1000 Miles! Round One - Nurburgring (LIVE!) Honda Withdraws!

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Eric.

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Having received a gold medal on my "National b" racing license I was awarded with a Volkswagen Lupo 1.4, Mazda Kusabi

Concept, and a tiny Honda S500 Convertible. I was money hungry, as all new racers are. I completed a few low level races

before I got my license, then some requiring the b license. I was down to 25,000 credits and was looking for a race I could

compete in with my current license and cars when I came across "1000 Miles!" in the European Hall. After I checked the

requirements I found that only two of my cars were legal for the championship; the tiny Honda S500 and my Skyline 2000GT-B

Sedan. I tested both cars at Infineon Sports Car Course and found that the Skyline, while quite powerful, was lacking in the

handling department. The S500 on the other hand was extremely slow! First gear accelerates (would "rolls" be a better

term?) to about 45mph, second to 80. Whoever designed the thing was not planning to get much faster, as third can bring you

to about 100. Unfortunately, there weren't enough hills to push the S500 down to try out fourth gear. Ok, enough bashing

the puny 500cc powerplant, it does a good enough job for what it was designed for. The real enjoyment comes when you hit a

turn. It takes turns almost like its on rails with just a little oversteer at higher speeds. I want to win in this car. I

call up my manager to find out how much power other cars in the race were using. He told me that the huge variety of cars

competing varied from 15hp to 500hp! Luckily, most cars have about 100hp and weigh more than my Honda. Looking through my

racing handbook I decide to call Honda to ask about performance parts. He quickly connects me to Mugen, their in-house

tuner. With the available funds the assistant at Mugen recommends a custom fit Stage II Turbo good for a gain of 33hp. They

suggest adding a racing exhaust as well for a couple more ponies. I don't see the point, but I agree anyways. After

bringing in the car for fitting, Mugen's dyno reads 83hp @ 8500RPM and 56FT/LBS of torque at 4,000RPM. We drive around their

test track to test the performance gain and I decide that a racing transmission needs to be installed, especially for the

hills of Nurburgring. After a few sets of gears I am happy with a top speed of 111mph and the extra torque for hills.

My team and some of the tuners from Mugen fly to Germany and sign up for the Championship at Nurburgring, the location of the

first event race. There we are informed that the next race is at Opera Paris, followed by Monaco, and finishing up at

Circuit de La Sarthe. We are also told that with the number and variety of cars competing we are allowed to back out of the

first race whenever we want to find more competitive cars. My manager finally settles on a lineup consisting of a tan 1969

Isuzu Bellett 1600 GT-R, white 1967 Mazda 110S, a white 1967 Skyline 2000GT-B, black 1963 Skyline 1500Deluxe, and a red 1968

VW Karmaan Ghia Coupe. Looks like the Mazda should be my only competition...

...Or not! After the first 10 minute "warm-up" lap I'm fighting between the Isuzu and 110S. For the record, I waited for

them to catch up to me so I could compare. :D I discover that I'm faster on flat straights, downhill sections, and turns.

They both have the edge on uphills. We seemed to go about the same speed on the straight. I'm a nervous wreck, so I go to

bed early.

Qualifying lap: 10'06.624 = 1st Place


"Sein Rennentag hier beim Nurburgring, wo das erste Rennen der 1000 Meilen! Meisterschaftanfänge heute nachmittag!" blares

across the track's speakers, waking me up at 8:00. I asked one of our German-speaking team members what he was mumbling on

about and he informed me that the announcer said: "Its race day here at the Nurburgring, where the first race of the 1000

Miles ! Championship starts this afternoon!" I change clothes and go down to have breakfast with the team. We are hopeful

that we can stay out on the track longer than the heavier Mazda and Isuzu to aid us.
Shortly, a representative from BMW tells us we should take a quick lap around the track for an inspection, as well as to

point out some better racing lines for the Honda. He hands us two keys. I look at the tag attached to my key: "26M3GTR".

We walk out to see a silver M3 GTR with the number 26 on the door along with a white M5 numbered "1". Could this day get

better? Uneventful lap looking for any hazards, with lots of passing between the powerful M5 and nimble GTR. :sly:

While I was detailing the S500 the words "Eine Stunde vor Rennenanfang!" rang throughout the track speakers. Again our

German teammate translates that the race is starting in one hour. I finish cleaning up the Honda and the head mechanic

changes the oil and changes the Sports Medium compound tires for Hard Compound. Just a half hour before the race one of the

series' car scrutinizers inspects our car to makes sure it is legal. He passes us and wishes us luck in the series, noting

that we will be awarded 105 A-Spec points for the win at Nurburgring. Mugen tuners suggest a last second gear swap, putting

in a slightly taller 1.000 gear for fifth for drafting opportunities.

