Four Hours: The Nürburgring 4Hr Companion & Competition

Famine

I've been trialling a 422PP RS200 - gifted over by DGiant - and I'm in two minds. I can get a 9'09 with it (same as the Focus RS the other day) but it doesn't leave much margin for error, even with the no-rabbit grid...

Maybe

Click to expand...

Well, I mean, knowing you...

...you would, wouldn't you?

If you do, I shall reward you with my own self-taken pic of a real RS200 rallyer

Think I might try to start evaluating lineups again soon, given that they appear to have changed as said before.

I've got a car (to be revealed later) that at the moment can do a flying lap of 9:17 with stats of:

RS Tyres
215BHP/920kg
233.7BHP/tonne
445PP

I'll need to upgrade further, but at the moment this car has a seriously awesome exhaust noise similar to a 70's F1 bass racer, but uses only 8.5L per lap and tyres will last around 6 Laps maybe, not sure. Did I mention the noise?

bonobo4

Did I mention the noise?

Click to expand...

Same reason I'm running the Silvia S14 RM next week, albeit with a de-tune, growls like a tiger.

Just tried out a lap in the Roadster TC, completely stock with no tyre or power change and got a 9:20.1, and that was with 1 medium-sized off and a slight off. So essentially that's good to go without the two rabbits, although a CTR2-killing would require some semi-luck to pull off and I'd have to be very consistent even without to beat the whole field. Mind you, this is the Roadster TC, and it is remarkably easy to drive.

What tyres come stock C? RH? I don't have the DLC cars yet.

shem

What tyres come stock C? RH? I don't have the DLC cars yet.

Click to expand...

Every one of the TC's that isn't the Evo X comes with RH. The Evo X, which is the only one that can be taken offroad out of all of the TCs, comes with SM's, being considered more of a rally car.

C-ZETA

If you do, I shall reward you with my own self-taken pic of a real RS200 rallyer

Click to expand...

Imperial Palace car museum, Las Vegas (November 21st, 2009, I think)

Famine

Imperial Palace car museum, Las Vegas (November 21st, 2009, I think)

Click to expand...

I have almost exactly the same photo from August of that very year!! In another unusual twist it's just appeared in my UCD once again

Famine

Imperial Palace car museum, Las Vegas (November 21st, 2009, I think)

Click to expand...

Chelsea AutoLegends, September 4 2011.

Have also updated the Lineups to Lineup 13 after reset. Have seen no changes thus far in lineup order...

Finally after about 2.5 hours of testing/tuning, my car managed a 9:08 flying lap with a large spin, so ~9:00 with a clean flying lap. Stats are:

252BHP/846kg
297.9BHP/tonne
482PP
RS Tyres

I'm annoyed by a) How long this took and b) how much I had to tune the car to make it competitive.

The car in question is a Dome Zero Concept '78.

Now I have updated the lineups all the way to 23. Lineups 19 and 22 are ones with both S2000 GT1 Turbo and R8 LMS in it.

Tried out the Roadster TC in the real race though, and was doing OK enough on Lap 1 then lost a ton of positions. Clearly it isn't well rounded enough to win the race.

And the line up still changes when the race is exited? Will the AI provide less rabbits with a less competitive car entered?

shem

And the line up still changes when the race is exited? Will the AI provide less rabbits with a less competitive car entered?

Click to expand...

Yes it does. And all of the lineups I just studied, 11-23, were entered into while the Roadster TC, and Lineups 11-23 tend to show up the S2k Turbo and R8 LMS rather often.

^Cheers, good to know for my little Silvia run.

I don't know how this thread has eluded me. I just came across it a couple weeks or so ago.

Intrigued by some of the stats here, I thought I would indulge myself in seeing if there was a "new record car" I could discover.

Initially, I tried searching for a sub 410 PP candidate, but all my efforts met with disappointment.
Then I noticed the lowest ranking PP car for a win running against the S2000 GT1 Turbo
and/or Audi R8 LM racecar was the Suzuki GSX-R/4 Concept '01 at 499 PP.
On the surface this appeared to be as daunting a task as my first efforts, but undeterred I started testing a few potential candidates,
and alas, after quite a few screenings I had one.

A good handler, good tire wear, decent MPG, and a production car to boot.
The big question was: "Is it fast enough?"

Further testing confirmed "a definite maybe".
It was along here that FM4 was released and I made a temporary detour to try it out.

But after a week or so I wanted to get back to this race and see if my new contenter could go toe to toe for 4hrs and win a title.
Hence my return and report.

I bought 2 cars and tried several combos of wieght reduction, power, setups etc.
At first I thought the key to victory was full weight reduction which yielded 6 laps
on a set of tires, but at less than 499 PP, the car was too slow.
The real advantage of that wasn't until the end of the race anyway.

