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- JohnsonCapote
I made the shocking realisation the other day that I haven't actually done ANY of the Enduros in GT5, and for someone who's whole reason for existing on this website is to blather on about close endurance races I've had, that's a shocking stat! 
I did try and attempt the Suzuka 1000km, but couldn't find a suitable car. Perhaps it's time to go back to basics, start from square one, and kickstart my GT5 enduro adventures 
So here it is, folks:
The Valley of Death...Revisited
Grand Valley 300km
(Hat tip to AMG as always for the track map.)
60 Laps, 184.2 Miles. Pit Window 20-30 Laps.
This race has gone through a few transformations over the years; waaay back in GT2 it was a street sportscar race, then by GT4 it had become a JGTC/GT500 style race. My one run in that particular race was documented here, hence explaining the title of this thread And now it's become the starter enduro, with a wide range of mid-level performance street cars with all sorts of pit strategies - much like the El Capitan enduro in GT4.
I must say GTSail290's excellent GV300 Companion thread helped me out a bunch in preparing for this one, so massive tip of the hat must go to him and everyone involved over there 👍 Some awesome efforts in there too! So, after researching and testing, I finally found a suitable weapon for my first assault on this race in GT5...and it's one of my favourite cars in the GT universe. Julia, your time has come!
1965 Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint GTA
Power: 183hp
Weight: 745kg
PP: 438
Tyres: Sports Soft
Modifications: All transmission parts, F/C LSD and Suspension, Turbo kit stage 3, sports intake & air filter.
On paper the spec might look like overkill, but although the little Alfa handles like an absolute dream right out the box, it's asthmatic engine just doesn't have the torque for Grand Valley's long straights and wide, mid-speed corners, hence the boost in horsepower to achieve competitive laptimes 💡
Despite much tinkering to beef up my petite Alfa, I still feel a slight tinge of anxiety as I roll onto the grid...and the throaty snarl from the Dell'Orto carburetors is swiftly drowned out in a deluge of loud Japanese exhaust noise. C'mon Julia, don't let me down
Here is the lineup in question:
STARTING GRID
1. Nissan Fairlady Z 300ZX
2. Infiniti G35 Coupe '06
3. Nissan Silvia Spec R Aero S15 '02
4. Mazda RX-7 Type RS FD '98
5. Subaru Legacy Touring Wagon GTB '96
6. Nissan 300ZX 2-Seater Z32 '98
7. Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint GTA '65
8. Nissan Skyline Coupe 350GT '03
9. Toyota Celica GT-FOUR ST205 '98
10. Toyota Supra RZ '97
11. Subaru Impreza Sedan WRX STI Vers VI
12. Mitsubishi GTO Twin Turbo MR '95
Might also be worth noting that I've turned up to this race equipped with by far and away the oldest car on the grid. But this old girl is dainty on her feet, and ready to do battle...stand by for the fireworks
Unlike GT4's standing start, we have a tame rolling start, so the field snakes off the final corner before charging off towards the tight Turn 1 hairpin as the starter drops the green flag - we're racing!
Updates to come every 15 laps
Laps 1-15
I fight off stiff opposition from the Skyline Coupe as we pile into Turn 2, and I defend so deep into the corner that I inadvertently slither past the 300ZX Z32 and almost straight into the enourmous boot of the Legacy Wagon! The Infiniti is having big problems, and is already sliding into the clutches of the Legacy Wagon and me. I go for an overtake at the Turn 6 hairpin, but the Legacy shuts the door on me swiftly, so I bide my time and slip through at the slow Turn 10 instead 
before getting a strong run on the Infiniti and completing that move for 4th through the long Tunnel Turn 13.
