- 1,051
- London
- JohnsonCapote
Here we go again...after my gutting disappointment at the Trial Mountain 30-lap challenge, I toy with the idea of going straight back there and finishing the job. But instead, I fancy moving up a gear. Despite playing GT2 for many years, there are many of the enduros that I've NEVER raced. Far too many of them, in fact. It's time to start rectifying that...and my choice of which one to do first was narrowed by seeing the ALMS Sportscar Race at Laguna Seca on Saturday night...so guess where I'm reporting from today? Yup, ladies and gentlemen, on a beautiful evening in Monterey, California, I welcome you to...
Laguna Seca 200 Miles
90 Laps, 201.42 Miles
As always, AMG to thank for the track map
This track single-handedly dismisses the theory that Americans somehow don't know how to turn right as well as left. A beautiful, undulating track, featuring one of the fiercest corners in world motorsport - the terrifying and exhilerating Corkscrew at the top of the circuit. A fantastic circuit to race, and the field are raring to go for tonight's event.
What field, you may ask? Well, let's start with the opposition first, for a change. They are made up of high-spec JGTC machinery, mixed with GT1-level American machinery, and the grid tonight lines up as this:
1. Nissan Arta Zexel Skyline GT '99
2. Honda Raybrig NSX GT '99
3. Nissan Unisia Jecs Skyline GT '99
4. Dodge STP Taisan Viper GT
5. Toyota Cdma One Cerumo Supra GT
And my car? Well, I looked a little left-of-field for this race, and I found the perfect weapon for my first ever assault on the race - a long standing personal favourite of mine.
Car: 1995 Alfa Romeo 155 Touring Car
Drivetrain: 4WD
Horsepower: 544hp
Weight: 1060kg
Shod with R1 (Hard) tyres, I take my place on the grid, with rather a lot of arrogant Americans guffawing and making jokes about pizza and Mussolini. The Japanese conginent, there for the JGTC race cars, are a bit more knowledgable, and some of them even wish me luck before the race - my kind of race fans right there! To be honest though, none of that enters my mind as I line up on the grid, ready for the rolling start. I'm fairly confident of this amazing car's abilities in this race - will I be up to the task myself? Time to find out...green flags out, and we are away!
Part 1: Laps 1-30
The first lap is the very definition of 'complete chaos', quite frankly. As we all surge towards Andretti Hairpin, with my high-revving Alfa V6 intermingling with the throbbing Viper V10 and the various screaming Japanese powerplants, the field bunches, and the cars are spread two and three-wide as we pile through the hairpin. I mount the kerbs to try and squeeze into 3rd, which I somehow manage, but the Viper doesn't approve of this move and tries to battle back firmly on the outside through Turn 3, but I make it stick through Turn 4. The NSX and Unisia Jecs (U.J.) Skyline battle hard through Turns 5 and 6, with the NSX putting two wheels on the gravel at some points, and as we charge uphill towards the Corkscrew for the first time, the adreneline really starts coursing. I heard Guy Smith comment once that it feels like you're dropping off the edge of the world...and boy do I know what he is talking about!! Here we go!!
My God, I got a rush just going through that corner, let alone finding myself side-by-side with the U.J. Skyline coming off the corner! Man, what a thrill - I will enjoy racing this track for 90 laps, I can tell you. Anyway, enough superlatives, time to get down to work. I attempt to dive up the inside of the U.J. Skyline through Turn 10, but no way through, so I settle into a holding pattern being the front 3 across the start-finish line, and it's only now that I notice that the Raybrig NSX is now behind me! I think he got sideways coming out of the Corkscrew and I slipped by...I think?!
I attack the leading Skylines like hell through the next lap, with the setting sun providing a beautiful backdrop to our dogfight. I go door-to-door through Turns 3 and 4, before crossing over through Turn 5 on the U.J. Skyline, before diving up the inside into the Corkscrew, but no way through, however I keep the throttle buried out of the Corkscrew, and as the Arta Zexel (A.Z.) Skyline squirrels a little, I slip down the inside through Rainey Curve and I snatch the lead! He gives me a few less-than-friendly barges through the final corners, and looks left and right down the front straightaway. I show him the outside into Andretti Hairpin, he attempts a crossover, but I defend...just about!
