Gran Turismo - Mixed Endurance Series - Season 5 FINISHED

Any idea what the regs will be for the Gr.3/Gr.4 season 6? Want to have a bit of a play with cars and see what works, but would be helpful to have a rough idea of regulations.

Obviously not expecting them to be perfected by this point.
 
NJ72
Any idea what the regs will be for the Gr.3/Gr.4 season 6?
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We are still working on them, calendar and rules will be released this weekend.
Entry list will also open, even though final standings will decide picking order (16 cars, dont think there will be problems.)
 
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GT-MES is in Barcelona too!

This Friday we head to Spain, Barcelona.
Championship contenders are starting to push away from others, but almost everybody has still shot for glory.

Honda cant seem to match Nissan in Gr2.
This time it was VitmnG to take win for Nissan. He was jumped in start, but fought his way back to lead, and kept it, even after switching to 1-stop strategy midway to race. His first win of the season came just in time, but he now needs to keep pushing to cut cap to points leader.
If he got his first win of the season, Honda-driver jonirune91 is still looking for his. He could stay with VitmnG and keep him honest in the end, but yet again, no win.
He has again shot to win in Barcelona, and he needs to take it, or task to catch Nissan's grows too big.
xZePhyR96x did not win this time, keeping up with group, and finishing 3rd with so heavy car, was very impressive. Championship leader has no pressure to get results ahead of Le Mans, but if somebody starts winning streak, he could be in hard spot in Finale.
sota59 needs to get on winning form. He has had solid season, 3 podiums, 1 of them is win. But domination of xZePhyR96x means you have to be better than good. Testing ahead of Round 6 has not been that impressive, and it is starting to look like top class will have new champion...


Gr3 seems to be survival of the fittest.
Yet again we have new winner, this time it is TaZZ_1990 in Ferrari. German had difficult debut in Fuji, but in Austria, he nailed it. He could separate himself from rest of the class, avoid all chaos, and took win by big margin. He will miss race in Barcelona, and as he has already missed 3 races, he wont be in title-race. But he will be one to watch when he returns, as he now has shown his potential.
Nils missed Round 5, but returned to Austria with yet another 2nd place. He was not one of the fastest, but yet again, his experience helped him to avoid all accidents, and picked up couple positions. He is second in standings, with 4 second places, even when he is one round behind his rivals. Barcelona will be last race that does not expose Mazda's weaknesses, but he could potentially win title without winning single race.
BMW-driver thunder-pigeon's class is starting to show as season moves on. He had most ticks, came from difficult race in Autopolis, was taken out during the race, but finished with 3rd place, and solid points. He has now reached 5-race mark, he has couple results from earlier races he could improve, but he will be in strong position in Le Mans regardless.
Farin79 came just short of podium place in Red Bull Ring, but he can be happy with his effort. He is one race behind his rivals, has had earned good points, but he needs to keep pushing. Like for his Mazda-teammate, Barcelona will be important race.
Audi-driver Road2FURY also has had impressive races, but needs some more. Australian was taken out, and only came 5th over the line. Good drive in Barcelona would make him title-contender for Le Mans, next to Thunder and Nils.
As said last week, ak84-LFC in Corvette is not in title fight after entering late, but could show some talent second half of the season. He did just that leading at opening laps, doing some good laptimes, but accidents dropped him far away from top, and resulted him getting DT-penalty for his next race. He will need to clean up his driving, but talent is there. He could pull out some LFC stuff in Barcelona.
doc-shipman seems to be accident magnet. He was part of unlucky accident, and ruined his chances of any result. He is not in title fight, will miss Barcelona, but if any luck, he will return with couple strong results, and help his BMW-teammate in fight for class-title.
ACZalex_gaming had race to forget. Accident, and then getting DSQ for having too much power in car. He did have impressive lap times, overpowered or not, look out for him to be podium still this season.

