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Here is a write-up of me finally conquering the blasted AC 427 in the Pro Hall Classic Car cup. I had previously tried the 300SL and E-Type, but in both instances were blown into the weeds by a Buick Special and AC 427 respectively. My poison this time was a 550HP Superbird, which sounds like a doddle given the HP, but considering the mass of the car and Sports Tyres, it is more then meets the eye.
Race one: El Capitan Reverse
Surprisingly, the AC 427 started in 5th, right ahead of me. This was a great piece of news as my strategy was to win the first two races, predictable come second in the last two and take off the gloves in the pivotal Nurburgring meeting. Anyway. Got an ok start, falling marginally behind the Cobra. Blasted past the cannon fodder in the form of the other underpowered sideshows and settled in behind the AC.
I was tempted to make a dash for the lead immediately given the brevity of the race, but i spend a few corners feeling out the steering and determining possible future avenues for attack. Got right up behind him at the hairpin leading up the hill and thanks to the stump pulling torque of the Big Green Machine, sailed past him up the hill. Took a bit too much speed into the long right sweep, allowing him to sneak past again. Had a run up him on the inside, but with the "hump" looming large, and not wanting to get airborne and risk losing it all before the first lap was out I tried to back off. Still managed to misjudged things, overtook him in the air (!) and watched in my mirrors and he slid past me on the outside, entering the tunnel.
Collected my tankslapping rear and was right up next to him in the first of the esses, and snuck up the inside in the second part of the essess. Pulled out a half second leading up to and including last corner 180 degree corner. Crossed the finish line with a second lead and cautiously tiptoed around the first half of the lap, avoiding any excursions, of which the possibility was ever present with the emergence of mid corner understeer. Had him in my mirrors at the sharp hairpin at the base of the hill, but again eaked out a small advantage by the "hump", applied early anchors and sealed the race by 1.3 seconds from there on. The Plan off to a good start.
Race two: Fuji Speedway.
The AI pulled a sneaky by moving the AC up to the front of the grid [
]. Prior to the race I had fiddled attempting to cure the mid-corner understeer using the LSD and had adjusted the gears to cope with the long straight. At the start, I was careful to avoid running into the slower Nissans and Lotus', which would have hampered my speed down to the first corner. Was meticulously careful not to outbrake myself into the first corner, but found myself over 5 seconds behind the AC at the first split. Hooked up the apex of the long, tightening right sweep and made up a tenth or two.
Was a bit weary of my understeer in the final corner long sweep onto the straight, but carried good speed onto the straight, and then it was simple aim for the back of the AC and cross fingers. Made up some handsome ground on the straight and entering the braking zone was conflicted as whether to make a move now or bide my time. Opted for the latter and immediately regretted it was the AC slowly pulled away, stretching the gap to just over two seconds. Again did alright in the first right sweep and nailed the braking zone to close up right behind. Got good drive out of the last corner despite the emergence of more understeer and got a slight tow up the last sweep. Chucked the car up the inside the AC despite the protestation of wailing tyres and nudged him wide 👍. Daintily feather the brakes fearing I would follow him to the outside of the asphalt and somehow made it stick. As soon as traction was re-established, booted it and thankfully the finish line arrived when it did as he was belting up behind me, aided by my slipstream. Plan looking promising.
Race three: Nurburgring. Crunch time
Make or break time. Finish behind the AC here and Plan fails absolutely. Unhappily, the AC was again on the front row, leaving me with a mountain to climb before the lights had even turned green. Prior to the race, I had softened the springs a touch to cope with the undulation and lengthened the first three cogs to make advantage of the narrow, but massive powerband of the BGM. Neatly cut my way through the rifraf of placings 2-5 and was second by 4.5 secs entering the "twin jump" straight. After the second "jump" carried a dab too much speed into the 5th gear left and got the right rear wheel on the outside grass. That got the back around to about 30 degrees but thankfully no more rubber met grass and I managed to get it all pointing in the right directon, albeit at a cost of tenths.
