These are my recall notes from clearing mission 34. System is NTSC (US) and Driving Force Pro wheel controller.
Mission 34 notes
On the McLaren: Scream the engine to 7500 rpm always. Testing at the big track showed significance improvement in acceleration over shifting at 7000, where the shift light flashes. Drive the car as if it were a low-torque kart by using rather dramatic trail-braking on most corner entries, and always trying to hold some throttle. Never over-drive any corner entry, rather sacrifice slightly to gain early throttle application on exit. This is very critical at the Nordschleife with its many uphill exits. Dont shift up on any climb IF you can avoid it as the slow gearbox kills your time. Avoid always, getting the front tires sliding on entry braking. This car requires extreme attention to maintaining MOMENTUM since it does not pull well off so many of the bends at this track.
On the track: Few corners can be taken less than perfect if you want to go fast, and with the McLaren, everything is critical, such as holding the perfect smooth line on every straight, where you might think you can relax a bit. Much about the Nurburgring is extremely deceptive. Remember you can make more time in the fast sections than in the slow ones, so try harder in ALL of those, but remember that patience is not only a virtue, but it is required to hold the perfect line through many corners while correctly braking and gassing it all at the same time.
As a suggestion for attacking this mission, I drove a nearly identical McLaren many times in practice, often very slowly, to learn the track and to find the radii of ALL the corners where the entry and exit were not especially apparent. I did NOT however, spend much time at the practice circuit because you might as well work on your technique in the actual mission itself. I was able to switch off my emotions and switch on my brain, and psych DOWN, keeping in mind that it would take time to beat the SL, and that I simply would commit to the effort, whatever it took. Regarding the 123 second wait, I would click off the audio and close my eyes and count down, visualizing my approach to the first few bends.
The following is the method I used to clear this mission, and if it helps anyone clear this mission, then it will have served its purpose. I would love to hear of other methods, simply because of the difficulty and the fact that other methods certainly will also be effective, Im sure.
So here we go.
Basic smooth and straight driving technique (considering the above car-specific points) gets you through the first section down to the important jump at Quiddelbacher Hohe. Scream the engine in third gear over the jump, releasing the throttle in mid-air so you can settle gently and straight, and so you can again pick up the throttle hard as you turn gently into at the first right hander. Hold third gear until you clear the brow of the hill at Flugplatz before shifting to fourth. Keep it nailed approaching the hilltop before descending down (using third gear and hard on the gas) to Aremberg and Schwedenkreuz and the right turn. As you clear the bridge and start the descent down through Fuchsrohre, you should see the time youre behind the SL flash, showing less than 142. 140 and change would be good.
Through Fuchsrohre then and as you start up the hill, feather the throttle and brake slightly for the left hander at the brow. Gas it hard to the entry of the next right and hold the inside on exit. Here comes a very critical left and then right onto a fairly long straight, at Adenauer, and its a chicane which must be put together correctly. If you get through well, you should see the time check show less than 133 as you start the straight.
The next section requires tempered aggression and no mistakes. Do not over-do it and dont wait too long to turn in at any entry. You must get a run out of the right hand bend at Kallenhard, then get through the left/right straight but quick, and hold a steady throttle down to Wehrseifen, which may be the MOST critical bend on the track. You must get a smooth drive up the hill heading to Breitscheid. You should see the time check flash showing youre less than 121 behind the SL. Breitscheid requires a conservative entry so you can hold a constant radius around and then down the short descent. You should be able to hold the throttle wide open around Breitscheid and then up the hill which leads to the Bergwerk section.
Approaching the right hand bend at Bergwerk, hold the braking until later than you think. You will need maximum momentum through the bend and you MUST have the throttle on hard to get the drive up the hill. This is one place where you never actually release the throttle on entry, rather being aggressive all the way around until you start your exit drive up the hill. The car will turn easier than you think here, and its fine to get over the inside curb as you prepare to exit. This is a very critical bend, because its uphill and leads to a very long and important (almost) straight section. As you make the first left after the hill, the time check should show less than 108 behind the SL. If youre going fast it should show less than 107.
The next section is so, so, so, so important. You must hold a smooth line through the bends of Kesselchen because the McLaren is reluctant to accelerate hard here.
As you clear the last right leading down to the Karussell section and its tricky first right called Klostertal, which you must not over-do on entry, you should have the AMG 65 well in your sights. The time check should show less than 57 seconds. As you approach the concrete patched and banked Carraciola bend, you want to be just a bit off his bumper so you can cleanly pass (on the left, thank you) just after leaping off the last section of patches. You really have to get by him here or the rest will be very upsetting.
The next section again requires aggression and conservation of momentum. Its hard to describe how to do it, but you must take some chances and still hold the correct line through Wipperman. Its very easy to slide off line, particularly going up through Hohe Acht and then through the off camber right following. Second gear is not a good idea after Hohe Acht because youre right at rev limit, so momentum is the key, in third.
You should see the 500 as you negotiate the short straight through Brunnchen. You absolutely MUST get by him (cleanly) before the Pflanzgarten and the difficult jump. If you do, the rest is easy, relatively that is. Its momentum again from the Pllanzgarten to the Schwalbenschwanz, and Niki Lauda has said that this section of racetrack is the most exciting and difficult of all the F1 tracks in the world. Hans Stuck said that the hump after the Pflanzgarten, knocks the wind out of you down to the last fart. I didnt notice, but
When you exit the Swallowtail, which can be taken almost flat in 2nd gear, you should be very close to the 190. Keep it nailed but smooth through the right hander leading onto the long, long, long straight past the ruins. Here the time check (at the beginning of the long straight) should show youre less than 16 seconds (about) back from the Gull-Wing.
You must get cleanly by the Kompressor just after the bridge at Antoniusbruche. Then its up to you to be smooth with your braking so you can enter the last right before the pit entrance while closing rapidly on the (old but wonderful) SL. Dont be too anxious and get in a hurry, remember that youre a robot with no blood. Just close up on him as you come to the last right leading to the finish. He has no chance with the 600 or so horses of the McLaren, so you can roll by on the safe side and beat him to the line.
But if something bad happens, just do it all again (and again, and again
) until you smoke him. Remember, be cool and keep those emotions switched off and the little grey cells doing all the work.
These are the time gaps, as flashed during the run.
150.283 (behind the SL)
140.955
133.016 (slightly off in the grass here)
120.080
107.225
56.184
41.410
32.985
26.392
14.270
5.924
lap time 912.622
Tazio
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