All American Championship

[masterofnone]

(This is my first Race Report, so please bear with me.)

All American Championship
by: masterofnone
(Huge thanks to AMG for the track maps!)​

Well, here we go. Having completed all of the "minor" U.S. series – the Stars and Stripes, Hot Rod Competition and Muscle Car Competition – I decide it's time to tackle the GTA's top series for American-made cars.

Me
Chevrolet Camaro LM Race Car '01
Run stock, R3/R3 tires
592 horsepower (according to replay screen)

Them
Panoz Esperante GTR-1 Race Car '98
Ford GT LM Race Car Spec II '04
Ford GT40 Race Car '69
Chevrolet Corvette Z06 (C2) Race Car '63
Dodge Viper GTS-R Team Oreca '00

This lineup yields 51 A-spec points.

Round One – Seattle Circuit
5 Laps, 11.85 Miles
​

I quickly outbrake the Vette into the first hairpin, pass the GT40 on our way up the hill, and overtake the Viper into the corner...where I run into the wall, allowing the two cars to repass me. I get 4th back at the next corner, and 3rd going inside of the Viper at the next hairpin. Unfortunately, I hit the outside wall on That 🤬 Chicane™ and the Viper overtakes, so I'm in 4th at the stripe. I pass the Viper once again at Turn 3 on the next lap and hold that until I hit the INSIDE wall on That 🤬 Chicane™ this time. I follow the Viper around for a couple laps (of which Lap 4 is my best at 1:29.630) until I outbrake him into the first hairpin on Lap 5. So of course, I promptly leave a Camaro-sized dent in the fence at the top of the hill. The Viper gladly takes 3rd back from me, and I bring it around to the stripe without further incident.

1. Panoz Esperante GTR-1 Race Car '98 – 7:37.993
2. Ford GT LM Race Car Spec II '04 – +8.999 sec
3. Dodge Viper GTS-R Team Oreca '00 – +11.871 sec
4. Chevrolet Camaro LM Race Car '01 – +14.296 sec
5. Ford GT40 Race Car '69 - +~35 sec
6. Chevrolet Corvette Z06 (C2) Race Car '63 - +~1 minute

A very disappointing start. 👎 Oh, but it would get better.

Round Two – Infineon Raceway Sports Car Course
5 Laps, 12.60 Miles
​

The Viper and the Vette get into a duel in front of me, allowing me to outaccelerate both cars off of Turn 2. I go off at 3A, but quickly recover and pass the GT40 for 3rd by Turn 6. A slightly...erm...unconventional line allows me to outaccelerate the GT LM out of the 7 hairpin. Sliding in behind the lead Panoz, I draft him and overtake for the lead in Turn 1 next lap! 👍 Sure, I knock a few cones down over by the esses, but my lead is 1.7 seconds after two laps. The next lap sees another esses cone go bye-bye after I hit the curb in 7A, but I manage to add another 0.4 to the gap. Thankfully, no cones were harmed in the making of Lap 4, which was my best at 1:29.292. Disaster strikes in Lap 5 when I go off at 2, but I manage to get back on the pavement with the Panoz in the rearview. I make it around without further incident and bring it home for the WIN! 👍

1. Chevrolet Camaro LM Race Car '01 – 7:32.501
2. Panoz Esperante GTR-1 Race Car '98 - +2.905 sec
3. Ford GT LM Race Car Spec II '04 - +8.254 sec
4. Dodge Viper GTS-R Team Oreca '00 - +10.544 sec
5. Ford GT40 Race Car '69 - +~35 sec
6. Chevrolet Corvette Z06 (C2) Race Car '63 - +~55 sec

Round Three – New York
4 Laps, 10.36 Miles
​

I quickly get position on the Viper into the 42nd Street hairpin. The Vette concedes 4th to me when it hits the wall on West 55th. The GT40 falls in the right-left-right-left section despite a concrete barrierhit of my own in the process. 👍 I follow the GT LM back to the line in 3rd. Using the draft on Broadway, I'm able to outaccelerate said GT LM out of the 42nd Street hairpin and take 2nd off of him. Despite introducing the Camaro to nearly every wall on the 🤬 track, the GT LM is unable to gain on me in the remaining three laps, and I bring it home well behind the Panoz with my best lap of the day at 1:32.172.

