Anything that happens before or after is just waiting - LeMans24hours

[Ryk]

Well the waiting is nearly over. The next time I crank on my PS3 will be to run out onto the track and do "Le big one" (I will try to keep the bad Engleesh speak Fronch accents to a minimum - I shall zay zis onlee wonce)

Obviously before you start this race you need to know what you are up against... erm well I've not really done that - yet. I've no real idea just how fast the AI will be. Most of the reports are for late version of the game, mine is a patchless version - that is your warning.

Firstly with the original game I've got no save option... And as a side issue I may have tyre issues, and reading posts about the race could be erroneous as my version doesn't have water on track percentages.

Firstly what car.

I ran what cars I had that I felt had a chance of a win. Save the Newey MiG-29 evolution.

I need a car that will let me win, but I don't want one that is "too good" Nor do I want one that is too hard... I'll be driving 24 hours and a mistake of missing the the pits and losing a minute.

I plan to run Race Hard tyres - and if the my pace is too fast then I can switch to Softs. I've any number of "Iron man" things to spice up the enduro and limit my pace. But what car.

It has to sound good - this is a must, an annoying engine note is terrible with a track with alot of flat out sections.
Has to be pretty gentle to drive. It has to deal with me getting tired, so the car can't be too "Brabham" and need lightning reflexs to sort out.

Test runs.

All done in the GTWC single event at LeMans - 2 laps, and for the most part I was able to get the lead before the castrated Dunlop Corner Chicane.

FastLap - -Race - - pow - torq - weight - boots - car (notes)
3m50.9 - 7m54.7 - 523 - 060 - 0771kg - RM - Chaparral 2D (With Turbo-3)
3m45.7 - 7m37.8 - 775 - 053 - 0750kg - RH - Pug 905
3m40.8 - 7m24.7 - 777 - 053 - 0750kg - RS - Pug 905
3m48.0 - 7m40.8 - 719 - 081 - 1200kg - RS - Lamborghini Diablo GT1
3m47.1 - 7m45.3 - 508 - 041 - 0675kg - RS - Mazda Furai
3m42.3 - 7m27.0 - 789 - 092 - 1000kg - RS - Nissan R390
3m38.8 - 7m22.4 - 899 - 100 - 0893kg - RS - Sauber C9
3m55.4 - 7m57.4 - 598 - 061 - 0792kg - RS - Ferrari P4 (With Turbo-3)
3m34.4 - 7m17.4 - 742 - 081 - 0900kg - RS - Toyota GT-ONE
3m36.4 - 7m21.8 - 762 - 091 - 1000kg - RS - AMG CLK GTR
4m05.0 - 8m14.5 - 511 - 053 - 0998kg - RS - Jaguar XJ13
3m33.8 - 7m13.6 - 881 - 089 - 0900kg - RS - Nissan R89C
3m34.2 - 7m18.6 - 786 - 101 - 0900kg - RS - C60 "03" Puegeot
3m32.7 - 7m09.9 - 770 - 090 - 0900kg - RS - C60 "04" GV5 Judd
3m45.4 - 7m35.4 - 763 - 093 - 1150kg - RS - Panoz GT-1
3m36.4 - 7m14.0 - 764 - 090 - 0900kg - RS - BMW V12LMR
3m36.6 - 7m17.3 - 708 - 123 - 0930kg - RS - Peugeot 908 (works) - Ran incar​

Now I know these laps will be skewed towards the bottom, as just number of laps will have improved my overal speed/ confidence even if the actual laps were nothing more than feeler laps. Some of the cars will have to drop out at this stage.
The Jag and the Ferrari : despite having incar views they are too slow, but the Ferrari has no sound at all.. it whispers abotu the track... must be the turbo as in 1967 the 3 litre V12 Ferrari was a big brass band of trumpeting snakes... this modified car is not that. The Jag is just too slow -

The 2D is very easy to drive, not many gears to worry about, the lack of wheelspin could prolong tyre life and low weight could also help tyre longevity. But what sort of pace can the AI run..

I'm on 96% of the way to a 1000 ticket; so only 4 more races before, As Michael Delany would say - the waiting is over. - May watch LeMans the movie just to get myself in the mood.

