Laguna Seca 200 Miles Companion & Competition
- Thread starter axletramp
- 192 comments
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GTsail
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- GTsail2/GTsail3
I've been having some more AI fun at Laguna Seca:
I've been doing some testing/re-starts with my next car and right from the start, the 9th place Pontiac Tempest LeMans pulls-up along the left side of my car just as we top the S/F hill. However, I haven't left him any room,
so he migrates left into the pit lane and he gets grabbed by the pit tractor-beam!
He has to stay in the pit lane until pit-exit, where he finds himself in 12th place since the rest of the field has gone smartly around the Andretti hairpin. Great fun!
Do you think that the race stewards will ask me to give back a position or two?
Nervous
GTsail
I've been doing some testing/re-starts with my next car and right from the start, the 9th place Pontiac Tempest LeMans pulls-up along the left side of my car just as we top the S/F hill. However, I haven't left him any room,
so he migrates left into the pit lane and he gets grabbed by the pit tractor-beam! He has to stay in the pit lane until pit-exit, where he finds himself in 12th place since the rest of the field has gone smartly around the Andretti hairpin. Great fun!Do you think that the race stewards will ask me to give back a position or two?
Nervous
GTsail
GTsail
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- GTsail2/GTsail3
I've been cycling my UCD quite a bit lately, so I happen to chance upon a nice looking Holden Monaro CV8 '04 that's painted "Redhot". I already have a different colored Monaro in my garage, but its never been used. I decide to buy a second Monaro since these days I need to keep using up my credits since I keep hitting the $20M limit.
There's a decent amount of mileage on this used Holden Monaro, so I take it to GT Auto and have them run the chassis maintenance for $23,500.
My crack pit-crew gives the Holden Monaro CV8 '04 a thourough wrenching, so afterwards I end up with the following spec's:
Horsepower: 268
Weight: 1550 (stage 1 wgt reduct, then added 58kg ballast)
PP value: 440
P.Limiter: 86.7%
Tires: SH (used throughout the race)
No skid
Odometer: 11,194.2 miles
Purchased on: 10/24/12
Switched: 1
Wins: 0
Sitting on the Laguna Seca Grid is the following Alternative lineup # 4 (after PD Cup - Expert):
-------------------
1) Chrysler Prowler '02
2) Corvette Grand Sport C4
3) Mustang V8 GT Coupe '07
4) Corvette ZR-1 C4 '90
5) Plymouth Superbird '70
6) Chrysler 300C '05
7) GTsail in the Monaro CV8
8) Camaro SS '00
9) Tempest LeMans GTO '64
10) Dodge Challenger R/T '70
11) Challenger SRT8 '08
12) Camaro Z28 Coupe '97
During testing, I man-handle the 9th place Tempest LeMans GTO as we go over the S/F hill on lap one, as mentioned above in post # 93. This start was frowned upon by the race stewards so a re-start is in order.
So the flag drops a second time..... Even with a rolling start, I still get swamped by the 8th place Camaro SS '00 and the 9th place Pontiac Tempest LeMans GTO going into the Andretti hairpin. I immediately re-pass the 8th place Tempest LeMans GTO on the exit from the hairpin. Up next is the 7th place Camaro SS '00, who I pass going thru turn # 9. And finally, at the end of lap # 1, I pass the 6th place speed-challenged Ford Mustang V8 GT Coupe as we go thru turn # 11.
When I begin lap # 2, I see that I'm 8.6 seconds behind the race leader after a 1.56.839 lap. On lap # 2, I pass the 5th place Plymouth Superbird '70 as we brake for the corkscrew. I end the lap 9.2 seconds behind the race leading Chrysler Prowler after a 1.45.918 lap.
On lap # 3, I set an early lap record of 1.43.636 and end the lap only 8.4 seconds behind the race leading Chrysler Prowler.
On lap # 7, I pass the 4th place Corvette ZR-1 C4 going thru turn # 11, and I end the lap 10.5 seconds behind the race leading Chrylser Prowler after a 1.44.806 lap.
On lap # 9, I blow the exit from turn # 3 and perform three or four fish-tailing maneuvers before getting straightened out. This destroys my lap which ends up taking 1.48.061. I end the lap a full 13 seconds behind the race leading Chrylser Prowler.
On lap # 12, I set a new lap record of 1.43.468, which re-gains some of my lost time, so I end the lap 12.4 seconds behind the race leading Chrysler Prowler.
With the 5th place Camaro Z28 Coupe in my mirrors, I run a good set of laps:
Lap # 15 takes 1.43.972
Lap # 16 takes 1.43.905
Lap # 17 takes 1.43.966
As I begin lap # 18, I see that I'm only 10 seconds behind the race leading Chrysler Prowler, so my good run of laps are having the desired effect upon the margin to the Prowler.