I start to really charge, and test the limits on what this Alfa can do. I begin to pull away a little from the two Skylines behind, and settle down a little - the adreneline is absolutely coursing, and we're only 4 laps in! Insane start. I start to push on, just about edging a lead here and there over the Skylines behind, but they do stay in touch, just about. Across the first 10 laps, I put in a couple of strong laps - including a bunch of 1'17s and even one high 1'16 - to extend the lead to around 10 seconds or so by lap 10. This doesn't increase any more, as my tyres are beginning to fade a little, and the tyres are yellowing (almost a little red on the fronts) by lap 14, so I push them just about to lap 16 before pitting in to avoid loosing too much time to the competition on worn rubber. It appears the others must've pitted too, because I rejoin about 8 seconds clear of 2nd place at the start of lap 17.
An error-strewn outlap adds a little pressure on, and I sort of make it through the next stint without doing anything special, except spinning at the base of the Corkscrew on lap 29!
The Skylines are still maintaining station around 10-15 seconds behind, and after my experiance at Trial Mountain, where I paid for allowing the opposition to stay in touch throughout the race, I'm keen to try and put some substantial distance between myself and my rivals. It'll have to wait until my next pitstop though, as my tyres are fading again, and I finish lap 30 about 12 seconds clear of 2nd on worn rubber.
Part 2: Laps 31-60
I finally dive into the pits on lap 34, realising that I can half-decently push my tyres to 18 laps per stint without loosing too much time. I roar out of the pits about 9 seconds clear of 2nd, as once again they pit around the same time too. Now I really start getting to work. On fresh tyres, and with the bit between my teeth, I drive some of my best laps I've ever done on any track in any car. Me and my fantastic Alfa are absolutely flying, and I consistently blitz into the 1'16s, and even notch a new lap record - 1'15.987. This helps to really put some decent headway between myself and the opposition, with the gap starting to expand to somewhere around 20 seconds (judging by the mini-map) by lap 40.
It's on lap 40 that I get my first taste of lapped traffic, as I blast down through the Corkscrew and suddenly see a black car stranded at the side of the track, facing the wrong way! How dignified, Cerumo Supra! 👎 Anyway, it makes the task of lapping him a fairly easy one, as I keep on trucking regardless. Is it me, or are the PD AI completly useless at handling powerful rear-wheel-drive cars? I used to think it was just American muscle cars, but now I'm wondering if it's everything with rear-wheel-drive...
The next lapped car provides a bit more opposition, in that it's actually still on the track and racing! The Raybrig NSX is dispatched a lap down through Rainey Curve on lap 45, and I find the STP Viper on lap 46. He provides relatively stiff resistance - even barging me a little through Turn 3 when I try to pass! How rude! Maybe he's a little grumpy that this funny-looking box of a car is lapping him on his own turf? Anyway, I lap him relatively cleanly at last on lap 47. I think he pits in the next few laps, but I can't be sure. What I am sure about is that I'm due another pitstop on lap 52, which I duly oblige, having put in a pretty stonking stint
The NSX duly unlaps himself as I sit up on jacks in the pits, and the Viper tries to follow suit, but I slip out in front of him coming off the lengthy pit exit road. He does sniff around my back bumper - perhaps he's still sulking? - but he can't unlap himself, and I soon settle in on new tyres and take off like a scolded cat again. This car really does feel like a massive Scalextric car at times, just so much grip, although just as I think this, I have a huge sideways moment exiting the Corkscrew!! New underpants, please?!
The Raybrig NSX is lapped for good as he sits in the pits on lap 55 - deja vu, eh? - and I suddenly find myself up behind the U.J. Skyline as I start lap 58. I then spend the next 3 laps or so desperately trying every move in the book to get by, but I just can't! He battles desperately, slipping back by, crossing over, barging me into the gravel, doing everything he can to keep him behind me. What is most annoying about this battle isn't nessecerily that I can't get by - why the hell didn't he put up this much resistance for the first 50 laps?! If he had, he might be battling for the lead of the race rather than fighting to avoid going a lap down!
After much bumping, banging and fender-scraping - yup, he really doesn't wanna go a lap down, does he! - I FINALLY pull alongside through Turn 3 on lap 61, and rather than be bullied out of the line, I return the favour, and we bang fenders and door mirrors as I finally slip past...man, that was hard work! 