The Panoz and Diablo are too slow, and much as it pains me I guess the little Mazda won't be able to keep up with the LMP's - It is a cracking car but lacks power for the boring bits on the track where grunt is everything. (Maybe I can pick up Maria Sharapova as a passenger...)

The question is - Can I run in car? And so really that answers itself... The only car good enough to run with a cockpit is the 908 - Which has the advantage of incar will be slower... blocked view wobbly camera - which could make the 24hours interesting. If I am going too slow I can always pick up a second a lap by going old school with the view.

So now I have four races to get a set up and test it out, before I run "Le Royale with Cheese"...

 

[Ryk]

So I've trawled the interweb - found several Set ups... mostly for the power added with Traction Control and ABS brigade. But I did find one set up that was a standard power level with a cross reference to another set up which was much praised but - a dial the diffuculty down set up..

"Will27"
60/83 Aero
05/20/10 LSD settings
12__/_10_ Ride (So a smidge higher...)
11.9/12.2 : : Spring Rates
_7__/_7_ : : Damper - Jounce
_6__/_6_ : : Damper - Droop
_1__/_3_ : : Anti Roll Bars
1.7° / 1.0° : Camber
-0.04° / 0.12° Toe

I did deviate slightly though, I prefer a 4/3 brake bias on "Race" spec cars - A bit soft, but no traction control or ABS means I have to give myself a margin of error, and I like those front tyres to lock before the back ones (But after testing locking up Race hards is next to impposible - good news.)

I bumped the Gears to 420mph - this should give more chance of high speeds if I do catch a slip stream, but also give taller gears low down, so may improve the power delivery out of slower corners - but that is just a side effect. Testing has shown the best method to avoid wheelspin is to avoid 2nd or 3rd gear and use 4th and chug out of slow corners, no wheelspin, no tyre wear... and maybe even less fuel used. (Not to mention less wear and tear on the gearbox for a 24 hour race... but that isn't modelled.

I ran my Pug 908 - it has 700bhp/124 Torques 930 napoleans and used RH tyres.

Fastlap - Race time - Venue(laps)- notes
0m42.0 - 07m13.9 - Indy (10) - practically lapped the field - Top speed didn't hit rev limiter in clean air
1m38.8 - 16m59.7 - Monza (10) - Bit worried about traction out of slow corners - could be RH tyres
1m33.0 - 15m51.5 - R246 (10) - Car nice, not upset by curbstones
3m37.6 - 11m03.7 - LeMans (3 - dry) - effortless - XJR9 was close behind though
7m58.2 - 24m22.4 - Nurby24 (3 - dry) - scarey fast in places - that first chicane is terrible

---
I also earned a new 1000 ticket (I think after the above LeMans in fact on the countback of races run)
Pug is still on 700bhp but is now on 356.4 miles.
(Nothing great in the used car area - Toyota 7(got). Every yellow square gives me hope of a Vertigo... but alas no...

I've taken a break - Let the PS3 have a final cool off break before I start the race. Post this up and give anyone/everyone a chance to wish me well - tell me it can't be done - pass on good tips -

(The rejected 1000 ticket was a Lexus ISF Concept - nice but I've got two already)

Again this is GT5 out of the box. no patches updates or fancy paint jobs.
I don't know the grid - what the weather will be like or the rough pace of the AI - or even my own pace.

The Plan is No ABS or TCS or anything "out of the hair salon"

I was quite happy with the LeMans pace - 3m37 on Hards when I wasn't really pushing means that on Softies I should be much faster.

advice away! - I plan to start "early doors" Sunday (May even start Later tonight (Saturday) - then make the most of a lazy Monday - and then finish the race and party on with a real Mardi Gras - Pancake day - yumola.

 

[Ryk]

Post 2

Race day.

I was ready for an early start - with a nice worry that I didn't know what the next 24 hours would hold for me. Was the weather going to upset me as I've very little wet weather experience despite spending most of my adult life in sub tropical England.

Of course rolling up to LeMans was an experience. My Team manager had picked up some last minute sponsorship. My Total Peugeot 908 was still in black blue and white livery. Then I spotted my pit crew were dressed in lurid pink nomex suits... "Hello Kitty" - I then saw the usual Lion Rampant on the nose of the 908 was now a spoon faced kitten with a bow in its hair.

