Beater or Sleeper? COTW Forza 7 Week:END The Ultimate Sleeper, The Holden Sandman! Thanks Everyone!!

[Vic Reign93]

So the scores on the board are...

@Drex124 2:15.466
@Vic Reign93 2:15.720

On to this weeks TRIO of cars courtesy of today’s update so let’s try and keep this short and sweet.

Starting with the road car of this weeks line up, it is...

The 2019 Chevy Corvette ZR1 Pace Car!!!

Just not that one.^

Quite possibly the C7’s swan song, the ZR1 is packing more firepower than a road going Vette has ever packed, how much you may ask?

Try 755hp for starters.

That’s over 100hp more than the Z06 Vette thanks to a revised 6.2 LT5 V8 and a much bigger 2.6 litre Eaton Supercharger bolted to it.

Cooling was a issue on the Z06 because of many factors, but with the ZR1 they made damn sure it wouldn’t be one again as it’s packing 13 heat exchangers amongst other cooling ideas, that’s 3 more exchangers than what a Veryon has.

Along with revised suspension, tyres and brakes, comes the aero package which while effective, also outlaws it from being sold in Europe.

Something to do with pedestrian safety and all that.

So where will we be setting the pace(pun oh so intended.) with the ZR1?

Road Atlanta Full Circuit. 👍

Now on to the oldest of the cars here, but by no means is it slow.

It is...

The 1969 Ford Brawner Hawk 3!!!

Returning from FM6 and dressed up in the black & gold anniversary design Forza seems to like very much, the Hawk 3 was the car won the 1969 Indy 500 by 2 full laps in the hands of Mario Andretti.

Mario was originally meant to run a Lotus 64 which had a rather radical for the time 4wd system and powered by a turbo Ford V8.

In true classic Lotus fashion it was rapid, but also fragile as Mario found out the hard way when a rear hub failed and he stacked it backwards into the wall and suffered only minor burns.

That spelt the end for Lotus in Indycar, but waiting in the wings was the Brawner Hawk ready to pick up the torch for Mario’s Indy attempt.

Powered by a 2.6 litre turbocharged Ford V8 making 680hp(with the turbo on clear display at the back.) and sending it to rear tyres via a 3 speed manual gearbox.

Weighing in at 1400lbs and packing a triple rear wing set up, Mario took his first and only Indy 500 win while dealing with cooling issues and a gearbox issue on the way there.

So to pay tribute to that win I’m flipping the script on the new rival events, The Hawk will be going to Indy Brickyard Speedway and the modern Indycars will be going to Sonoma Raceway Grand Prix Layout. 👍

And finally...

The 2019 Honda & Chevrolet Indycars!!!

At long last, the latest Indycars are here.

While still packing a 2.2 litre twin turbo V6, the new cars make 690hp to the old cars 680, but that’s reigned in with a homologation plate for its division.

But the biggest change is to the body and aero, so much smoother looking, plus the Indy aero kit also returns from FM5 which includes the absolute bare minimum of a rear wing.

So remember to check your car is bone stock and then send it around the previously mentioned Sonoma layout. 👍

Plenty for you guys to tuck into this week, best of luck everyone.

 

[Vic Reign93]

Before you ask, no I didn’t hit the wall when I stopped.

It also turns out the reason why my pace for some cars hasn’t been solid in the past is because of an issue with my controller, the left stick, while it rotates just fine it wasn’t giving me full steering lock on right turns.

Rather than risk wrecking it completely by trying to fix it or buying a new one, I looked for a solution and thankfully I found one by playing around with the steering dead zones and confirming it with the telemetry.

So hopefully I can get some pace back now.

Anyways the C7 ZR1, it’s both easy and tricky to drive, tricky when it’s struggling at low speeds with putting the power down and easy when the wing starts planting the rear down at higher speeds.

Down the back straight it’ll do 160+mph all day and stop with no issues. 👍

While some can complain about not having the option to remove the roof lights, it’s a big step up from the Z06, but the driver needs to also step up to get the absolute best out of it.

Verdict: Sleeper 👍

As for the Brawner Hawk..

At Indy it was slightly terrifying as it liked to lift the front left tyre in the turns, not something you’d want when going at 180+mph.

Down the straights it was touching 200mph and despite the vintage looking tyres, they grip much more than you think they would.

