The Human Comedy 8 - Gr.3 Lake Maggiore

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Finally managed to win this after many many failed attempts in the 911.

New strategy was to send Rubilar into the wall early on. Took me about 5 attempts at it but finally got a good hit on him that sent him to the back of the pack with me staying on the track. Still only managed to beat him by 9 seconds, but I’ll happily take it.
I would like to say congratulation !! But not sure it's the best way to win ^^
Anyway if this could allow me to do it I take it :')
 
Is a onestop strategy existing with a specific car and if yes do you know the lap time we have to perform ?
Mazda RX and McLaren 650 can do this without being signifcantly slower.
Both can run on RM tyres, though I think doing it 2 pits is still faster (traction and fuel vs speed)
 
This race is really difficult - more of a challenge than any other race in the game, in my opinion. It makes the SF Fuji race seem like a walk in the park as at least with that one, if you do it enough times, you’ll get the right combination of weather and fair AI drivers to effect a win, even if your lap times are not perfect every time. But this GR3 Lake Maggiore race is something else entirely! …and I’m not even close to winning it yet …a top six finish would be nice!

Any of many cars could win this race, I get that. It all comes down to how a car's default balance and default gearing suits one’s driving style. One has to be able to achieve laptimes in the 1:58s - I get that - and the balance and gearing of the McLaren is the one that lets me hit these times, sometimes! The problem is that the better the balance of the car for getting extra rotation round the hairpins, the more skill is needed on fast exits to avoid oversteer, and the more prone to spin-offs one is if one gets nudged by the competition. The BMW M3, for example, is mighty quick, but so prone to being nudged that mixing it with the pack through bends nearly always results in facing rearwards as you watch the rest of the cars wiz past you!

This race has changed dramatically following the various 2023 updates, in my humble opinion. I’ve read posts and watched videos of the mission from 2022 and it’s like a different race. The selected cars go quicker and the AI cars go slower, making for a race that better fits the profile of the typical GT7 'hard' race. But now, in the later half of 2023, this race is easily the most difficult in the game, and I think I’ve now won just about every other race/test/challenge/mission in the game that doesn’t involve cones or drifting (🤬).

The best strategy is three stints on RM tyres, I get that, pitting on or around laps 10 and 20 in order to even out the tyre wear …I get that. The best fuel strategy is only to carry enough fuel for the laps that you plan to drive in that stint …I get that. You need to use all the kerbs but if you cross the track limits the penalty is so harsh that by the time you have recovered at 'the' hairpin, you might have lost three or four places. I get that. And if you spin-out anywhere, at any time, you might as well hit the retry button because there’s no way you’ll win if you spin! I get that too.

So with all this in mind, I have come to the conclusion that the only way to win this race is to practice with all the available cars until you find the one that suits you best (which means buying lots of cars), and then to practice until you can get into the 1:58s without exceeding track limits, and then to practice and practice and practice until you can hit those 1:58s so consistently and perfectly that the only deviations are when you hit traffic and/or when your tyres are worn past one-third red.

I’m currently at the stage where I’m trying to be consistent. Some of my laps are 1:58x, some are 1:59x; more are in the 2:00s than are not. I haven’t managed to achieve a clean race yet with regards to track limits, and about half my attempts have to be abandoned because I spin off through contact or lack of reaction skill, which sadly comes from being in my 60s!

In many respects, this race, more than any other in the game, is most like real racing. In real life one buys a car/kart/bike/whatever, and then spends countless days off work adjusting and tuning it to get the best out of it on a range of practice days at a range of circuits (these days are only affordable mid-week, which is why one needs to take time off work). One can’t tune the GT7 cars for this race, but one can pick the best car for one’s skills and style. Then one practices and practices at the circuit or circuits that one intends to race at, until one’s laptimes are the best they can be given how much spare time one can spare! Then one races with hope and anticipation that the podium will be big enough for one's ego now that one is fully prepared for glory. Yes I know that’s a lot of 'one's …one has started this way, so one has to finish this way! 🤪

