranny will help me to stay up in the powerband more, and with more power it may be time to get some serious brakes. NA-1 for sure and port polishing for the engine. Semi-race suspension and hard slicks for control. A further exhaust upgrade and lets see where that gets me. Well, a whopping $44,200 poorer, more than Ive spent on my Celica Supra total to date. That still leaves me with $106,350, though, so even without winning big prizes Ill be able to outfit a second car very nicely. But Ill hold on to that thought. My Celicas now at 234hp and 1173kg, kg/hp=5.01.
Theres another 80s event and a FR event here in my hometown at SSR5 that look about my level, so I think Ill try those and see how my upgraded car behaves compared to its tamer incarnation.
So what about my new settings? I had camber set at 2.0/1.0 and dampers at 5/4. These new slicks will have more grip to accept more power, and this new suspension has tighter springs. Im going to leave the camber alone for now, bump dampers up to 6/5, and drop the ride to 124/132. Ive been trying out this new course and it has a fair amount of high speed work, so Im going to dump as many RPMs as I can into 1st and 2nd and try to keep 3-5 above 4500-4700 so I have power when I need it. It was so annoying at Trial Mountain when Id get caught just into 5th at like 4000rpm and had to watch the speed drop though a wide corner until I could get the tranny to pop back down to 4th. 1st=2.825, 2nd=1.861, 3rd=1.493, 4th=1.211, 5th=1.006 looks pretty good. Now to run a few more laps and get my final gear set. Final at 3.2 is perfect. Almost hits rev limit in 5th right at the end of the main drag. Car handling great, starting to come loose in the rear again but in a good way its got so much power now. Im ready to go!
Day 7: 80s-2 SSR5 345hp-
Went into the tunnel off the line in 1st and except for a moment of late braking that cost me speed in the downhill S before the back hairpin I ran a pretty good race. That moment cost me the lead to a sooped-up RX-7 for a couple hundred meters right at the hairpin and after, but other than that I maintained a firm lead throughout. What was disturbing though was watching in my rear view mirror down the main drag as the damn Micra would come out of the tight 180 uphill ramp and just creep up on me down the stretch until he was almost on my ass going into the tunnel, and the RX-7 just behind him doing the same. Guess I didnt win by acceleration but aggressive cornering. I was lucky I recovered so quickly from my one gaff and didnt make any other serious mistakes, those guys were tough competition.
I dont know why they do it, maybe to make sure the competition was fair, but after every event they have a bunch of real pros drive all the cars in the race for a few laps with Im guessing exactly the same degree of skill. On that last race the pro definitely showed that it wasnt the car that won, but my skill, as he got overtaken quickly by the entire pack nice!
Got $7K prize money and a Mugen CRX-III that I think Ill keep to run some compact and roadster competitions in. I can only get about $3K for it anyway. So my banks up to $109,350, and Ive got two extra cars in the garage. On to that second SSR5 race now.
Day 8: FR-2 SSR5 443hp-
Im kinda sweating remembering that Micra creeping up on me, and now I have to face guys who could be running up to 443hp serious machines, over 200hp more than I have. I dont think theyll let me recover from even one major gaff.
Huh, not sure how to explain it, but that race was actually easier than the 80s only event. Maybe the competition was heavier so the extra hp didnt matter? I took the lead going into the same downhill S on the back stretch where I had my late braking mistake in the previous race, and didnt look back once after that. A 200SX was within half a second of me at the finish, but an S2000 and Benz were more than 4-5 seconds back. Pretty solid win! Im starting to forget that Micra already.
$6K prize gives me $115,350, and whats this in my garage? An S14 tuned by NISMO to get 270hp! Damn! Some of my students were pretty hot about the Silvia. More agile than the Skyline, better for the mountain passes, though unable to challenge Nissans ultimate on a high speed circuit. This is one of only 30 examples of the NISMO tuned S14, think I better hold onto it, it should be fun, and something to sit in between my Celica and the Denso Sard Supra in my FR experience.
