Gran Turismo World Series discussion (2026 Nations Cup: 11-28 February)

[dazdilly75]

Hoping he does make it there & when he does, he'll get my 100% support. He's got my upmost respect & appreciation for being a supreme controller player & also for how he sweetly gives detailed suggestions in his lap guides on Youtube.

I'm so damn eager to see this Maestro of a player tackle & tame Nordschleife for the upcoming Manu event on Saturday.

Calster is the British version of Daniel Solis, who also qualified on a controller in the GT Sport era, only to go on and become a champion on a wheel. It can be done, if you're fast, you're fast, regardless of what peripheral you use. I personally think Jack Balding is the one to watch out for, he has all the attributes of a future champ.

 

[stpatty]

Qualified 14th, I think I was 7 tenths off pole. Very close grid. Clung on for dear life through the first lap and a half and after some spins and penalties I ended up in 9th, behind an Audi with a Nissan behind me. Tried to work with the Nissan but I was faster in the second sector and we couldn't really get any bump drafting along the straight. I had planned to pit and change on lap 10, looking back I might have benefitted from an undercut but not that important.

The Audi stayed out, we pitted on lap 10. A Z4 had been catching and ended up getting past on lap 13, I got a penalty for track limits at the left before the back straight, so he ended up passing me, the other GT-R and driving off. Eventually the Audi from before pitted on lap 14 and didn't change his tyres. I don't know. He went backwards and by the end of lap 18 we were right behind him. My pace was actually quite good here, considering how little I've ever raced on the track. Based on this race I'm clearly terrible at the hairpin and it's costing me half a second a lap, but anyway

Coming out of turn one on lap 19 the GT-R and Audi come together. The Audi spins out and the GT-R backs off, I'm up to 9th. The GT-R was South African and had been lagging a bit when I was running close to him, I think that affected things here. I had a good gap to 10th and was planning my post on here when this happened at the hairpin:

The big mark on my left arsecheek should give you an idea. The Ferrari behind just didn't brake at the hairpin. I'm watching the replay now and it looks like there was a bit of lag-affected coming together on this lap in the midfield section. He was well past the 100 board at the hairpin before hitting the brakes. Poor stuff either way.

Don't remember what points I got but I'm pretty satisfied I was driving at my limit, and the best that could have achieved was 9th. Better things to come on Saturday please

 

[KAlex122]

Please tell me that a custom race with 2x tire wear and 2x fuel with standard "s1" weather and BoP on is a good simulation of what will be happening on Saturday.

Tried my Jag today. I thought i have a pretty good experience at the Nürburgring for a low B lobby driver but my experience ist mostly road cars and Gr.4. The Gr.3 Jag seems so much more nervous over the curbs, i hope i can adapt.

Also i want to go RM->RS as I'll be a bit tired and not super focused. So pitting for worse tires could lead to "impactful" errors.

 

[Moose78]

Please tell me that a custom race with 2x tire wear and 2x fuel with standard "s1" weather and BoP on is a good simulation of what will be happening on Saturday.

GT Engine is saying Sunset with S04 weather and 1x time multiplier. I'd go with that unless you've got some better source of information.

 

[KAlex122]

GT Engine is saying Sunset with S04 weather and 1x time multiplier. I'd go with that unless you've got some better source of information.

1 time multiplier for the weather? But the rest of what i wrote is ok? Thanks!

 

[Talon16]

Please tell me that a custom race with 2x tire wear and 2x fuel with standard "s1" weather and BoP on is a good simulation of what will be happening on Saturday.

Tried my Jag today. I thought i have a pretty good experience at the Nürburgring for a low B lobby driver but my experience ist mostly road cars and Gr.4. The Gr.3 Jag seems so much more nervous over the curbs, i hope i can adapt.

Also i want to go RM->RS as I'll be a bit tired and not super focused. So pitting for worse tires could lead to "impactful" errors.

The TT mimics the race. So what you're seeing there is what the race will be like.

I do like how it's at least not high-noon like most races are; at least it's sunset. I was hoping for a higher multiplier such we'd finish the race at night time. Those day-to-night (or vice versa) transitions are really cool and underutilized by PD.

---

I did another test run in the Z4 and am thinking 3xRS and 2xRM or 2xRS and 3xRM are both viable strats. I just tried the latter and my overall time was about five seconds quicker than the former (RS first on both to be consistent; also no wind). However, in both cases the RMs went second and the car was much lower on fuel. I feel like doing RMx2 then RSx3 is probably the best overall.