My Pit crew were - my Bspec drivers. Rochelle (Lollypop) Sarah (Fuel) Summer (Left Front) Vanessa (Right Front) Julie(Left Rear) Luci (Right Rear) - all decked out in pink and white. At least I could hide inside my helmet. My British Racing Green overalls had been with me my entire career and I wasn't going to change out of my "Lucky Fireproofs"

Actually I just saw the deal my BSpec girls have managed to get from Sanrio and Peugeot... they have some business brains between them... Next they'll be getting a My Little Pony sponsorship deal for Ferrari... My Little Prancing Cavalino.

Enough japery - The grid.

The race is dry - Bright.
"Reluctantly crouched at the starting line, engines pumping and thumping in time"

D. de Smet - McLaren GTR-1
N. Korvisto - Bentley Speed 8
J. Travis - R390
I. Kramer - GT-ONE
L. Oksana - Viper GTSR
N. Castano - C60 '03' (Green and Navy)
N. Herrera - V12LMR
R. Esposito - R10TDi
W. Koehler - CLK-GTR
V. Carli - Viper GTS-R
W. Valenzuela - C60 Hybride (White and blue)​

Sarah informed me that the engine had been looked at and a fresh supply of Total Oil had been put in and the DYno revealed the car now had 735bhp and 128 eurotorques.

Tyres. I started on Race Softs. While I am still groggy I thought best to make a good start of it. And it would let me know the ultimate pace of my car now rather than at the end if I needed it.




"The green lights flashes the flag goes up, churning and burning they yearn for the cup"
Stint 1 (Lap1-8)

3m39.7
3m36.4
3m33.7
3m33.6
3m33.1
3m34.3
3m34.9
3m42.0 (In Lap)

Nice stint. Got up to 3rd place by Dunlop Chicane. then squeezed passed the GT-One to get to 2nd after Tetre Rouge. I then had a 5 second gap to the lead Bentley and he was off like the gingerbread man. I maintained the gap, not close enough to slipstream and in fact I was losing time on the straights. I wasn't pushing like crazy, I had no idea about how long the tyres were gong to last - If I can only match pace, and this Bentley can pull 12 lap stints then I am not getting a big bottle of "Ahh Glug Glug" champagne in 24 hours time.

Then just to rub my fear up against the reality of life like a badly fitting windscreen wiper the Courage Pescarolo of Castano breezes up behind me and passes. This wasn't that bad as it let me draft him and stabilised my laps in the 33's. I wondered when the Audi would come barrelling through. That had to be the favourite for the race? Few laps ticked by and I made a good pass on Castano and managed to gap him by Tetre Rouge and he didn't have the legs to repass me on the straight. I was hauling the Bentley in and passed him on lap 5.

...French car leads LeMans...

The crowd goes wild.

I then pulled away slightly as the Bentley had peaked early in his stint. My gap increased to about 6 seconds but my lap times were also growing. Lap 8 was feeling a bit more shakey, the tyres were losing their edge. I dived into the pits along with many other cars but the BMW V12LMR and the C60 (Castano) all stay out. The Bentley pits and passes into first to get to his pit crew.

I had used 65 litres of fuel and elected to top up the tanks and get a fresh set of RS tyres. The Race was close so no need to get smart just yet.

Stint 2 (Lap 9-16)
4m36.4 (out lap)
3m35.7
3m35.0
3m35.3
3m34.6
3m33.9
3m33.6
3m38.8(In lap)

The cars that had stayed out all pitted the next lap so I leapt into the lead.
By Lap 13 I had a 9 second lead over the Bentley. Lap 14 and Castano C60 was up to second. Lap 15 and I had a massive lead of 10.4 seconds. I pitted out of the lead. My BSpec GALS id d the usual brimmed the tanks and put on fresh boots. (No windscreen wipe... you girls are just getting lazy here.)

Stint 3 (Lap 17-24)
4m37.0 (out lap)
3m35.5
3m34.2
3m32.7
3m35.4
3m37.1
3m37.3
3m40.6 (In lap)

lap17 I was in 3rd 38 seconds down on the BMW and the Bentley
Lap18 RACE ORDER
BMW/Bentley/Pug908/C60/Hybride/GT-ONE/R10TDI/McLaren
Lap 19 I was 21 seconds down in 2nd

Lap 20 and I had the lead 5.2 seconds over the C60 Hybride of Valenzuela. This lead would just errode as we dived into the pits a few car lengths appart. BMW and Bentley both take over the lead during this pitstop.