Back to the drawing board.
With single stage wieght reduction, RS tires and powered up to 498 PP, I started and aborted a few races.
Some more tweaks on the setup, a lineup with the S2000 GT1 Turbo starting 10th and Eureka,
I won by almost 2 minutes and a fast lap of 8:33.126

Next I lowered the PP to 495 and ran it again. Won again with a margin of just over a minute and a fast lap of 8:34.622

How low can I go?
Lowered it again to 492 and won with a 40 sec margin and a fast lap of 8:37.601.

While that last margin of victory sounds dominating, I know I'm very close or may have even reached, critical mass.
At times I had as little as a 4sec lead and if the S2000 GT1 Turbo had gotten past me, it would have likely been restart city.
Its imperative, that on the start, you are able to get to the front and build as much of a lead as possible.
At the start, in the pits, and at the end of his 5th lap, when his tires are worn out, are the only times you can gain time
on the mighty S2000 GT1 Turbo. The rest of the race he is gaining on you.

At any rate, while I must go back and try to establish what the absolute lowest winnable PP is for this car, I felt compelled to report my findings thus far.

I hope to be able to report the conclusion of this story by tommorrow evening.

to be continued....

Okay here goes my next attempt at this race, this time using a less powerful car.

252BHP/846kg
297.9BHP/tonne
482PP
RS Tyres used throughout race
Dome Zero Concept '78

Starting Grid:
J.Morales - BNR34 SKYLINE GT-R V-Spec
E.Higgins - FT565 TT
U.Belvins - S2000 GT1
J.Grant - 400R
V.Mcintosh - Stage II R32
E.Neri - CT230R
TheBonobo4 - Dome Zero
A. Van den Brook - Skyline GT-R R34
N.Neves - Fairlady Z
I.Meyer - BNR34 SKYLINE GT-R N1
G.Lebreton - GT Skyline Gt-R
A.Townsend - NISMO 380RS

Fastest car there I'd say is the HKS.

Lap 1 - 9:25.636. Pass up into 4th on the first hairpin which carries on until the Nordschleife where I'm 3rd with 4s gap. Remain 3rd until Dottinger where on the straight my lack of speed (165mph in a slipstream) causes me to drop down into 6th. Gap at the line is 20s on first.

Lap 2 - 9:21.308. A sloppy lap unfortunately puts me down into 10th. 1st is now 45s ahead at the start of my 3rd lap. So I call it quits as it seems either my driving/the car/the line-up means I can't win.

SuperCobraJet

Lowered it again to 492 and won with a 40 sec margin and a fast lap of 8:37.601.

Click to expand...

What's this? A gauntlet? On the ground? Seemingly thrown there, as if to challenge me?

I accept!

s2k2k3

What's this? A gauntlet? On the ground? Seemingly thrown there, as if to challenge me?

I accept!

Click to expand...

The man with the 499 PP Suzuki GSX-R/4 Concept '01, I presume.

Wasn't meant to be a gauntlet, but another hat in the ring is always welcome. 👍

Vauxhall VX220 Turbo '00
187-181 hp, 1005 kg (416-411 PP), Racing Softs
vs. first lineup (with the HPA TT, S2000 GT1 (non-turbo), HKS CT230R, etc)


My tale is too ugly for a racer with pride, but too harrowing for this humble survivor to dismiss.

Finding first the "What Is The Best Car To ENJOY The Nurburgring 4 Hours?" thread,
https://www.gtplanet.net/forum/showthread.php?t=151681
I plotted my attack. I wanted something German, parochial perhaps but apropos. And I prefer not to resort to the power limiter because, I feel, it truncates with a deceitfully robust power curve. So I mulled the choices offering challenge, and had a go in the Z4 M Coupe '08 with minimal prep (stock, on RSs). I won and was feeling a little full of myself, because at 469 the PP seemed notable from what I was reading. Until I found this thread: 410 PP!? (Toyota FT-86 Concept '09, current top of the list, by Michael4AGE) People be crazy.

Reconsidering the candidates, the Opel Speedster stood out. Unfortunately, the POS collecting virtual dust in my garage was the Vauxhall clone, so not technically Teutonic, and had 50k and dirty oil. I'll note that, having not used it since I don't know what update, the listing showed relic specs of 184 hp and PP 381. But the rotating display page showed 189 hp and PP 417. A sprightly car, it cuts a promisingly Davidic profile. I fitted Racing Softs and got a 9:18 cold. I slapped on suspension and drivetrain mods and did some cursory tuning. I got a 9:07+ in a few laps' practice so I figured I'd improve from there and headed out into the storm. I had 187 hp and PP 416 by that time, because of oil degradation. I'd have 181 and 411 by the time I finished.

Foolhardiness, discipline, brief violence, and serendipity governed.

I tried to keep it clean, that is, tolerably reviewable. But it got a little bumpy going into the first hairpin (Castrol-S?). And I think there was another bang-up around there on lap 2. There was also regular blocking on Dottinger Hohe and the first straight of the V circuit loop, often with quite brutal impact from behind by the AI. In retrospect, I'm not sure how productive the blocking was, given that few of the AIs were contenders, but there it was. And, for disclosure, there were definitely a handful of lone excursions. But I digress, as it were.