Up ahead, a 3-car train has formed behind the Fairlady Z, and it's clearly holding up proceedings, as I chip away at the 3s gap gradually through laps 2 and 3. By the time I catch up, the Silvia has cleared the big white rolling roadblock, but my main rival in this race, the RX-7, is still stuck. I stalk the two for a lap or two, before boosting by the duo out of Turn 12. I keep my eyes trained on the RX-7 as I chase down the Silvia, but lap after lap he remains bogged behind the Fairlady Z...it's as if he's not that bothered?!
The Silvia's 2s lead is eroded steadily through lap 5, and I'm happy to follow the leader for now as the RX-7 falls further and further away, and presumably builds a strong dislike of Nissan cars!
I get a swift reality check however, when on lap 7 I spy the RX-7 appearing in my mirrors, having cleared the rolling roadblock and chased me back down in double-quick time! I'm pretty sure he's up for this race now 
With that in mind, I slip by the Silvia at T10 and put some distance between myself and my pursuers. The RX-7 is in no mood to get held up again, and slices past the Silvia with ruthless precision and promptly glues himself to my tail. The gloves are coming off - it's game on from here on in!
A tense game of shadow boxing commences between us; I put about a second or so between us across the circuit, which is promptly eaten up again by the RX-7's superior power down the straight. I keep him firmly in my mirrors for lap after lap, but he never fades - seriously, has someone attached a rubber band to our bumpers?!
The battle hots up steadily as my tyres start to feel the burn, and the RX-7 is starting to sniff chances. On lap 11 he goes side-by-side with me into T2 and attempts a bold move around the OUTSIDE, which doesn't come off - just! I probably seem slightly distracted, as I get the Turns 4 & 5 esses all wrong, clipping the grass on the exit and having to jump on the anchors to avoid spinning out altogether in the T6 braking zone! 
By lap 13 the RX-7 goes one step further, and completes the pass before we get to the corner, complete with a barge from him that nearly knocks me completely sideways under braking! Oi! I stalk him closely through the corners before just slipping the nose of my Alfa down the inside at T6 and completing the pass. The battle is getting steadily more intense, and on lap 15 he tries going round the outside at T2, and it nearly works as he hangs side by side with me through T3, before thinking about going side-by-side through T4 & 5 before thinking better of it - wise choice I think!
I finish lap 15 in 1st place (just about), 0.8s ahead of the 2nd place RX-7 and about 6s clear of the 3rd place Silvia.
Laps 16-30
Probably a bit naive of me, but I didn't actually do any tyre testing before arriving here at the race My thinking would be, however, that my little Alfa weighing in at a teeny weeny 745kg (125kg less than an LMP prototype and about the same weight as a pencil sharpener) would mean that tyre wear shouldn't be a problem, and I should be able to match the RX-7's 2-stop strategy. The question now would be when exactly to pit. For now, I decide to press on - if I'm running the same pace as him, it makes sense, right? 💡
Actually, I have a feeling I'm running a slightly slower pace, as the attacks on the lead become more and more frequent through the next few laps. and the shapely front end of the RX-7 leers ever larger in my mirrors at the end of the front straight lap after lap But he never seems to have quite enough to pass...just like earlier when he struggled to clear the Fairlady Z. Maybe he got a new paintjob on his car that morning and he doesn't want it to be scratched? Either way, he could be a teensy bit more aggressive I feel...not that I'm complaining at all!