While it’s not a Forza Special, it’s being oddly placed in the Formula 70’s division despite it being from 1969.

But it’s at least got a division to properly race in.

Verdict: Neutral

And the 2019 Indycars..

Biggest difference having driven both the 2017 and this one is this one likes to step out more and is overall more eager to respond to the driver.

Plus the fact you can now put the Indy Aero kit on it.

Verdict: Sleeper(Compared to the 2017 car) Neutral in general. 👍

 

[Mr Fahrenheit]

This one was pretty difficult, because I'm unfamiliar with a lot of American circuits in this game. But regardless, here are my attempts:

1) Vette Pace Car

This car is really fast (as it should be) but I thought braking could be a little better. I also felt that corner entry was too sluggish - probably caused by the stock tires that this car is equipped with - and when you get impatient and punch the gas too soon, the car just turns its nose at you and start fishtailing.

In conclusion... bit of a handful, this one. Neutral.


2) Brawner Hawk

Brawner Hawk, for me, was everything about Pace Car Corvette pushed to the maximum. It accelerates like rocket, and top speed is bonkers. And while Corvette was merely bit of a handful, I was almost certain that Brawner Hawk was actively trying to murder me. Front wheels lifting during some of the corners gave me a fair share of brown pants moment.

I think I could've gone faster, but I didn't want to get assassinated by my own car. It sure is exhilarating, though. Neutral.


3) 2019 Indycar

While I didn't play around much with 2017 Indycar, I can say that 2019 Indycar is very lovely. It is fast, it is responsive, and it doesn't try to murder you as soon as you lose control; which is a surprise considering that this is a X class car.

I found this car a lot pleasant to drive than Corvette Pace Car. I have no idea if that is in any way realistic or not, but it's definitely a plus for me. Sleeper.

 

[Drex124]

(0:46.610)

Not sure if it's Forza Fysics™ or the car is just a death trap, either way I'll be staying far away from this one.

Verdict: Beater

(1:22.497)

Verdict: Too Fast for Me

 

[Vic Reign93]

So aside from dropping the ball on the reminder, here are this weeks results.

Chevy ZR1 Pacecar
@Vic Reign93 1:24.847
@Mr Fahrenheit 1:28.415

Ford Brawner Hawk 3
@Drex124 0:46.610
@Vic Reign93 0:47.356
@Mr Fahrenheit 0:47.364

And lastly the 2019 Indycars.
@Vic Reign93 1:21.088
@Drex124 1:22.497
@Mr Fahrenheit 1:23.167

Solid times there guys. 👍

Going over the list of cars we’ve already done, I was rather surprised this car(among one or two others from the free DLC/Spotlight section) didn’t get tested when it came out.

Part of the surprise was because it’s a race car, but mostly because it went on to be quite the meme in its championship series.

It’s that one car that just popped into your head having read that previous sentence and you think, ‘Yep that one.’

It is...

The 2018 BMW #1 M Motorsport M8 GTE!!!

The Bavarian Big Boi is officially here, I’m surprised I forgot about it given its size here.

But in all seriousness, it’s appearance at Le Mans signified BMW Motorsports’s return to Le Mans after 6 years and it wasn’t coming back with weak sauce either.

Packing a 4 litre twin turbo V8 which depending on BOP(Balance Of Performance), could make as high as 600hp and 500ft-lbs of torque, which was sent to the rear via a Xtrac 6 speed sequential gearbox.

Weight can also vary depending on BOP, but in game it weighs just under 2700lbs.

The track for you to try and navigate the big boi around will be the Brands Hatch Grand Prix layout for this week.

Best of luck people.

 

[Vic Reign93]

So the M8 GTE, a whole lot of turbo noises, but the engine sound itself is off.

From my testing, plus a few guys I race with, they essentially took the Z4 GTE’s sound and copied it on to here, just with added turbo noises.

As for how it drives, It’s quite agile for its size, stops great and providing you haven’t got lead in your feet, can put its power down rather nicely.

In summary, as freebies go, it’s a good one to pick up. 👍

Verdict: Sleeper 👍

 

[Vic Reign93]

Here’s the less than 24hrs left reminder to get your times in folks. 👍

 

[Vic Reign93]

So no extra takers for the BMW?

