- 203
- UK
- FLK_255
I settled on the Amuse S2000 Street Version '04 from the tuning village for this race after trying several street cars that were either too competitive or not. Finding it quite hard to get a car that got 200 A-spec points I decided to ignore the points and judge by car performance figures instead. I fitted a set of Sport Hard tyres and disabled ASM before starting the race.
Hour 1
I did a good first lap getting myself up to third place behind the Spoon Civic and trailing Opera 350Z and then passed them both near to the end of the next lap in the braking zone at the end of the long downhill straight. Next three laps I pushed hard to keep the 5 second gap as the 350Z managed to get past the Civic and was keeping up with me. I slipped up at the chicane before the start/finish straight at the end of the fourth lap allowing the 350Z to catch right up. I soon found out why it was keeping up with me as it overtook and pulled away from me at an alarming rate. The next two laps I managed to claw back the distance I was losing in the corners, on lap 6 I retook the lead in the braking zone before the downhill straight assisted by very-late braking, I was passed again on the start/finish straight but again retook the lead in the braking zone.
By lap 12 my tyres were still green despite driving at maximum effort to keep the 350Z out of harms way. The gap was only around 4-5 seconds, this was going to be close unless the 350Z started to make mistakes, which was something I couldn't afford to do. At this time I'm slightly concerned about when my tyres will start to go as the 350Z might begin to close in and if I have to pit more it's not going to leave me in a good position.
On the next lap I made a sloppy entrance to the first corner losing me time to the 350Z, the gap was now down to 3 seconds! Pass the start line the Integra exited the pits in front of me much to my annoyance, after a gentle tap I encouraged the driver enough TO GET THE HELL OUT OF MY WAY!!!
The Z350 didn't have so much luck and lost 3 seconds to me while lapping the Integra.
By lap 17 I had pulled out a gap of over 9 seconds but I got held up by the Spoon Civic at the start of the lap however I managed to clear him after the second straight losing not so much time. My tyres were now wearing and I'd probably get another 3 laps out of them before I needed to pit. By lap 19 I decided to pit in as the 350Z was beginning to catch me and had reduced the gap by one second to 9.5 seconds. The 350Z past me in the pits only to pit in on the following lap making me wonder if I could stretch out my pit window another lap?
The Opera 350Z came out in the middle of backmarkers and took several laps to pass them allowing me to pull out a comfortable gap of around 32 seconds by the end of lap 24 and putting me in a much stronger position than I had hoped for at this early stage in the race. By the time the 1st hour was almost over the Opera 350Z was free of traffic and was now maintaining the gap between us.
Hour 2
For the next 12 laps I continued to edge out more of a gap over the Opera 350Z to around 36 seconds by the time I reached lap 38 I was needing to make a pitstop for fuel and tyres. I exited the pits just as the Opera 350Z was accelerating out of the last bend down the straight and with two backmarkers in it's way. By the end of lap 40 the 350Z was 6 seconds behind me before it pitted in. On lap 48 with a 39 second lead I met the Spoon Integra and lost about 5-6 seconds to the 350Z while lapping the backmarker, all the cars seemed to be able to out pace me on the straights which made overtaking them harder as braking zones were becoming hazardous due to the AI's lack of awareness. I finally got past the Integra by lap 50 with a 32 second lead.
Hour 3
Into the third hour and 54 laps complete it looked like I'd be staying around 30-40 seconds in the lead with the 350Z keeping up. My next stop was on lap 58 and again I rejoined about 11-12 seconds ahead of the 2nd placed 350Z. Two laps later the Opera 350Z had cut the gap down to 5 seconds and I was glad to see it disappear into the pits at the end of the lap, as I crossed the line my tyres were nearly up to race temperature. On lap 64 I met both the Spoon Civic and the other 350Z and it took 6 laps to get past both of them losing me about 5-6 seconds to the Opera 350Z in 2nd place, only due to the fact that the Opera 350Z also had traffic did it reduce the amount of time I lost. I made my next pitstop on lap 76 with a 36 second lead over the Opera 350Z who was still negotiating traffic. As I came out ahead of 2 backmarkers and the 350Z I only had the trailing NISMO Fairlady Z ahead of me which hopefully I'd be able to lap without much trouble.