To flesh out without logging (tl;dr), I was in the middle of the field until the AIs starting pitting. I improved to third at the end of lap 5, and to first when the S2000 pitted on 6 (I guess I passed another in passing). I then fell back to mid-pack after pitting myself on 7.

Followed regular blocking and cyclical passing in pits. I think I reached the front by the start of 14, after everyone else pitted again, but my notes show I fell to seventh, :32 back from the leader, after I pitted that lap.

Around lap 12, I'd noticed my handling had become appreciably sloppy because, idiot that I am, I didn't refresh rigidity before the race. After pitting on 14, the car started to feel like a gummi bear glued on a limpet. I struggled to adapt. On 15, at the top of Fuchsrohre (or is that Fuchsrohre itself?), I lost it and stacked. This was my low point. I reflexively straightlined Adenauer Forst to mitigate the damage. I still lost about 2 sec in whole affair, but I immediately felt ashamed... The race goes on, though.

In my experience, the orange HPA TT was the mark in this grid, as opposed to the Amuse S2000 GT1 or the HKS CT230R. I passed the S2000 in the pits at the end of 18, but was crestfallen to get passed myself by the worrisome TT on Dottinger on 19, despite my best efforts at obstruction. But then I passed it in the pits themselves when we both went in on 20 (I was doing 7,7,6,6 while he was doing 5s), because the AI took time for a full tank. This was the first scent of victory, though I tried not to let it go to my head.

I emerged :20 behind the S2000, with all notables expected to pit once more. Unfortunately, I started feeling really sleepy IRL. I sensed victory on the verge, and I got nervous to the near side of jittery. Meanwhile, I was so drowsy that I started to forget which corners I was looking at. I didn't know I could be so nervous and sleepy at the same time. I guess I should be glad I wasn't piloting myself across an ocean.

By the end of 23, I was :50 behind the S2000 and TT, each with a pit left. Or was it :30? It got so blurry, and I have yet to make my way through the saved replay. The stress of simultaneous anxiety and fatigue were so much that I had to break for food. When I returned, after some 10 minutes, I struggled to get back in the groove. Suddenly, when approaching Bit-Kurve, my controller freaked out and sent me into the kitty litter. Ah, wireless. I probably lost about 5 sec. I soldiered back to the track and onwards.

The S2000 pitted on 24. The TT on 25. I succeeded to first, but my lap times had degraded by some 5-10 sec and I didn't even want to know the gap I was working with. I focused on the horizon of the road and tried to ignore the turquoise numbers that kept appearing just above. But I absorbed once peripherally something around :20. Could be true. Still haven't checked. Couldn't afford to know. Just driving the line as my brain fell apart.

Rounding onto Dottinger the final time I saw movement in my rear view. Briefly, I hoped it was somebody I'd lapped. Of course not. S2000 GT1. I spent the entire straight driving in my rearview, with him right on my tail. Capitally twitchy and precipitous. The most stressful racing I've had in GT5. Bit of a let up into Tiergarten. Then rearview again and block, block, block on the final straight. And there it was. Victory. I said to myself, with enunciation, "Holy mother ******* ****!" I didn't even think to note the numerical gap. I just had the vision of him, one bumper back. I'm glad I even remembered to save the replay and game before collapsing.

Laps in 9:xx (rounded):
1- 24
2- 10
3- 15
4- 15
5- 16
6- 20
7- 24
8- 42
9- 13
10- ?
11- 13
12- 16
13- 19
14- 24
15- 37
16- 23
17- 14
18- 14
19- 16
20- 19
21- 50
22- 14
23- 13
24- 20?
25- 18
26- 23

OK, here's my report for today.

Car: Stealth Gixxer (GSX-R/4)
PP: 480 (finished the race with 473, needing an oil change)
Horsepower: 180 (finished with 172)
Weight: 722kg
Tires: Race Soft
Race Time: 4'07:51.9 - 28 laps

Best AI: Amuse GT1 Turbo
Race Time: 4'00:22.5 - 27 laps



I'm not going to go lap-by-lap but here are the highlights.

The GT1 Turbo started in 3rd and grabbed 2nd in the first turn. Then he was in first by the 3rd turn.

I dropped to 10th but got back to 6th in Turn 1, then picked off the remaining cars to take 2nd place in Bit. I was already 6 seconds behind the GT1 and he was increasing the gap every sector.

The car was pushing badly on throttle, making it difficult to get back on the gas early in the turns. I realized I still had the old spec suspension tune. Frack.

By the end of lap 1 I was 14 seconds down. I began to panic a little and started pushing too hard. This resulted in a spectacular crash in Aremberg. Since I wasn't happy with the handling (and the front tires were wearing faster than the rears) I decided to tweak the suspension and restart.

With a little adjustment to rear suspension and a tick stiffer swaybar I started again.