0/8 M8, would not rate.

And now on to a more sombre note.

Thank You Niki Lauda.

On the 20th of May 2019, Andreas Nikolaus Lauda passed away after undergoing kidney dialysis, he was 70 years old.

But the story leading up to this fateful day is something special indeed.

Niki Lauda was born on February 22(2 days before mine in fact.) 1949 to a wealthy family in the Austrian banking business, but don’t think that helped him out when he decided that he wanted to go racing.

On the contrary, he was a pay driver in his early years of competing in F1 by taking out loans, including a $30k loan.

He debuted at 22 years old in 1971 for the March F1 team at the Austrian Grand Prix, a race he ended up retiring in due to handling issues and BRM’s Jo Siffert won the race.

1972 was Niki Lauda’s first full season with March and it wasn’t a great one with disqualifications and car issues being common.

It wasn’t until the back end of 1973 that Lauda’s career started looking up when he was signed with the prancing horse itself.

Ferrari.

Now we all know that Lauda famously called the Ferrari F1 of the time a :censored:box after testing it for the first time, but he worked with it to win 2 races in 1974 and 5 wins in 1975, which allowed him to claim his first F1 championship title.

Then we come to 1976..

If you haven’t watched ‘Rush’ just yet, you owe it to yourself to do so, but it does a very good job of showing the rivalry of Lauda vs Britain’s very own James Hunt.

They traded blows all the way up to the German Grand Prix and that’s when everything changed.

Despite Lauda trying to get other drivers to boycott the Nurburgring race on safety grounds, the race went ahead and after a few laps Lauda’s car snapped right at the fast left kink before the Bergwerk curve and slammed hard into the fence, bursting into flames.

The cause of said crash as far as i’m aware was never determined.

The now flaming car bounced back on the track and was then hit by the cars of Brett Lunger and Harald Ertl while Guy Edwards avoided the crash.

The 3 guys immediately set about saving Lauda from his burning car with Arturo Merzario stopping his car and helping them out.

Lauda suffered major burns after being stuck in the car for well over a minute, including part of one of his ears being burnt off and heavy lung damage.

So low was his survival expectancy that he was given his last rites by a priest.

But Niki Lauda had no intention of dying that day.

After many surgeries and lung pumps to remove debris from his lungs, he made his astounding return just over a month after his crash and qualified 5th and finished 4th at the Italian Grand Prix.

The title fight went all the way to the finale at Fuji, but near monsoon rains made Lauda decide to retire after one lap and James Hunt went on to win the title by one point.

Next year in 1977 despite his relationship with Ferrari breaking down, he went on to win his second F1 title.

Now despite all that info, I’m just scratching the surface of this mans story, not just on motorsports, but also his time as an owner of his own Airline and the time he went head to head with Boeing after one of his planes crashed.

Just like you owe it to yourself to watch Rush, you owe it to yourself to read this legends story in its fullest. 👍

So the car we running as tribute?

A no brainier really..

The 1976 Ferrari #1 Scuderia Ferrari 312 T2!!!

Powered by a 500hp 3 litre Flat 12 mounted in the middle, it’s sending that power to the rear via a 5 speed manual gearbox.

Weighing in at just under 1,250lbs, you’ll be testing this car not at the track he crashed at, but the one he came back to after the crash.

Monza, the full circuit layout.

This one’s for you Niki Lauda, godspeed.

 

[Vic Reign93]

One simple verdict for this and the man who drove it at Monza 43 years ago and brought it home in 4th, just over a month after a crash that would’ve killed anyone else.

Verdict: Iconic

 

[AlienDeathRay]

First off I want to thank @Vic Reign93 for the tribute to Niki Lauda. (I was going to suggest something similar, except it was the German Grand Prix at Nurburgring. I did 16 laps of Nordschleife in the Ferrari 312 wearing the Austria gear in honor of Niki when I heard the news). I remember watching the crash as a kid on ABC Wide World of Sports, or it could have the been the race at Monza and them replaying the crash. I was stunned. And I seem to recall it may have been the first time I had seen a crash, and realized there are people in the car who could die. It's really a miracle he lived. Secondly, if anyone hasn't seen "Rush" the movie, please watch. One of the best racing movies ever made! On a side note, does anyone know who finished 2nd at Nurburgring that fateful day? It was Jody Scheckter driving the 6 -wheeled Elf Tyrrell-Ford! (Hey Turn 10! Are you getting this? HINT HINT!).