Hour 4
By the end of lap 79 I was 7 seconds ahead struggling on cold tyres to keep a decent gap, the NISMO Z was keeping ahead in the distance while the Spoon S2000 which was a lap down was not far behind me holding back the Opera 350Z. On lap 80 the tyres came into race temp and I began to close in on the NISMO Z. By lap 84 the NISMO had catched up with both the Spoon Civic and Integra that had recently made their pitstops and so I spent the next 4 laps passing them losing over 10 seconds to the Opera 350Z. I pitted on lap 96 33.4 seconds ahead of the 2nd placed 350Z who had gradually narrowed the gap down from 50 seconds since I cleared the last group of backmarkers, as long as I keep coming out of the pits in front I've worked out that I should be able to take the race win because at the moment the Opera 350Z is probably going to make one less stop than me. By the end of the 4th hour on lap 106 the Opera 350Z was now 38 odd seconds behind after pitting on lap 99.
Hour 5
About 3 laps in to this hour I was finding the gap was reducing at a steady rate, the Opera 350Z seemed to have picked up it's pace and I was having to put in 2'14s or at least low 2'15s to keep pace and for next period before my pitstop I really had to push hard to keep the gap at around 38-39 seconds. On lap 121 I was up to 54 seconds ahead of the 350Z however a spin caused by me entering the chicane before the start/finish straight lost me 6 seconds and now the 350Z was getting back up to speed after pitting several laps back. For the remaining 11 laps the gap floated around 36-42 seconds as the 350Z sped up once I responded I managed to gradually draw the gap out again to 42 seconds by lap 132.
Hour 6
On lap 133 I made my pitstop a lap earlier than usual, I had already lost 7 seconds to the 350Z, spinning out on the first bend the previous lap putting the gap down to 35 seconds. I came out about 10 seconds ahead and lost another 3 seconds to the Opera 350Z over the next two laps. On lap 135 I spun again on still relatively cold tyres and found the 350Z breathing down my neck. With some wild cornering I managed to pull out a 4-5 second gap until the 350Z pitted at the end of lap 137, much to my relief. As this hour ended on lap 157 the 350Z still had not pitted after making my own stop on lap 151 and I had a gap of 27 seconds after having not much trouble getting through traffic, which was heavier at this stage of the race.
Hour 7
The 350Z pitted again on lap 159 coming out 54 seconds behind me, I spun on lap 160 losing 6 seconds off my lead while approaching the Spoon Integra. I quickly caught up with the Integra taking just under a lap to pass it. By lap 164 the Opera 350Z was up to race speed and the gap stablised at around 46 seconds. Coming out of the pits after making my stop at the end of lap 172 I was around 12 seconds ahead of the Opera 350Z who was stuck in traffic as he entered the start/finish straight. I pulled out 5 seconds over the next 6 laps while the 350Z was stuck behind the trailing Spoon S2000 until it pitted at the end of lap 177 and released the 350Z, by then my tyres were up to temperature allowing me to keep the gap stable, the 350Z then pitted as I started lap 179 and about 17 seconds ahead. Getting stuck again behind the NISMO Z on lap 180 I managed to pull the gap out to 56 seconds by lap 183 when the 350Z finally managed to overtake the NISMO Z and into clear road with no backmarkers between us.
Hour 8
I made another pit stop at the end of lap 191, 49.3 seconds ahead of the 350Z. Having lapped the Spoon Civic & Integra it looked like I'd have a clear run for most of the final stage of the race. It was also possible that I'd have to stop as well whereas the 350Z should be able to make the end after it's next stop in a couple of laps time meaning I'd need to be at least 30 seconds ahead to keep in front. I had a 22 second lead after my pitstop and it stayed like that until the 350Z pitted shortly after I started lap 198. By lap 200 the Opera 350Z was 56 seconds behind me and I was starting to catch up with backmarkers, meanwhile it was set that the 350Z would have a clear run to the end of the race. I then pitted early on lap 203 deciding that my tyres wouldn't last and also the fact I had the Spoon Civic to lap shortly which I didn't favour doing on wearing tyres, I exited the pits coming out with a comfortable gap of 31 seconds ahead of the 350Z. Only a few laps later the 350Z met the Spoon Civic, which pitted 2 laps after me and bought me a few seconds pushing the gap up to 27 seconds, giving me an already easy run to the finishing line.
