- 7,313
- Land of the smelly onion
I just started playing GT4 again and while going through to see what else needs to be done, I notice that I only managed a silver in the 4 hour race at the 'ring. So I set out to rectify that.
I have at least 100 cars in my garage that could win easily, but I went searching for a new car solely for this race. In the Late '90's used car lot I find it, a bright red 2000 Ford Mustang Cobra R for only $28k. I buy it and change the oil. I go to the Ford Racing shop to fit it with some S1 tires, and for good measure a Stage 1 Weight Reduction.
I roll onto the grid to check out the competition:
1. Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport '96
2. Renault Clio Sport V6 Phase 2
3. Honda NSX Type R '02
4. Nissan Skyline GT-R V-Spec II '00
5. Honda NSX Type S '01
6 Ford Mustang Cobra R '00 (me)
This should be a challenge, and I was thankful there was no Lotus to contend with. I was a little surprised this was only a 46pt race, I expected a little higher than that. We roll around on the warm-up lap and come around for the start:
Lap 1 - I get a bad start, and mess up the first turn as I forget I'm on cold tires. I make it around the turn and try to catch up. I draft up behind the Skyline at Schwedenkreuz and pass him, closing in on the Type S. I out brake the Type S at Aremburg and pass him. I see the Corvette, Renault, and Type R are pulling away while engaged in a 3-way battle between themselves. I close in slowly on them but am content to ride in 4th and watch the great racing going on in front of me. The 1st place Corvette swings wide at Steilstreke and goes from 1st to 5th as me, the 2 NSX's, and the Renault squeeze by him, with me now in 3rd. I manage to stay somewhat close to the Type R until I pass him under braking at Kleine-Karussell. From there I set aim on the Clio in the lead. Drafting him down the straightaway I pass at Dottinger Hohe.
Lap 2 - I pull away as the 2 NSX's can't seem to get by the Clio. They ride behind him until finally passing on the big straightaway. First real lap time is 8:01.728
Lap 3 - Still getting used to the car. Interval to 2nd remains 4-5 seconds, but the Type R is closing in a little bit.
Lap 4 - I slow down and let the Type R pass so I can follow him and learn where he is faster and where I am faster. The rest of lap 4 is spent following the Type R, until I go into the sand at Pflanzgarten I and lose 7 seconds.
Lap 5 - I decide I can go another lap before pitting and hopefully get on the same pit sequence as the NSX's. I slowly start to gain back lost time and realize I am faster on old tires than the Type R. Gap is down to 4 seconds as we both pit.
Lap 6 - I come out 6.5 seconds behind, but start to close the gap. I notice my biggest gains come at the long uphill section between Bergwerk and Mutkurve, where I cut his lead down to 2.25 seconds. By Brunchen, I have caught him, but stay on his bumper.
Lap 7 - I draft up on the Type R and pass at Kottenborn. Pull away by 3 seconds at the end of the lap.
Lap 8 - Pretty boring lap, field is starting to spread out. Maintain lead of 3 seconds. Replay ends.
Lap 9 - Lost the lead because of unplanned off track excursion. (phone rang and broke concentration) Managed to retake lead under braking at Keine-Karussell. Type R drafts up quickly behind me. As he gets close I brake-check him just for fun, but it sends us both spinning.
Lap 10 - I need to pit again at the end of lap 10, so I take it easy this lap as my spin on lap 9 accelerated the wear on my tires quite a bit.
Lap 11 - I come out of the pits 4 seconds behind, but start gaining once tires get warm. Pass Type S at Aremburg.
Lap 12 - Uneventful, I lead by nearly 2 seconds.
Lap 13 - Tires are bright green and I have an open track in front of me so I decide to see what the big Ford can do, setting a new best time of 7:54.028.
Lap 14 - Slowed back down to cool tires off. Type R cuts lead back down to 2 seconds.
Lap 15 - Really burnt up the tires on this run doing the hot lap, bright orange all the way around by the end lap 15. Type R passes me at Brunnchen and pulls away by 11 seconds as I slide all over the track.
Lap 16 - Come out of pits 15 seconds behind, but happy I got fresh tires. Cut lead by half at the end of this lap.
Lap 17 - Catch Type R at Bergwerk, but I mess up at Hohe Acht and Pflanzgarten I. Type R leads by 5+ seconds.
Lap 18 - Catch Type R by Karussel, and try to stay as close as I can through the next section. Catch him under braking at Schwalbenschwanz. I Draft him down the long straightaway, try to out brake him at Hohenrain but couldn't. Huge draft down long straightaway helped give me a new best lap time of 7:52.978.
Lap 19 - Chase the Type R for a few turns and pass at Kottenborn. Go into the grass at Adenaur Forst and lose lead. I catch the Type R at Karussel and stay on his bumper. Draft him down the straightaway and pass under braking at Hohenrain.