On lap # 20, the three front-runners catch the 12th place Ford Mustang V8 GT Coupe. By the end of lap # 20, all three have gotten past the Ford Mustang V8 GT, but it has slowed them down a bit, since by the end of the lap, I'm only 7 seconds behind the race leading Chrysler Prowler, and only about 3.5 seconds behind the 3rd place Chrysler 300C.
On lap # 21, I pass the 12th place Ford Mustang V8 GT as well, and head-off after the three front-runners.
When I begin lap # 24, I see that I'm only 3.7 seconds behind the race leading Chrysler Prowler after a 1.44.415 lap. I'm only about 1 second behind the 3rd place Chrysler 300C. Its my feeling that the three front-runners have all slowed down a bit, now that they have caught the first back-marker. I don't think its because of worn tires. They all have another 20 to 25 laps to go before their first pit-stop. The 5th place Camaro Z28 Coupe has been still maintaining his position behind me, always about 2 seconds behind me.
At the end of lap # 25, I catch and pass the 3rd place Chrysler 300C going thru turn # 11 and end the lap in 3rd place some 4 seconds behind the race leading Chrysler Prowler. The Chrysler 300C was very slow going thru turn # 11, so I had no choice but to pass him even though I was thinking about saving my tires by just maintaining my position.
On lap # 28, I catch and pass the 2nd place Corvette Grand Sport C4 as we go thru turn # 9. Lap # 28 takes me 1.44.856 and I'm now only 1.7 seconds behind the race leading Chrysler Prowler. Time for a break.....
On lap # 31, I catch the race leading Chrysler Prowler after a 1.45.721 lap, so I'm only 1 second behind him as we begin lap # 32.
Over the next four laps, I hold my 2nd place position, staying about 1 second behind the race leading Chrysler Prowler.
On lap # 35, I'm right behind the Prowler when he catches the 11th place Dodge Challenger SRT8.
During lap # 36, we both pass the 11th place Dodge Challenger SRT8.
Just after the corkscrew, I pause the game.... Just ahead of me are two more back-markers. So right now I'm in the middle of a 9-car train
, with the 9th place Plymouth Superbird on point, and the 6th place Dodge Challenger R/T '70 bringing up the rear. The train leading Plymouth Superbird is about half-way thru turn # 9, I'm just before the wire/cantalever overpass, and the train's caboose, the Challenger R/T '70 is part-way thru the corkscrew. So the 9-car train is only about 4.5 seconds long!
As we go thru turn # 11, I pass the first place Chrysler Prowler and the 10th place Tempest LeMans GTO and end lap # 36 with a 0.436 second lead over the Prowler. It has taken me 1 hour, 3 minutes and 25 seconds to battle my way into the race lead.
On lap # 37, I pass the 9th place Plymouth Superbird and put him a lap down. Behind me, the Superbird holds up the field a bit, so by the end of the lap I've opened up a 3 second lead over the Chrysler Prowler after a 1.46.345 lap. The Chrysler 300C is in 3rd place, and the Corvette Grand Sport is in 4th place.
On lap # 40, I catch and pass the 12th place Ford Mustang V8 GT and put him 2 laps down. At the end of the lap, I have a 10 second lead over the 2nd place Chrysler Prowler who has really slowed down on his worn tires. My tires are still feeling pretty good with about 67% of their tire life remaining, so I should be able to get to lap # 45 before my first pit-stop.
When I begin lap # 45, I see that I have a 19 second lead over the Chrysler Prowler. My tires are still decent, so I decide to continue on for another lap. According to my race notes, the 3rd place Chrysler 300C will pit on lap # 46, so I will as well.
So at the end of lap # 46, I dive into the pits for a new set of SH tires and 60 liters of fuel. While I'm in the pits the Chrysler Prowler drives past and takes over the race lead. Shortly later, the Corvette Grand Sport, the Camaro Z28 Coupe, and the Challenger R/T '70 also drive past the pits, so I get dropped back into 5th place. Just before I get released from the pits the Chrysler 300C joins me.
At the first checkpoint on lap # 47, I get the news that I've fallen 30 seconds behind the race leading Chrysler Prowler.
As I begin lap # 48, I jump up into 4th place in the race because the Dodge Challenger R/T has entered the pits from 4th place.
After 50 laps, I'm only 20 seconds behind the race leading Chrysler Prowler after a 1.44.881 lap.
The race leading Chrysler Prowler pits at the end of lap # 51, so I pass him as I drive past to begin lap # 52. I'm now in 3rd place, some 15 seconds behind the race leading Corvette Grand Sport.
When I begin lap # 53, I find myself in 2nd place since the Camaro Z28 Coupe has just enterd the pits. On lap # 53 I run a 1.43.956 lap and take over the race lead when I begin lap # 54 because the Corvette Grand Sport has finally pitted.
On lap # 54, just exiting the pits in front of me, are the Dodge Challenger SRT8 and the 8th place Corvette ZR-1 C4. At the first checkpoint on lap # 54 I see that I have a 16 second lead over the 2nd place Chrysler 300C, who has cycled to the front of the AI pack due to the pit-stop sequences. During lap # 54, I pass the 8th place Corvette ZR-1 going thru turn # 6.