Stint 4 (Lap 25-33)
4m34.4 (out lap)
3m33.6
3m35.4
3m32.745 (New fastest lap) (For me*)
3m33.7
3m35.9
3m33.7
3m36.9
3m43.7

Made a mistake and did an extra lap on this stint. I lost time on the lap.. but a couple of seconds dropped isn't so bad really. It did take me out of formation running with the Hybride of Valenzuela though. (Looking back I guess I was extra cautious - expecting the tyres to be an issue - SO I was slower and smoother in the corners to keep the G Forces low.)
Lap 34 RACE ORDER -
Bentley/Pug908/BMW/Hybride/C60/GT-ONE/R10TDi/CLK-GTR

No sign of any rain, sun is getting a bit lower but sky just has broken cloud but mostly it is blue skies. (No French Aerobatic team this year...)

Stint5 (Lap 34-42)
4m33.8 (out lap)
3m31.678 (New fastest lap)
3m31.8
3m34.3
3m31.660 (New fastest lap)
3m33.2
3m34.8
3m33.9
3m39.5(inlap)

Rather solid stint, after a tea break and preparing dinner... cottage pie - smells nice. (Tasted better - I ate like I had been personally pushing the car all morning rather than playing a game.)

I eased out my lead to the Hybride, 3.5 to 5.7 seconds on lap 40 he pitted and my lead leapt to 1m15 over the Bentley. I kept going till lap 42. Tyres could do another lap I am sure, but I'd have to put on my "drive carefully on used tyres" hat. 9 lap stints needed 77 litres of fuel to refill it.

2 and half hours into the race - I've had no impacts, the worst thing I've had is a few slides, Low speed stuff, Into Mulsanne Corner the back end stepped pout so I didn't quite get to the apex. The Second Chicane on one lap I was a bit eager on the throttle and got the back end to step out and I had a nice time getting the car to quit messing about and go in a straight line. Top of the Dunlop chicane is trouble. as is Arnarge just getting the power down smoothly. (Later in the race the exit of Arnarge was coated in burnout marks form where I tried (and failed) to modulate my aplication of the power onto the track)
All in all, they were all minor things. Two were Cold tyres at Dunlop, One at Mulsanne was worn out tyres not happy with how deep I was going into the braking area and asking for a bit of (sudden) steering angle too.

Now I have done two 9 lap stints I am not sure if it is a good or bad thing. Saves the pit lane, which is a nightmare, I am sure I lose too much time slowing to a crawl before the pit lane limiter takes over. But again that sort of things is only costing me a second per stint... small potatoes compared to pulling a drive through and doing an extra lap on melted cheese for tyres.

No Spins off track action or crashes. Bound to happen, The Back markers are... trying their best. Only passed a couple of Vipers and the McLaren on track to lap them. They don't leap out of the way but they don't block either. So long as you know what you want to do then everything tends to be okay. I am dreading a big LMP car as the speed I don't have on the straight will mean I have to pass them in the twisties.. I can see some doorhandle removal into Indianapolis in the next few hours.

Lap 42 order
Pug908/Hybride/Bentley/BMW/C60/GTOne/R10TDi/CLKGTR

Pretty happy. Long way still to go but two and half hours of neck and neck with the C60 Hybride is just great - and the swapsy with the Beemer and Bentley is interesting. I think I have the edge so should win, but conditions do change and a spin off track moment could erode that mighty 5.6 second lead I have.

 

[Jakob79]

Good luck on your Long journey m8
Got now 15 Hours complete and leading by a lil more than 2 Laps had only 6 hours of dry track so far.

 

[Ryk]

Yeah - part of me is wondering if the original GT5 had weather effects for LeMans... I sure looks dry at the moment. I think I fluked a nice grid, those Audi R8's must be seriously fast.

To the track!

 

[Jakob79]

without the R8 the race would be pretty boring as the other cars can't go the pace of the R8 neither can the playstation R8 I found out that a tire combo of race soft and race meds is quite good if you need some realy fast times around.