But for all one’s expectations, the rest of the grid have done the same thing, and their laptimes are within thousandths of your laptimes, consistently, and if you’re in a high-end race series for elite drivers, all you can do is try your best to stick with the car in front, without being overtaken by the car behind, waiting for the driver in front to make the tiniest mistake, without making any errors oneself. I’ve spent two hours like this before, in the same race order as the grid order, totally 100% focussed on maintaining perfect laptimes, waiting for others to make mistakes. This is the reality of real high-end racing, and this particular GT7 race is the closest I have yet come to it in the game. Curses and buggeration to GT7 for being a little too 'real' this time. Clearly I have a lot more practice to do before I am ever likely to see the win for the GT3 Lake Maggoire race 🙄 🥺
 
and the balance and gearing of the McLaren is the one that lets me hit these times, sometimes! The problem is that the better the balance of the car for getting extra rotation round the hairpins, the more skill is needed on fast exits to avoid oversteer, and the more prone to spin-offs one is if one gets nudged by the competition. The BMW M3, for example, is mighty quick, but so prone to being nudged that mixing it with the pack through bends nearly always results in facing rearwards as you watch the rest of the cars wiz past you!
I really think the McLaren is one of the most planted cars - as long as you dont overdo it on the kerbs.
Some cars need that stable aero and dont like jumping around at all.
The more the cars looks like "less aero" the better it can take those hard hits of the road, which the BMW can really do quite well (without suffering being too blocky like the Mitsubishi, causing a low top speed).

I have also changed my pitting to
11 (fuel for 9 laps)
20 (fuel for 10 laps)
which results in coming out of the pits while still being p1 and not needing to fight the "slow racing hard tyre" AI, which at a 10 lap pit usually got the lead of me.

As for the practice: there can never be enough of it ...
 
As for the practice: there can never be enough of it ...

Tidy (99%) ...you da man! I think I need to stop charging every bend and re-learn my 'slow-in, fast-out' racing skills. You take bends under much more control than me ...well done, Sir!

You really should get a PSVR2, you know. Racing in VR is just SUCH a buzz! I'm watching your video and it seems sterile and unexciting for all its driving skill. When I race this circuit, I'm there, in the car, sweating with adrenaline, arms tired from the wheel. Racing in VR is on a different level to flat-screen ...you really should give it a go 👍
 
I do have it, but unfortunatly I suffer from motion sickness in some games while other games are pretty fine.
I cant take that downhill straight without feeling ill of it.
That's a real shame. Most people who follow the GTPlanet VR thread (myself included) seem to be able to overcome the queasiness by using it for a short while every day for a week or two, leaving it alone for the rest of the day if you feel queasy.
 
That's a real shame. Most people who follow the GTPlanet VR thread (myself included) seem to be able to overcome the queasiness by using it for a short while every day for a week or two, leaving it alone for the rest of the day if you feel queasy.
The AMG and RxVision are the most comfortable to use for me. I tried every g3.car on this race.

The key is to not kill your tires.
 
The AMG and RxVision are the most comfortable to use for me. I tried every g3.car on this race.

The key is to not kill your tires.
Finally reading each People on this thread, it looks everyone have his own car preference.

Best cars to try this event could be :
AMG (last one?)
RxVision
McLaren
BMW

Am I right ?

I can't do better than 1'58'7 on my side using Porsche rsr but I feel I m able to perform few time improvement (TCS on 2), still difficult race for me :(
 
Another reason I should probably try not to charge into the corners.
Some people can get 15 laps out of mediums on this race. At the beginning I would have a tire red by lap 9, by the end I had enough to push the car longer if necessary.

You really need to be able to focus for the full hour. Focus and know your brake points .
 
Best cars to try this event could be :
That looks to be a list of the most popular cars, but as has been said many times: find the car that best suits your driving style.
I personally only would advise not to use
Audi
Lambo
They are really hard on their tyres (I couldnt last 10 laps on mediums with them, making it a 3 pit .... )

Ford Mustang Gr.3 feels like a boat instead of a car

Skyline Silhouette
The different way it opperates doesnt make it competitive here

Every other car may or may not be the perfect glove to each drivers hands (well, the above could also be good, just not for me).
In Patch 1.31 I did finish this event with every car I owned at that time, which only excludes the McLaren F1 and the newly added AMG GT3 '20.
Cant compare racing times all too much as their are variables out of my hands and the cars driven later may have a bit of an advantage of more hours of practice, but generally speaking all of them can do it.
My faster total times compared to each other car (finishing at 1h 30s)
BMW M6
Genesis
Lexus
Mazda RX Vision
McLaren 650
Nissan GTR (all)
Peugeot
Porsche
Renault
Subaru BRZ
Toyota (all)
VW Beetle

My faster times were around 1h 10s, my slower times around 1h 45s, so basically about a difference of 1s per lap.

Though this is not representative of each cars potential performance. For example: I wasnt fast on the AMGs, either because I didnt use the right fuel consumption strategy, or because I drove all cars alphabetically (still BMW was fast), or because I just wasnt as good at that point of time (the last car, VW VGT was one of the slowest).
For this, the top10 are more representative, but propably not ideal for players who are currently struggeling to finish p1.
 
