A (Dummy) At Tokyo (Enduro Report)

[CarBastard]

Hi Everyone. Im going to A-Spec Tokyo 300 Km, and as the title says...im not the most brilliant driver in the world, google says dummy in japanese is "ダミー". So it'll be the "ダミー Tokyo 300". This is my second attempt.

Im very fond of german cars, so used my old and trusty Abt TT-R, Racing super hards on all four tires. No power-ups, just an oil change and Duck's settings (https://www.gtplanet.net/forum/showth...12#post1899912). It was worth 53 A-Spec points. But i came second to an RX-8, i had an extra pit-stop because the car eats front tires and when they are almost over you need to brake a lot, or else its pure understeer. So ive changed to a Nismo GT-R (JGTC), and i found its perfect for me. No mods, just removed asm and reduced tcs to 2, didnt even changed the oil.

Ill be doing updates every 10 laps, any tips would be seriously appreciated .

Heres the line-up (in order to do a more "interesting report" ill give the cars fictional driver names, except mine):

-Honda Loctite Mugen NSX (JGTC) ’01 – Driven by: Shinji Mitani. (Drove a GT-R on previous race)
-Mazda RX7 LM Race Car '01 - Driven by: Hazenji Kuzagara. (Dude who won previous race on an RX8)
-Audi A4 Touring Car '04 (DTM) - Driven by: Jorg Kohlrausch. (Replacing Hunt's XR8 from previous race)
-Honda Takata Dome NSX (JGTC) '03 - Driven by: Tatsuru Suzuka. (Same car and place as in previous)
-Toyota Castrol Tom’s SUPRA (JGTC) '01 - Driven by: Michizo Hasuoka. (Changed au Cerumo to Castrol)
-Nissan Xanavi Nismo GT-R (JGTC) '03 - Driven by: "ダミー" Ramirez. (Changed from TT-R to GT-R)


Good day to all of you, Wish me luck!!

EDIT: Begun it again with this line up!!! I hope i win!!!
EDIT: I WON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! PICTURES AND MORE TOMORROW (Well...00:00 hours here...lets say...later in the morning)

 

[CarBastard]

Update 1 - Lap 10, 15'03.150 Minutes in. 1st Place - 32 Seconds ahead of: Hazenji Kuzagara (RX7)

The race was worth 10 A Spec Pt. Not much, but my real opponent its me, my target is me not some points. The first lap goes as it did with the Audi, strugglig a bit at the start to go trough, but without any problem i easily get to the first place, even before the half of the track. Suzuka was second. My GT-R was amazing, i really began to feel a conection, it was as fast as i wanted, braked as i wanted, turned as i wanted, it was...what i wanted. Mitani then takes the 2nd place, im still at the lead and barely hear that trough the radio, my happiness overwhelms me, this Nissan rocks. Another message on the radio tells me That my arch-nemesis Kuzagara is now on 2nd. At the press conference before the race he said he was going to spank me with both cars of the Mazda model range...we'll see. While i remembered the conference Bob (which has changed places, now he's at the paddock while im in the car) tells me im 32 seconds ahead!!!, 32!!! thats 29 seconds more than what i did with the Audi!!!, lap times were incredible too, a best lap of 1'37.903 says im 2.5 seconds faster than my TT-R average. This car is amazing to drive. And as amazing as it is to drive it is to look at. And to hear. The first 10 laps have passed and im optimistic this time.

Update 2 - Lap 20, 32'33.483 Minutes in. 1st Place - 4.7 Seconds ahead of: Hazenji Kuzagara (RX7)

Im still amazed with the car when Bob tells me about my tires "Dude, the tire sensors show you are eating up your front tires. Deja Vú, aint it?". I felt it. The car was begining to be a bit more understeery, still it was no worse than the Audi on its best times, and with laptimes to match. Around 1'41.xx. I begin losing some precious seconds against the Mazda, so on lap 15 i decided to pit. I told Bob to have 4 Super Hards ready for me and just 10 or 15 units or fuel. After all im doing around 15 laps with half tank so by the next time i pit i will have used just enough fuel. I leave the pitlane with Kuzagara just 2 seconds behind me. Still i drive up to lap 20 without coming even close to him. At one point he was 0'8xx.xx behind me, but at the moment he is 4'7xxx.xx. My best lap is still 1'37.903 since i ran the first 5 laps with red front tires and now im just begining to drive with lime-green ones. The Mazda should pit soon and ill get my 40 seconds back...

Update 3 - Lap 30, 49'10.333 Minutes in. 1st Place - 42.7 Seconds ahead of: Hazenji Kuzagara (RX7)

Another message came trough the radio, and it wasnt Bob. It was a guy dubbed "Smallhorses" that was a legend in the Gran Turismo Association. He told me he wanted some interesting results with..."interesting incidents". I apreciated it but i didnt wanted incidents. Kuzagara was getting closer and i didnt wanted to let him go trough, no disaster today sir, sorry.