Well, what now? Am I ready to try sitting in a different car? The Celica clearly has potential left to explore. Maybe I should do a round of GT Nationals again.
So what do we have here? the story of a British kid who drives an old Toyota (not an AE86...)
-----------------------------------------------------------
Got my first car and Im ready to ready to race. Let me back up a minute though.
Im a London boy from a nice family, good with figures and people. The family trade is international business, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Japan. So after my first two years at Oxford I moved to Tokyo to finish my schooling. Everything was going as planned until just after I graduated, when I decided to spend an extra year polishing off my grammar and kanji by living in the countryside teaching the Queens Engrish to a bunch of bumpkins.
We were getting along fine and were close in age so I wasnt surprised when they invited me to go out with them on occasion. Up the local mountain passes to little resort towns, down the freeway to a pleasant beach. They all had nice cars, pretty fast, but what did I know. Then one day there was an electric tension in the air, I was dying to be included so I took a chance and asked what was up. At first they hedged, said I wouldnt be interested, but after some persistence they gave in and let me know what was going on. Seems a lot of my kids were part of a street and mountain pass racing club, and another club from a neighboring prefecture was going to be in town to race them on their roads this weekend. This was totally illegal, and I knew my parents would frown on it, but I just had to go for some reason.
Well, I wasnt disappointed, I was captivated. Dozens of sweet rides and two pretty girls for each it seemed. Everybody was full of attitude but at the same time excitement and even glee. I got to watch half a dozen races from the gallery, uphill and downhill dogfights. There were some highway sprints going on down the hill, too, that I didnt get to see. My kids did pretty well for themselves, but after all it was their home course.
Over the remaining months of my teaching contract I became a fixture on the side of the road. A couple times one of my better friends among the students let me get behind the wheel of his car. I thought I was a pretty good driver back at home but I just couldnt handle this thing. Im used to low-power FFs, and this was a (relatively) high power FR. I was bitten. Before the end of my stay, I took a look at my personal savings account and decided that I was going to go home with a new car. An FR, something stylish, not too powerful but with potential. ****, my parents are gonna be pissed. Ill just tell them Im thinking ahead. Once Im a world famous figure in circuit racing, imagine how many more doors will open up for me in international business hope they buy that, because this is something that I have to do. They should just be thankful Im not planning on illegal and dangerous street racing!
So what did I get? Here they call it a Celica XX 2800GT, or a Celica Supra if you find it in the US. Top of the line, liftback from 83. Nice old-school side mirrors mounted up towards the front. Light grey on top, dark grey along the bottom. Pop-up headlights. MA61 body type. 165hp in the garage, 1235kg = 7.48 kg/hp. $5,900 price tag.
I cant wait to race it, and luckily the GT Japan Nationals are happening just before I ship out. I shouldnt expect much, since I wont have long to get used to it, but heck, nobody at home will hear about what happens here, so lets go!
Day 1: Race stock at Midfield 197hp Japan GT Nationals. Whew! Close. Got 2nd lap in under 1:32. Made my debut on the big stage. Still cant believe I won! Now back home to the UK, had to wait over a month for it to make its way first across the Pacific to LA, then through the Panama canal to NY, then across the Atlantic to Portsmouth and finally up to London.
Skiddy, want to get some sport tires ASAP. Drop some weight, upgrade suspension, too. Well, got that $4,100 saved out of the $10K I started with, and just made another $4K, lets see what I can afford with $8,100.
What next? Some amateur club events, a themed 80s sports car event, the UK GT National event, or take a trip around Europe to try my skills in Rome and Germany. Hate to say it, but at this point I have little hope of tackling much else, nothing serious certainly. And Im still just getting to know my baby. Gotta save some dough and get her into a tuner to upgrade the 5M-GEU (if anybody still knows how ) Of course some cheap upgrades like a lightweight flywheel or better exhaust and computer could help me to compete on the next level without the raw muscle of a full NA tune.