1. Panoz Esperante GTR-1 Race Car '98 - 6:06.440
2. Chevrolet Camaro LM Race Car '01 - +10.969 sec
3. Ford GT LM Race Car Spec II '04 - +16.480 sec
4. Dodge Viper GTS-R Team Oreca '00 - +18.660 sec
5. Ford GT40 Race Car '69 - +30.435 sec
6. Chevrolet Corvette Z06 (C2) Race Car '63 - +~45 sec

So at this point, I'm seven points behind the Panoz at 26 to 19. The way he's racing, I figure I'll have to win the last two races if I want the championship.

Round Four – El Capitan (Reverse)
4 Laps, 11.88 Miles
​

The Vette gets DESTROYED in the standing start, putting me in 5th right away. I quickly weave my way through the Viper and the GT40 at the next corner, and the GT LM and the Panoz a couple corners later, and I have the lead 30 seconds in! 👍 The Camaro eats wall on the blind left-hander at the top of the hill, but I hold a 2.1 second lead after one lap. A couple laps of clean driving (well, other than the gravel trap excursion on Lap 2 ) see me set the mark of 1:40.619 on the third lap, and my lead extend to 2.9 seconds. Once again, disaster narrowly strikes as I go off into the grass about 2 turns into the final lap, but I manage to keep it under control and the Panoz behind me. Thankfully, I avoid further incident and pick up my second win of the series! 👍

1. Chevrolet Camaro LM Race Car '01 – 6:57.206
2. Panoz Esperante GTR-1 Race Car '98 - +2.487 sec
3. Ford GT LM Race Car Spec II '04 - +9.577 sec
4. Dodge Viper GTS-R Team Oreca '00 - +10.078 sec
5. Ford GT40 Race Car '69 - +~25 sec
6. Chevrolet Corvette Z06 (C2) Race Car '63 - +~40 sec

With the win, I cut the deficit on the Panoz to three points at 32 to 29. One more win away from a nice comeback and the championship!

Final Round – Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca
5 Laps, 11.20 Miles
​

I start quickly, knocking off the Vette and the Viper in the Andretti hairpin, and overtaking the GT40 for 3rd in Turn 3. I outbrake the GT LM underneath the Hmmmm bridge and pass him into Turn 6. The Camaro follows the Panoz to the line, and trails by half a second after one lap. I outaccelerate him out of the Andretti hairpin to take the lead early in Lap 2! 👍 Oh, but course, I can't make it that easy...off at 6, off at 11 (amazingly, I still lead by 0.8 sec after Lap 2), off in the Andretti (which momentarily costs me the lead)...Anyways, the Panoz passes me in Turn 4 for the lead, but I take it back going into the Corkscrew. And proceed to hit the wall of tires! So two laps to go, needing a win, and I trail by 1.4 seconds. I make that up by Turn 4, where I go off , and then start to press and go off at the Rainey curve! By this point, I'm 3.9 seconds behind the Panoz , so of course I go off at 3 to firmly put the nail in the coffin. It was my best lap of the race at 1:24.211, but not nearly enough.

1. Panoz Esperante GTR-1 Race Car '98 - 7:06.101
2. Chevrolet Camaro LM Race Car '01 - +4.167 sec 🤬
3. Ford GT LM Race Car Spec II '04 - +9.559 sec
4. Ford GT40 Race Car '69 - +16.559 sec
5. Dodge Viper GTS-R Team Oreca '00 - +17.264 sec
6. Chevrolet Corvette Z06 (C2) Race Car '63 - +~40 sec

Final Standings

1. Panoz Esperante GTR-1 Race Car '98 – 42 points
2. Chevrolet Camaro LM Race Car '01 – 35 points
3. Ford GT LM Race Car Spec II '04 – 22 points
4. Dodge Viper GTS-R Team Oreca '00 – 15 points
5. Ford GT40 Race Car '69 – 11 points
6. Chevrolet Corvette Z06 (C2) Race Car '63 – 5 points​

Although I fell a few seconds short of the championship 👎, I did leave with 35,000 credits in prize money, and 102 A-spec points for the wins at Infineon and El Capitan. 👍

As this is my first Race Report, comments would be appreciated.