On lap # 57, after a 1.43.883 lap, I see that my lead over the Chrysler 300C is down to 20 seconds.
After 60 laps, my lead over the 2nd place Chrysler 300C is down to 15 seconds after a decent 1.43.553 lap. Time for a break.....
I set a new lap record of 1.43.245 on lap # 62 and see that this has increased by lead to 16 seconds over the 2nd place Chrysler 300C.
On lap # 64, I catch a little sand going thru turn # 6 and get spun into the inside armco.
This ruins my lap so I run a 1.47.071 lap and my lead is cut to 13 seconds over the Chrysler 300C.
Lap # 66 takes 1.43.358 which allows me to maintain my 13 second lead over the Chrysler 300C.
On lap # 69, I pass the lowly Ford Mustang V8 GT again, and after a 1.43.776 lap, I've increased my lead to 16 seconds over the Chrysler 300C.
On lap # 71, I set a new lap record of 1.43.218 and increase my lead over the Chrysler 300C to 17 seconds.
After 75 laps, I have an 18 second lead over the Chrysler 300C after a decent 1.44.031 lap.
After 80 laps, I have a 22 second lead over the Chrysler 300C after another decent 1.44.544 lap. I seem to have the race well in hand at this point.
After 85 laps, I have a 25 second lead over the Chrysler 300C after a 1.44.406 lap. I think that the tires on the Chrysler 300C must have begun to show their age.
At the beginning of lap # 90, I pass the 8th place Camaro SS '00 going thru turn # 3, and put him 2 laps down.
Lap 90 takes me 1.45.300, and I cross the Finish line in first for another win!
Total race time was 2 hours, 38 minutes and 39.111 seconds
Finishing order:
------------------
1) GTsail in the Monaro CV8
2) Chrysler 300C----------29 seconds behind (pits on lap # 46)(BL 1.41.469)
3) Challenger R/T---------1min,12 secs back (pits on lap # 47)(BL 1.43.030)
4) Chrysler Prowler--------1min, 17 secs back (pits on lap # 51)(BL 1.43.850)
5) Corvette Grand Sport----1min, 18 secs back (pits on lap # 53)(BL 1.43.620)
6) Camaro Z28 Coupe-------1min, 20 secs back (pits on lap # 52)(BL 1.43.218)
7) Corvette ZR-1-----------1 lap down (pits on lap # 52)(BL 1.44.501)
8) Camaro SS '00-----------2 laps down (pits on lap # 54)(BL 1.44.747)
9) Tempest LeMans---------3 laps down (pits on lap # 50)(BL 1.45.509)
10) Challenger SRT8--------3 laps down (pits on lap # 51)(BL 1.45.352)
11) Plymouth Superbird-----3 laps down (pits on lap # 47)(BL 1.46.383)
12) Mustang V8 GT---------5 laps down (pits on lap # 55)(BL 1.48.940)
Post race notes:
------------------
Quite a nice race with the Holden Monaro CV8. It handles quite well for being as heavy as it is. It was also surprisingly gentle on its tires. I could have gone further before the first pit-stop since my tires were still giving me good grip.
Post race mileage on my Holden Monaro is 11,399.6 miles, which means that I put 205.4 miles on the Monaro at Laguna Seca. I ran nearly two full laps during testing (I re-started twice), so actual race mileage was about 201 miles.
Enjoy the racing!
GTsail
There's a decent amount of mileage on this used Holden Monaro, so I take it to GT Auto and have them run the chassis maintenance for $23,500.
My crack pit-crew gives the Holden Monaro CV8 '04 a thourough wrenching, so afterwards I end up with the following spec's:
Horsepower: 268
Weight: 1550 (stage 1 wgt reduct, then added 58kg ballast)
PP value: 440
P.Limiter: 86.7%
Tires: SH (used throughout the race)
No skid
Odometer: 11,194.2 miles
Purchased on: 10/24/12
Switched: 1
Wins: 0
Sitting on the Laguna Seca Grid is the following Alternative lineup # 4 (after PD Cup - Expert):
-------------------
1) Chrysler Prowler '02
2) Corvette Grand Sport C4
3) Mustang V8 GT Coupe '07
4) Corvette ZR-1 C4 '90
5) Plymouth Superbird '70
6) Chrysler 300C '05
7) GTsail in the Monaro CV8
8) Camaro SS '00
9) Tempest LeMans GTO '64
10) Dodge Challenger R/T '70
11) Challenger SRT8 '08
12) Camaro Z28 Coupe '97
During testing, I man-handle the 9th place Tempest LeMans GTO as we go over the S/F hill on lap one, as mentioned above in post # 93. This start was frowned upon by the race stewards so a re-start is in order.