DISASTER!!!. In my hurry of increasing Kuzagara's red numbers i tried to take the backstretch (you know, that straight thats a bit curvy) of the track flat-out. I tried it in my practices and spun out, and guess what happened in this moment...yeah, I SPUN OUT!!!. I bounced the front of my car like 2 times on the left wall, Kuzagara traded a bit of paint with me and passed me. 🤬. I do an awful lap time but im catching him. Yeah, 1 lap thing and im back on the lead with a great 1'37.347 lap (new record!). I keep him between .8 seconds and 4 seconds behind me, just like before. On lap 26 Hasuoka (Supra) Pits. On lap 27, Mitani and his NSX do the same. On lap 28 both Suzuka and Kohlrausch pit...and...Kuzagara does too!!!, Here we go, lets make as much time as we can!!! I lap the Audi and the Supra on the main straight and im around 40 secs in front of the RX7. Im beginning to doubt about my pit strategy, but i keep on, pedal to the metal (well, to be honest..."X" to the plastic ). Time for a pit stop, needing fuel...but not the GT-R, me, a couple of sandwiches and ill be back.

Update 4 - Lap 40, 1:05.150 Minutes in. 1st Place - 1.5 Seconds ahead of: Hazenji Kuzagara (RX7)

I continued with my great advantage over Kuzagara. I was happy taking him to the "1 minute down" barrier and then Bob kicked in trough the radio "Dude, bad news. You have 1 unit of fuel, it might be enough for taking you the 4 laps that we need in order to keep the strategy of pitting in at lap 35, ill keep you informed". Demmit. I floor the gas pedal hoping to make quick laps, at lap 33 im pissing my overalls of fear, running out of fuel in the middle of the track would be the end. I tell Bob ill pit when that last unit disappears from my instruments. It does at the beginning of lap 34. "Ok man, pit time, RSH's are ready and those 80 liters too, so we can wrap this up". I dont know if it was instinct. Or it was courage. Or if it was plain stupidity, but i keep on. "WTF Dude!?, PIT!!!". I dont listen to him, i get on it. Just on the straight before the last curve i hear the engine going down. "Hey?, Who muted it?". My instruments show less than 0, 🤬!, Im out of fuel , but luckily im "near" the pits (on the last corner in lap 34). Just a bit of track at 80 and i greet Bob and my crew. I feel...a bit guilty. The NSX's have recovered their lap back, and Kuzagara was 2 secs in front of me when i exited pitlane. Then it was 3 secs cuz of my cold tires. However, on lap 38 we have an intense battle. I pass him, he passes me, i pass him, he pass me, i pass him, and...thats it . Getting close to lap 40 i am 1.5 seconds in front of him, and planning to pit in lap 55, or if possible not at all. Only time will tell...

Update 5 - Lap 50, 1:23'48.150 Hours in. 1st Place - 4 Seconds ahead of: Hazenji Kuzagara (RX7)

Nothing much happend at this point. First time i get kinda bored in the car, just 10 laps unlike the 30 i spent mad and bored with the Audi. Kuzagara came a bit close (1.5 seconds) and went back again (4.0 seconds). But the thing that afraids me at this point is my fuel and my tires. 10 laps ahead and my front tires are yellow-ish, rear ones lime green, and i have 4 units of fuel. I dont trust my calculations. And i dont know if the RX7 will pit again, and if it does, when. Silently, its killing me. Bob breaks trough the radio again "Hey dude, Smallhorses left something for you. A list of when your rivals are gonna pit. According to this Hazenji will pit in 6 laps, much like you. So dont worry if you cant make those 10 laps more without visiting us, just dont run out of fuel again for crying out loud!". 10 laps left. I planned to pit in 5 laps. The RX7 will pit in 6. I might do without the pits, i might not...Only time will tell... BUT IT BETTER TELLS QUICKLY CUZ MY HEART JUST BEGAN BEATING LIKE MAD!!! 🤬!!!

Update 6 - Lap 60, 1:42'25.320 Hours Total. The Final Dash.

At lap 51 we resume our paint trading with Kuzagara. I realize im losing some seconds, as lap 52 comes my front tires are bright red, allowing him to paint his black car with the Nismo colours. Im nervous, my heart is killing me, but i keep racing. At lap 53 Bob tells me that Mitani's NSX is pitting, and that so do i considering that nor fuel nor tires will last and the RX7 should pit at lap 56. The whole race comes to my mind as a flashback. 🤬, im not going to waste all my work, Smallhorses, you better be right on the Mazda's pit strategy. I enter the pits, but i tell Bob a brilliant idea i just had. "Hey B, Lets do the closing on R3's. 51 Liters and R3's and off we go", "Roger, we are waiting for you". The mechanics do their work. I exit the pitlane 35 seconds down . Lap 55 sees the Takata Dome NSX driven by Suzuka in the pits, as well as Kohlrausch's A4. Finally lap 56, and im expecting the RX7 to pit, my R3's are heating up and im making blistering lap times, shaving off some seconds that will be worthless if Kuzagara doesnt pit. 29 seconds down. Bob tells me he's on the straight and....Keeps going???. No way. Lap 56 ends, and 57 begins. 3 laps to the end. I shaved a lot of time from the RX7, but... NO PIT!!!.Im 25 seconds down now, new lap record of 1:36.087, but if he doesnt pit, again, its all worthless...Now all its left to do is waiting, doing my best and praying for a miracle. Silence in the radio.