Part 3 - Laps 61-90
With the Skyline finally dispatched, I've got clear track in front of me, but I can't really put much distance between myself and the U.J. Skyline, and he duly unlaps himself as I sit in the pits on lap 70 for my last pitstop - there doesn't appear to be much point pitting with 2 laps to go, so I may as well go 20 laps on my final stint...it's not as if I'm in a tight fight for the win, is it? Funnily enough, it's been an odd race - though I've been in a relatively comfortable position, I've had to wring the neck of my car almost constantly to get into that position, so I still feel like I've been through the ringer. But to be honest, I would be happy to race hundreds of laps in this car - it really is a joy to drive at high speed. Imagine what the BTCC would be like with cars like these nowadays...💡
Anyway, back on track and with fresh tyres, I'm once again flying, and I smash my previous lap record by about 4 tenths - 1'15.521 - on lap 73. Whilst I'm zooming around, the Cerumo Supra falls again as he sits in the pits on lap 78, and as lap 80 begins, I find myself pulling up behind an orange and white Skyline...here we go again, I'm thinking. But no - it's actually the Arta Zexel Skyline! Where did the Unisia Jecs Skyline go?!
Oh well, time to roll my sleeves up and get stuck in again, as he battles just as hard as the U.J. Skyline - plenty of gravel excursions, door-banging and furious skirmishing, before I finally squeeze by on lap 83. As we battle, we both swarm by the STP Viper to put him a 2nd lap down on lap 81, and once I've cleared the Skyline, it's plain sailing for the final five laps. No more fast laps, as my tyres are fading badly, so I cruise home for the victory!
Final Results
1. Alfa Romeo 155 Touring Car '95 1'58.42.013
2. Nissan Arta Zexel Skyline GT '99 +1 lap
3. Nissan Unisia Jecs Skyline GT '99 +1 lap
4. Honda Raybrig NSX GT '99 +1 lap
5. Dodge STP Taisan Viper GT +2 laps
6. Toyota Cdma One Cerumo Supra GT +2 laps
So, a relatively comfortable victory in the end achieved, in a quite fabulous car, which made up for the fact that the race wasn't perhaps as thrilling as I'd have liked - the car was such a delight to drive, on a fantastic course, that I didn't particularly mind. It certainly wasn't overkill, though - I did have to push hard to get into a comfortable winning position. 350,000 credits are transferred to my bank account, and I head home with a new prizecar...a Toyota Celica Rally Car, which is promptly sold for some extra wedge
I've got a taste for high-speed GT racing now, so my next enduro will be one involving such high-spec machinery...perhaps the Rome 2 Hours, or SSR5 enduro? Or down to Grand Valley to challenge the JGTC machinery again...I'm eyeing the Cusco Subaru Impreza GT car for that particular race? We'll see...for now, on this warm evening, I bid you goodnight from Laguna Seca!
Laguna Seca 200 Miles
90 Laps, 201.42 Miles
As always, AMG to thank for the track map
This track single-handedly dismisses the theory that Americans somehow don't know how to turn right as well as left. A beautiful, undulating track, featuring one of the fiercest corners in world motorsport - the terrifying and exhilerating Corkscrew at the top of the circuit. A fantastic circuit to race, and the field are raring to go for tonight's event.
What field, you may ask? Well, let's start with the opposition first, for a change. They are made up of high-spec JGTC machinery, mixed with GT1-level American machinery, and the grid tonight lines up as this:
1. Nissan Arta Zexel Skyline GT '99
2. Honda Raybrig NSX GT '99
3. Nissan Unisia Jecs Skyline GT '99
4. Dodge STP Taisan Viper GT
5. Toyota Cdma One Cerumo Supra GT
And my car? Well, I looked a little left-of-field for this race, and I found the perfect weapon for my first ever assault on the race - a long standing personal favourite of mine.
Car: 1995 Alfa Romeo 155 Touring Car
Drivetrain: 4WD
Horsepower: 544hp
Weight: 1060kg
Shod with R1 (Hard) tyres, I take my place on the grid, with rather a lot of arrogant Americans guffawing and making jokes about pizza and Mussolini. The Japanese conginent, there for the JGTC race cars, are a bit more knowledgable, and some of them even wish me luck before the race - my kind of race fans right there! To be honest though, none of that enters my mind as I line up on the grid, ready for the rolling start. I'm fairly confident of this amazing car's abilities in this race - will I be up to the task myself? Time to find out...green flags out, and we are away!