In fact it seems I spoke too soon, as my rear bumper comes under attack at lap 19, and he attempts to muscle by on the inside at T2 out of frustration; you'll have to try harder than that, sonny! And he does, having a lunge at the T6 hairpin the following lap, but still no luck. It's perhaps only a matter of time, but fortunately, as my tyres have started fading drastically (fronts are down past the 50% mark by around lap 17), so have his, and from about lap 21 onwards our shadow boxing duel subsides slightly, as he fades to about a 3s deficit by lap 26, which is when I pit for the first time, topping up with 10 litres of fuel and setting up a simple 2-stop strategy - or perhaps a 1-stop if I fancy trying to drag the tyres out for an extra few laps. Maybe, maybe not 💡
Surprisingly, he goes a couple of laps further than I expected, not pitting in until the end of lap 28, where I re-take the lead to the tune of about 13s. Or do I? Curiously I'm being shown as 2nd still...surely that can't be right?! I'm on the verge of radioing race control and telling them to hit their timing computers with spanners when I see a grey shape in the distance, and realise it's the Impreza Sedan pulling a 1-stop strategy. An ace up his sleeve it might be, but it's a futile one, as I catch and re-pass him by midway through lap 30, before he pulls in to pit a couple of laps later. Nice try, Impreza 👍
I finish lap 30 in 1st place, 4s ahead of the 2nd place Impreza Sedan and about 12s clear of the 3rd place RX-7.
Laps 31-45
You may have noticed there that within a couple of laps the RX-7 had made up a second on my lead. Unfortunately I hadn't, and continued to pootle on with what I thought was a comfortable lead - until on lap 33 the timer flashed up showing my nemesis as just 7 seconds behind! Nothing I do seems to shake him off, and in fact my driving seems to only get worse, as I nearly beach the car clean in the gravel at T1 on lap 35, by which point the gap is down to under 4s Also, my tyres appear to be wearing faster, or the RX-7 is driving harder and faster than before, or the fact that he pitted slightly later means he has slightly fresher tyres...oh hell, it's all of those things isn't it?! Whilst I'm getting myself all frazzled, the RX-7 is swarming all over me once again, and slips into the lead at T2 on lap 40
And so begins a see-saw battle for control of the race, as I instantly re-pass him at T10, with him repeating his T2 pass the following lap and me re-passing him AGAIN at T6 the lap after! But my tyres are only getting worse, and by lap 44 he takes the lead at T2 and this time keeps it, as I nearly slide clean off the track altogether after I get all out of shape in the T6 braking zone The RX-7 is in ruthless mood as well, as he starts to power away, and I trail by 4s by the end of lap 45, 6s the lap after and a whopping 10s by lap 47! He's come out of nowhere to power into control of the race...and I'm geniunely wondering if my chance of victory has gone
I finish lap 45 in 2nd place, 4s behind the leading Mazda RX-7 and about 20s clear of the 3rd place Silvia.
Laps 46-60
I've never been much cop at pit strategy, but now it's time to engage my magnificent (cough) brain and make a decision. If I keep pushing on to my scheduled lap 52 pitstop, I will only cede even more time to my opponent, and I won't even have the advantage of using fresher tyres against him as he will pit at lap 56, meaning he'll have mint condition tyres for the final sprint to the finish 👎 Seeing as my tyres seem to last in good condition for about 12-15 laps before starting to deteriorate, pitting 12 laps before the end and using my fresh rubber at the exact point where the RX-7's tyres are going off might be a wiser idea...might be...let's find out shall we? 💡
I pit in at the end of lap 48 trailing by nearly 14s, falling to 4th behind the Silvia and Impreza Sedan, and strap on fresh rubber ready for my final last-ditch shot at glory. No fuel this time, as I have more than enough to make it to the flag, and extra fuel will only slow me down...and I need everything my plucky Alfa has got and more. C'mon Julia, show me what you've got!
She responds by flying out of the pits and tearing round the track at a bewildering pace. My previous fastest lap of 2'16.435 is smashed once on lap 49 with a 2'16.427, then twice on lap 50 with a 2'16.351 and then thrice on lap 52 with a 2'15.860!
Suddenly, what was once a one-off fast lap is now my regular pace! Where has this come from?! Go little Julia, go!