This time the GT1 Turbo didn't get by the RGT and followed him in 2nd place through the GP track. This allowed me to catch them and slip inside the Amuse for 2nd place at Veedol. Then I nipped the RGT coming back onto the Nordschleife for the lead.

I hoped the RGT would hold up the Amuse for as long as possible. What I didn't expect was that the Amuse and RGT would get together and stuff the Amuse in the kitty litter at Aremberg.



He came back on track in 10th place, and it took him until lap 3 to get back to 2nd, 31 seconds behind me. Needless to say, this made it essentially guaranteed that I would win. But I drove my race the same, regardless. My goal was to give an apples-to-apples comparison to my previous runs.

It was mostly uneventful until I completely forgot to turn on lap 13. I'm not sure if I was in a trance or what but I seriously just didn't turn.



I held on to the lead through 1 cycle of pit stops. We played cat-and-mouse for 2 laps after my first stop, with me leading most of the time. He got by me on the pit straight starting lap 10 but I got back by him and pulled away a bit while he struggled on old tires.

He finally passed me while I was in the pits for my second stop on lap 14 and built up a bit of a lead. I ran him back down on lap 15 (again he was on old rubber) and passed him at the karussell. He was 5 seconds behind me when he pulled into the pits.

I held the lead from this point on, with him closing to contact range on lap 19, but then falling back again on lap 20, and then pitting.

I pitted for the last time on lap 21 and cruised on to an easy win. I did notice that I wasn't getting full speed on Dottinger, so I suspected I was down on power, which turned out to be the case.

My best lap was 8:40, with most laps in the 40s.

This race pace would still be an easy win over the GT1 Turbo even if he hadn't stuffed it.

Since I have a very nice used RUF RGT '00, I have decided to give the 'Ring another go.

My RGT has quite a few miles on the odo (though most were put on it by the previous owner). In any case, I take my RGT to the RUF dealership and have them install some upgrades and do a chassis maintenance to give me a chance.

I have my pit crew give the RGT a nice tune and check its specs which are:
Horsepower: 388
Weight: 1380 (50kg of ballast was added)
PP value: 500
Tires: SM (sport medium tires will be used throughout the race)

After a little lineup scanning I settle on the following:
1) Nissan Gran Turismo Skyline GTR
2) High End Performance G37
3) Amuse S2000 GT1
4) NISMO Fairlady Z Z-tune
5) Mine's Lancer EVO VI '00
6) Opera Gran Turismo 350Z RS
7) RUF RGT '00 (driven by GTsail)
8) Opera Performance 350Z '04
9) NISMO Skyline GTR S-tune
10) AEM S2000
11) RE Amemiya FD3S RX-7
12) NISMO 380RS Super Leggera

Once the flag drops to start the race I accelerate somewhat slowly so I get dropped to 12th place (intentionally really, since I want to see the AI cars that I'm up against). Going thru turn five I catch and pass the 11th place NISMO 380RS Leggera. A bit later, going thru the first Hatzenbach ess, I catch and pass the 10th place RE Amemiya RX-7. Diving down into Quiddlebacher Hohe I catch and pass the 9th place Opera Gran Turismo 350Z RS. At speed going thru Kottenborn I catch and pass the 8th place Mine's Lancer EVO VI. During the first part of the Kesselchen curves I catch and pass the 7th place Opera 350Z '04. At the end of lap # 1 I'm in 7th place some 30 seconds behind the leader of the race after a 9.27.729 lap.

On lap # 2 as I drive thru Kottenborn I catch and pass the 6th place NISMO Skyline GTR S-tune. After some inadvertant grass-cutting I catch and pass the 5th place AEM S2000 going thru Hohe Acht. A bit later on the same lap , I catch and pass the 4th place Nissan Gran Turismo Skyline GTR going thru the Kleine-Karussel. At the end of lap # 2 I'm 48 seconds behind the leading Amuse S2000 GT1 who must really be driving well. I can only hope that he trys for 6 lap tire stints and loses gobs of time on the 6th lap each time. Lap # 2 was completed with a 9.08.912 lap.

On lap # 3 I catch and pass the 3rd place High End G37 going thru the Kleine-Karussel. At the end of the lap I'm a full 60 seconds behind the leading Amuse S2000 after a blistering 9.04.959 lap.

Lap # 4 is un-eventful and by the end I'm 68 seconds behind the leading Amuse S2000 after a 9.06.918 lap.

At the end of lap # 5, I drive into the pits for a new set of much needed sport medium tires and 20 liters of fuel. The 2nd place NISMO Fairlady Z Z-tune is already in the pits, but the first place Amuse S2000 has continued on for a 6th lap (which hopefully will be his un-doing since he has a 75 second lead over me) after a 9.16.500 lap. While I'm in the pits the NISMO 380RS Super Leggera drives past and takes over 2nd place in the race.