 

[Ryk]

Lap 43 - 51

4m43.7 (outlap)
3m34.7
3m33.2
3m33.5
3m33.8
3m32.2
3m34.8
3m35.5
3m43.1

nice stint, passed the GTOne and the R390 with brave and cautious passes, The Hybride was charging and my lead was going down to 3.1 seconds but recovered while he struggled to get passed the two Japanese cars (GTOne built in Germany - R390 built in England?)

currently in second 4 seconds down on the Hybride - Sun is getting lower but it is hazy in your face after Mulsanne (That kinked straight Marc Webber flipped the CLK-GTR on) (No not Valencia!)

 

[Ryk]

Lap 52-60
4m38.5 - (7.1s)
3m32.5 - (7.4s)
3m33.0 - (6.1s)
3m34.6 - (5.3s)
3m34.9 - (1m10)
3m32.4 - (1m08)
3m34.4 - (1m06)
3m34.1 - (1m02)
3m38.6 - (7.9s)

bit of colour - Red while I was in 2nd, green for when I am up. Lapped the Audi R10
The pattern is that the C60 Hybride is faster eating me on the track by a couple of seconds when he is on fresh tyres, later in his stint and ealy in mine I get the whip hand... though I feel it is that his tyres are more far gone than any great yo-yo in my own pace.

I can see it getting darker. If my lap times slow up then I coud be in trouble... If I drop the ball and leave the track then I can see alot of time wasted.

Is it a wise Idea to try for ten lap stints as the darkness falls?

The Dark is a crazy thing, just how wel will I be able to see... I think I can alter the TV settings to sharpen things up a bit.

I've more than got to grips with a 9 lap stint, and I had to check my notes to realise that yes I was due to pit on lap 60.

I've been stealing a lap from the Courage

 

[Jakob79]

I know for a fact that the Toyota GT-ONE was build by Dallara. and the R390 GT1 was constructed from Tony Southgate of TWR who designed also the Group-C Jags in the 80's.

Keep it up mate seeing you got also a pretty tough race against the Pesca - Hybrid ?It is actually pretty "easy" to drive @ LM when u get used to it IMO.

 

[Ryk]

Yeah just taken a break now... 74 laps in, it is bright on the horizon, and the stadium lights are on. Getting interesting to pick things out. Had a might slide into Mulsanne - still yet to put a wheel off the track yet.

After so many laps any driver will improve at a track, just confidence kowing what the car can do and nibbling away at the brake zones... just a litle bit closer. trouble is as it gets darker those landmarks I use to turn in brake for could be hiding.

GT-One, thought it was built in Cologne - maybe assembled.

Not brought my lap by lap notes, but stole another couple of laps from the C60 - Another stint and I will have gained a pit stop on it and will have gained about 50 seconds.

The problem with Easy to drive is the High Speeds of LeMans, those long dull bits tempt you andyour minds wanders away fromthe track and onto somethig else... then you miss the braking point for the chicane and... I'v eno idea what the track will look like at night... I really hope the brake zones are lit up a bit - or my lights have enough range to give me a chance to see the brake markers a bit.

I think the Man that designed the Aston Martin DB7/DB9 and the modern XKR Jaguars did some of the work on the overall look of the R390 appearance - Ian Callum.

fun so far, Still no rain... can't help but feel that the lights would look extra nice reflected on damp tarmac...

 

[Apmaddock]

A compelling read. I'll keep coming back for your updates. Good luck.

 

[Ryk]

Having much more fun than I expected - I've been running pretty close to the limit with the sword of damocles hangig over my head - one spin could be enough to lose this race.

The way this Pescarolo is pulling away from me is forcing me to dig deeper, try harder. At the moment I wouldn't mind losing this race I've had such a blast doing it.

 

[Jakob79]

Just pulled a 13 Laps stint on wet track @ my 24 hours of Le mans, the tires could doo propably 15 to 16 laps but the tank was empty.

Keep going m8 and good luck for your race

 

[DVNTST8]

I had used 65 litres of fuel and elected to top up the tanks and get a fresh set of RS tyres. The Race was close so no need ot get smart just yet.

Interesting.

Watching this thread and Jakob's with interest.

I'm currently taking advantage of the 3 day weekend here to do this race for completion purposes only (X2010), but really enjoy guys doing it the right way as well.

Good luck to both.

 

[Ryk]

Top Gear's finished - time to drive into the night...