I encounter lapped traffic on lap 53, but just as I fly up behind the Legacy Wagon and Mitsubishi GTO, a gap appears as we round T9, and I fly straight through on the inside at T10 without slowing up at all! I love that absolute sweet spot when you hit lapped traffic and a gap opens up I press on hard and catch the duelling duo of the Impreza and Silvia the following lap, sliding desperately up the inside of the Impreza at T6 and the Silvia at T9 In amongst the hyperspeed, the RX-7's lead is evaporating by the second. What was a monstrous 30s+ deficit after my pitstop is now just 9s by lap 55, and once the RX-7 has pitted, the pendulum swings full circle and I now lead by a whopping 18s! The comeback is complete
As I suspected, the RX-7 is still in full attack mode, and shreds 2s out of my lead by the end of lap 57, but it's far too late now - my strategy gamble has worked, just about! He gives chase at a frightening pace, and if the race were any longer I'd be in real trouble. Fortunately and much to my relief, I navigate the final few laps cleanly, making sure I avoid trouble with lapped traffic (in this case the Supra RZ on the final lap) and after just over 2 hours of racing, me and my exhausted Alfa take the chequered flag!
FINAL RESULTS
1. Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint GTA '65 - 60 Laps in 2:20'22.436
2. Mazda RX-7 Type RS FD '98 - +9.563s
3. Subaru Impreza Sedan WRX STI Vers VI - +25s
4. Nissan Silvia Spec R Aero S15 '02 - +27s
5. Nissan Skyline Coupe 350GT '03 - +59s
6. Nissan 300ZX 2-Seater Z32 '98 - +1'20s
7. Nissan Fairlady Z 300ZX - +1'35s
8. Toyota Supra RZ '97 - +1 lap
9. Subaru Legacy Touring Wagon GTB '96 - +1 lap
10. Mitsubishi GTO Twin Turbo MR '95 - +1 lap
11. Toyota Celica GT-FOUR ST205 '98 - +1 lap
12. Infiniti G35 Coupe '06 - +1 lap
So everything I could want from an enduro - a good close race, a race-long battle that swung this way and that and was in the balance multiple times, some pit strategy, and a nice underdog victory My little Alfa gets to have a nice rest, and judging by the garage screen, which says it's lost 9hp across the course of the race, I think she needs it!
Thanks for reading folks, and I'll see you soon for my first tilt at the Laguna Seca 200!
I did try and attempt the Suzuka 1000km, but couldn't find a suitable car. Perhaps it's time to go back to basics, start from square one, and kickstart my GT5 enduro adventures So here it is, folks: The Valley of Death...Revisited
Grand Valley 300km
(Hat tip to AMG as always for the track map.)
60 Laps, 184.2 Miles. Pit Window 20-30 Laps.
This race has gone through a few transformations over the years; waaay back in GT2 it was a street sportscar race, then by GT4 it had become a JGTC/GT500 style race. My one run in that particular race was documented here, hence explaining the title of this thread
And now it's become the starter enduro, with a wide range of mid-level performance street cars with all sorts of pit strategies - much like the El Capitan enduro in GT4. I must say GTSail290's excellent GV300 Companion thread helped me out a bunch in preparing for this one, so massive tip of the hat must go to him and everyone involved over there 👍 Some awesome efforts in there too! So, after researching and testing, I finally found a suitable weapon for my first assault on this race in GT5...and it's one of my favourite cars in the GT universe. Julia, your time has come!
1965 Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint GTA
Power: 183hp
Weight: 745kg
PP: 438
Tyres: Sports Soft
Modifications: All transmission parts, F/C LSD and Suspension, Turbo kit stage 3, sports intake & air filter.