Since I short fill my fuel tank, I beat the NISMO Fairlady Z Z-tune out of the pits and begin lap # 6 in 3rd place. The 5th place High End G37 also hits the pits behind me as I get underway on lap # 6. At the first checkpoint on lap # 6 I see that I'm 1 minute and 49 seconds behind the leading Amuse S2000 and about 10 seconds behind the 2nd place NISMO Super Leggera. On the exit from Bergwerk I catch and pass the 2nd place NISMO Super Leggera since he starts to slow on his worn tires. The first place Amuse S2000 also begins to fade since he's on six lap tires, so by the T10 checkpoint I see that I'm only 60 seconds behind him. When I cross the S/F line at the end of lap # 6 I'm 52 seconds behind the Amuse S2000 who happens to be stationary in the pits. NICE! I blast up the S/F straight and take over the lead of the race!

At the first checkpoint on lap # 7 I have a 1.1 second lead over the NISMO Fairlady Z Z-tune who has caught me. The Amuse S2000 is in 3rd place about 15 seconds back due to his pit stop. The RE Amemiya RX-7 is in 4th place about 10 seconds further back because it hasn't pitted yet. The NISMO Super Leggera is another 15 seconds back in 5th place. Due to the pressure from the Fairlady, I put some of my RGT's tires in the grass going thru Mutkurve and smack the armco at speed. This allows the NSIMO Fairlady Z-tune to drive past and drops me to 2nd place in the race. Driving down Dottinger Hohe the Amuse S2000 drafts past me so I quickly get in his draft and get up to 178mph and re-pass him at the Antoniusbuche overpass. At the end of lap # 7, I see that I've fallen 14 seconds behind the leading Fairlady Z-tune and immediately get passed by the Amuse S2000 going up the S/F straight after a 9.11.920 lap.

On lap # 8,after a mistake going thru Kottenborn the Amuse S2000 drives past me and heads off into the distance. At the end of lap # 8, I see that I'm 21 seconds behind the leading NISMO Fairlady Z-tune after a 9.03.491 lap.

At the end of lap # 9, I see that I'm 29 seconds behind the leading NISMO Fairlady Z-tune after a 9.11.108 lap.

On lap # 10, when I get to the Karussel, I see that the Amuse S2000 has caught and passed the leading NISMO Fairlady. I'm about 30 seconds behind them on very worn tires. At the end of lap # 10, I hit the pits again and get a fresh set of SM tires and 47 liters of fuel. The NISMO Fairlady Z-tune was already in the pits when I got there. Lap # 10 took 9.17.788.

My pit crew is very fast, so I beat the NISMO Fairlady Z-tune out of the pits and take over 2nd place in the race. At the first checkpoint on lap # 11, I see that I'm 1 minute and 28 seconds behind the leading Amuse S2000. The NISMO Fairlady is in 3rd place about 3 seconds behind me. The NISMO 380RS Super Leggera is in 4th place about 10 seconds further back. The 3rd place Fairlady Z-tune catches and passes me going down Dottinger Hohe on lap # 11, so I get behind him for a nice draft and get back past him going thru the Hohenrain esses. At the end of lap # 11, I'm in 2nd place, 1 minute and 26 seconds behind the leading Amuse S2000 after a 9.52.117 lap.

At the beginning of lap # 12 the Fairlady Z-tune drives past me driving up the S/F straight, but I immediately re-pass him going thru turn one. During lap # 12, the Fairlady Z-tune stays close and constantly fills my mirrors. During the blast down the Kesselchen curves he pulls along-side but doesn't get past because I brake late for Mutkurve and he backs off. At the T10 checkpoint I see that I'm only 40 seconds behind the leading Amuse S2000 who is on 6 lap tires, so he's starting to fade again. The Fairlady Z-tune drafts past me down Dottinger so I have to re-pass him goig thru the Hohenrain esses again, and finish lap # 12 in 2nd place some 33 seconds behind the Amuse S2000 who I can see in the pits. Lap # 12 took 9.07.022.

On lap # 13 the Fairlady Z-tune drives past me going up the S/F straight. Going thru turn one I re-pass the Fairlady and take over the lead of the race again. On lap # 13, the Fairlady follows me closely again but doesn't come past until Dottinger Hohe. So once again I get a good draft and re-pass the Fairlady Z-tune just as we get to the Antoniusbuche overpass. The Fairlady Z-tune comes back past me as we end lap # 13, so I'm in 2nd place as we begin lap # 14 and the Fairlady has a 0.183 second lead over me. Lap # 13 took 9.04.234.

At the beginning of lap # 15, I use the RUF's brakes excessively going into turn one so I re-pass the Fairlady Z-tune before he has a chance to relax. The Fairlady Z-tune catches me again going down Dottinger Hohe on lap # 14 but he doesn't drive past since I had a 2 second lead at the beginning of the straight. I'm still in 1st place when I dive into the pits for another set of sport medium tires and 35 liters of fuel at the end of the lap. Both the Fairlady Z-tune and the Amuse S2000 drive past while I'm in the pits. Lap # 14 took 9.07.766.

