9 Hours of Sun in Tsukuba

  • Thread starter RickG
  • 0 comments
  • 934 views
14
United States
Cedar Rapids
MysteryOak21
The day was August 30th, 2012. It was a bright shiny day out with little clouds and fair wind. I decided to embark on a journey: a 9 hour test of endurance and sheer patience.

The Track
Tsukuba Circuit
Shimotsuma, Ibaraki, Japan
This 1.27 mile circuit features 14 corners, ranging from very sharp and slow to very open and easy to take on full throttle.

The Car
I decided to go with the Mazda RX-7 TC to keep an even pace and good competition with the AI. Absolutely no tuning, but with the number 23 on the sides.

Lap Times and Tire Wear
I typically went 40 laps between pit stops. On fresh tires I would run anywhere between a high 54 second to low 56 second lap depending on traffic. On worn tires near the end of my runs I would run anywhere from 57 to 58 seconds... once again, depending on traffic. Gas was not a factor in this race: only using up half the tank per 40 or so laps.

Race Overview
Suited up in his Red Bull racing helmet and suit, my Avatar was ready to go. My main focus for this race was to remain consistent, and cause as little damage to the car as possible. I know with this that it would be a win no problem. It took me about a lap to make it to the front, passing a Mine's Skyline to get there. I would come to notice that the Mine's would be one of the slower cars I'd race with.
The first 3 hours were pretty easy. I was remaining consistent and my mind was still fresh. I was about 6 laps up on 2nd place which was a black Amuse S2000 GT1 '04. That was the only car all day that was running lap times equal or a little worse than mine. My main advantage was getting around lap traffic I believe.
The second 3 hours things seem to get a little groggy. I was tired at this point since the sun (IRL) went down and I had run out of Monster. Nonetheless I remained consistent and put another 6 laps on the field.
At 6 hours and 20 minutes I decided to save. I then put the controller down and ran to the store to get some food and drink, then it was back to racing.
Once I had fuel in my own tank, I felt refreshed. I chugged through the next couple hours and was about ready to win. Again, I was getting tired more so and it was becoming early morning.

17 Minutes 22 Seconds to Go
My legs needed a good stretch. I stood up, feeling the win coming nearer and yawned. I looked over at my bed, reassured that I would be in it fairly soon. I saw my cat laying on my power strip that gives all my electronics power.
I shooed him away, and he flipped the switch turning my PS3 and television off.
I was livid. I was too tired to restart from the 6.5 hour mark so I went to sleep after getting to the 7 hour mark.

The Next Morning and Final 2 Hours
I woke up feeling like hell from the caffeine that was poured into my veins the night before. I instantly turned my PS3 back on and began racing what was now the 11.5 hour endurance race at Tsukuba. (Stupid cat)
I pushed my car to it's limits, setting a best lap at 476. Finally the last hour came and it was good to see the time limit counter up and ticking away. Soon came 30 minutes, I was getting close. I had already pitted for the final time about 5 minutes prior to that. My car held up as I pushed it even more knowing that nothing could ruin my win this day.

And finally on lap 562, 20 laps ahead of 2nd, it was over. I didn't jump with excitement, nor did I feel overly excited. I sat there and asked myself, "did I really just do that?"
Indeed I did. I collected my 1 Million+ credits and claimed my prize car.
I sighed a big relief and went to the bathroom to have a pee.

Not the best ending to a journey like this. But not all stories end the way you'd like, do they?

:gtpflag:
 
Back