On paper the spec might look like overkill, but although the little Alfa handles like an absolute dream right out the box, it's asthmatic engine just doesn't have the torque for Grand Valley's long straights and wide, mid-speed corners, hence the boost in horsepower to achieve competitive laptimes 💡
Despite much tinkering to beef up my petite Alfa, I still feel a slight tinge of anxiety as I roll onto the grid...and the throaty snarl from the Dell'Orto carburetors is swiftly drowned out in a deluge of loud Japanese exhaust noise. C'mon Julia, don't let me down
Here is the lineup in question:
STARTING GRID
1. Nissan Fairlady Z 300ZX
2. Infiniti G35 Coupe '06
3. Nissan Silvia Spec R Aero S15 '02
4. Mazda RX-7 Type RS FD '98
5. Subaru Legacy Touring Wagon GTB '96
6. Nissan 300ZX 2-Seater Z32 '98
7. Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint GTA '65
8. Nissan Skyline Coupe 350GT '03
9. Toyota Celica GT-FOUR ST205 '98
10. Toyota Supra RZ '97
11. Subaru Impreza Sedan WRX STI Vers VI
12. Mitsubishi GTO Twin Turbo MR '95
Might also be worth noting that I've turned up to this race equipped with by far and away the oldest car on the grid. But this old girl is dainty on her feet, and ready to do battle...stand by for the fireworks
Unlike GT4's standing start, we have a tame rolling start, so the field snakes off the final corner before charging off towards the tight Turn 1 hairpin as the starter drops the green flag - we're racing! Updates to come every 15 laps
Laps 1-15
I fight off stiff opposition from the Skyline Coupe as we pile into Turn 2, and I defend so deep into the corner that I inadvertently slither past the 300ZX Z32 and almost straight into the enourmous boot of the Legacy Wagon!
The Infiniti is having big problems, and is already sliding into the clutches of the Legacy Wagon and me. I go for an overtake at the Turn 6 hairpin, but the Legacy shuts the door on me swiftly, so I bide my time and slip through at the slow Turn 10 instead before getting a strong run on the Infiniti and completing that move for 4th through the long Tunnel Turn 13. Up ahead, a 3-car train has formed behind the Fairlady Z, and it's clearly holding up proceedings, as I chip away at the 3s gap gradually through laps 2 and 3. By the time I catch up, the Silvia has cleared the big white rolling roadblock, but my main rival in this race, the RX-7, is still stuck. I stalk the two for a lap or two, before boosting by the duo out of Turn 12. I keep my eyes trained on the RX-7 as I chase down the Silvia, but lap after lap he remains bogged behind the Fairlady Z...it's as if he's not that bothered?!
The Silvia's 2s lead is eroded steadily through lap 5, and I'm happy to follow the leader for now as the RX-7 falls further and further away, and presumably builds a strong dislike of Nissan cars!
I get a swift reality check however, when on lap 7 I spy the RX-7 appearing in my mirrors, having cleared the rolling roadblock and chased me back down in double-quick time! I'm pretty sure he's up for this race now With that in mind, I slip by the Silvia at T10 and put some distance between myself and my pursuers. The RX-7 is in no mood to get held up again, and slices past the Silvia with ruthless precision and promptly glues himself to my tail. The gloves are coming off - it's game on from here on in!
A tense game of shadow boxing commences between us; I put about a second or so between us across the circuit, which is promptly eaten up again by the RX-7's superior power down the straight. I keep him firmly in my mirrors for lap after lap, but he never fades - seriously, has someone attached a rubber band to our bumpers?!
The battle hots up steadily as my tyres start to feel the burn, and the RX-7 is starting to sniff chances. On lap 11 he goes side-by-side with me into T2 and attempts a bold move around the OUTSIDE, which doesn't come off - just!
I probably seem slightly distracted, as I get the Turns 4 & 5 esses all wrong, clipping the grass on the exit and having to jump on the anchors to avoid spinning out altogether in the T6 braking zone! By lap 13 the RX-7 goes one step further, and completes the pass before we get to the corner, complete with a barge from him that nearly knocks me completely sideways under braking! Oi!
I stalk him closely through the corners before just slipping the nose of my Alfa down the inside at T6 and completing the pass. The battle is getting steadily more intense, and on lap 15 he tries going round the outside at T2, and it nearly works as he hangs side by side with me through T3, before thinking about going side-by-side through T4 & 5 before thinking better of it - wise choice I think! I finish lap 15 in 1st place (just about), 0.8s ahead of the 2nd place RX-7 and about 6s clear of the 3rd place Silvia.