Final Standings
Laps Completed: 210
1st: Amuse S2000 Street Version '04 (Me) Time: 8:00'13.419
2nd: Opera Performance 350Z '04 Time: - 27.672
3rd NISMO Fairlady Z S-tune concept by GT '02 Time: - 3 laps*
4th: Spoon S2000 '00 Time: - 3 laps*
5th: Spoon Civic Type R (EK) '00 Time: - 5 Laps*
6th: Spoon Integra Type R (DC2) '99 Time: - 7 Laps*
(* = best guess)
Best Lap: 2'13.614 (Lap 148)
A-Spec Points: 136
Hour 1
I did a good first lap getting myself up to third place behind the Spoon Civic and trailing Opera 350Z and then passed them both near to the end of the next lap in the braking zone at the end of the long downhill straight. Next three laps I pushed hard to keep the 5 second gap as the 350Z managed to get past the Civic and was keeping up with me. I slipped up at the chicane before the start/finish straight at the end of the fourth lap allowing the 350Z to catch right up. I soon found out why it was keeping up with me as it overtook and pulled away from me at an alarming rate. The next two laps I managed to claw back the distance I was losing in the corners, on lap 6 I retook the lead in the braking zone before the downhill straight assisted by very-late braking, I was passed again on the start/finish straight but again retook the lead in the braking zone.
By lap 12 my tyres were still green despite driving at maximum effort to keep the 350Z out of harms way. The gap was only around 4-5 seconds, this was going to be close unless the 350Z started to make mistakes, which was something I couldn't afford to do. At this time I'm slightly concerned about when my tyres will start to go as the 350Z might begin to close in and if I have to pit more it's not going to leave me in a good position.
On the next lap I made a sloppy entrance to the first corner losing me time to the 350Z, the gap was now down to 3 seconds! Pass the start line the Integra exited the pits in front of me much to my annoyance, after a gentle tap I encouraged the driver enough TO GET THE HELL OUT OF MY WAY!!!
The Z350 didn't have so much luck and lost 3 seconds to me while lapping the Integra.By lap 17 I had pulled out a gap of over 9 seconds but I got held up by the Spoon Civic at the start of the lap however I managed to clear him after the second straight losing not so much time. My tyres were now wearing and I'd probably get another 3 laps out of them before I needed to pit. By lap 19 I decided to pit in as the 350Z was beginning to catch me and had reduced the gap by one second to 9.5 seconds. The 350Z past me in the pits only to pit in on the following lap making me wonder if I could stretch out my pit window another lap?
The Opera 350Z came out in the middle of backmarkers and took several laps to pass them allowing me to pull out a comfortable gap of around 32 seconds by the end of lap 24 and putting me in a much stronger position than I had hoped for at this early stage in the race. By the time the 1st hour was almost over the Opera 350Z was free of traffic and was now maintaining the gap between us.
Hour 2
For the next 12 laps I continued to edge out more of a gap over the Opera 350Z to around 36 seconds by the time I reached lap 38 I was needing to make a pitstop for fuel and tyres. I exited the pits just as the Opera 350Z was accelerating out of the last bend down the straight and with two backmarkers in it's way. By the end of lap 40 the 350Z was 6 seconds behind me before it pitted in. On lap 48 with a 39 second lead I met the Spoon Integra and lost about 5-6 seconds to the 350Z while lapping the backmarker, all the cars seemed to be able to out pace me on the straights which made overtaking them harder as braking zones were becoming hazardous due to the AI's lack of awareness. I finally got past the Integra by lap 50 with a 32 second lead.
Hour 3
Into the third hour and 54 laps complete it looked like I'd be staying around 30-40 seconds in the lead with the 350Z keeping up. My next stop was on lap 58 and again I rejoined about 11-12 seconds ahead of the 2nd placed 350Z. Two laps later the Opera 350Z had cut the gap down to 5 seconds and I was glad to see it disappear into the pits at the end of the lap, as I crossed the line my tyres were nearly up to race temperature. On lap 64 I met both the Spoon Civic and the other 350Z and it took 6 laps to get past both of them losing me about 5-6 seconds to the Opera 350Z in 2nd place, only due to the fact that the Opera 350Z also had traffic did it reduce the amount of time I lost. I made my next pitstop on lap 76 with a 36 second lead over the Opera 350Z who was still negotiating traffic. As I came out ahead of 2 backmarkers and the 350Z I only had the trailing NISMO Fairlady Z ahead of me which hopefully I'd be able to lap without much trouble.
Hour 4
By the end of lap 79 I was 7 seconds ahead struggling on cold tyres to keep a decent gap, the NISMO Z was keeping ahead in the distance while the Spoon S2000 which was a lap down was not far behind me holding back the Opera 350Z. On lap 80 the tyres came into race temp and I began to close in on the NISMO Z. By lap 84 the NISMO had catched up with both the Spoon Civic and Integra that had recently made their pitstops and so I spent the next 4 laps passing them losing over 10 seconds to the Opera 350Z. I pitted on lap 96 33.4 seconds ahead of the 2nd placed 350Z who had gradually narrowed the gap down from 50 seconds since I cleared the last group of backmarkers, as long as I keep coming out of the pits in front I've worked out that I should be able to take the race win because at the moment the Opera 350Z is probably going to make one less stop than me. By the end of the 4th hour on lap 106 the Opera 350Z was now 38 odd seconds behind after pitting on lap 99.