So the flag drops a second time..... Even with a rolling start, I still get swamped by the 8th place Camaro SS '00 and the 9th place Pontiac Tempest LeMans GTO going into the Andretti hairpin. I immediately re-pass the 8th place Tempest LeMans GTO on the exit from the hairpin. Up next is the 7th place Camaro SS '00, who I pass going thru turn # 9. And finally, at the end of lap # 1, I pass the 6th place speed-challenged Ford Mustang V8 GT Coupe as we go thru turn # 11.
When I begin lap # 2, I see that I'm 8.6 seconds behind the race leader after a 1.56.839 lap. On lap # 2, I pass the 5th place Plymouth Superbird '70 as we brake for the corkscrew. I end the lap 9.2 seconds behind the race leading Chrysler Prowler after a 1.45.918 lap.
On lap # 3, I set an early lap record of 1.43.636 and end the lap only 8.4 seconds behind the race leading Chrysler Prowler.
On lap # 7, I pass the 4th place Corvette ZR-1 C4 going thru turn # 11, and I end the lap 10.5 seconds behind the race leading Chrylser Prowler after a 1.44.806 lap.
On lap # 9, I blow the exit from turn # 3 and perform three or four fish-tailing maneuvers before getting straightened out. This destroys my lap which ends up taking 1.48.061. I end the lap a full 13 seconds behind the race leading Chrylser Prowler.
On lap # 12, I set a new lap record of 1.43.468, which re-gains some of my lost time, so I end the lap 12.4 seconds behind the race leading Chrysler Prowler.
With the 5th place Camaro Z28 Coupe in my mirrors, I run a good set of laps:
Lap # 15 takes 1.43.972
Lap # 16 takes 1.43.905
Lap # 17 takes 1.43.966
As I begin lap # 18, I see that I'm only 10 seconds behind the race leading Chrysler Prowler, so my good run of laps are having the desired effect upon the margin to the Prowler.
On lap # 20, the three front-runners catch the 12th place Ford Mustang V8 GT Coupe. By the end of lap # 20, all three have gotten past the Ford Mustang V8 GT, but it has slowed them down a bit, since by the end of the lap, I'm only 7 seconds behind the race leading Chrysler Prowler, and only about 3.5 seconds behind the 3rd place Chrysler 300C.
On lap # 21, I pass the 12th place Ford Mustang V8 GT as well, and head-off after the three front-runners.
When I begin lap # 24, I see that I'm only 3.7 seconds behind the race leading Chrysler Prowler after a 1.44.415 lap. I'm only about 1 second behind the 3rd place Chrysler 300C. Its my feeling that the three front-runners have all slowed down a bit, now that they have caught the first back-marker. I don't think its because of worn tires. They all have another 20 to 25 laps to go before their first pit-stop. The 5th place Camaro Z28 Coupe has been still maintaining his position behind me, always about 2 seconds behind me.
At the end of lap # 25, I catch and pass the 3rd place Chrysler 300C going thru turn # 11 and end the lap in 3rd place some 4 seconds behind the race leading Chrysler Prowler. The Chrysler 300C was very slow going thru turn # 11, so I had no choice but to pass him even though I was thinking about saving my tires by just maintaining my position.
On lap # 28, I catch and pass the 2nd place Corvette Grand Sport C4 as we go thru turn # 9. Lap # 28 takes me 1.44.856 and I'm now only 1.7 seconds behind the race leading Chrysler Prowler. Time for a break.....
On lap # 31, I catch the race leading Chrysler Prowler after a 1.45.721 lap, so I'm only 1 second behind him as we begin lap # 32.
Over the next four laps, I hold my 2nd place position, staying about 1 second behind the race leading Chrysler Prowler.
On lap # 35, I'm right behind the Prowler when he catches the 11th place Dodge Challenger SRT8.
During lap # 36, we both pass the 11th place Dodge Challenger SRT8.
Just after the corkscrew, I pause the game.... Just ahead of me are two more back-markers. So right now I'm in the middle of a 9-car train
, with the 9th place Plymouth Superbird on point, and the 6th place Dodge Challenger R/T '70 bringing up the rear. The train leading Plymouth Superbird is about half-way thru turn # 9, I'm just before the wire/cantalever overpass, and the train's caboose, the Challenger R/T '70 is part-way thru the corkscrew. So the 9-car train is only about 4.5 seconds long!As we go thru turn # 11, I pass the first place Chrysler Prowler and the 10th place Tempest LeMans GTO and end lap # 36 with a 0.436 second lead over the Prowler. It has taken me 1 hour, 3 minutes and 25 seconds to battle my way into the race lead.
On lap # 37, I pass the 9th place Plymouth Superbird and put him a lap down. Behind me, the Superbird holds up the field a bit, so by the end of the lap I've opened up a 3 second lead over the Chrysler Prowler after a 1.46.345 lap. The Chrysler 300C is in 3rd place, and the Corvette Grand Sport is in 4th place.