Lap 20 - Maintain .5-1.5 second lead throughtout the lap. Type R drafts up behind me on the straightaway and pulls out to pass at Antoniusbuche. We trade some paint, and I lose control and go for a spin in the grass. I recover thinking I'm way behind, but as I get back on the track I see the Type R has wiped out too. Not only that he has slid past the entrance to pit lane and is desperately trying to drive through the pit wall. I pit, taking on a full fuel load, which will make my next (and last) stop shorter.
Lap 21 - I exit the pits 19 seconds back of the Type R, but quickly close the gap by Metzgesfeld where I find he has completely wore out his rear tires and is drifting around the track. I slow down pace to watch him drift around the track, forgetting there is another NSX not too far behind. The Type S catches up and passes me and I give chase after him.
Lap 22 - I chop the Type S's lead down to 4 seconds and he is not quite as fast as the Type R, who has finally made it around to the pits.
Lap 23 - Catch the Type S at Bergwerk, and pass at Mutkurve. Slowly pull away.
Lap 24 - I am just cruising, maintaining 2-3 second lead.
Lap 25 - Lap before last pit stop. I manage to put a little more distance on the Type S. What I didn't realize, is I was quickly gaining on another dot on the map. It's the Clio on old tires; he spun at Wehrseifen and I T-bone him as I come around the blind corner. I gain more time as the Type S is stuck behind the struggling Clio.
Lap 26 - Made a short final pit-stop. Type S is 19 seconds back after pitting. At the end of the lap, gap is up over 20 seconds. Skyline goes 1 lap down as he pits.
Lap 27 - Uneventful lap, I'm just cruising at about 90%. Gap is down to 19 seconds.
Lap 28 - Still cruising, gap to 2nd is down to 17 seconds.
Lap 29 - More cruising, Type S is 16 seconds back.
Lap 30 - Pick up the pace knowing the race is almost over, but not too much as my tires are worn and I don't want to lose this race on the final lap. I cruise to victory 16 seconds ahead of the Type S.
Finishing Order:
1. Ford Mustang Cobra R '00
2. Honda NSX Type S '01 +16s
3. Honda NSX Type R '02 +31s
4. Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport '96
5. Nissan Skyline GT-R V-Spec II '00
6. Clio Renault Sport V6 Phase 2 '03
The race is finally over. I get a gold cup, $200k, and a Chaparral (I probably misspelled that) race car. The Cobra R gets an oil change and a wash, before going back in the garage.
Here are some pics from the first 7 laps:
Passing up the Skyline
Outbreaking the Type S
Watching the 3 car battle
Type S gets impatient
Out braking the Type R
Passing the Clio
I'm on him like stink on a monkey
I have at least 100 cars in my garage that could win easily, but I went searching for a new car solely for this race. In the Late '90's used car lot I find it, a bright red 2000 Ford Mustang Cobra R for only $28k. I buy it and change the oil. I go to the Ford Racing shop to fit it with some S1 tires, and for good measure a Stage 1 Weight Reduction.
I roll onto the grid to check out the competition:
1. Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport '96
2. Renault Clio Sport V6 Phase 2
3. Honda NSX Type R '02
4. Nissan Skyline GT-R V-Spec II '00
5. Honda NSX Type S '01
6 Ford Mustang Cobra R '00 (me)
This should be a challenge, and I was thankful there was no Lotus to contend with. I was a little surprised this was only a 46pt race, I expected a little higher than that. We roll around on the warm-up lap and come around for the start:
Lap 1 - I get a bad start, and mess up the first turn as I forget I'm on cold tires. I make it around the turn and try to catch up. I draft up behind the Skyline at Schwedenkreuz and pass him, closing in on the Type S. I out brake the Type S at Aremburg and pass him. I see the Corvette, Renault, and Type R are pulling away while engaged in a 3-way battle between themselves. I close in slowly on them but am content to ride in 4th and watch the great racing going on in front of me. The 1st place Corvette swings wide at Steilstreke and goes from 1st to 5th as me, the 2 NSX's, and the Renault squeeze by him, with me now in 3rd. I manage to stay somewhat close to the Type R until I pass him under braking at Kleine-Karussell. From there I set aim on the Clio in the lead. Drafting him down the straightaway I pass at Dottinger Hohe.
Lap 2 - I pull away as the 2 NSX's can't seem to get by the Clio. They ride behind him until finally passing on the big straightaway. First real lap time is 8:01.728
Lap 3 - Still getting used to the car. Interval to 2nd remains 4-5 seconds, but the Type R is closing in a little bit.
Lap 4 - I slow down and let the Type R pass so I can follow him and learn where he is faster and where I am faster. The rest of lap 4 is spent following the Type R, until I go into the sand at Pflanzgarten I and lose 7 seconds.
Lap 5 - I decide I can go another lap before pitting and hopefully get on the same pit sequence as the NSX's. I slowly start to gain back lost time and realize I am faster on old tires than the Type R. Gap is down to 4 seconds as we both pit.