At the first checkpoint on lap # 15, I see that I'm 46 seconds behind the leading Fairlady Z-tune. On lap # 15 going thru Wippermann I get the news that the Amuse S2000 catches and passes the Fairlady Z-tune who has begun to fade on its worn tires. The Amuse S2000 is shown as being 35 seconds ahead of me. At the end of lap # 15, I see that I'm 37 seconds behind the leading Amuse S2000 after a 9.47.252 lap.

I begin lap # 16 and pass the Fairlady Z-tune who is still in the pits. I carry too much speed into Steilstreke and lose control of my RUF under panic braking and perform a nice 180 or 360 (I'm too dizzy to remember). I lose about 7 seconds. At the end of lap # 16 I see that I'm 51 seconds behind the leading Amuse S2000 after a 9.11.951 lap.

On lap # 17 I catch and pass the 12th place Mine's Lancer EVO VI going thru Fuchsrohre. At the end of lap # 17 I see that I'm 53 seconds behind the leading Amuse S2000 after a 9.05.365 lap.

On lap # 18, when I get to Wippermann, I see that the leading Amuse S2000 is only 15 seconds ahead of me as he slows considerably on his worn tires. Looking backwards I see that the 3rd place Fairlady Z-tune is only about 5 seconds behind me. I dive into the pits at the end of lap # 18 and get a new set of SM tires and 45 liters of fuel. The Fairlady Z-tune drives past me while I'm in the pits and drops me to 3rd place in the race. The Amuse S2000 is also in the pits so I tell me pit crew to hurry up. Lap # 18 took 9.09.981.

When I exit the pits to begin lap # 19 I've taken over 2nd place and find myself 47 seconds behind the leading Fairlady Z-tune. At the end of lap # 19 I see that the leading Fairlady Z-tune has a 52 second lead over me after a 9.05.068 lap.

When I get to Bergwerk on lap # 20, I see that I'm only 46 seconds behind the leading Fairlady Z-tune who is slowing down on its worn tires. The bad news is that the 3rd place Amuse S2000 has caught me and is on my rear-bumper! The Amuse S2000 drives past me going thru the Kesselchen curves. At the end of lap # 20, I see that the leading Fairlady Z-tune has pitted, which gives the lead of the race to the Amuse S2000. I take over 2nd place in the race when I cross the S/F line after a 9.10.284 lap.

At the first checkpoint on lap # 21, I see that I'm 13 seconds behind the Amuse S2000. At the end of lap # 21, I see that I'm 22 seconds behind the leading Amuse S2000 after a 9.03.745 lap. The 3rd place Fairlady Z-tune is about 25 seconds behind me.

By the end of lap # 22, my tires are pretty shot, so I head into the pits for a new set of SM tires and 40 liters of fuel to take me to the end of the race. While I'm in the pits the Fairlady Z-tune drives past and drops me to 3rd place in the race again.

At the first checkpoint on lap # 23, I see that I'm 1 minute and 16 seconds behind the leading Amuse S2000. During lap # 23, I catch and pass the 11th place Opera Gran Turismo 350Z RS going thru Steilstreke. At the end of lap # 23 I see that I'm 1 minute and 14 seconds behind the leading Amuse S2000 after a 9.46.408 lap.

On lap # 24 the Fairlady Z-tune catches the first place Amuse S2000 and they have a drafting duel down Dottinger Hohe which the Fairlady wins, so he takes over 1st place in the race. The Amuse S2000 takes the hint and heads into the pits for some new tires and a few more liters of "go" juice. At the end of lap # 24, I see that I'm 35 seconds behind the leading Fairlady Z-tune after a 9.03.381 lap, and get to drive past the Amuse S2000 who's still in the pits.

Towards the end of lap # 25, I can see that the leading Fairlady Z-tune is coming back to me since he's on worn 5 lap tires. After a 9.07.914 lap I cross the S/F line and begin lap # 26.

As I begin lap # 26, I can see that the leading Fairlady Z-tune is still in the pits, so I drive on past and take over the lead of the race. At the Karussel on lap # 26, I see that I have a 24 second lead over the 2nd place Amuse S2000. The Fairlady Z-tune is in 3rd place. The NISMO 380RS Super Leggera is in 4th, the AEM S2000 is in 5th, the RE Amemiya RX-7 is in 6th, the High End G37 is in 7th, and the NSIMO Skyline GTR S-tune is in 8th place. The 4 hour mark is reached as I drive thru the Kleine-Karussel one last time. I have a 20 second lead. While I'm driving down Dottinger the 10th place Opera 350Z '04 crosses the S/F line and drops me to 2nd place.

Finally after a 9.11.632 lap, I cross the Finish Line and regain first place for the WIN!

My lead over the fast closing Amuse S2000 was 14 seconds at the end of the lap.

The RUF was good fun on the sport medium tires! I lost control only a few times when I was trying to push the RUF to stay with the two other fast cars. If you pace yourself it is plenty fast enough to do the job.