Race Events as recorded by the crew:

Lap 1: Somehow our qualifying time was lost, so we start at the back of the field. No problem, the first half of the lap is

our fastest anyways. Pass the VW and Skyline Deluxe early on, large gap to the first three cars due to the first "road

blocks". Pass the Mazda just seconds after T4, the Skyline 2000GT-B shortly after. T5-T6 is the "slow section" for the S500

due to the long uphill. We are able to hold off both the 2000GT-B and 110S through that section with some evasive action.

:sly: Passed the pesky Isuzu just 22-Thousandths before T10. :D:tup: Looking good so far, but appears to be an upset

for the Mazda though. Isuzu sneaks past about halfway down the straight, slightly faster than the S500. First lap only

three seconds slower than qualifying with 10'09.913 flying past the Isuzu in the next to last corner. New top speed of

116mph reached.

T#: Split Time (+/-Lead) Position [Leader]

T1: Missed it, will update after watching replay
T2: 1'56.784 (+4.053) 4th 👍 [Isuzu]
T3: Missed it, will update after watching replay
T4: 3'45.017 (+2.987) 4th 👍 [Isuzu]
T5: 4'41.080 (+1.596) 2nd :D:tup: [Isuzu]
T6: 5'27.561 (+3.589) :indiff: 2nd [Isuzu]
T7: 6'39.391 (+2.749) :)👍 2nd (Still!!!) :lol: [Isuzu]
T8: 7'35.205 (+2.471) 2nd [Isuzu]
T9: 8'06.021 (+2.297) 2nd [Isuzu] :mad:
T10: 9'03.318 (-0.022) 1st [Honda] :cheers:
T11: 9'39.667 (+0.342) 2nd [Isuzu]
Final: 10'09.913 (-2.059):D 1st [Honda] :cheers:
Total Race Time: 10'09.913

Lap 2: Isuzu closes in through fast sections, cutting 1.5 seconds off lead at T2. Honda extends lead rapidly afterwards up to
T6, the Honda's slowest sector. Honda continues on, without worry. Missing a braking point and a handful of other mistakes

drops the lead to just over a second at T7. :irked: Tires were heated completely 1 1/4 laps into the race, bright green

finishing lap two with 9/10 bars of fuel. Pit stop will not be anytime soon. Mazda 110S passes Isuzu halfway through the

straight! :eek: This will be interesting! The Skyline 2000GT-B also came along! :eek::eek: Hopefully the little S500 will

be able to stay out after they pit (whenever that is). Mazda passed before T11. :nervous: Isuzu drafts the Mazda and flys

by the S500 into second place, but gets passed by the more agile Honda through the fast esses.

T1: 1'00.515 (-3.870) 1st [Honda] :)
T2: 1'50.391 (-2.320) 1st [Honda] :nervous:
T3: 2'29.131 (-2.578) 1st [Honda] 👍
T4: 3'37.511 (-3.760) 1st [Honda] :cheers:
T5: 4'32.868 (-4.557) 1st [Honda] :drool:
T6: 5'19.416 (-2.465) 1st [Honda] :eek:
T7: 6'36.787 (-1.051) 1st [Honda] :ouch: :banghead:
T8: 7'26.244 (-3.425) 1st [Honda] :lol:
T9: 7'57.391 (-2.899) 1st [Honda] :rolleyes:
T10: 8'57.085 (-3.076) 1st [Honda] :nervous:
T11: 9'35.093 (+0.435) 2nd [Mazda] :eek:
Final: 10'07.542 (+2.591) 2nd [Mazda] 👎

Lap 3: Slightly off track after T3 and a few seconds of countersteering to get back under control results in a HUGE

LOSS
of time. Let the Skyline 2000GT-B pass on the straight before T6 to draft. T6 split is .001 seconds faster

than previous lap, even with the bad sector.

T1: 1'00.128 (+2.103) 2nd [Mazda]
T2: 1'48.932 (+3.416) 2nd [Mazda]
T3: 2'26.416 (+2.742) 2nd [Mazda] :mischievous:
T4: 3'38.387 (+7.085) 2nd [Mazda] :banghead::banghead:banghead:
T5: 4'33.500 (+6.819) 2nd [Mazda] :indiff:
T6: 5'19.415 (+9.408) 3rd [Mazda]
T7: 6'29.566 (+9.856) 2nd [Mazda]
T8: 7'23.797 (+10.921) 2nd [Mazda] :mad:
T9: 7'52.742 (+9.741) 2nd [Mazda]
T10: 8'50.428 (+9.211) 2nd [Mazda]
T11: 9'28.035 (+12.256) 2nd [Mazda] 👎
Final: 9'59.664 (+13.228) 2nd [Mazda]

Lap 4: This lap just gets worse and worse for the little Honda. Mazda gains the largest lead of the race so far. Tires are

pale green/yellow and the car is becoming more oversteer biased. Tire wear seems to be affecting braking. Down to 8 bars of

fuel finishing the straight.