Laps 16-30
Probably a bit naive of me, but I didn't actually do any tyre testing before arriving here at the race
My thinking would be, however, that my little Alfa weighing in at a teeny weeny 745kg (125kg less than an LMP prototype and about the same weight as a pencil sharpener) would mean that tyre wear shouldn't be a problem, and I should be able to match the RX-7's 2-stop strategy. The question now would be when exactly to pit. For now, I decide to press on - if I'm running the same pace as him, it makes sense, right? 💡 Actually, I have a feeling I'm running a slightly slower pace, as the attacks on the lead become more and more frequent through the next few laps. and the shapely front end of the RX-7 leers ever larger in my mirrors at the end of the front straight lap after lap
But he never seems to have quite enough to pass...just like earlier when he struggled to clear the Fairlady Z. Maybe he got a new paintjob on his car that morning and he doesn't want it to be scratched? Either way, he could be a teensy bit more aggressive I feel...not that I'm complaining at all! In fact it seems I spoke too soon, as my rear bumper comes under attack at lap 19, and he attempts to muscle by on the inside at T2 out of frustration; you'll have to try harder than that, sonny! And he does, having a lunge at the T6 hairpin the following lap, but still no luck. It's perhaps only a matter of time, but fortunately, as my tyres have started fading drastically (fronts are down past the 50% mark by around lap 17), so have his, and from about lap 21 onwards our shadow boxing duel subsides slightly, as he fades to about a 3s deficit by lap 26, which is when I pit for the first time, topping up with 10 litres of fuel and setting up a simple 2-stop strategy - or perhaps a 1-stop if I fancy trying to drag the tyres out for an extra few laps. Maybe, maybe not 💡
Surprisingly, he goes a couple of laps further than I expected, not pitting in until the end of lap 28, where I re-take the lead to the tune of about 13s. Or do I? Curiously I'm being shown as 2nd still...surely that can't be right?!
I'm on the verge of radioing race control and telling them to hit their timing computers with spanners when I see a grey shape in the distance, and realise it's the Impreza Sedan pulling a 1-stop strategy. An ace up his sleeve it might be, but it's a futile one, as I catch and re-pass him by midway through lap 30, before he pulls in to pit a couple of laps later. Nice try, Impreza 👍I finish lap 30 in 1st place, 4s ahead of the 2nd place Impreza Sedan and about 12s clear of the 3rd place RX-7.
Laps 31-45
You may have noticed there that within a couple of laps the RX-7 had made up a second on my lead. Unfortunately I hadn't, and continued to pootle on with what I thought was a comfortable lead - until on lap 33 the timer flashed up showing my nemesis as just 7 seconds behind!
Nothing I do seems to shake him off, and in fact my driving seems to only get worse, as I nearly beach the car clean in the gravel at T1 on lap 35, by which point the gap is down to under 4s Also, my tyres appear to be wearing faster, or the RX-7 is driving harder and faster than before, or the fact that he pitted slightly later means he has slightly fresher tyres...oh hell, it's all of those things isn't it?! Whilst I'm getting myself all frazzled, the RX-7 is swarming all over me once again, and slips into the lead at T2 on lap 40 And so begins a see-saw battle for control of the race, as I instantly re-pass him at T10, with him repeating his T2 pass the following lap and me re-passing him AGAIN at T6 the lap after! But my tyres are only getting worse, and by lap 44 he takes the lead at T2 and this time keeps it, as I nearly slide clean off the track altogether after I get all out of shape in the T6 braking zone
The RX-7 is in ruthless mood as well, as he starts to power away, and I trail by 4s by the end of lap 45, 6s the lap after and a whopping 10s by lap 47! He's come out of nowhere to power into control of the race...and I'm geniunely wondering if my chance of victory has gone I finish lap 45 in 2nd place, 4s behind the leading Mazda RX-7 and about 20s clear of the 3rd place Silvia.