In other news, rest of manufacturers were confirmed for Season 6, with Mercedes, Subaru and Alfa Romeo returning. Mr Sotastone said: "We are very happy to confirm return of these great manufacturers. We have had lot of interest by drivers for next season. With Mr. Pigeon and Dr. Shipman joining out board of directors, future seems very bright." He also confirmed that Season 6 rules will be out during weekend.
 
As a late re-entry, I should now be OK to race tomorrow. That said, I won't have a chance to do much practice, so don't imagine I'll be very competitive!

Looking forward to shedding some of the weight from earlier ticks and supporting my team mate in Spain before a trip to Croatia where we both hope to be strong contenders.
 
Need to stop myself getting excited about Season 6, but that's not hard when 2 of my favourite tracks are coming up next!

Dragon Trail on Friday should be great fun. Should have a BMW testing session later this week :D
 
Some fun testing on Dragon Trail last night. The Bus Stop is where there's time to be had if you're willing to risk race-ending damage... :D
 
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Getting close to end!

Before heading to Le Mans, we go to classic Seaside-track, in Dragon Trail, Croatia.
This is last chance to boost your position for final double points race. Some need big result, some just hope to avoid possible penalties for next race and some are just getting ready for next season.

It is closer than it seems in Gr2.
After going 10 races without win, jonirune91 finally wins again. Honda driver was again on the pace during quali, and starting from pole, he kept lead, could build a gap big enough to win by good margin by then end. He will have heavier car after win, but should be strong bet in Dragon Trail.
His teammate sota59 made it 1-2 win for Honda. He took second place behind his teammate in start, and quickly focused on keeping rival Nissan-cars behind. After small error with fuel, it seemed podium was out of reach, but last laps he moved to second place after mistakes from Nissan's. In testing ahead of Round 7, he has shown improved pace, and now he needs to beat his teammate, or he will have to go to Le Mans-title decider as second driver. But maybe more importantly, he needs to secure Honda maximum result, to get close to Nissan in manufacturer standings.
After dominating first half of the season, Nissan's xZePhyR96x has impressed with heavier car. Even after mistake in last lap in Barcelona, he was able to finish ahead of his teammate. But news that he will miss his second race of the season, Round 7, means his secure title, is not that secure after all. He will lead championship lead to Le Mans whatever happens, but he will have to win to celebrate his 3rd GT-MES title, in a row.
VitmnG in other Nissan, even after leading one point, fell to 4th in Barcelona after strategy-fail, and mistake close to finish, and gap to his teammate in championship grew bigger. Win in Dragon Trail would bring him to striking distance of his first title, but more importantly, it would keep Mazda and Honda away from Nissan in manufacturer standings.


Crazy season in Gr3 continues.
Smart tactic and drive from Mazda's farin79 promoted him to his second win of the season, and title-race. He was left behind in early laps, but going for 1-stop strategy, promoted him to lead, even after heavy fuel saving. This win not only means that his team is in title fight, but he also has good shot to win Gr3 title. Pressure is not there going to Croatia, but podium would improve his chances going to Le Mans.
Nils and 5th straight second place promotes him to championship lead. Mazda-man looked like taking his first win of the season, but getting to fight with much slower car meant he could not catch his teammate, even second place came because due other driver having corner cut-penalty. Mazda's straight line speed is big worry going to important Le Mans, win to extend his pointlead is important target, Dragon Trail is his favorite track, so anything is possible.
thunder-pigeon took again important 3rd place, but even second place was on cards, but he failed to slow enough to clear his 0.4sec penalty for corner cutting. BMW-drivers mission for this race is to keep clean, and not allow Nils to extend his points lead.
Audi-driver Road2FURY did not have speed in Spain, being outside podium again. But he atleast could slow Nils down, enough to keep him from maximum points. Australian needs to return to podium, or he will head to Le Mans more as outsider, than title-challenger.
doc-shipman was 5th in last race, after little testing, and couple mistakes. He is not in title battle, but can be important part of his BMW-teammates title-run. He has said he is looking forward driving in these last two tracks, could be man to beat, if he keeps car heading right direction.
ak84-LFC had drive-though penalty for Barcelona, and after serving it, he could do little to fight for big places. He has no penalties for this race, and has shown pure speed, so he is another to look out for.
ACZalex_gaming had to DNF after technical problems, he should be in mix if internet is ok. Eyes on future already.
TaZZ_1990 won in Austria, missed last race. He is not part of any title-race, so he has no pressure for results. He is friends with title-challenger farin79, that might be something to look out for...
 