Anyway, getting back to the car. I have been driving the Ferrari 312 T2 quite a bit recently. I have even won a few Online League races in it. I think that speaks a lot to how easy it is to drive. It handles every chicane and hairpin turn as if it was born to do it, plus it out-performs every car in it's division. I am not great with the faster cars, but this one is easy to get used to and makes every road course fun to drive. In my opinion, this may be the best vehicle in the game.
Verdict: Legen - wait for it....... dary!

(yeah that says 1:43.876 above. I did 50 laps, and it was never boring!)

 

[vinz7531]

Hello, I usually dont post here due to m'y lack of skill, but I wanted to make this little Tribute to Lauda.
Rest in peace Man.
This thing is certainly not easy to push to its limit.
Verdict : legend

 

[Nacho Libre]

At first the car was scary because it felt very wobbly in the straights, did you notice that? I figured it was due to the crude aerodynamics of the day, so after a few tweaks (making Mr. Lauda proud) I got to a confortable setting and this time.
RIP Mr. Lauda, I hope James Hunt, Ayrton Senna and all the greats welcome you to an eternal race!
Verdict: Icon

 

[Vic Reign93]

Less than 24hrs to go before the tribute time trial wraps up, so if you want to add or improve your times now will be a good time to do so. 👍

 

[Drex124]

(1:41.060)

 

[Vic Reign93]

So with the end of the Niki Lauda tribute event, here how the times stack up. 👍

@Drex124 1:41.060
@Vic Reign93 1:41.543
@Nacho Libre 1:43.598
@AlienDeathRay 1:43.876
@vinz7531 1:46.013

Thank you guys for joining in for the tribute.

It’s only fitting that we follow it up with a car that was designed by someone who also built a car which won one race in 1978 thanks to Niki Lauda, but never raced again despite being declared legal for the season.

‘But Vic, the Fan Car isn’t in FM7.’ I hear you cry.

That is true, but THIS is.

The 1993 Mclaren F1!!!

The end result of Gordon Murray’s vision of bringing Bruce Mclaren’s dream of a road going Mclaren to life.

It still remains the fastest non turbo/hybrid production with a top speed of 231mph.

231?, you mean 240 Vic?

Nope, the factory fresh F1 could do 231mph, but the car they used for the famous speedrun had its rev limiter raised from 7,500rpm to 8,300rpm, which allowed it to hit a two way average speed of 240mph with peak speed being 243mph.

Gordon wanted an engine that made at least 550hp but was below a certain weight, BMW was the one that stepped up.

While the end result in the form of a 6.1 litre V12 was 16kgs heavier than Gordon wanted, it was much more powerful than he wanted, 627hp to be exact.

With the 6 speed manual that was stress tested by a 7.4 Chevy V8, gold foil in the engine bay as a heat shield, 3 seats with a central driving position and the first CRFP monocoque chassis for a production car, the F1 stamped its name into the history books and hasn’t looked back since.

The in game is slightly heavier than the real one at 2,840lbs (real ones tip in at just over 2500lbs.), but make no mistake, she’s a force to be reckoned with.

The track we’ve picked for this week is one close to F1’s heart, Le Mans.

It’s where the F1 back in 1995, came 1st, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 13th at the 24hr race, on its first try no less against purpose built prototype race cars.

But seeing as the road car was faster on the straights than the race car, It’ll be the Old Mulsanne layout we’ll be using.

Best of luck people.

 

[Vic Reign93]

(03:42.894)

Few things to note for the F1, it got pretty light at the front going through the Mulsanne kink which at near 240mph is ever so slightly terrifying.

The gearing is also quite off as it can hit 200mph at the top of 4th gear and you’ll never need 6th gear.

Also quite twitchy under braking from high speeds too, but it’s still the fastest stock road car from the 20th century in forza so you take the bad with the good.

I don’t think any modern NA car is ever going to go faster than even the road cars 231mph record let alone the prototypes 240mph record.

But Gordon Murray has said he’s planning on bringing a true successor to the F1 which’ll be non turbod/hybrided and have a manual gearbox so maybe watch this space on the speed front.