Enjoy the racing!
GTsail

s2k2k3

OK, here's my report for today.

Car: Stealth Gixxer (GSX-R/4)
PP: 480 (finished the race with 473, needing an oil change)
Horsepower: 180 (finished with 172)
Weight: 722kg
Tires: Race Soft
Race Time: 4'07:51.9 - 28 laps

Best AI: Amuse GT1 Turbo
Race Time: 4'00:22.5 - 27 laps


I'm not going to go lap-by-lap but here are the highlights.

The GT1 Turbo started in 3rd and grabbed 2nd in the first turn. Then he was in first by the 3rd turn.

I dropped to 10th but got back to 6th in Turn 1, then picked off the remaining cars to take 2nd place in Bit. I was already 6 seconds behind the GT1 and he was increasing the gap every sector.

The car was pushing badly on throttle, making it difficult to get back on the gas early in the turns. I realized I still had the old spec suspension tune. Frack.

By the end of lap 1 I was 14 seconds down. I began to panic a little and started pushing too hard. This resulted in a spectacular crash in Aremberg. Since I wasn't happy with the handling (and the front tires were wearing faster than the rears) I decided to tweak the suspension and restart.

With a little adjustment to rear suspension and a tick stiffer swaybar I started again.

This time the GT1 Turbo didn't get by the RGT and followed him in 2nd place through the GP track. This allowed me to catch them and slip inside the Amuse for 2nd place at Veedol. Then I nipped the RGT coming back onto the Nordschleife for the lead.

I hoped the RGT would hold up the Amuse for as long as possible. What I didn't expect was that the Amuse and RGT would get together and stuff the Amuse in the kitty litter at Aremberg.

He came back on track in 10th place, and it took him until lap 3 to get back to 2nd, 31 seconds behind me. Needless to say, this made it essentially guaranteed that I would win. But I drove my race the same, regardless. My goal was to give an apples-to-apples comparison to my previous runs.

It was mostly uneventful until I completely forgot to turn on lap 13. I'm not sure if I was in a trance or what but I seriously just didn't turn.

I held on to the lead through 1 cycle of pit stops. We played cat-and-mouse for 2 laps after my first stop, with me leading most of the time. He got by me on the pit straight starting lap 10 but I got back by him and pulled away a bit while he struggled on old tires.

He finally passed me while I was in the pits for my second stop on lap 14 and built up a bit of a lead. I ran him back down on lap 15 (again he was on old rubber) and passed him at the karussell. He was 5 seconds behind me when he pulled into the pits.

I held the lead from this point on, with him closing to contact range on lap 19, but then falling back again on lap 20, and then pitting.

I pitted for the last time on lap 21 and cruised on to an easy win. I did notice that I wasn't getting full speed on Dottinger, so I suspected I was down on power, which turned out to be the case.

My best lap was 8:40, with most laps in the 40s.

This race pace would still be an easy win over the GT1 Turbo even if he hadn't stuffed it.

Click to expand...

I see you wasted no time besting the 499 pp.

I just completed a win at 490 PP and must freely admit it is not likely, my car will go 480 PP and be win capable.

Additionally, I must remind you I am using a "production car", not a prototype with extraordinary attributes such as the GSX-R/4 possesses.

Nevertheless Congrats on the win, and touché.

SuperCobraJet

Additionally, I must remind you I am using a "production car", not a prototype with extraordinary attributes such as the GSX-R/4 possesses.

Click to expand...

Post your report and you'll have the lowest PP production car to beat the Amuse GT1 Turbo.

SuperCobraJet

Additionally, I must remind you I am using a "production car", not a prototype with extraordinary attributes such as the GSX-R/4 possesses.

Click to expand...

There's no rules against that. In fact there's precious few rules of any kind in this thread. The only criterion I'd consider for rejection of an attempt is excessive Power Limiter use (less than 95%), for reasons discussed previously in this thread. Of course, LMP, Formula and a certain Newey design aren't of much use to the thread either so they're not going to be added any time soon.

I know one driver will occasionally straightline a bend or two and I'm sure others have employed the straightline wobble (rapid, small wheel oscillation with the AI behind you - they cannot pick a side to pass as a result) to hold off the faster cars on Dottinger. Both are valid tactics in the GT4 200pt A-Spec threads.

With that in mind, I can't imagine why using a valid car in the game is any reason for a two tier results system. A 480PP car is as valid as another 480PP car, so long as it's not unduly influenced by the physically impossible power limiter.

s2k2k3

Post your report and you'll have the lowest PP production car to beat the Amuse GT1 Turbo.

Click to expand...

As soon as I can complete probing the winning depths of PP, for this car, I fully intend to do so.

I'm at 488 now and it can still go lower.

Famine

There's no rules against that. In fact there's precious few rules of any kind in this thread. The only criterion I'd consider for rejection of an attempt is excessive Power Limiter use (less than 95%), for reasons discussed previously in this thread. Of course, LMP, Formula and a certain Newey design aren't of much use to the thread either so they're not going to be added any time soon.