sota59
doc-shipman ... if he keeps car heading right direction.
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This is the ultimate question! In testing I had a good consistent run, so fingers crossed I can keep it that way for the race for once. Only one clear race this season for me and that was the podium at Nur.
 
Can't believe it's the last race of the season on Friday! :embarrassed:

Hoping for some big points for team BMW to try and improve that manufacturer's result, although I doubt we'll be able to catch Nissan, even with double points... Jumping above Honda would be a great result here.

As for drivers championship, priority obviously sits with Thunder-Pigeon on the team orders, but we'll see. There's been talks between both drivers and Team BMW Director asking for the 'Free to Race' order being given... Time will tell!
 
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Final is here!

GT-MES Season 5 ends in legendary Le Mans.
2x points in this hour long race means that every driver that has driven full season, is fighting for drivers titles. 4 in Gr2, 5 in Gr3.
In past, 5 out of 6 times championship leader has left Le Mans with title. But this season has been tighter than ever, with multiple winners in both classes, meaning finale will be tighter than ever.

Final race of Gr2-cars epic, after interesting season.
xZePhy96x jumped to top class from Gr3 after winning back to back Gr3 titles. Decision to take older Nissan-model seemed bit risky, but he proved his choice right by dominating first round. He followed this performance with another clear win in Brazil week later, but missing Fuji allowed his rival to get back winning ways. In his return in Autopolis though, he proved his dominance with 3rd win of the season. Round 5 in Austria was going to be hard with much heavier car than rest, but he took important 3rd place, and repeated that next week in Spain. But missing Round 7 allowed his rivals to cut his lead, and but is still championship leader due 5-race rule. Nissan-man is favorite to take title, win would make it automatic, but even 2nd place could clinch it in some cases.
His teammate VitmnG started season as favorite, after just losing Gr2 title in S4, and proving his speed against his new teammate in past. But season did not start like he wanted, being long way from his teammate, but could just get important second place. He improved for Round 2, but could not put that to result, and only came 3rd to the finish. Round 3 looked like race for him to win, but Honda-pair was unbeatable, and yet again 3rd place. Missing Autopolis gave him time to turn his season around, and Nissan-man took very important win. Round 6 did not go to plan, finishing outside podium, but he was able to take his second win of the season in Dragon Trail, and improving his chances for title. He now needs to win in Le Mans to win title, and after news this will be his last season for while, title would be nice way to leave.
Honda-driver jonirune91 started season as black horse. Season started with solid 3rd place, with even chances for second place after interesting tactic. Pace looked strong ahead of Brazil, but was taken out in start, and had to finish outside podium. But he got close to win in next race in Fuji, leading most of the race, just to come second behind his teammate. He came to Autopolis race unprepared, and had to settle with 4th place after mistakes. Hardwork ahead Round 5 made him one of the favorites, but again, just came short of win, finishing second. Race in Barcelona was must win for him and Honda, and he finally took his first win in 11 races, after dominating performance. Struggles and mistakes in Dragon Trail kept him away from win, even after taking lead late in the race, but took important second place. Honda-man has shot to win the title, but needs to win, and championship leader to drop to 3rd. Title would be very impressive, after struggles last season.
Regaining Gr2 champion sota59 in Honda had awfull start to season, taken out in first corner, and finishing outside podium. Second place in Brazil, and win in Fuji gave him very important points, but only 3rd place in Autopolis, and 4th in Austria dropped him back in championship. Second place in Barcelona though gave hope, and he had speed to win in Dragon Trail, but mistakes made him finish 3rd in the end. Like his teammate, sota59 needs win, and championship leader to drop to 3rd or lower to win title. Title would his 5th in GT-MES, 4th for Honda.