"Mazda RX7 LM Race Car '01 is making a pit stop. FLOOR IT MATE!!!". Bob breaks the radio silence with that amazing new!!!. YEAH!!!!!👍. Lap 58 goes by as i take all the time i can from him. Then lap 59 comes with a fresh air of freedom and invincibility, the track is clear behind and in front, im almost alone and my Nissan is on its best moment. I felt like ive never felt playing GT4. A lap time of 1:35.862 should prove it. I rip the track to lap 60, and i drive almost instinctively as i dream with the glory of the victory. I clear the last curve and floor it on the straight. I cant believe it. I just cant. I WON!!!!!!!. 35.862 Seconds in front of Kuzagara!!!

Results:
-Nissan Xanavi Nismo GT-R (JGTC) '03 - Driven by: "ダミー" Ramirez.
-Mazda RX7 LM Race Car '01 - Driven by: Hazenji Kuzagara.
-Honda Loctite Mugen NSX (JGTC) ’01 – Driven by: Shinji Mitani.
-Toyota Castrol Tom’s SUPRA (JGTC) '01 - Driven by: Michizo Hasuoka.
-Honda Takata Dome NSX (JGTC) '03 - Driven by: Tatsuru Suzuka.
-Audi A4 Touring Car '04 (DTM) - Driven by: Jorg Kohlrausch.

Rewards:

Reward: Mitsubishi FTO LM.
Better Reward: 200k Credits.
Even Better Reward: 10 well earned A-Spec points. (Here isnt about quantity, its about quality)
The Best Reward By Far: Having done it myself, alone, without Bob, without any friend, without any modification other than tires and no driving aids. That means im better than what i thought,

I want to thank hugely codename L, i really had him in mind when i thought of quiting . And if anyone has any other tip, im listening . Big thanks also to Rotatory Junkie, but i think ill do this race with my new toy

 

[Lucas]

Just continue man. It would have been much better to think which car to use. I did not raced there already mainly because the track is boring. Who knows, maybe you can win the race. Just for you to know, I did a race report two days ago or so. I used an AE86, and my biggest gap between the leading car and me was of 49 seconds. That is, I was 49 seconds behind the first place car Luckily I won by 3 seconds So keep thinking in the race, and what you are going to do next. That's the key for endurance races: think ahead.

 

[CarBastard]

So people, what do you think? GT-R, Supra or NSX? Which car should i use?

 

[Lucas]

Check the three of them, and test them. Only when you are sure which car suits your skills the best, then go ahead and use it

 

[C-ZETA]

Check the three of them, and test them. Only when you are sure which car suits your skills the best, then go ahead and use it

+1. You're gonna benefit hugely from doing it.

 

[CarBastard]

Thanks for the pointer guys. Ive alredy bought the Nissan and i have the NSX from the SS Enduro (b-spec ). Tonight im gonna try them all on the tires im using and on the track ill be racing to see if get better lap times. My reference is the 1:40 i did with the Audi as fastest.

 

[Rotary Junkie]

Click the link in my sig and test my Audi TT tune. I assure you that it's not understeery. It'll put heat in the fronts first, then bring the rears up, then as the tires wear the fronts will again start to wear a little quicker but not badly. It's safe for long distances because of that (in that on worn tires it will understeer slightly rather than oversteer) but it's not to the point where you'd need to excessively slow down until the tires are well past due.

 

[CarBastard]

Well, i just finished my tests between the Xanavi Nismo and the NSX-R. I had 4 laps with the Nismo, with a lap of 1:38'xx on hard/super hard tires. Each lap i was getting better. Then i tired the Honda, and skidded awfully at the first corner doing the same i did with the GT-R and the Audi. So, its official, i will take the GT-R. Im starting at this moment. Ill update the starting line and begin with the reports. Wish me luck

 

[Smallhorses]

Ugh, there's no wonder you don't like the NSX!
That NSX LM Race Car is awful.
However, you should check out the Mobil1 or Castrol NSXs, they're JGTC cars like the GT-R & Supras and they handle much, much better than the fictional LM car.

Hope to see a good report (with passing information, laptimes, interesting incidents and such like) not just a starting grid and a result this time! 👍

 

[CarBastard]

Ugh, there's no wonder you don't like the NSX!
That NSX LM Race Car is awful.
However, you should check out the Mobil1 or Castrol NSXs, they're JGTC cars like the GT-R & Supras and they handle much, much better than the fictional LM car.

Hope to see a good report (with passing information, laptimes, interesting incidents and such like) not just a starting grid and a result this time! 👍

Yes Sir!!! Will Do Sir!!!

I did a deep report last time (not just grid and results), but i erased it to write my final words, .