On lap # 40, I catch and pass the 12th place Ford Mustang V8 GT and put him 2 laps down. At the end of the lap, I have a 10 second lead over the 2nd place Chrysler Prowler who has really slowed down on his worn tires. My tires are still feeling pretty good with about 67% of their tire life remaining, so I should be able to get to lap # 45 before my first pit-stop.
When I begin lap # 45, I see that I have a 19 second lead over the Chrysler Prowler. My tires are still decent, so I decide to continue on for another lap. According to my race notes, the 3rd place Chrysler 300C will pit on lap # 46, so I will as well.
So at the end of lap # 46, I dive into the pits for a new set of SH tires and 60 liters of fuel. While I'm in the pits the Chrysler Prowler drives past and takes over the race lead. Shortly later, the Corvette Grand Sport, the Camaro Z28 Coupe, and the Challenger R/T '70 also drive past the pits, so I get dropped back into 5th place. Just before I get released from the pits the Chrysler 300C joins me.
At the first checkpoint on lap # 47, I get the news that I've fallen 30 seconds behind the race leading Chrysler Prowler.
As I begin lap # 48, I jump up into 4th place in the race because the Dodge Challenger R/T has entered the pits from 4th place.
After 50 laps, I'm only 20 seconds behind the race leading Chrysler Prowler after a 1.44.881 lap.
The race leading Chrysler Prowler pits at the end of lap # 51, so I pass him as I drive past to begin lap # 52. I'm now in 3rd place, some 15 seconds behind the race leading Corvette Grand Sport.
When I begin lap # 53, I find myself in 2nd place since the Camaro Z28 Coupe has just enterd the pits. On lap # 53 I run a 1.43.956 lap and take over the race lead when I begin lap # 54 because the Corvette Grand Sport has finally pitted.
On lap # 54, just exiting the pits in front of me, are the Dodge Challenger SRT8 and the 8th place Corvette ZR-1 C4. At the first checkpoint on lap # 54 I see that I have a 16 second lead over the 2nd place Chrysler 300C, who has cycled to the front of the AI pack due to the pit-stop sequences. During lap # 54, I pass the 8th place Corvette ZR-1 going thru turn # 6.
On lap # 57, after a 1.43.883 lap, I see that my lead over the Chrysler 300C is down to 20 seconds.
After 60 laps, my lead over the 2nd place Chrysler 300C is down to 15 seconds after a decent 1.43.553 lap. Time for a break.....
I set a new lap record of 1.43.245 on lap # 62 and see that this has increased by lead to 16 seconds over the 2nd place Chrysler 300C.
On lap # 64, I catch a little sand going thru turn # 6 and get spun into the inside armco.
This ruins my lap so I run a 1.47.071 lap and my lead is cut to 13 seconds over the Chrysler 300C.Lap # 66 takes 1.43.358 which allows me to maintain my 13 second lead over the Chrysler 300C.
On lap # 69, I pass the lowly Ford Mustang V8 GT again, and after a 1.43.776 lap, I've increased my lead to 16 seconds over the Chrysler 300C.
On lap # 71, I set a new lap record of 1.43.218 and increase my lead over the Chrysler 300C to 17 seconds.
After 75 laps, I have an 18 second lead over the Chrysler 300C after a decent 1.44.031 lap.
After 80 laps, I have a 22 second lead over the Chrysler 300C after another decent 1.44.544 lap. I seem to have the race well in hand at this point.
After 85 laps, I have a 25 second lead over the Chrysler 300C after a 1.44.406 lap. I think that the tires on the Chrysler 300C must have begun to show their age.
At the beginning of lap # 90, I pass the 8th place Camaro SS '00 going thru turn # 3, and put him 2 laps down.
Lap 90 takes me 1.45.300, and I cross the Finish line in first for another win!
Total race time was 2 hours, 38 minutes and 39.111 seconds
Finishing order:
------------------
1) GTsail in the Monaro CV8
2) Chrysler 300C----------29 seconds behind (pits on lap # 46)(BL 1.41.469)
3) Challenger R/T---------1min,12 secs back (pits on lap # 47)(BL 1.43.030)
4) Chrysler Prowler--------1min, 17 secs back (pits on lap # 51)(BL 1.43.850)
5) Corvette Grand Sport----1min, 18 secs back (pits on lap # 53)(BL 1.43.620)
6) Camaro Z28 Coupe-------1min, 20 secs back (pits on lap # 52)(BL 1.43.218)
7) Corvette ZR-1-----------1 lap down (pits on lap # 52)(BL 1.44.501)
8) Camaro SS '00-----------2 laps down (pits on lap # 54)(BL 1.44.747)
9) Tempest LeMans---------3 laps down (pits on lap # 50)(BL 1.45.509)
10) Challenger SRT8--------3 laps down (pits on lap # 51)(BL 1.45.352)
11) Plymouth Superbird-----3 laps down (pits on lap # 47)(BL 1.46.383)
12) Mustang V8 GT---------5 laps down (pits on lap # 55)(BL 1.48.940)
Post race notes:
------------------
Quite a nice race with the Holden Monaro CV8. It handles quite well for being as heavy as it is. It was also surprisingly gentle on its tires. I could have gone further before the first pit-stop since my tires were still giving me good grip.