Lap61-70
4m38.6 - 9.1
3m32.6 - 8.4
3m32.7 - 7.0
3m32.2 - 70
3m32.1 - 68.5
3m31.8 - 67
3m34.4 - 64
3m32.7 - 62
3m34.0 - 62
3m41.1 - 12.2

excellent stint - made the tyres last and was pretty pacey once I got the tyres warm. But with confidence - comes the whoops, and it is always at Dunlop - the grip level between the two apexes of the left/right chicane catches me out *all the time* Okay once every 20 laps or so... but it is annoying.

Next stint Laps 71-80
4m44.2 - 12.2
3m33.8 - (Hybride pits)
3m33.4 - 61
3m34.9 - 52
3m35.2 - 50.7
3m34.1 - 47
3m33.3 - 45
3m37.2 - 43
3m37.2 - 42.1
3m41.0 - 41 Hybride pits

For the first time I've pitted and stayed in the lead, mainly as the Pescarolo followed me into the pits.

Not too sure about this stint, I obviously lost pace but the light levels were changing - Lap 77 my headlights came on... I put a wide beam rather than the ultra bright short range lights. My worries abotu the track were miles out. The light levels alters in a progressive fashion and certain things relect the light well... it is a shame the AI have removed alot of cones. Actually I removed one, the first right of the Ford Chicane, and it was a tickle. Now the track has got alot of bollard roadkill on it. amusing. slower cars stand out well and the brake lights up ahead... cracking.

Now I plan to stick to my smooth 10 lap stints (Uses 80 litres of fuel) but I can easily tell when my pit in lap is just by looking at the lap count, (Hey Race drivers are lazy.)

It is not fully dark yet - and I'm not that sure why I was putting in those 3m37 laps, I did have some traffic I guess. Maybe just being careful for the Mulsanne, easy at Tetre Rouge, and the chicanes. And I was also a bit of a Girlyman into Mulsanne Corner itself.

 

[Jakob79]

Keep it up m8 try to build some distance between you and the Hybride during the night. Like I did with the Audi in my run. just curious it is like in the real event the real change in standings apears to be always during nighttime - good luck for the rest of the race.

 

[crooky369]

If you want a lead you should try and go a lap or two further in you're stints as long as you don't make mistakes you'll soon have a decent lead. Also I find the AI notices what stints you're doing and tries to match them which sometimes results in them doing a slow final lap because their tyres are knackered which can lead to a comfortable lead very quickly.

 

[Ryk]

Right family all tooked up safe, time to unpause the game and go the distance.
- Thermos flask of coffee - Check
- Pair of Matchsticks - Check
- Can of Cat Crunchie Energy Drink pop from Poland - Erm I'm not so sure I really want to drink that...

the sun has gone down and the moon has come up,
and long ago somebody left with the cup.
but he's driving and striving and hugging the turns.
and thinking of someone for whom he still burns.

 

[Ryk]

Disaster befell the Hello Kitty Sponsored Peugeot 908 HDi FAP - after 6 hours of the Classic 24 hour race.

The crowd watched as the car entered the pitlane and then ground to a halt. The pit crew raced the full length of the pitlane and valiently pushed the car into the pits and into the garage where the bodywork was removed but alas the problem was terminal and the challenge was over after exactly 100 laps had been completed.

The Driver - the mercurial 'Ryk' was not available for comment but was seen throwing darts at a plush Hello Kitty toy and laughing like a maniac.

The Pescarolo C60 Hybride leads the field...

----

I'll post my notes up later, but I paused the game to get a 4 hour cycle of sleep... and when I came to un-pause the game... it bleeped but didn't return me to the game...

I should be very annoyed, but it is only a game and I had a very excellent time - 6 hours worth of close fought racing - Spiced up with backmarkers and all kinds of good things.

And I play GT5 for that - not the A-Spec score or the prize cars... (I think I can buy this races Prize car if I like anyway... I've certaily had it pop through the used lot and as a rejected 1000 ticket.

Annoyed by...
No Replay - would have been interesting to watch - understand what the other cars were up to during my stints. Just how fast was that C60 lapping at.
No XP - that is annoying, I'm at level 36 and it will take many many months to earn the right to run the Nurburgring 24 hour race
No big chunk of distance - I was after working out just how far you had to run to earn a 1000 ticket from pure distance running. I know you win one form 100 races... but yet to earn one from distance.
What am I doing now... I should be racing...The PS3 still works (Pretty sure it was a software issue and the program 'hung')
Annoyed I didn't see the fantastic sunrise - or the chequered flag.
Annoyed it didn't rain - Though I hear the AI are very slow in the rain, so maybe it was good I didn't as a wet track could well have killed off the AI challenge.