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Finally reading each People on this thread, it looks everyone have his own car preference.

Best cars to try this event could be :
AMG (last one?)
RxVision
McLaren
BMW

Am I right ?

I can't do better than 1'58'7 on my side using Porsche rsr but I feel I m able to perform few time improvement (TCS on 2), still difficult race for me :(
Style definitely impacts the best pick. I think I had my fastest lap with the RCZ. a 1.56 but I couldn't finish the event with it.

I also tried using the GTR. This is also a viable choice imo .

I tried literally every car for at least one stop to see how they fair.
 
You really need to be able to focus for the full hour. Focus and know your brake points .
Yes, not being able to focus 100% on long races (IRL or sim-racing) is what I notice most about growing older. In my 40s I could race for real for two hours or more per stint, and still focus on every bend whilst working out my fuel strategy and thinking about what I'd have for tea that evening. Now in my 60s, if I focus too hard on fuel calculations, I start to make mistakes when cornering. This is what I notice most about racing and getting older.

As for brake points, these are not nearly so important racing in VR as you get a much better sense of speed, distance and momentum, and can look wherever you like at what might be round a corner. You can even move your head higher to see over a crest if you wish. I only use braking points at the end of fast straights; all other bends become instinctive, with subtle adjustments during trail braking if necessary. Some people call it seat-of-the-pants racing, but I've never known anything different.
 
Yes, not being able to focus 100% on long races (IRL or sim-racing) is what I notice most about growing older. In my 40s I could race for real for two hours or more per stint, and still focus on every bend whilst working out my fuel strategy and thinking about what I'd have for tea that evening. Now in my 60s, if I focus too hard on fuel calculations, I start to make mistakes when cornering. This is what I notice most about racing and getting older.

As for brake points, these are not nearly so important racing in VR as you get a much better sense of speed, distance and momentum, and can look wherever you like at what might be round a corner. You can even move your head higher to see over a crest if you wish. I only use braking points at the end of fast straights; all other bends become instinctive, with subtle adjustments during trail braking if necessary. Some people call it seat-of-the-pants racing, but I've never known anything different.
Interesting. I don't play with VR, I was using the view outside of the car to beat this so I could monitor traffic. You definitely need to be hitting 1:58 and 1:57 so consistency is important. Hence the brake point reference, have to be hitting the peak apex everytime imo.

I use the dash view for time trials and could see how vr could change things but you still need to be in the right spots for best times.

There's alot of traffic after the first pit
 
Interesting. I don't play with VR, I was using the view outside of the car to beat this so I could monitor traffic. You definitely need to be hitting 1:58 and 1:57 so consistency is important. Hence the brake point reference, have to be hitting the peak apex everytime imo.

I use the dash view for time trials and could see how vr could change things but you still need to be in the right spots for best times.

There's alot of traffic after the first pit
With VR and a good headset, the 3D sound gives you an excellent indication of where the traffic is around you. You have mirrors, of course, and you can look out the side windows, but I find that the sound alone is good enough to know where people are. The more I race in VR, the better I get at being aware of my racing environment.
 
Finally reading each People on this thread, it looks everyone have his own car preference.

Best cars to try this event could be :
AMG (last one?)
RxVision
McLaren
BMW

Am I right ?

I can't do better than 1'58'7 on my side using Porsche rsr but I feel I m able to perform few time improvement (TCS on 2), still difficult race for me :(
Remember that updates have changed both the physics and the Balance of Performance of cars. Cars referenced more than just a few months ago would be different now.

On the latest update I struggled to set good times with the RSR. The RX Vision on racing mediums can get 1:57.XXX times on TC2, assuming you use manual gears.
 
Remember that updates have changed both the physics and the Balance of Performance of cars. Cars referenced more than just a few months ago would be different now.

On the latest update I struggled to set good times with the RSR. The RX Vision on racing mediums can get 1:57.XXX times on TC2, assuming you use manual gears.
I did it recently with TCS off I can't do more than 11 without failure personally

My only change for this was changing abs to default. I generally play on weak
 
I did it recently with TCS off I can't do more than 11 without failure personally

My only change for this was changing abs to default. I generally play on weak
The RX is twitchy in low gears and tight angles, the TC definitely slows me down every lap, but it means I can do the race with 0-1 big mistakes. Even with a perfect race you will only win this by 15-45 seconds, so two mistakes is enough to ruin your race.