T1: 1'01.182 (+12.691) 2nd [Mazda]
T2: 1'50.477 (+15.318) 2nd [Mazda]
T3: 2'28.111 (+15.266) 2nd [Mazda] :ill:
T4: 3'36.234 (+16.418) 2nd [Mazda]
T5: 4'32.247 (+18.xxx) 2nd [Mazda]
T6: 5'19.510 (+22.004) 3rd [Mazda] :(
T7: 6'30.001 (+21.290) 2nd [Mazda]
T8: 7'22.794 (+20.195) 2nd [Mazda]
T9: 7'53.034 (+20.470) 2nd [Mazda]
T10: 8'51.360 (+20.332) 2nd [Mazda]
T11: 9'29.034 (+23.344) 2nd [Mazda]
Final: 10'00.032 (+24.220) 2nd [Mazda]

Lap 5: The Mazda continues to stretch its lead, all in the same spots. The Skyline passes as usual at T6. T8 suffers from

oversteer. Rear tires are orange-red, front tires are yellow. Aiming to finish second at this point, there is no chance of

catching the Mazda, even if it did pit in.

T1: 1'01.240 (+24.840) 2nd [Mazda]
T2: 1'50.648 (+26.555) 2nd [Mazda] Yawn.
T3: 2'28.841 (+28.981) 2nd [Mazda]
T4: 3'37.956 (+29.029) 2nd [Mazda]
T5: 4'32.999 (+28.283) 2nd [Mazda]
T6: 5'17.814 (+31.180) 3rd [Mazda]
T7: 6'29.149 (+32.730) 2nd [Mazda]
T8: 7'24.800 (+34.241) 2nd [Mazda]
T9: 7'53.959 (+33.448) 2nd [Mazda] :nervous:
T10: 8'51.626 (+33.359) 2nd [Mazda]
T11: 9'29.361 (+36.574) 2nd [Mazda]
Final: 10'03.564 (+40.070) 2nd [Mazda]

Lap 6: The fourth place car catched my eye as I checked my mirrors, it looks like the Isuzu but it is hard to tell on such a

shady track. He's not a threat anyways. I plan on staying out a few more laps even though my rear tires are almost red.

With such slow cars, the only time rear tire wear is a problem is on the fast sweepers, but the drifts are manageable. We

hear some shouting in the pits, and it appears that Mazda has started celebrating early. That's ok, there are three more

races in the series. :mischievous: Honda spins out before T4, Skyline and Isuzu pass on by. Whatever happened to this being a

competitive race anyways? :confused: VW slides past and I decide that I'll pit this lap for tires. I just hope that the

rest of the field pits too. The open differential shows its teeth after spinning out through the Karussel. Honda considers

a drop of this race. By T8 I'm spinning out on every turn, wondering where the hell the 6th place car is. At T9 the team

manager tells me that we are dropping out of the series due to our position. I agree, sadly, that we should put so many

miles on this car and not win, or at least get a podium. We agree on coming back to the championship at a later date.

We've learned a valuable lesson for endurance racing: Higher horsepower and decent handling will win the race, low

horsepower and aggressive handling will waste tires and lose the race.

Official Notice of Team Mugen Honda, humbly bowing out of 1000 Miles! Championship. :)👍

T1: 1'01.xxx (+41.xxx) 2nd [Mazda] Missed the exact time.
T2: 1'50.924 (+43.674) 2nd [Mazda]
T3: 2'29.581 (+44.510) 2nd [Mazda]
T4: 3'51.235 (+57.734) 4th! [Mazda]
T5: 4'49.777 (+1'02.214) 5th [Mazda] :mad::ouch::banghead:
T6: 5'36.286 (+1'05.070) 5th [Mazda]
T7: 7'07.129 (+1'24.720) 5th [Mazda]
T8: 8'33.422 (+1'57.221) 5th [Mazda]
T9: 9'06.106 (+2'00.243)
T10: DNF
T11: DNF
Final: DNF
 
Sorry about the breaks, copied from Notepad. I'll fix it later. :dunce:

This is my first write-up, so go easy on me. :D

Edit: Updated. Breaks fixed. Wow, 2 laps per hour...I'm really slow at recording this stuff! :irked:

I'm taking a break. :lol:

Edit2: Sure is slow around here. If anybody is reading this, let me know what you think.
 
blue_sharky39
It sure is gonna take you a while to write it all up at that rate ;)

Yeah. I'll do some more tonight, then finish in the morning. If there weren't so many sectors it would go a little faster. The race is going to get interesting this next lap. I don't know if the Mazda suddenly warmed its tires up or if it just caught a good draft, because it wasn't very close at all until the straight of lap 2. The Honda handles like a dream though. I may be deaf after listening to it scream from 8k to 10k for so long. :lol: I'm looking forward to Monaco.

Edit: Actually, I'm just going to finish it tomorrow, no more updates for the night. I'm tired today.
 
:eek:

This race is suddenly looking bad for the Honda.

Edit: I'm hoping that the Mazda just has a few "unstoppable" laps like experienced in some other enduros at this point.
 
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