 

[Ryk]

Final Post

D. de Smet - McLaren GTR-1
N. Korvisto - Bentley Speed 8
J. Travis - R390
I. Kramer - GTONE
L. Oksana - Viper GTSR
N. Castano - C60 '03'
N. Herrera - V12LMR
R. Esposito - R10TDi
W. Koehler - CLK-GTR
V. Carli - Viper GTS-R
W. Valenzuela - C60 Hybride


Lap 81-90
4m45.7 - 32
3m36.3 - 31
3m33.6 - 28
3m46.4 - Off at Indianapolis - No impacts long track out of the Hello Kitty Litter
3m34.8 - 12.3
3m35.5 - 10.8
3m36.8 - 10.4
3m37.4 - 1m20
3m35.9 - 1m15
3m44.1 - 6.2 (Second place)

Terrible stint. The off at Indianapolis was just down to not concentrating and getting a wheel on the grass... I think I was heading into the corner an turned in too much for the kink and got a wheel on the dirt and then had to correct the slide and by that stage I was only ever going to end up in the sand trap.

By this stage the track was cloaked in darkenss and my headlights were not illuminating the track ahead here very well... Nervous I slogged on but my pre bedtime confidence was shakey.

Lap 91-100
4m42.6 - 9.3
3m35.2 - 13.8
3m32.7 - 13.8
3m31.643 - 10.1
3m30.946 - 7.7
3m31.1 - Hybride pits
3m34.8 - 1m06 - Lapped two Vipers
3m34.0 - 1m02
3m35.6 - No note of split
...Game froze in pitlane didn't unpause

- Got the "clung" sound effect of the cursor arrow moving... I was planning to get to the options screen and adjust the brightness settings... but not only didn't the cursor not move on screen but after a few more desperate button presses on the DPad - the Clung sound effect didn't happen. At first I thought I may accidently exit or restart the race... but there was a third option, the PS3 may freeze!
Extremely annoying, but I'll just say that my car had a catastrophic electrical failure resulting in the Peugeot team having to withdraw the entry from the race after just 6 hours.

Anyhow - let's not get all sad about it. I had good fun and ups and down for those 6 hours of racing swapping the lead with the Pescarolo.

This stint (91-100) was a good fightback, My Lap times were excellent - At the time I was pretty smug that I knuckled down and reached into the Bag of Taent and came up holding something worthwhile. This was down to several factors. One focus - I really tried to nail the two Mulsane Chicanes. braking much closer to them and not "coasting in" as much. Porsche Curves.
I managed to understand the layout where you have to brake, where you can go flat - but more importantly the turn in points for this blind apex section of the track.

The track between Arnage and where you turn off the road onto the "man made" bit of the track is very very dark. but the Porsche curves are pretty well picked out with odd spot lights. There are only a couple of places you can really go wrong - the curves are not too tricky. This just slurped up those horrible 3m37 lap times.

I was stunned when I was running 3m32 - and the 3m31.6 fastest lap was mindblowing - To do it in the dark after that off... I know it looks like an instant recovery but it was 9 laps... or half an hour or so of running before I had that epiphany. Breaking late into te chicanes was pretty easy to do. 200m board - hard on the brakes, just ease off slightly as you turn in for the right hand start of the chicane.

The fireworks were a distraction - pretty though.

Okay now if this were a real LeMans 24 hour some cocaine fueled interviewer from MTV would squirm her way through the crowds and thrust a microphone at me.
- Oh GT5 doesn't model that - Excellent!

 

[Apmaddock]

That's a real shame. Sounds like you were having one hell of a race.

You'll get them next time.

 

[Jakob79]

sorry to hear that m8 that your car broke down after just a quater of the total distance. hop you got more luck on your next try.

 

[Ryk]

Yeah - I amsure if I did restart (I'd get the same grid maybe?) it would be different as I am much faster after my 100 fun laps... that works out as 400 laps over the whole race... That sounds like a really healthy pace.

Still most of my racing memories are the heroic failures rather than those glorious wins. Was a good 360 minutes of racing though.

Guess I am back in the "Waiting" mode.