Verdict: Sleeper 👍

 

[Vic Reign93]

Less than 24hrs left for the F1 time trial folks.

 

[Drex124]

(3:46.451)

Sadly I was short on time, working controllers, and competence this week. A real shame with this being one of my favorite cars.

 

[Vic Reign93]

So only 2 times for the F1 and they are as follows.

@Vic Reign93 3:42.894
@Drex124 3:46.451

Gonna make this a quick one this week or try to anyway.

It’s a car that made its return to Horizon as the Spring 50% reward, but is here in FM7.

It is...

The 1970 Buick GSX!!!

If that nagging feeling of, ‘I swear I’ve seen somewhere else before.’ just registered for you, Allow me to have a good educated guess on where you might’ve first seen it.

Just need to lower the quality of the image annddd.

Ta-Da!

Yep, the Buick GSX was the Beta car for the first ever Driver game before the black Pontiac Le Mans took its place, but it did get to be in Driver 2 as the secret car in Chicago.

Packing a 7.4 litre V8 rated rather conservatively at 360hp(IRL testing had it closer to 400, but with a large and lazy amount of torque, 510ft-lbs to be exact, 10 more than the 450hp Chevy Chevelle SS 454.

Power is sent to the rear via a 3 speed gearbox and is hauling 3,874lbs of classic muscle.

Given its police evading origins it needs a street track to hoon on, so Long Beach Full you’re up.

This week, ‘YOU ARE THE WHEELMAN’, Best of luck people.

 

[Vic Reign93]

(1:40.492)

Kinda underrated compared to the likes of the Charger, Oldsmobile, Chevelle etc, but it is the king of torque compared to them.

Despite only a 3 speed, the torque helped push it up to as high as 130mph down towards turn one, brakes were ok and it was stable once it had turned in to the corners.

Overall, it’s one for those who like to be the torque of the town.

Verdict: Sleeper 👍

 

[Vic Reign93]

Less than 24hrs to go before the Wheelman Time Trial ends.

 

[Vic Reign93]

So no other takers for the GSX?

Guess there can only be one Wheelman to get the job then.

I admit that not many have being joining in recent weeks aside from when we paid tribute to Niki Lauda a few weeks ago, But I rather not have other racing legends pass on every week just so more participants join if only out of paying tribute.

FM7 is getting long in the tooth, FM8 isn’t coming this year and FH4 is getting its second expansion this Thursday, so rather than slowly try and drag it to week 100, I’m thinking about getting to week 90 and putting on one more COTW award show to close the show out on a decent note. 👍

Which means you have 3 weeks to decide on what you think is the best and worst of all the cars from this year, starting all the way back from when we tested the Renualt 5 Turbo and the Merkur, to the the cars we’ll be running this week and next week.

And here’s a twist, the final week just after the award show, both this year’s Sleeper of the year will be put against last years Sleeper of the year, The Holden Sandman in one final dual to decide which will be COTW’s FM7 Ultimate Sleeper.

But we have to get there first, so let’s bring out this week’s car.

Introducing..

The 1988 Lamborghini Jalpa!!

‘The Baby Countach’ that replaced the Silhouette, Nearly 420 cars were built over its life span from 1981 to 1988 and was viewed as the more affordable, easier to use Lamborghini of its time.

Packing a 3.5 Litre V8 with 4 twin barrel carburettors which was mounted in the middle and hooked up to a 5 speed manual gearbox, it made 255hp and 231ft-lbs and was pushing a car weighing just over 1500kgs.

So with it being claimed as easier to drive, we need to take it to a city to test that claim, I think Prague Full Circuit Reverse will do just fine.

Best of Luck People

 

[vinz7531]

The 1988 Lamborghini Jalpa!!

Hi, this one is definitely a car I want to test.
I tried some time ago to upgrade it to homologation for my son but never managed to get the handling right
Let's see what it gives with default settings

 

[Vic Reign93]

Despite having the tail step out going into turn one, The Jalpa was a pleasant experience to drive.

While you do have to work the V8 hard to keep it moving sharpish, it will reward those who can keep it on song.

As baby lambos go, it’s a solid contender for its division. 👍

Shame it’s not in FH4 for some reason.