To reiterate, only did those tests with the Z4. That car is great and really fun to drive. Seeing how a full length practice run takes 42 mins, there's only so many I can do in a weekday. I am not Moose after-all.

 

[Yard_Sale]

Currently at an 8:07.4 in the 458 with a tad left in the lap, and an 8:08.3 in the 296 with a good second left in the lap once I learn how to tickle the 296 just right in some of the turns. The T U R B O - L A G in the 296 still catches me out at times, and it’s spam shifting points in certain sectors are different than the 458, but I think there’s a really good chance I’m going to run it. It’s absolutely crazy to me how fast these top guys are able to go around the ring. I can’t even fathom it

 

[RACECAR]

Another go, this time just starting at the back and seeing what happens. Predictably got messy in parts and had a few mistakes myself with track limits (Just cut it too close at times).

 

[A_Higher_Place]

The TT mimics the race. So what you're seeing there is what the race will be like.

I do like how it's at least not high-noon like most races are; at least it's sunset. I was hoping for a higher multiplier such we'd finish the race at night time. Those day-to-night (or vice versa) transitions are really cool and underutilized by PD.

---

I did another test run in the Z4 and am thinking 3xRS and 2xRM or 2xRS and 3xRM are both viable strats. I just tried the latter and my overall time was about five seconds quicker than the former (RS first on both to be consistent; also no wind). However, in both cases the RMs went second and the car was much lower on fuel. I feel like doing RMx2 then RSx3 is probably the best overall.

To reiterate, only did those tests with the Z4. That car is great and really fun to drive. Seeing how a full length practice run takes 42 mins, there's only so many I can do in a weekday. I am not Moose after-all.

Do you think the car will be light enough on fuel after 2 laps to help your RS tyres last 3 laps?

AMG is a bit of a pig on fuel so I'm weighing options..

 

[Yard_Sale]

Do you think the car will be light enough on fuel after 2 laps to help your RS tyres last 3 laps?

AMG is a bit of a pig on fuel so I'm weighing options..

Yes. If the 458 can start with a full tank of fuel and do 3RS laps, any car can

 

[Talon16]

Do you think the car will be light enough on fuel after 2 laps to help your RS tyres last 3 laps?

AMG is a bit of a pig on fuel so I'm weighing options..

For sure. I think you can run the RS tires for three laps on the first or second stint, but it'd be advantageous to do it on the second due to fuel weight. I don't think doing three on the RS is too bad.

Two things to note:

-I only did testing solo; of course dirty air and racing may take a bit of a toll on tires. Did most all of my testing in the Z4 and don't know how the Z4 is on tires vs the AMG.

-Some cars will need a splash of fuel (not sure how the AMG is on fuel). The 296 could go the whole race without getting any (it'll be close but it can) but the Z4 definitely needed about half a lap's worth.

I did just watch Kie's video for this coming race and he recommended doing the 2xRM and 3xRS. But he's in the 296.

 

[Uday9479]

Please tell me that a custom race with 2x tire wear and 2x fuel with standard "s1" weather and BoP on is a good simulation of what will be happening on Saturday.

Tried my Jag today. I thought i have a pretty good experience at the Nürburgring for a low B lobby driver but my experience ist mostly road cars and Gr.4. The Gr.3 Jag seems so much more nervous over the curbs, i hope i can adapt.

Also i want to go RM->RS as I'll be a bit tired and not super focused. So pitting for worse tires could lead to "impactful" errors.

Is it a coincidence or not that even my stable Audi R8 was hopping on those kerbs. I'm wondering if all cars will feel the same so as to make the Manu qualy & race more punishing.

I remember so well when a few weeks back we had a Gr.4 daily race for 2 laps at the 24h version, my Audi TT Cup & Mazda3 cars were smoothly sailing over the kerbs. Maybe because they are FF cars or maybe the entire race model for the Saturday event is different...

 

[Pakiti]

Is it a coincidence or not that even my stable Audi R8 was hopping on those kerbs. I'm wondering if all cars will feel the same so as to make the Manu qualy & race more punishing.

I remember so well when a few weeks back we had a Gr.4 daily race for 2 laps at the 24h version, my Audi TT Cup & Mazda3 cars were smoothly sailing over the kerbs. Maybe because they are FF cars or maybe the entire race model for the Saturday event is different...

I was also confused by the curbs. I don't have much experience at the Nürburgring, but I never saw anything like that. I even checked for water on the track; it was so unusual.
...I ride a 650S

 

[KAlex122]

The TT mimics the race. So what you're seeing there is what the race will be like.