Post race mileage on my Holden Monaro is 11,399.6 miles, which means that I put 205.4 miles on the Monaro at Laguna Seca. I ran nearly two full laps during testing (I re-started twice), so actual race mileage was about 201 miles.
Enjoy the racing!
GTsail
Last edited:
- 19,013
- Jersey V.1.0
- axletramp
So now I move on to actually running one of the American cars from the field. I settle on my arch nemesis from the back of the field, the often lapped Mustang V8 GT Coupe Premium '07. Of course I chose one in red to match the one that usually launches and assaults me every time I lap him, but this one has it's suspension and drivetrain modified (thanks Praiano) as I'm just a little concerned in driving something this heavy. In fact, this car is almost twice as heavy as anything I've driven in months! To balance things out (every pun intended) I had her fully lightened and then added most of it back all near the rear end giving her a rather better 56/44 weight distribution. That should help with the tyre wear and general enjoyment of over 2.5 hours with her. 
I changed the oil and then limited her back to 440PP to make things more competitive and went for a set of SM tyres as experience tells me that 1521Kg and SS tyres don't mix well, especially for 30 laps.
Car: Mustang V8 GT Coupe Premium '07
HP: 276
PP: 440
Weight: 1521Kg
Power Level: 90%
Top Speed Setting: 145mph
Tyres: SM
All aids off. ABS 1. DFGT wheel.
Grid: Grid #4 after 2 cycles of the Suzuka 650PP B-spec seasonal and 1 PD cup - Expert (don't ask!).
1. SRT4 '03
2. GTO 5.7 Coupe '04
3. Charger Super Bee 426 Hemi '71
4. Cougar XR-7 '67
5. Corvette Coupe (C2) '63
6. Camaro Z28 Coupe '97
7. Me
8. Cuda 440 Six Pack '71
9. Mustang V8 GT Coupe Premium '07
10. Camaro SS '00
11. Corvette Z06 (C5) '00
12. Challenger R/T '70
A quick look at this grid really only gives me two problem challengers - the Camaro Z28 and pole sitting SRT4 - and no rabbits. So, no time for testing, here we go with my first ever drive in a Mustang…
Lap 1: 1:50.321 - Good start and held my ground into the first corner. I did my usual move and stayed wide, taking the Z28 in the process. Tyres are cold so I have trouble getting the front end to bite but still manage to pick off the cars in front and end the lap -3.1 secs back in second to the SRT4. Brake points are much shorter than the Elise I ran recently and this is going to be as much a battle with tyre wear as it is with the other cars.
Laps 2-5: Feels heavy but grip is plentiful and this Mustang is surprisingly well behaved and planted. Running about 0.25 secs a lap slower than the leading SRT4, but I'm more concerned about tyre wear so I'm being almost paranoid about not letting the tyres squeal. End lap 5 -3.6 secs back with the 3rd place Cougar another 8 secs behind me. F/L so far: 1:43.134
Laps 6-10: Hit a 1:41.742 on lap 6 which brings me right up behind the SRT4. I'm quite surprised at that lap time but this car drives really well. I fully plan to maximise my advantage now as I can't guarantee my tyres will last. I take the lead on the next lap and try to pull out a gap without hurting my tyres. End lap 10 +6.5 secs ahead. SRT4 is now running in the low 1:44.xxxs. 3rd place Cougar is another 10 secs back but now with a train behind him.
Laps 11-20: I'm now lapping consistently in the high 1:42.xxx/low 1:43.xxx zone and the SRT4 has decided to match me and keep the gap consistent. On lap 15 I lap the first backer, the Cuda 440, and then my fellow Mustang '07 on lap 17. I lap the Corvette '63 at the end of lap 20 and at this point I'm now +15 secs ahead with the SRT4 now lapping a second a lap slower than me.
Laps 21-30: Around lap 22 I find myself struggling to do any better than 1:44.000 dead. My tyres are down to about 60% front/ 80% rear, but I can feel them losing grip. Around lap 26 I start to think whether I should think about a 2-stop strategy, but as long as I keep extending my lead then why not continue. So that's my plan: if I lose time to 2nd then I'll pit. If not I pit on lap 45. By the end of lap 30 I'm still pulling 1:44.xxxs and my lead is up to 30 seconds so I decide to carry on without pitting. I've now also lapped the Camaro SS '00, Super Bee and Pontiac GTO.
Laps 31-40: I have a couple of rough laps here as my tyres wear down. I'm now in the 1:45.xxx bracket with the odd mid 1:44.xxx. But I'm still pulling away from the SRT4 at a second lap. On lap 40 the gap back to second is almost a minute.