Spent $7,200 on sports tires and wr1, have $900 left. Weight down to 1210. Feeling pretty good about that 80s event, and I hear you get a prize car if you win! Not that Im going to keep it, my 2800GT would get jealous.
Day 2: 80s-1 Trial Mtn. Boy that was tough. Still getting to know my car, and I can tell theres a lot more to learn. As the other guys were fiddling with suspension settings, all I did was show up with my new tires and $1,200 worth of weight reduction (lighter headlights, pedals, lost the stereo, spare tire = 25kg.) So many lead changes. That RX-7 was on me the whole race, and I resorted to nudging from the inside on the last corner to finally get past him. Still almost lost it when my Celica wouldnt pull through that high speed S before the finish and I caught air for at least 30ft. Those were all tough cars, the MR-2, the 88 Celica GT-4. Even the boxy little Micra. Not what I would call a clean run, but a win, and something to learn from.
Still, watching the replay I can see that even at this level of competition Im going to need stiffer springs and the ability to adjust dampers and camber. I was loosing traction all over the place even on sport tires as my inside tires kept coming off the track around corners while my gripping tires were pushed off their contact patch by centrifugal G-forces. (Ha-ha, I sound like I know what Im talking about!)
$12,750 richer with $7K prize and after putting that Mugen Ferio on ebay and nabbing $5,750 gives me $13,650 total to play with lets see. I still want to compete in some 197hp-246hp events while Im getting used to my 2800GT, so Ill hold off yet on the NA-1 tuning. I think Ill add that sports suspension kit, whack some more weight off, and replace the granny clutch with something off the top shelf for $13,500, leaving me with just $150. Good thing the circuit covers transportation and room and board! Oh yeah, didnt go over so well with the parents. They cut me off. No more dipping out of the trust fund, Im going to have to make it on my own now.
Down to 1173kg, starting to feel like a race car in here. Lost the back seats = 37kg. Still only 165hp.
Feeling confident. UK Nationals are coming up so Im going to race this course again in the 197- category. Then Im going to run the Rome Short course in Italys Nationals and Deep Forest 216- in Germany. Three wins will bag me $12K and international celebrity (ok maybe not yet )
Day 3: UK GT Nationals 197-: Won by just 2 hundredths over a Mini! WTF? Still losing traction on the rear tires, and with sports suspension and tires Ive got to conclude that its my skills that are lacking, not the setup Im running with. In my arrogance I skipped the available test runs (I just won here after all), so I was probably a little cold coming off the start. Still, I led for most of the race. After running in traffic for the first half of the first lap, I passed the MDF VVC on the back straight and never saw taillights again until I lost too much speed on the last corner of the 2nd lap and the Mini caught me on the inside. What was really tough was that since he was on the inside, I couldnt get my line through the high speed S before the finish, and I seriously thought I had blew it. Well, I pushed him over just enough to plow pretty much straight though that wild last section, riding over the rumble strips and even some dirt while the Mini swung wide, and although my control suffered the extra speed I was able to maintain was just enough to get me past him and keep me ahead through the finish, barely.
So what happened? Im still not cornering well, and this course apparently favors agile handling, which the Mini has in plenty. Ill have to make sure I take those test laps in the future or at some time Ill be suffering an embarrassing defeat thats entire my fault and not the 2800GTs. Worst of all, Im pretty sure the competition was all on stock suspension here, so there really would have been no excuse for a loss. Well, maybe one excuse: I was the only 80s model in the event, and all these other guys are driving the most recent models. I also slew a trio of Opels in addition to the MGF and the Mini.
Day 4: German GT Nationals 216- at Deep Forest. This race has a higher hp allowance than Ive yet faced, but Im going to hold off on any more upgrades until after Rome. Got out in front early and never looked back. Even opened up some space at the end of the first lap down the stretch with a smooth high speed corner going into it. Alas, my concentration wavered at the last minute or it would have been a perfectly clean run. The second time through that high speed corner onto the main drag I got pulled wide because I miffed the entry, ran onto the dirt, and lost a lot of speed. Luckily I was far enough ahead at that point that nobody finished within half a second of me even so. Still, let that be a lesson, gotta stay focused for the entire race, no matter how well its been going into the last corner. Imagine how embarrassing a spinout there would have been!