Yeah, but i find it weird that the free practice doesn't have the same tire multiplier than the race.

Just tried a custom race with standard weather and 2x tire and after 4 laps i had worn down the RS completely and after 3,5 laps the fronts where just extremely understeering.

 

[Yard_Sale]

Ran another Sophy tire-test race to retest the 1-4 strategy in a 296. Here are the results

End of 1st RS lap

End of 2nd RS lap

End of 3rd RS lap

End of race. this includes one spin and a few tank slappers from my mistakes, not the result of worn tires





Couple notes. I would only go for this strategy if I was buried towards the back of the pack, and was just going for a top 8 finish so I wouldn’t lose DR. If I was in a clean, fast group - I would probably just stick to a 2-3 strategy. If I was racing with a decent gap ahead of me, I’d probably stick to the 2-3 strategy regardless of my position at the end of lap 1. If I was actually to attempt this in a race, I’d go to TCS-1 for the final lap, if not the last 2 laps. ASM would help if you’re not confident driving with worn tires. I haven’t figured it out yet, but I reckon the 4th RS lap will be a few seconds slower than the second RM lap. In sterile conditions, the 1-4 strategy will probably be 7-10 seconds slower than the optimal 2-3 strat. It really comes down to how the race is going, and if you think you’ll lose ~10 seconds by being in traffic the first 3-4 laps

 

[Zorz]

Is it a coincidence or not that even my stable Audi R8 was hopping on those kerbs. I'm wondering if all cars will feel the same so as to make the Manu qualy & race more punishing.

I remember so well when a few weeks back we had a Gr.4 daily race for 2 laps at the 24h version, my Audi TT Cup & Mazda3 cars were smoothly sailing over the kerbs. Maybe because they are FF cars or maybe the entire race model for the Saturday event is different...

I was also confused by the curbs. I don't have much experience at the Nürburgring, but I never saw anything like that. I even checked for water on the track; it was so unusual.
...I ride a 650S

MR cars getting unsettled by the high kerbs around the Nordschleife is very normal.

This is a track where you mostly want to avoid touching kerbs outside the GP circuit. There's a few relatively flat ones that you can safely go over but most of them are likely to cause some sudden weight transfer which is especially bad for the less stable Group 3 cars like the R8.

 

[VTEC Driver]

I did yesterday another test with Renault RS 01. (TC2 - ABS Weak)

This time I started with soft, 2 laps and then changed to Medium for the other 3 laps.
Started in position 10 of 16 cars.

Quite quickly and in not polite way I was in P3 and then for almost 2 laps I remained there, I wasn't capable to overtake a standard AI.
I think that 3 laps on Soft are possible, but already at the end of the lap 2 I feel the car much less precise entering in the curve, the tires are quite noise and the feeling is that the lap 3 on Soft would be slower than medium (at least for my capability).

Switched to Medium I was back in the last position, all the other cars are still al together.
Done all the overtakes and back again in P3.
Then slowly I was capable to pass the other 2 because those cars are start suffering tire performance (didn't checked their compound).

At the end I finished in first position, some cars pitted at lap 4, and the medium are still around 60-70%, so a very safe situation.

My strategy will be really conservative, and lapping at around 8:30 the race is about 43 min.

Curbs in some cases are really dangerous, so yes MR cars are critical in such situation.

Fuel was ok, but because I am slow...

 

[Moose78]

I did some 4-lap stints in the Renault on each of the required tire compounds last night. Here's what that looked like:

Manufacturer	Model	Tire Compound	Laps	Opt time	Best time	Avg time	Total time
Renault	R.S.01 GT3 '16	RS	4​	8:25.504​	8:22.346​	8:25.868​	33:43.473​
Renault	R.S.01 GT3 '16	RM	4​	8:23.342​	8:23.256​	8:25.673​	33:42.692​

Lap times:

Lap	RS tires	RM tires
1​	8:22.346​	8:23.256​
2​	8:23.450​	8:26.429​
3​	8:26.649​	8:28.774​
4​	8:31.028​	8:24.233​

Tire tread levels at finish:

Manufacturer	Model	Tire compound	Laps	Front left	Front right	Rear left	Rear right
Renault	R.S.01 GT3 '16	RS	4​	5%​	20%​	10%​	10%​
Renault	R.S.01 GT3 '16	RM	4​	55%​	60%​	55%​	60%​

Strategy simulations (by total time):

Strategy	Total time
3RS-2RM	42:02.130​
2RS-3RM	42:04.255​
1RS-4RM	42:05.038​
4RS-1RM	42:06.729​

Not too surprising that the 3RS-2RM came out on top.