Laps 41-45: Struggling to get the nose in now and lap 45 can't come quick enough. I'm quite surprised that it's not until this phase that the back end steps out now and again for such a heavy FR car. Luckily I've built such a big lead that the pressure is off me. Struggling to break 1:46.xxx now so pit on lap 45 for some new tyres and 45 litres of fuel as this baby drinks like an ex-wife at your wedding! Tyres were down to 25% front / 50% rear.
Laps 46-60: Come out still in the lead +25 secs ahead of the lonely SRT4. The SRT4 and Super Bee pit on lap 47. I'm now back in the 1:42.xxxs and hit my fastest lap of 1:41.066 on lap 49. This car has quite a narrow window to hit your quickest laps, somewhere between 2 to 6 laps after you've pitted. Cougar and Challenger pit on lap 51 which puts them a lap down to me. Z28 pits on lap 55 so the SRT4 is now up to 3rd behind the Corvette Z06. I'm lapping consistent and relaxed 1:43.xxxs which the SRT4 is now matching. Camaro SS '00 and GTO pit on lap 57 and the Corvette Z06 on lap 59 putting the SRT4 back into 2nd. Corvette '63 pits on lap 60. I finish lap 60 safe in the knowledge my tyres will last.
Laps 61-70: The other Mustang '07 pits on lap 61 (how does he do it!) and I finally lap the SRT4 on the same lap which means I've lapped the entire field. I just keep the laps consistent and around the 1:43.xxx mark.
Laps 71-80: Cuda 440 finally pits on lap 71 (65 for him). On lap 80 I have my one and only major off for the night as I run too wide in the left hander after the Corkscrew and leave two huge black marks on the tarmac which stay there for the remainder of the race.
Laps 81-90: I settle back down and my lap times slowly drop from 1:44.xxxs to 1:46.xxxs. Home and dry now and notice that after 88 laps the Corvette Z06 has finally caught the Cougar and taken 3rd place.
Finishing time was 2:37:14.215 with a MOV of over a lap. Fastest lap was 1:41.066 on lap 49.
Final Standings
Mustang V8 GT Coupe Premium '07 …… 2:37:14.215
SRT '04…………………………………..…… 1 lap
Corvette Z06 (C5) '00 …………………….. 1 lap
Cougar XR-7 '67 ………………………….. 1 lap
Challenger R/T '70…………………………. 1 lap
Camaro Z28 Coupe '97…………………... 1 lap
GTO 5.7 Coupe '97…………………….. ...3 lap
Camaro SS '00………………………..……. 3 lap
Charger Super Bee 426 Hemi '71…….. 3 lap
Corvette Coupe (C2) '63………………….. 4 lap
Mustang V8 GT Coupe Premium '07…... 6 lap
Cuda 440 Six Pack '71……………………... 6 lap
Conclusion:
So the Mustang '07 had it's day and killed this field but if I'd been more confident and dropped the PP level then I could have made it closer. Mustang runs really well and with this tune feels solid and planted rather than heavy. You can chuck this one around… almost. This grid, which I found completely by accident/mistake, is very slow. The SRT4 was second by quite a margin but was never able to run faster than mid 1:43.xxxs and even then it's only for about 20-25 laps at most. If you can find this one again you could be on for a record low PP. I wish you luck in finding it though! 
Not sure what I'll run next. Might have a go with one of the old girls...
I changed the oil and then limited her back to 440PP to make things more competitive and went for a set of SM tyres as experience tells me that 1521Kg and SS tyres don't mix well, especially for 30 laps.
Car: Mustang V8 GT Coupe Premium '07
HP: 276
PP: 440
Weight: 1521Kg
Power Level: 90%
Top Speed Setting: 145mph
Tyres: SM
All aids off. ABS 1. DFGT wheel.
Grid: Grid #4 after 2 cycles of the Suzuka 650PP B-spec seasonal and 1 PD cup - Expert (don't ask!).
1. SRT4 '03
2. GTO 5.7 Coupe '04
3. Charger Super Bee 426 Hemi '71
4. Cougar XR-7 '67
5. Corvette Coupe (C2) '63
6. Camaro Z28 Coupe '97
7. Me
8. Cuda 440 Six Pack '71
9. Mustang V8 GT Coupe Premium '07
10. Camaro SS '00
11. Corvette Z06 (C5) '00
12. Challenger R/T '70
A quick look at this grid really only gives me two problem challengers - the Camaro Z28 and pole sitting SRT4 - and no rabbits. So, no time for testing, here we go with my first ever drive in a Mustang…
Lap 1: 1:50.321 - Good start and held my ground into the first corner. I did my usual move and stayed wide, taking the Z28 in the process. Tyres are cold so I have trouble getting the front end to bite but still manage to pick off the cars in front and end the lap -3.1 secs back in second to the SRT4. Brake points are much shorter than the Elise I ran recently and this is going to be as much a battle with tyre wear as it is with the other cars.