Click to expand...

Yes, I know there is no rule against it.
I was merely reminding s2k2k3, of the competitive reality difference, in class.

I am well aware of the GSX-R/4's incredible potential, and thought about using it or the Toyota FT-86 Concept '09, but ultimately decided to see if I could find and use a different car instead.

Famine

I know one driver will occasionally straightline a bend or two and I'm sure others have employed the straightline wobble (rapid, small wheel oscillation with the AI behind you - they cannot pick a side to pass as a result) to hold off the faster cars on Dottinger. Both are valid tactics in the GT4 200pt A-Spec threads.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the clarification.
I haven't reached the point of needing to employ what some might deem, extra curricular tactics, but sooner rather than later I will have to consider it.

Famine

With that in mind, I can't imagine why using a valid car in the game is any reason for a two tier results system. A 480PP car is as valid as another 480PP car, so long as it's not unduly influenced by the physically impossible power limiter.

Click to expand...

The rules and leaderboard system are up to you and GTsail290.
I'm not lobbying for a change.

On Sunday 23.10.2011, i decided to do the 4hrs again.

Car: Golf IV R32 '03
PP: 519
Horsepower: 420
Weight: 1216kg
Tires: Racing medium

Top speed on Döttinger Höhe: 291 km/h (drafted) and 281 average

Grid:
1) BNR34 Skyline GT-R V spec N1 base '00
2) FT565 twin turbo Audi TT
3) S2000 GT1 '04
4) 400R '96
5) Stage II R32
6) CT230R '08
7) Golf IV R32 '03 (driven by Crowoodl)
8) Skyline GT-R R-tune (R34) '99
9) Fairlady Z Z-tune (Z33) '03
10) BNR34 Skyline GT-R N1 base '06
11) GRAN TURISMO Skyline GT-R '01
12) NISMO 380RS Super Leggera

Finished 1st, infront of the HPA TT. I was 29secs in the lead the last lap, then he pitted.

How about a race briefing in video form?

Famine

Bootup, load practice track (no track time), race
Bootup, race, load practice track (no track time), race
Bootup, load practice track (no lap), race
Bootup, load practice track (lap), race

This has changed since my attempts in the Integra Type-R last week where I used my traditional no-rabbit grid and even my race in the Focus RS the week previously - a grid I am now unable to replicate:

Click to expand...

Those 4 seem oddly curious, particularly the second one. I mean, doing 1, 3 and 4 should give you the 2nd lineup with the S2k Turbo where as 2 should give you Lineup 3 with the S2k Turbo in a lower starting position. I might be able to put this into practice - I am doing all the endurances and the FGT Championship I have not done yet including the Nurburgring 4h itself, and I can easily test this out. I am doing the Roadster 4h though so telling the lineups apart is going to be nigh on impossible.

Also, in terms of no-rabbit grids, couldn't Lineup 5 be considered at least something of a no-rabbit? The fastest thing there is the (quite literally) normal S2k GT1, which is fast normally but of course suffers from the Lap 6 of Death (although as Daan's run would prove it might very well have been somewhat cured...). Lineup 23 (when you get there ) is also kinda a no-rabbit but the HPA is still very fast regardless.

C-ZETA

Those 4 seem oddly curious, particularly the second one. I mean, doing 1, 3 and 4 should give you the 2nd lineup with the S2k Turbo where as 2 should give you Lineup 3 with the S2k Turbo in a lower starting position.

Click to expand...

Ah, it's worth a note that on some occasions it would skip to the second grid (CTR2 to Opera 350Z), but still the first set of lineups*. Simply loading a track in practice did nothing. Loading a track, starting a run, driving a bit and exiting did nothing. Loading a track, completing a lap and exiting moved it to grid 2 of the first set of lineups.

The only thing that completely changed the grids was completing a seasonal race. I haven't tried other races yet, largely because I want to eliminate connectivity as a potential issue. Seem odd, I know, but so does the demarcation between driving about a bit in practice and actually completing a lap in practice...

C-ZETA

Also, in terms of no-rabbit grids, couldn't Lineup 5 be considered at least something of a no-rabbit? The fastest thing there is the (quite literally) normal S2k GT1, which is fast normally but of course suffers from the Lap 6 of Death (although as Daan's run would prove it might very well have been somewhat cured...). Lineup 23 (when you get there ) is also kinda a no-rabbit but the HPA is still very fast regardless.

Click to expand...

Compared to the above, where the fastest car is the Mine's V-Spec N1, nope


*I'm using "grid" to mean your 11 specific opponents and "lineup" to mean a collection of preset grids.

1. How did you get such an awesome line-up Famine? What number is it and how do I get it? I'm fed up of Ct230Rs, FT565 TTs and S2000 GT1s (even non-turbo is pretty fast).

2. I'd be interested to know the exact lap times of the RUF CTR.