Laps 46-60
I've never been much cop at pit strategy, but now it's time to engage my magnificent (cough
) brain and make a decision. If I keep pushing on to my scheduled lap 52 pitstop, I will only cede even more time to my opponent, and I won't even have the advantage of using fresher tyres against him as he will pit at lap 56, meaning he'll have mint condition tyres for the final sprint to the finish 👎 Seeing as my tyres seem to last in good condition for about 12-15 laps before starting to deteriorate, pitting 12 laps before the end and using my fresh rubber at the exact point where the RX-7's tyres are going off might be a wiser idea...might be...let's find out shall we? 💡I pit in at the end of lap 48 trailing by nearly 14s, falling to 4th behind the Silvia and Impreza Sedan, and strap on fresh rubber ready for my final last-ditch shot at glory. No fuel this time, as I have more than enough to make it to the flag, and extra fuel will only slow me down...and I need everything my plucky Alfa has got and more. C'mon Julia, show me what you've got!
She responds by flying out of the pits and tearing round the track at a bewildering pace. My previous fastest lap of 2'16.435 is smashed once on lap 49 with a 2'16.427, then twice on lap 50 with a 2'16.351 and then thrice on lap 52 with a 2'15.860!
Suddenly, what was once a one-off fast lap is now my regular pace! Where has this come from?! Go little Julia, go! I encounter lapped traffic on lap 53, but just as I fly up behind the Legacy Wagon and Mitsubishi GTO, a gap appears as we round T9, and I fly straight through on the inside at T10 without slowing up at all! I love that absolute sweet spot when you hit lapped traffic and a gap opens up
I press on hard and catch the duelling duo of the Impreza and Silvia the following lap, sliding desperately up the inside of the Impreza at T6 and the Silvia at T9 In amongst the hyperspeed, the RX-7's lead is evaporating by the second. What was a monstrous 30s+ deficit after my pitstop is now just 9s by lap 55, and once the RX-7 has pitted, the pendulum swings full circle and I now lead by a whopping 18s! The comeback is complete As I suspected, the RX-7 is still in full attack mode, and shreds 2s out of my lead by the end of lap 57, but it's far too late now - my strategy gamble has worked, just about! He gives chase at a frightening pace, and if the race were any longer I'd be in real trouble.
Fortunately and much to my relief, I navigate the final few laps cleanly, making sure I avoid trouble with lapped traffic (in this case the Supra RZ on the final lap) and after just over 2 hours of racing, me and my exhausted Alfa take the chequered flag! FINAL RESULTS
1. Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint GTA '65 - 60 Laps in 2:20'22.436
2. Mazda RX-7 Type RS FD '98 - +9.563s
3. Subaru Impreza Sedan WRX STI Vers VI - +25s
4. Nissan Silvia Spec R Aero S15 '02 - +27s
5. Nissan Skyline Coupe 350GT '03 - +59s
6. Nissan 300ZX 2-Seater Z32 '98 - +1'20s
7. Nissan Fairlady Z 300ZX - +1'35s
8. Toyota Supra RZ '97 - +1 lap
9. Subaru Legacy Touring Wagon GTB '96 - +1 lap
10. Mitsubishi GTO Twin Turbo MR '95 - +1 lap
11. Toyota Celica GT-FOUR ST205 '98 - +1 lap
12. Infiniti G35 Coupe '06 - +1 lap
So everything I could want from an enduro - a good close race, a race-long battle that swung this way and that and was in the balance multiple times, some pit strategy, and a nice underdog victory
My little Alfa gets to have a nice rest, and judging by the garage screen, which says it's lost 9hp across the course of the race, I think she needs it! Thanks for reading folks, and I'll see you soon for my first tilt at the Laguna Seca 200!
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