It has been crazy season in Gr3.
Nils started season as clear favorite. Only driver with previous experience in GT-MES, former champion, and runner up in Gr3 last season. Him not winning season opener in his home race in Germany was shock. He also was also outpaced in next round in Brazil. Round 3 in Fuji exposed his Mazda's weakness, straight line speed. Despite being unable to win, he had 3 second places from first 3 races. Autopolis looked like track for him to win in, but he had to miss it. He returned in Austria, and chaos between rookie drivers promoted him to another second place. Barcelona looked like last chance for him to take his important first win of the season, but again he had to settle to second place after getting stuck to battle with slower cars. Dragon Trail was always going to be difficult with Mazda, and had to again settle for second place. 6 straight second places have him to of championship, but to stay there and take his 2nd title, he almost has to win in Le Mans. But Mazda's straight line struggles, and ticks making car even slower, mean he can only hope for chaos between other drivers.
BMW's thunder-pigeon started season with fantastic win. He suffered first lap crash with his teammate next round, but in Fuji he took another win, making him title-favorite. Another start accident in Autopolis raised questions, but impressive 3rd place in Austria, even after accident, proved he can get results done to win titles. Another solid 3rd place in Barcelona meant he had little to gain next round, and only came 4th. He might not be in championship lead, but he is in best position to win the title.
farin79 in Mazda has been impressive, he might not be fastest, but smart tactics, and clean races has won him great points. He started his season in Brazil, and took 3rd place after clean race, and almost took another podium in Fuji. Autopolis looked like strong track for Mazda, and he took his first win with great performance, even after being bit behind after start. He again just came short of podium in Austria, but took another win in Barcelona, even after struggling with pace. 3rd place in Dragon Trail improved his chances, but, like his teammate, Mazda's struggles and ticks make title bit unlikely in Le Mans. He needs another smart drive, and maybe bold tactic to overcome lack of top speed.
Audi's Road2FURY has shown impressive speed and overtakes. Crash in Round 1 was bad start to season, but he was able to pull clean race together in Brazil, and was fastest man, taking win. He was again fast in Fuji, but accidents took cost him time, but could take 3rd place in the end. Another 3rd place gave him good points from Autopolis, but accidents in Austria kept him away from podium. Pace was not there in Barcelona, and he missed Dragon Trail. Many consider him being favorite to win Le Mans, but will need his Thunder and Farin to be 3rd or lower to win title.
doc-shipman in BMW been interesting to watch this season. He opened season with good 3rd place, but crashes, penalties, mistakes kept him away from podium, even with showing speed. But in Dragon Trail, he was able to have clean smart race, and had speed to take easy win. He has small outside chance to take title in Le Mans, but has to win firstly.
TaZZ_1990 in Ferrari has win from Austria, and could be potential winner in Le Mans, even though he is not in title fight. His teammate lavillegr and Corvette's ak84-LFC also shown speed, and they could mix race up.

Manufacturer championship been under Nissan's control this season. They looked like favorites ahead of the season with All-Star line up, several wins mean they have solid lead for Le Mans finale.
Mazda has been consistent this season 2 wins, and second places in all other races. Need to win in Le Mans to have any shot to win title, but as said, unlikely.
Honda has been dominating name in GT-MES, but this season been harder. Couple wins have kept them in battle thought, and 1-2 win in Le Mans would not only bring them 5th straight drivers title, but also another manufacturers title.
 
That was an amazingly enjoyable season. My performance was somewhat erratic with consistency only really appearing in the latter half of the season, but here's to the next!

Team Honda having a shakedown later in the week for the upcoming season opener!
 

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