Part 1: Laps 1-30
The first lap is the very definition of 'complete chaos', quite frankly. As we all surge towards Andretti Hairpin, with my high-revving Alfa V6 intermingling with the throbbing Viper V10 and the various screaming Japanese powerplants, the field bunches, and the cars are spread two and three-wide as we pile through the hairpin. I mount the kerbs to try and squeeze into 3rd, which I somehow manage, but the Viper doesn't approve of this move and tries to battle back firmly on the outside through Turn 3, but I make it stick through Turn 4. The NSX and Unisia Jecs (U.J.) Skyline battle hard through Turns 5 and 6, with the NSX putting two wheels on the gravel at some points, and as we charge uphill towards the Corkscrew for the first time, the adreneline really starts coursing. I heard Guy Smith comment once that it feels like you're dropping off the edge of the world...and boy do I know what he is talking about!! Here we go!!
My God, I got a rush just going through that corner, let alone finding myself side-by-side with the U.J. Skyline coming off the corner! Man, what a thrill - I will enjoy racing this track for 90 laps, I can tell you. Anyway, enough superlatives, time to get down to work. I attempt to dive up the inside of the U.J. Skyline through Turn 10, but no way through, so I settle into a holding pattern being the front 3 across the start-finish line, and it's only now that I notice that the Raybrig NSX is now behind me! I think he got sideways coming out of the Corkscrew and I slipped by...I think?!
I attack the leading Skylines like hell through the next lap, with the setting sun providing a beautiful backdrop to our dogfight. I go door-to-door through Turns 3 and 4, before crossing over through Turn 5 on the U.J. Skyline, before diving up the inside into the Corkscrew, but no way through, however I keep the throttle buried out of the Corkscrew, and as the Arta Zexel (A.Z.) Skyline squirrels a little, I slip down the inside through Rainey Curve and I snatch the lead! He gives me a few less-than-friendly barges through the final corners, and looks left and right down the front straightaway. I show him the outside into Andretti Hairpin, he attempts a crossover, but I defend...just about!
I start to really charge, and test the limits on what this Alfa can do. I begin to pull away a little from the two Skylines behind, and settle down a little - the adreneline is absolutely coursing, and we're only 4 laps in! Insane start. I start to push on, just about edging a lead here and there over the Skylines behind, but they do stay in touch, just about. Across the first 10 laps, I put in a couple of strong laps - including a bunch of 1'17s and even one high 1'16 - to extend the lead to around 10 seconds or so by lap 10. This doesn't increase any more, as my tyres are beginning to fade a little, and the tyres are yellowing (almost a little red on the fronts) by lap 14, so I push them just about to lap 16 before pitting in to avoid loosing too much time to the competition on worn rubber. It appears the others must've pitted too, because I rejoin about 8 seconds clear of 2nd place at the start of lap 17.
An error-strewn outlap adds a little pressure on, and I sort of make it through the next stint without doing anything special, except spinning at the base of the Corkscrew on lap 29!
The Skylines are still maintaining station around 10-15 seconds behind, and after my experiance at Trial Mountain, where I paid for allowing the opposition to stay in touch throughout the race, I'm keen to try and put some substantial distance between myself and my rivals. It'll have to wait until my next pitstop though, as my tyres are fading again, and I finish lap 30 about 12 seconds clear of 2nd on worn rubber.Part 2: Laps 31-60
I finally dive into the pits on lap 34, realising that I can half-decently push my tyres to 18 laps per stint without loosing too much time. I roar out of the pits about 9 seconds clear of 2nd, as once again they pit around the same time too. Now I really start getting to work. On fresh tyres, and with the bit between my teeth, I drive some of my best laps I've ever done on any track in any car. Me and my fantastic Alfa are absolutely flying, and I consistently blitz into the 1'16s, and even notch a new lap record - 1'15.987. This helps to really put some decent headway between myself and the opposition, with the gap starting to expand to somewhere around 20 seconds (judging by the mini-map) by lap 40.
It's on lap 40 that I get my first taste of lapped traffic, as I blast down through the Corkscrew and suddenly see a black car stranded at the side of the track, facing the wrong way! How dignified, Cerumo Supra! 👎 Anyway, it makes the task of lapping him a fairly easy one, as I keep on trucking regardless. Is it me, or are the PD AI completly useless at handling powerful rear-wheel-drive cars? I used to think it was just American muscle cars, but now I'm wondering if it's everything with rear-wheel-drive...