Hour 5
About 3 laps in to this hour I was finding the gap was reducing at a steady rate, the Opera 350Z seemed to have picked up it's pace and I was having to put in 2'14s or at least low 2'15s to keep pace and for next period before my pitstop I really had to push hard to keep the gap at around 38-39 seconds. On lap 121 I was up to 54 seconds ahead of the 350Z however a spin caused by me entering the chicane before the start/finish straight lost me 6 seconds and now the 350Z was getting back up to speed after pitting several laps back. For the remaining 11 laps the gap floated around 36-42 seconds as the 350Z sped up once I responded I managed to gradually draw the gap out again to 42 seconds by lap 132.
Hour 6
On lap 133 I made my pitstop a lap earlier than usual, I had already lost 7 seconds to the 350Z, spinning out on the first bend the previous lap putting the gap down to 35 seconds. I came out about 10 seconds ahead and lost another 3 seconds to the Opera 350Z over the next two laps. On lap 135 I spun again on still relatively cold tyres and found the 350Z breathing down my neck. With some wild cornering I managed to pull out a 4-5 second gap until the 350Z pitted at the end of lap 137, much to my relief. As this hour ended on lap 157 the 350Z still had not pitted after making my own stop on lap 151 and I had a gap of 27 seconds after having not much trouble getting through traffic, which was heavier at this stage of the race.
Hour 7
The 350Z pitted again on lap 159 coming out 54 seconds behind me, I spun on lap 160 losing 6 seconds off my lead while approaching the Spoon Integra. I quickly caught up with the Integra taking just under a lap to pass it. By lap 164 the Opera 350Z was up to race speed and the gap stablised at around 46 seconds. Coming out of the pits after making my stop at the end of lap 172 I was around 12 seconds ahead of the Opera 350Z who was stuck in traffic as he entered the start/finish straight. I pulled out 5 seconds over the next 6 laps while the 350Z was stuck behind the trailing Spoon S2000 until it pitted at the end of lap 177 and released the 350Z, by then my tyres were up to temperature allowing me to keep the gap stable, the 350Z then pitted as I started lap 179 and about 17 seconds ahead. Getting stuck again behind the NISMO Z on lap 180 I managed to pull the gap out to 56 seconds by lap 183 when the 350Z finally managed to overtake the NISMO Z and into clear road with no backmarkers between us.
Hour 8
I made another pit stop at the end of lap 191, 49.3 seconds ahead of the 350Z. Having lapped the Spoon Civic & Integra it looked like I'd have a clear run for most of the final stage of the race. It was also possible that I'd have to stop as well whereas the 350Z should be able to make the end after it's next stop in a couple of laps time meaning I'd need to be at least 30 seconds ahead to keep in front. I had a 22 second lead after my pitstop and it stayed like that until the 350Z pitted shortly after I started lap 198. By lap 200 the Opera 350Z was 56 seconds behind me and I was starting to catch up with backmarkers, meanwhile it was set that the 350Z would have a clear run to the end of the race. I then pitted early on lap 203 deciding that my tyres wouldn't last and also the fact I had the Spoon Civic to lap shortly which I didn't favour doing on wearing tyres, I exited the pits coming out with a comfortable gap of 31 seconds ahead of the 350Z. Only a few laps later the 350Z met the Spoon Civic, which pitted 2 laps after me and bought me a few seconds pushing the gap up to 27 seconds, giving me an already easy run to the finishing line.
Final Standings
Laps Completed: 210
1st: Amuse S2000 Street Version '04 (Me) Time: 8:00'13.419
2nd: Opera Performance 350Z '04 Time: - 27.672
3rd NISMO Fairlady Z S-tune concept by GT '02 Time: - 3 laps*
4th: Spoon S2000 '00 Time: - 3 laps*
5th: Spoon Civic Type R (EK) '00 Time: - 5 Laps*
6th: Spoon Integra Type R (DC2) '99 Time: - 7 Laps*
(* = best guess)
Best Lap: 2'13.614 (Lap 148)
A-Spec Points: 136
What's next? A crack at my 29s MOV after 9hrs at Tsukuba? 
I'd love to read about that too!