 

[thaleppes]

pretty nice report

 

[AMG.]

Nice report; bit on the short side for each race. Yes I know they're short races.
Good to see youre using the "GT maps" 👍

AMG.

 

[Moloch_horridus]

Good report - seems to me if you could stop driving into walls and sand traps you would easily win all the races (but I suppose that is obvious). Better luck next time 👍

 

[Smallhorses]

Well structured report, good maps, although as AMG. rightly says the stories themselves are a little short. Chuck in a race photo or 2 and they'll make up for that though!
Not usually a fan of reading about folks deliberately knocking the AI cars off the track, but it's nice that you made the report in this way so that we can help you improve! (See below!)

For your problems with the walls at Seattle, use the upslopes and flat spots to alert you to how far up the hill you are. In something as fast as the Camaro LM, you should be thinking about braking as you take the last flatspot going up the hill. Keep well left, slow down to around 50mph, and turn-in right to the apex of the bend, don't jump on the power until you're just past the apex or you'll end up hitting the wall outside the bend.
The chicane you struggle with is easy if you don't go in too hard. Go in slow, straighten up and you can exit the second part at full power.
Go in hard and you'll hit the outside wall and be much, much slower exiting the second part. The rail tracks on the entrance make this chicane tricky, as they'll upset a stiff-sprung race car.
If it's the final quick-flick chicane you're having issues with, keep well right, lift-off and turn-in, aiming to just miss the end of the wall on your left and then quickly right at full power again out across the line.

Infineon you sound OK with, ease up more than you think you need to for the 2 blind corners (2 and 3a) and you should be alright, the main thing to avoid is going off into the massive sandtraps at 6 and 9, which'll cost you time.

New York you have to remember is mostly 90-degree bends. You must stick to the slow-in = fast-out rule here. Overcooking the entry to a bend like this is always bad, especially if there's a barrier waiting for you! The AI are poor at the right-angle section, if you can learn to take this section a little slower, but cleanly you'll still gain on them a lot through here!

El Capitan you seem to have sorted, once again it goes without saying to avoid the sandtraps! The AI are very slow in places around here and can easily be cleanly picked off.

Laguna Seca also gives the AI a torrid time, be patient and don't try to overtake before turn 5, they're slow out of here, but will cut you up into turn 6 if you aren't careful! A good line through turn 6 though should allow you to overtake up the hill on the Rahal Straight. Keep and eye on you mirror braking for the Corkscrew, and if you brake early for Rainey Curve you can take advantage of the fact that the AI usually run a little wide and slow down! Pass them on the right side under braking for turn 10! Don't forget the killer last turn! Hit the brakes early (between markers 3 & 2) to get a good turn in, and hence a good run towards the line, while the AI are slow out of there!
For you, any offs at Laguna = Sand. It's bucket & spade time everywhere, so staying on the track is essential!

Hope that helps and we'll see your winning report here soon!

 

[masterofnone]

Thanks for the comments, everyone! 👍

Well structured report, good maps, although as AMG. rightly says the stories themselves are a little short. Chuck in a race photo or 2 and they'll make up for that though!
Not usually a fan of reading about folks deliberately knocking the AI cars off the track, but it's nice that you made the report in this way so that we can help you improve! (See below!)

- Um...oops, bad choice of words there. I was just getting tired of using "pass", "overtake", etc. a bunch of times every race, so I meant "knocking off" as in knocking off the list i.e. one fewer car I have to pass to win. Although I do recall some paint being traded, especially at New York

- To clarify, That 🤬 Chicane(TM) at Seattle is the little lateral shift right before the line. For some reason, I always have problems with that

- Needing one race to reach 25 percent, I went back and did the Laguna Seca round against a pretty similar field (- the GT40 and the Viper, + the GT LM '02 and the Chaparral 2D, for 59 A-Spec). Didn't need the ol' spade and bucket this time, and unsurprisingly, won it by like 5 seconds. I'll have to go do the championship again sometime.

 

[ving]

got a tough audience havent ya M.O.N.
never mind, ya cant please them all

i like hearing of races and series that arent necesarily won. make us all seem human
well done

 

[fast fun 2]

Congrats! I wish I could get second! lol