Belted down the hill in the section where one does the M5 licence test. I love this section and usually trail brake into the near flat out left hander at the top of the hill. I got the tail out too early on this occasion and thought i had scrubbed off too much speed, but i squared to corner off, rounded the curb without going over it and somehow got it settled under braking on the outside curb, ready for the sharp righthander. I was happy to see the AC still picking its way though the tight ess bends as I entered them and thus, took my chance. I floored it across the infield of the right-hander ess and just managed to connect with his rear bumper. This wobbled him enough to allow me to recover and settle in about .75secs behind him.
My plan now was to sit behind him and slip him on the long final straight. It took much concentration to stick as close to him as possible throught the remainder of the lap, especially as the problematic understeer returned as soon as the tyres lost their newness. I thought i had blown it as we entered the last concrete hairpin as I was about 2 secs behind, but he ran a bit wide on the exit and touched the wall or the grass and this gave me a free ticket to recover some lost time. I almost lost it on the final bend entering the long straight due to too much speed and old tyres but I tip-toed around the outside and gunned it at him. It took considerably longer to reach him then I thought, and it was only on the uphill section that the tow paid dividends, but i drew up long side him and edged in front on the downhill section.
At that speed all I could hear was transmission whine. No tyres noise, no engine noise, no nothing. I cut in front of him and then wondered if that was a bright thing to do considering the AI's penchant for driving into the back of you underbraking if your braking points differ....I carried good speed into the esses...... and found him nosing up the inside of the second to last corner! I closed the door faster then superman, but he was a fiesty one and my rear started coming around in a dangerous fashion, so I opened the door a dash, knowing he was going to be on the outside for the final corner, and in true Michael Schumacher fan fashion i pushed him way wide and onto the grass in the final bend. I finished the job by scrambling to the finish line in a 8.02:3xxx. Hurrah! The Plan is coming to fruishen!
Race four: Cote D'Azur.
Tried crazy settings on the LSD to cure the understeer, and shortened the box a bit to cope with the uphills at this track. The race was pretty much over by the first corner. I hadnt crossed the start/finish yet and the AC was already beginning to stride up the first hill. I packed it in, knowing the overall points situation and coasted home in second, about 14 secs behind the leader.
Race five: Laguna Seca
Again, by the first sector I was 5.5 secs behind the AC, so I just closed up shop and drove for second place, which I completed 17 secs behind the leader. But, I win on points! HA! Eat that you stupid AC!
And to think all i got for this was the stupid Daimler Carriage....
Race one: El Capitan Reverse
Surprisingly, the AC 427 started in 5th, right ahead of me. This was a great piece of news as my strategy was to win the first two races, predictable come second in the last two and take off the gloves in the pivotal Nurburgring meeting. Anyway. Got an ok start, falling marginally behind the Cobra. Blasted past the cannon fodder in the form of the other underpowered sideshows and settled in behind the AC.
I was tempted to make a dash for the lead immediately given the brevity of the race, but i spend a few corners feeling out the steering and determining possible future avenues for attack. Got right up behind him at the hairpin leading up the hill and thanks to the stump pulling torque of the Big Green Machine, sailed past him up the hill. Took a bit too much speed into the long right sweep, allowing him to sneak past again. Had a run up him on the inside, but with the "hump" looming large, and not wanting to get airborne and risk losing it all before the first lap was out I tried to back off. Still managed to misjudged things, overtook him in the air (!) and watched in my mirrors and he slid past me on the outside, entering the tunnel.
Collected my tankslapping rear and was right up next to him in the first of the esses, and snuck up the inside in the second part of the essess. Pulled out a half second leading up to and including last corner 180 degree corner. Crossed the finish line with a second lead and cautiously tiptoed around the first half of the lap, avoiding any excursions, of which the possibility was ever present with the emergence of mid corner understeer. Had him in my mirrors at the sharp hairpin at the base of the hill, but again eaked out a small advantage by the "hump", applied early anchors and sealed the race by 1.3 seconds from there on. The Plan off to a good start.
Race two: Fuji Speedway.