One thing that did surprise me was how good (relatively speaking) my final lap on RMs was. I'm guessing this was from the reduced fuel weight. I really didn't expect it to make that big of a difference, but apparently it does. All the more reason to leave the RS stint to the end, I suppose.

 

[Pakiti]

MR cars getting unsettled by the high kerbs around the Nordschleife is very normal.

This is a track where you mostly want to avoid touching kerbs outside the GP circuit. There's a few relatively flat ones that you can safely go over but most of them are likely to cause some sudden weight transfer which is especially bad for the less stable Group 3 cars like the R8.

Thanks for the clarification, but I'm still confused. This is right after leaving Aremberg.

The entrance angle is clearly not high, nor is the curb itself; I've crossed it many times without such consequences.

 

[Talon16]

Yeah, but i find it weird that the free practice doesn't have the same tire multiplier than the race.

Just tried a custom race with standard weather and 2x tire and after 4 laps i had worn down the RS completely and after 3,5 laps the fronts where just extremely understeering.

That's how it's literally always been, in both GTWS races and Dailies. There's no multipliers in the TT. Also, your car runs indefinitely on low fuel (despite showing full) as well so you get both benefits while TTing.

This is a common mistake many make, as they find their braking points while doing TT laps but then go deep in race as the car is heavier due to fuel.

If you want to add those things from the get-go use GT-Engine to best copy the race conditions. It won't be perfect but that's how it goes.

Couple notes. I would only go for this strategy if I was buried towards the back of the pack, and was just going for a top 8 finish so I wouldn’t lose DR. If I was in a clean, fast group - I would probably just stick to a 2-3 strategy. If I was racing with a decent gap ahead of me, I’d probably stick to the 2-3 strategy regardless of my position at the end of lap 1. If I was actually to attempt this in a race, I’d go to TCS-1 for the final lap, if not the last 2 laps. ASM would help if you’re not confident driving with worn tires. I haven’t figured it out yet, but I reckon the 4th RS lap will be a few seconds slower than the second RM lap. In sterile conditions, the 1-4 strategy will probably be 7-10 seconds slower than the optimal 2-3 strat. It really comes down to how the race is going, and if you think you’ll lose ~10 seconds by being in traffic the first 3-4 laps

Agree with all the "what ifs" here. I think it'll just be a judgement call based on your race, where you are, where others are, what tires you presume others are on, etc.

I don't know if PD woke up or pure dumb luck but rounds two, three, and four have had no clear winning strat. Round one was pretty straight forward, but two was which lap to pit off IMs onto slicks which would then dictate which slicks (early off the IMs for RMs or stay out another lap and take RS); round three was whether or not to take tires which would likely determine when you'd pit which was likely determined based on how your race was going; now round three is similar.

 

[Zorz]

Thanks for the clarification, but I'm still confused. This is right after leaving Aremberg.
View attachment 1507955
The entrance angle is clearly not high, nor is the curb itself; I've crossed it many times without such consequences.

View attachment 1507956

I can't explain that one if its consistently unsettling the McLaren. That's one of the few kerbs I'd have considered relatively safe. 🤔

 

[Uday9479]

Stats leading to the Manu event at Nurburgring 24H:

 

[BGreenFace]

Looking at @Moose78 datas, I think it will probably be faster is you do start in lower position with relatively similar times to the ones around you to do a 1RS-4RM rather than a 1RM-4RS. Staring on RS give you a bit more margin to when to pit but it could also be able to give you decent performance for the 2 final lap with low fuel. That being said, it is very likely that I will do the 3RM-2RS Strat for the race that way I could try and hunt down drivers doing a 4RS final stint.

 

[Uday9479]

Looking at @Moose78 datas, I think it will probably be faster is you do start in lower position with relatively similar times to the ones around you to do a 1RS-4RM rather than a 1RM-4RS. Staring on RS give you a bit more margin to when to pit but it could also be able to give you decent performance for the 2 final lap with low fuel. That being said, it is very likely that I will do the 3RM-2RS Strat for the race that way I could try and hunt down drivers doing a 4RS final stint.

True. Also considering the track is so narrow (especially for Gr.3 cars) & the risk of slipping onto/running wide onto the grass while trying to overtake a car ahead, I wonder if this race will be all about strategy & consistency.