Lap 6 - I come out 6.5 seconds behind, but start to close the gap. I notice my biggest gains come at the long uphill section between Bergwerk and Mutkurve, where I cut his lead down to 2.25 seconds. By Brunchen, I have caught him, but stay on his bumper.
Lap 7 - I draft up on the Type R and pass at Kottenborn. Pull away by 3 seconds at the end of the lap.
Lap 8 - Pretty boring lap, field is starting to spread out. Maintain lead of 3 seconds. Replay ends.
Lap 9 - Lost the lead because of unplanned off track excursion. (phone rang and broke concentration) Managed to retake lead under braking at Keine-Karussell. Type R drafts up quickly behind me. As he gets close I brake-check him just for fun, but it sends us both spinning.
Lap 10 - I need to pit again at the end of lap 10, so I take it easy this lap as my spin on lap 9 accelerated the wear on my tires quite a bit.
Lap 11 - I come out of the pits 4 seconds behind, but start gaining once tires get warm. Pass Type S at Aremburg.
Lap 12 - Uneventful, I lead by nearly 2 seconds.
Lap 13 - Tires are bright green and I have an open track in front of me so I decide to see what the big Ford can do, setting a new best time of 7:54.028.
Lap 14 - Slowed back down to cool tires off. Type R cuts lead back down to 2 seconds.
Lap 15 - Really burnt up the tires on this run doing the hot lap, bright orange all the way around by the end lap 15. Type R passes me at Brunnchen and pulls away by 11 seconds as I slide all over the track.
Lap 16 - Come out of pits 15 seconds behind, but happy I got fresh tires. Cut lead by half at the end of this lap.
Lap 17 - Catch Type R at Bergwerk, but I mess up at Hohe Acht and Pflanzgarten I. Type R leads by 5+ seconds.
Lap 18 - Catch Type R by Karussel, and try to stay as close as I can through the next section. Catch him under braking at Schwalbenschwanz. I Draft him down the long straightaway, try to out brake him at Hohenrain but couldn't. Huge draft down long straightaway helped give me a new best lap time of 7:52.978.
Lap 19 - Chase the Type R for a few turns and pass at Kottenborn. Go into the grass at Adenaur Forst and lose lead. I catch the Type R at Karussel and stay on his bumper. Draft him down the straightaway and pass under braking at Hohenrain.
Lap 20 - Maintain .5-1.5 second lead throughtout the lap. Type R drafts up behind me on the straightaway and pulls out to pass at Antoniusbuche. We trade some paint, and I lose control and go for a spin in the grass. I recover thinking I'm way behind, but as I get back on the track I see the Type R has wiped out too. Not only that he has slid past the entrance to pit lane and is desperately trying to drive through the pit wall. I pit, taking on a full fuel load, which will make my next (and last) stop shorter.
Lap 21 - I exit the pits 19 seconds back of the Type R, but quickly close the gap by Metzgesfeld where I find he has completely wore out his rear tires and is drifting around the track. I slow down pace to watch him drift around the track, forgetting there is another NSX not too far behind. The Type S catches up and passes me and I give chase after him.
Lap 22 - I chop the Type S's lead down to 4 seconds and he is not quite as fast as the Type R, who has finally made it around to the pits.
Lap 23 - Catch the Type S at Bergwerk, and pass at Mutkurve. Slowly pull away.
Lap 24 - I am just cruising, maintaining 2-3 second lead.
Lap 25 - Lap before last pit stop. I manage to put a little more distance on the Type S. What I didn't realize, is I was quickly gaining on another dot on the map. It's the Clio on old tires; he spun at Wehrseifen and I T-bone him as I come around the blind corner. I gain more time as the Type S is stuck behind the struggling Clio.
Lap 26 - Made a short final pit-stop. Type S is 19 seconds back after pitting. At the end of the lap, gap is up over 20 seconds. Skyline goes 1 lap down as he pits.
Lap 27 - Uneventful lap, I'm just cruising at about 90%. Gap is down to 19 seconds.
Lap 28 - Still cruising, gap to 2nd is down to 17 seconds.
Lap 29 - More cruising, Type S is 16 seconds back.
Lap 30 - Pick up the pace knowing the race is almost over, but not too much as my tires are worn and I don't want to lose this race on the final lap. I cruise to victory 16 seconds ahead of the Type S.
Finishing Order:
1. Ford Mustang Cobra R '00
2. Honda NSX Type S '01 +16s
3. Honda NSX Type R '02 +31s
4. Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport '96
5. Nissan Skyline GT-R V-Spec II '00
6. Clio Renault Sport V6 Phase 2 '03
The race is finally over. I get a gold cup, $200k, and a Chaparral (I probably misspelled that) race car. The Cobra R gets an oil change and a wash, before going back in the garage.
Here are some pics from the first 7 laps:
Passing up the Skyline
Outbreaking the Type S
Watching the 3 car battle
Type S gets impatient
Out braking the Type R
Passing the Clio
I'm on him like stink on a monkey
Both NSX's posted lap times of 8:00 or less.