The AI pulled a sneaky by moving the AC up to the front of the grid [
]. Prior to the race I had fiddled attempting to cure the mid-corner understeer using the LSD and had adjusted the gears to cope with the long straight. At the start, I was careful to avoid running into the slower Nissans and Lotus', which would have hampered my speed down to the first corner. Was meticulously careful not to outbrake myself into the first corner, but found myself over 5 seconds behind the AC at the first split. Hooked up the apex of the long, tightening right sweep and made up a tenth or two. Was a bit weary of my understeer in the final corner long sweep onto the straight, but carried good speed onto the straight, and then it was simple aim for the back of the AC and cross fingers. Made up some handsome ground on the straight and entering the braking zone was conflicted as whether to make a move now or bide my time. Opted for the latter and immediately regretted it was the AC slowly pulled away, stretching the gap to just over two seconds. Again did alright in the first right sweep and nailed the braking zone to close up right behind. Got good drive out of the last corner despite the emergence of more understeer and got a slight tow up the last sweep. Chucked the car up the inside the AC despite the protestation of wailing tyres and nudged him wide 👍. Daintily feather the brakes fearing I would follow him to the outside of the asphalt and somehow made it stick. As soon as traction was re-established, booted it and thankfully the finish line arrived when it did as he was belting up behind me, aided by my slipstream. Plan looking promising.
Race three: Nurburgring. Crunch time
Make or break time. Finish behind the AC here and Plan fails absolutely. Unhappily, the AC was again on the front row, leaving me with a mountain to climb before the lights had even turned green. Prior to the race, I had softened the springs a touch to cope with the undulation and lengthened the first three cogs to make advantage of the narrow, but massive powerband of the BGM. Neatly cut my way through the rifraf of placings 2-5 and was second by 4.5 secs entering the "twin jump" straight. After the second "jump" carried a dab too much speed into the 5th gear left and got the right rear wheel on the outside grass. That got the back around to about 30 degrees but thankfully no more rubber met grass and I managed to get it all pointing in the right directon, albeit at a cost of tenths.
Belted down the hill in the section where one does the M5 licence test. I love this section and usually trail brake into the near flat out left hander at the top of the hill. I got the tail out too early on this occasion and thought i had scrubbed off too much speed, but i squared to corner off, rounded the curb without going over it and somehow got it settled under braking on the outside curb, ready for the sharp righthander. I was happy to see the AC still picking its way though the tight ess bends as I entered them and thus, took my chance. I floored it across the infield of the right-hander ess and just managed to connect with his rear bumper. This wobbled him enough to allow me to recover and settle in about .75secs behind him.
My plan now was to sit behind him and slip him on the long final straight. It took much concentration to stick as close to him as possible throught the remainder of the lap, especially as the problematic understeer returned as soon as the tyres lost their newness. I thought i had blown it as we entered the last concrete hairpin as I was about 2 secs behind, but he ran a bit wide on the exit and touched the wall or the grass and this gave me a free ticket to recover some lost time. I almost lost it on the final bend entering the long straight due to too much speed and old tyres but I tip-toed around the outside and gunned it at him. It took considerably longer to reach him then I thought, and it was only on the uphill section that the tow paid dividends, but i drew up long side him and edged in front on the downhill section.
At that speed all I could hear was transmission whine. No tyres noise, no engine noise, no nothing. I cut in front of him and then wondered if that was a bright thing to do considering the AI's penchant for driving into the back of you underbraking if your braking points differ....I carried good speed into the esses...... and found him nosing up the inside of the second to last corner! I closed the door faster then superman, but he was a fiesty one and my rear started coming around in a dangerous fashion, so I opened the door a dash, knowing he was going to be on the outside for the final corner, and in true Michael Schumacher fan fashion i pushed him way wide and onto the grass in the final bend. I finished the job by scrambling to the finish line in a 8.02:3xxx. Hurrah! The Plan is coming to fruishen!
Race four: Cote D'Azur.
Tried crazy settings on the LSD to cure the understeer, and shortened the box a bit to cope with the uphills at this track. The race was pretty much over by the first corner. I hadnt crossed the start/finish yet and the AC was already beginning to stride up the first hill. I packed it in, knowing the overall points situation and coasted home in second, about 14 secs behind the leader.
Race five: Laguna Seca
Again, by the first sector I was 5.5 secs behind the AC, so I just closed up shop and drove for second place, which I completed 17 secs behind the leader. But, I win on points! HA! Eat that you stupid AC!
And to think all i got for this was the stupid Daimler Carriage....