Day 5: Italy GT Nationals 197- Rome Short. Couple of corners here have me a little worried. Really gonna work on the test laps. Still, something about being in the moment of the race which can throw all that practice out the window. First lap stuck in traffic, didnt pass than Lancia Y until I edged inside as we were rounding the high speed corner after the main stretch on the 2nd lap. Played it conservative from there, missed my practice speeds through corners by 3-4 mph, but held the best line so nobody could sneak past me. Competition was all .8-1.6 seconds behind me at the finish.
Woo hoo! Thought I could let myself cheer for a moment. 5 races, 5 wins. Where to next??? Ill keep the Amateur events for later when things are getting more serious so I can just blow off some steam without any pressure, even if I have to de-tune my 2800GT to make it competitive. Ive heard about an Endurance event coming up back on Trial Mountain thats for almost-stock competition that I think Id like to try. I have $12,150 in the bank now. Dont want to be a total cheater but I think its time for a few more upgrades. The engine power is definitely lacking in the 3-4000 range, and I hardly get into 5th on these circuits, so Im going to help the power a little with a chip (did they even have computers back in 83?) and an exhaust upgrade and the efficiency with a lightweight flywheel and carbon driveshaft. I still dont like how the rear end brakes loose under power, but Ive heard that a Limited Slip Differential can help with that so Im also going to get a 1.5 way installed and see if thatll enable me to pull out of corners with more power. Well, thats $11,600 more into this car, $550 left in the bank, lets see what my baby can do now!
Hp in the garage is up to 178, still at 1173kg, kg/hp=6.6. If I can pull off this Enduro Ill have plenty of bank to get me all the upgrades I need to compete at the next level and more. If. 30 excruciating laps will decide that big question. Ill have to pit, and theres probably some strategy around that. Ive got a couple wins here already so there may be a cheering section for me that I cant disappoint!
Spent most of the day doing laps, getting used to the new capabilities of this old Celica. I feel way too tense, though, so Im taking the evening off to relax. Time for a marathon of a great racing anime my friends in Japan got me started on, Wangan Midnight. Just relax tonight and win tomorrow!
Day 6: Trial Mountain Enduro 295hp-
51:36.490 later Im the winner. Before I take the podium however, Ive gotta PEE! Outa my way! Okay, race recap. Took me 2 laps to get past the Focus Ghia Zetec, 2 laps of sweating and wondering if I was out of my league. Once I calmed down though and got some distance between us the only other time I saw a car was when I lapped the BMW 328 and then the Megane when it was pitting on like the 26th lap. Pretty lonely race, actually. The MGF ended up finishing 2nd about 4 seconds ahead of the Focus, and even it was over a minute behind me, about 2 seconds per lap slower. I pulled in one great lap of 1:38.938 but I was usually in the 1:41s and 1:42s. Only pitted once at the end of 15.
The LSD made a HUGE difference, I had to really abuse my 2800GT to get it to come loose on acceleration, though I still had to be somewhat careful braking and cutting into corners or I would end up loosing speed as the rear came out. In exchange for stability however I found I had to learn to cope with some understeer by letting off the gas or even tapping the brake to get the front end to nose in.
Wow. I feel like a professional racer after that. So what now? I won $150K plus a Denso Sard Supra. Kinda nice to have won a modern Supra monster with this original Supra, but I think Im going to leave this 600hp+ beast parked for a while. I still need to improve my skills before Im comfortable taking on the big boys, even if I do have a car to compete with theirs. So, Ill upgrade my 2800GT and try out some 295-345hp events. Maybe I should leave some cash to get another car started from stock, an FF or 4WD.