The next lapped car provides a bit more opposition, in that it's actually still on the track and racing! The Raybrig NSX is dispatched a lap down through Rainey Curve on lap 45, and I find the STP Viper on lap 46. He provides relatively stiff resistance - even barging me a little through Turn 3 when I try to pass! How rude! Maybe he's a little grumpy that this funny-looking box of a car is lapping him on his own turf? Anyway, I lap him relatively cleanly at last on lap 47. I think he pits in the next few laps, but I can't be sure. What I am sure about is that I'm due another pitstop on lap 52, which I duly oblige, having put in a pretty stonking stint
The NSX duly unlaps himself as I sit up on jacks in the pits, and the Viper tries to follow suit, but I slip out in front of him coming off the lengthy pit exit road. He does sniff around my back bumper - perhaps he's still sulking? - but he can't unlap himself, and I soon settle in on new tyres and take off like a scolded cat again. This car really does feel like a massive Scalextric car at times, just so much grip, although just as I think this, I have a huge sideways moment exiting the Corkscrew!! New underpants, please?!
The Raybrig NSX is lapped for good as he sits in the pits on lap 55 - deja vu, eh? - and I suddenly find myself up behind the U.J. Skyline as I start lap 58. I then spend the next 3 laps or so desperately trying every move in the book to get by, but I just can't! He battles desperately, slipping back by, crossing over, barging me into the gravel, doing everything he can to keep him behind me. What is most annoying about this battle isn't nessecerily that I can't get by - why the hell didn't he put up this much resistance for the first 50 laps?! If he had, he might be battling for the lead of the race rather than fighting to avoid going a lap down!
After much bumping, banging and fender-scraping - yup, he really doesn't wanna go a lap down, does he! - I FINALLY pull alongside through Turn 3 on lap 61, and rather than be bullied out of the line, I return the favour, and we bang fenders and door mirrors as I finally slip past...man, that was hard work! Part 3 - Laps 61-90
With the Skyline finally dispatched, I've got clear track in front of me, but I can't really put much distance between myself and the U.J. Skyline, and he duly unlaps himself as I sit in the pits on lap 70 for my last pitstop - there doesn't appear to be much point pitting with 2 laps to go, so I may as well go 20 laps on my final stint...it's not as if I'm in a tight fight for the win, is it? Funnily enough, it's been an odd race - though I've been in a relatively comfortable position, I've had to wring the neck of my car almost constantly to get into that position, so I still feel like I've been through the ringer. But to be honest, I would be happy to race hundreds of laps in this car - it really is a joy to drive at high speed. Imagine what the BTCC would be like with cars like these nowadays...💡
Anyway, back on track and with fresh tyres, I'm once again flying, and I smash my previous lap record by about 4 tenths - 1'15.521 - on lap 73. Whilst I'm zooming around, the Cerumo Supra falls again as he sits in the pits on lap 78, and as lap 80 begins, I find myself pulling up behind an orange and white Skyline...here we go again, I'm thinking. But no - it's actually the Arta Zexel Skyline! Where did the Unisia Jecs Skyline go?!
Oh well, time to roll my sleeves up and get stuck in again, as he battles just as hard as the U.J. Skyline - plenty of gravel excursions, door-banging and furious skirmishing, before I finally squeeze by on lap 83. As we battle, we both swarm by the STP Viper to put him a 2nd lap down on lap 81, and once I've cleared the Skyline, it's plain sailing for the final five laps. No more fast laps, as my tyres are fading badly, so I cruise home for the victory!
Final Results
1. Alfa Romeo 155 Touring Car '95 1'58.42.013
2. Nissan Arta Zexel Skyline GT '99 +1 lap
3. Nissan Unisia Jecs Skyline GT '99 +1 lap
4. Honda Raybrig NSX GT '99 +1 lap
5. Dodge STP Taisan Viper GT +2 laps
6. Toyota Cdma One Cerumo Supra GT +2 laps
So, a relatively comfortable victory in the end achieved, in a quite fabulous car, which made up for the fact that the race wasn't perhaps as thrilling as I'd have liked - the car was such a delight to drive, on a fantastic course, that I didn't particularly mind. It certainly wasn't overkill, though - I did have to push hard to get into a comfortable winning position. 350,000 credits are transferred to my bank account, and I head home with a new prizecar...a Toyota Celica Rally Car, which is promptly sold for some extra wedge
I've got a taste for high-speed GT racing now, so my next enduro will be one involving such high-spec machinery...perhaps the Rome 2 Hours, or SSR5 enduro? Or down to Grand Valley to challenge the JGTC machinery again...I'm eyeing the Cusco Subaru Impreza GT car for that particular race? We'll see...for now, on this warm evening, I bid you goodnight from Laguna Seca!
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