Verdict: Sleeper 👍

Reminder: Don’t forgot to start looking over all the previous picks and start thinking about compiling a list of your candidates for the COTW Award Show on Week 90.

 

[Vic Reign93]

Less than 24hrs left for the Jalpa.

 

[Vic Reign93]

No takers for the Jalpa either eh?

Ah well, there’s always this week.

So with Le Mans wrapped up and the Nurburgring 24hrs coming this weekend, I figure we touch base with the 3rd 24hr endurance race.

The 24hrs of Spa.

That’s where we’ll be racing this week and the car you’ll be running is...

The 2010 Mazda #16 Mazda Racing BO9/86!!!

Mazda powered, Lola chassis, LMP2 class.

The engine is the 2.0 turbo 4 found in the Mazda 3 and 5, albeit completely rebuilt for endurance racing and now chucking out 525hp and 406ft-lbs of torque.

The lightweight carbon monocoque and chassis was built by the previously mentioned and as of 2012 defunct Lola company, that lightweight construction keeps the weight down to 1,973lbs.

Power is sent to the rear via a 6 speed sequential gearbox and the Mazda power plant is mid mounted.

Sadly you can’t swap in a 3 Rotor like you could in the engine swap mad days of FM3, but the Mazda B09 should be just fine without it.

Keyword: Should

That’s for you guys to figure out.

BTW: Not long left before the COTW Award Show on week 90, so make sure to send me your picks for Beater and Sleeper of the year + plus any picks for the award categories we had first time around.

Best of luck people

 

[Vic Reign93]

So the B09, the gearing is surprisingly long as I never needed 6th gear and the engine likes being on boost as the boost threshold is quite high up the rev range so keeping the revs up there is vital.

As for handling, it’s an LMP2 racer so what do you expect?

A lot of grip, strong brakes and easy to drive once you know how the power curve is.

Of the the two Mazda LMP2 racers, it is the faster one, but the diesel one with a solid tune I reckon could stay close while being better on fuel.

Verdict: Sleeper 👍

Times running out on the COTW Awards, be sure to get your votes in for your Beater and Sleeper picks.

 

[Vic Reign93]

Less than 12hrs left for the Mazda B09 LMP2.

 

[Drex124]

(2.10.618)

It's an LMP2 Lola so it drives pretty much entirely as expected. Not that there's anything wrong with that of course.

Sadly it does lose points for the strangely long gear ratios. The reliance on aero also means the car turns into a bit of a dump truck at lower speeds.

Verdict: Neutral

 

[Vic Reign93]

So the times for the Mazda B09 are as follows.

@Vic Reign93 2:10.440
@Drex124 2:10.618

So about the award show...

Truthfully that in hindsight, It was ambitious to try and get votes in given the levels of participation the last few weeks, doubly so with that FM7 is quite some ways into its life span.

So while the award show is condensed down to just the sleeper and beater awards for this final award show, i’m happy that it’s lasted this long and want to thank everyone who’s ever contributed to this thread, you are as they would say, the real MVPs.

So let’s get to the ‘Junkyard Sale’ award for the Beater of the year.

Based on the picks we have(or lack of) the winner for BOTY 2019 is...

The Ford Brawner Hawk!!!

A car that was let down (according to the nominee who voted for it.) by Forza’s physics on classic cars.

You know, how certain classics pull the wheels during cornering due to the jelly suspension?

Couple that with an angry turbo V8 and speeds over 180mph and it’s quite terrifying to drive.

Shame as I quite liked it.

Moving on to the 2019 Sleeper of the Year picks, ‘The Best Of The Show’ if you will.

The nominees are as follows.

The Shelby Monaco King Cobra
The Nissan IDX Nismo
And The TVR Cerebera Speed 12

After some careful consideration and weighed up each cars case for the prize, the winner of the 2019 Sleeper Of The Year award and entered into the grand finale against last years winner, The Holden Sandman for a chance to win the title of COTW FM7’s Ultimate Sleeper is...

The Nissan IDX Nismo!!!

The underdog that never got to have its day, now has its day. :tup:

So for the Grand Finale of COTW FM7, you’ll be taking the IDX and the Holden Sandman to any track you like, run them hard and leave nothing on the table as the title of FM7’s Ultimate Sleeper is up for grabs.

And now once more with feeling, Best of Luck People.