Another tip worth reiterating: later in the race, the AI has a much harder time passing lapped racers than you do. You can make up some real time once this starts to happen after pit stops
 
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I was on for a P5 this morning, with a 2-stop RH strategy in the McLaren 650 (TC:1, ABS: weak). My laptimes averaged in the high 1:59s and I only had one track limit penalty. But I ran out of fuel on the last lap so my driving style doesn't suit a 2-stopper in this car 🙁

Incidentally, I worked out that the difference in time between a 2-stopper and a 3-stopper is only about 13 seconds because the fuel upload time is the same either way, and if you're not stopping a third time, you are still racing down the pit-straight. So if you're faster by more than 0.4 seconds a lap on RMs than on RHs, a 2-stopper is better.

...and then there's the fact that you might have to run lean to do 30 laps 🤔
 
I was on for a P5 this morning, with a 2-stop RH strategy in the McLaren 650 (TC:1, ABS: weak). My laptimes averaged in the high 1:59s and I only had one track limit penalty. But I ran out of fuel on the last lap so my driving style doesn't suit a 2-stopper in this car 🙁

Incidentally, I worked out that the difference in time between a 2-stopper and a 3-stopper is only about 13 seconds because the fuel upload time is the same either way, and if you're not stopping a third time, you are still racing down the pit-straight. So if you're faster by more than 0.4 seconds a lap on RMs than on RHs, a 2-stopper is better.

...and then there's the fact that you might have to run lean to do 30 laps 🤔
Is that with manual or automatic transmission mode (I guess AT)?
And with 2 stops usually you should be able to run racing mediums, they are faster by 1-2 seconds per lap depending on how much you can take advantage of their traction.
 
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Is that with manual or automatic transmission mode (I guess AT)?
And with 2 stops usually you should be able to run racing mediums, they are faster by 1-2 seconds per lap depending on how much you can take advantage of their traction.
Manual - always manual. I can't think of a bigger handicap than trying to race with an auto box!

Yes, I was at least a second a lap quicker on the mediums, so whilst I thought I'd re-run a 2-stopper on RHs just to check, a 3-stopper on RMs is definitely still the best way to go. I just need to keep working on that consistency, and not charging the bends!
 
Manual - always manual. I can't think of a bigger handicap than trying to race with an auto box!

Yes, I was at least a second a lap quicker on the mediums, so whilst I thought I'd re-run a 2-stopper on RHs just to check, a 3-stopper on RMs is definitely still the best way to go. I just need to keep working on that consistency, and not charging the bends!
1692350448940.png

The screenshot is giving 2 reference points:
Usually this is the only part of the track where I rev to the limit to reach top speed.
Otherwise I would change gears it this point (~7200 RPM, or about 80% of the bar).
Switch to 6th gear when reaching 240km/h.
Never go into 1st gear.
 
Usually this is the only part of the track where I rev to the limit to reach top speed.
Otherwise I would change gears it this point (~7200 RPM, or about 80% of the bar).
Switch to 6th gear when reaching 240km/h.
Never go into 1st gear.
Thanks. With the McLaren 650 I use first gear on the two tightest hairpins because it feels faster on the pick-up. I'll try changing up sooner elsewhere to see if it affects my laptimes but I'm no longer fussed about fuel usage as I'm not going to try a 2-stopper again.
 
Thanks. With the McLaren 650 I use first gear on the two tightest hairpins because it feels faster on the pick-up. I'll try changing up sooner elsewhere to see if it affects my laptimes but I'm no longer fussed about fuel usage as I'm not going to try a 2-stopper again.
Being slower makes it easier to control the cars braking point, makes you go faster instead.
Not saying to be intentionally slow, but this is a sideeffect of trying to not burn fuel at the highest rate.
In my BMW lap video I wouldnt be significantly faster by revving out all gears, I am used to this speed and the braking points.
Going all out causes more tyrewear and requires ever so slightl adjusting the braking points to a bit earlier + gives less reaction time to hit them as consistent.
Maybe it wont work for you because it would be the other way round: being used to the higher speeds and being suddenly just a tad slower would cause you to brake way to early - trying something new is propably causing more failed attempts before it actually works to a certain degree.
 
The RX is twitchy in low gears and tight angles, the TC definitely slows me down every lap, but it means I can do the race with 0-1 big mistakes. Even with a perfect race you will only win this by 15-45 seconds, so two mistakes is enough to ruin your race.


Another tip worth reiterating: later in the race, the AI has a much harder time passing lapped racers than you do. You can make up some real time once this starts to happen after pit stops
Personally I found it to be planted, driving style is all the difference.

I was also able to finish this with the AMG, different experience.

I enjoyed the challenge of this mission and haven't been into the game as much since beating it.
 
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