I drove the 3RM + 2RS strategy in a lobby race. I started in 9th & finished in that position as most the drivers on the grid were A+ Japanese drivers. I just wanted to join any lobby race to run a full qualy + race simulation.

 

[Hdbd04]

Did a simple run of the 2RM-3RS strategy with the Jag. Shortly after destroying my runs by the curbs in free practice. The mediums did hold up, although I fear that if I used it any longer in the actual race, I'd be left behind of the pack.

I pitted-in after Lap 2 with a bit of fuel added just to be sure. The softs were comfortable, although I didn't expect to have some life of it when I finished the race. But that's one thing isn't it? If it was the actual race, the tires would be long gone from the eventual battles and bumps that I'd be dragged in (Note: That in I had driven somewhat carefully for two laps after getting the softs to preserve its life.).

So for my situation at least, it's better to start in the mediums to get it over with. But the question comes if I really want to get rid of it by Lap 2, and risk having a blow-out with the softs, or be safe and pit-in by Lap 3 and either risk being caught up in a kerfuffle or be left on my own. The best part is that the answer will come on the race itself regardless of how hard I think about it.

Although, I feel like it's more important to get comfortable with the Jag around the track more before I join in.

 

[KAlex122]

Did a simple run of the 2RM-3RS strategy with the Jag. Shortly after destroying my runs by the curbs in free practice. The mediums did hold up, although I fear that if I used it any longer in the actual race, I'd be left behind of the pack.

I pitted-in after Lap 2 with a bit of fuel added just to be sure. The softs were comfortable, although I didn't expect to have some life of it when I finished the race. But that's one thing isn't it? If it was the actual race, the tires would be long gone from the eventual battles and bumps that I'd be dragged in (Note: That in I had driven somewhat carefully for two laps after getting the softs to preserve its life.).

So for my situation at least, it's better to start in the mediums to get it over with. But the question comes if I really want to get rid of it by Lap 2, and risk having a blow-out with the softs, or be safe and pit-in by Lap 3 and either risk being caught up in a kerfuffle or be left on my own. The best part is that the answer will come on the race itself regardless of how hard I think about it.

View attachment 1508025
Although, I feel like it's more important to get comfortable with the Jag around the track more before I join in.

Why not set brake balance to the rear, az least a bit? Mine wore more or less the same in the front and back in the Jag.

 

[Hdbd04]

Why not set brake balance to the rear, az least a bit? Mine wore more or less the same in the front and back in the Jag.

Usually I do set the break balance toward 1-2 to the rear in the actual races. Maybe I did set the brake balance to 1, or that I was a little forceful with my brakes during some of the corners that may or may not affect my handling around the bumps after the Karussell.

 

[stpatty]

Tried a practice race doing 2M/3S. The final two laps on softs were a 18.7 and a 24.2. I'm surprised they were that close given how bad the softs were at the start of lap 5. I'd probably feel more comfortable in a race doing 3M/2S.

 

[Uday9479]

The R8 hates hates the kerbs & the Carousel for me is like nightmare fuel. The car hates the kerbs so much (the same very kerbs which I loved attacking in other cars) that I consciously avoid them which has hurt my overall pace at the track that I love so much.

Guess whatever result comes my way, I'll go for it with a grain of salt.

I also wonder how many would risk overtaking because one mistake from either car, You'll not only hit the barriers, the grass will hurt You even more. I wonder if keeping it clean, sane & a workable strategy is the name of the game at this event.

 

[BBerlingo]

On my second attemt in the GT2 league this morning i managed to get pole on my absolute favorite track. I am fairly fast for a B rank driver on the nordschleife but am fairly weak on the GP section so i was nervous about the first few turns. Being in pole i chose to start on softs. I was a bit worried about 3 laps on softs with heavy fuel but the choice made me able to pull away early in the GP section on the first lap. I did not want to pit into traffic after 2 laps so the RS had to do 3. Softs held up well until around half way through lap 3 but i chose the safe route and drove conservatively on the northernmost part, loosing around 3 sec to the group behind on mediums. 2 laps on mediums to finish it off: Distance to 2nd and 3rd shrunk from 7.5 to around 3.5 sec after lap 4, but surprisingly the mediums kept up well with the speed of softs on their second lap. Finished P1, 3 sec before P2!

No fuelsave needed on the R8 btw.
3RS - 2RM felt ok.

Good luck to everyone racing today! Enjoy!