I think a customizable tranny will help me to stay up in the powerband more, and with more power it may be time to get some serious brakes. NA-1 for sure and port polishing for the engine. Semi-race suspension and hard slicks for control. A further exhaust upgrade and lets see where that gets me. Well, a whopping $44,200 poorer, more than Ive spent on my Celica Supra total to date. That still leaves me with $106,350, though, so even without winning big prizes Ill be able to outfit a second car very nicely. But Ill hold on to that thought. My Celicas now at 234hp and 1173kg, kg/hp=5.01.
Theres another 80s event and a FR event here in my hometown at SSR5 that look about my level, so I think Ill try those and see how my upgraded car behaves compared to its tamer incarnation.
So what about my new settings? I had camber set at 2.0/1.0 and dampers at 5/4. These new slicks will have more grip to accept more power, and this new suspension has tighter springs. Im going to leave the camber alone for now, bump dampers up to 6/5, and drop the ride to 124/132. Ive been trying out this new course and it has a fair amount of high speed work, so Im going to dump as many RPMs as I can into 1st and 2nd and try to keep 3-5 above 4500-4700 so I have power when I need it. It was so annoying at Trial Mountain when Id get caught just into 5th at like 4000rpm and had to watch the speed drop though a wide corner until I could get the tranny to pop back down to 4th. 1st=2.825, 2nd=1.861, 3rd=1.493, 4th=1.211, 5th=1.006 looks pretty good. Now to run a few more laps and get my final gear set. Final at 3.2 is perfect. Almost hits rev limit in 5th right at the end of the main drag. Car handling great, starting to come loose in the rear again but in a good way its got so much power now. Im ready to go!
Day 7: 80s-2 SSR5 345hp-
Went into the tunnel off the line in 1st and except for a moment of late braking that cost me speed in the downhill S before the back hairpin I ran a pretty good race. That moment cost me the lead to a sooped-up RX-7 for a couple hundred meters right at the hairpin and after, but other than that I maintained a firm lead throughout. What was disturbing though was watching in my rear view mirror down the main drag as the damn Micra would come out of the tight 180 uphill ramp and just creep up on me down the stretch until he was almost on my ass going into the tunnel, and the RX-7 just behind him doing the same. Guess I didnt win by acceleration but aggressive cornering. I was lucky I recovered so quickly from my one gaff and didnt make any other serious mistakes, those guys were tough competition.
I dont know why they do it, maybe to make sure the competition was fair, but after every event they have a bunch of real pros drive all the cars in the race for a few laps with Im guessing exactly the same degree of skill. On that last race the pro definitely showed that it wasnt the car that won, but my skill, as he got overtaken quickly by the entire pack nice!
Got $7K prize money and a Mugen CRX-III that I think Ill keep to run some compact and roadster competitions in. I can only get about $3K for it anyway. So my banks up to $109,350, and Ive got two extra cars in the garage. On to that second SSR5 race now.
Day 8: FR-2 SSR5 443hp-
Im kinda sweating remembering that Micra creeping up on me, and now I have to face guys who could be running up to 443hp serious machines, over 200hp more than I have. I dont think theyll let me recover from even one major gaff.
Huh, not sure how to explain it, but that race was actually easier than the 80s only event. Maybe the competition was heavier so the extra hp didnt matter? I took the lead going into the same downhill S on the back stretch where I had my late braking mistake in the previous race, and didnt look back once after that. A 200SX was within half a second of me at the finish, but an S2000 and Benz were more than 4-5 seconds back. Pretty solid win! Im starting to forget that Micra already.
$6K prize gives me $115,350, and whats this in my garage? An S14 tuned by NISMO to get 270hp! Damn! Some of my students were pretty hot about the Silvia. More agile than the Skyline, better for the mountain passes, though unable to challenge Nissans ultimate on a high speed circuit. This is one of only 30 examples of the NISMO tuned S14, think I better hold onto it, it should be fun, and something to sit in between my Celica and the Denso Sard Supra in my FR experience.
Well, what now? Am I ready to try sitting in a different car? The Celica clearly has potential left to explore. Maybe I should do a round of GT Nationals again.