Laps 2-5: Feels heavy but grip is plentiful and this Mustang is surprisingly well behaved and planted. Running about 0.25 secs a lap slower than the leading SRT4, but I'm more concerned about tyre wear so I'm being almost paranoid about not letting the tyres squeal. End lap 5 -3.6 secs back with the 3rd place Cougar another 8 secs behind me. F/L so far: 1:43.134
Laps 6-10: Hit a 1:41.742 on lap 6 which brings me right up behind the SRT4. I'm quite surprised at that lap time but this car drives really well. I fully plan to maximise my advantage now as I can't guarantee my tyres will last. I take the lead on the next lap and try to pull out a gap without hurting my tyres. End lap 10 +6.5 secs ahead. SRT4 is now running in the low 1:44.xxxs. 3rd place Cougar is another 10 secs back but now with a train behind him.
Laps 11-20: I'm now lapping consistently in the high 1:42.xxx/low 1:43.xxx zone and the SRT4 has decided to match me and keep the gap consistent. On lap 15 I lap the first backer, the Cuda 440, and then my fellow Mustang '07 on lap 17. I lap the Corvette '63 at the end of lap 20 and at this point I'm now +15 secs ahead with the SRT4 now lapping a second a lap slower than me.
Laps 21-30: Around lap 22 I find myself struggling to do any better than 1:44.000 dead. My tyres are down to about 60% front/ 80% rear, but I can feel them losing grip. Around lap 26 I start to think whether I should think about a 2-stop strategy, but as long as I keep extending my lead then why not continue. So that's my plan: if I lose time to 2nd then I'll pit. If not I pit on lap 45. By the end of lap 30 I'm still pulling 1:44.xxxs and my lead is up to 30 seconds so I decide to carry on without pitting. I've now also lapped the Camaro SS '00, Super Bee and Pontiac GTO.
Laps 31-40: I have a couple of rough laps here as my tyres wear down. I'm now in the 1:45.xxx bracket with the odd mid 1:44.xxx. But I'm still pulling away from the SRT4 at a second lap. On lap 40 the gap back to second is almost a minute.
Laps 41-45: Struggling to get the nose in now and lap 45 can't come quick enough. I'm quite surprised that it's not until this phase that the back end steps out now and again for such a heavy FR car. Luckily I've built such a big lead that the pressure is off me. Struggling to break 1:46.xxx now so pit on lap 45 for some new tyres and 45 litres of fuel as this baby drinks like an ex-wife at your wedding! Tyres were down to 25% front / 50% rear.
Laps 46-60: Come out still in the lead +25 secs ahead of the lonely SRT4. The SRT4 and Super Bee pit on lap 47. I'm now back in the 1:42.xxxs and hit my fastest lap of 1:41.066 on lap 49. This car has quite a narrow window to hit your quickest laps, somewhere between 2 to 6 laps after you've pitted. Cougar and Challenger pit on lap 51 which puts them a lap down to me. Z28 pits on lap 55 so the SRT4 is now up to 3rd behind the Corvette Z06. I'm lapping consistent and relaxed 1:43.xxxs which the SRT4 is now matching. Camaro SS '00 and GTO pit on lap 57 and the Corvette Z06 on lap 59 putting the SRT4 back into 2nd. Corvette '63 pits on lap 60. I finish lap 60 safe in the knowledge my tyres will last.
Laps 61-70: The other Mustang '07 pits on lap 61 (how does he do it!) and I finally lap the SRT4 on the same lap which means I've lapped the entire field. I just keep the laps consistent and around the 1:43.xxx mark.
Laps 71-80: Cuda 440 finally pits on lap 71 (65 for him). On lap 80 I have my one and only major off for the night as I run too wide in the left hander after the Corkscrew and leave two huge black marks on the tarmac which stay there for the remainder of the race.
Laps 81-90: I settle back down and my lap times slowly drop from 1:44.xxxs to 1:46.xxxs. Home and dry now and notice that after 88 laps the Corvette Z06 has finally caught the Cougar and taken 3rd place.
Finishing time was 2:37:14.215 with a MOV of over a lap. Fastest lap was 1:41.066 on lap 49.
Final Standings
Mustang V8 GT Coupe Premium '07 …… 2:37:14.215
SRT '04…………………………………..…… 1 lap
Corvette Z06 (C5) '00 …………………….. 1 lap
Cougar XR-7 '67 ………………………….. 1 lap
Challenger R/T '70…………………………. 1 lap
Camaro Z28 Coupe '97…………………... 1 lap
GTO 5.7 Coupe '97…………………….. ...3 lap
Camaro SS '00………………………..……. 3 lap
Charger Super Bee 426 Hemi '71…….. 3 lap
Corvette Coupe (C2) '63………………….. 4 lap
Mustang V8 GT Coupe Premium '07…... 6 lap
Cuda 440 Six Pack '71……………………... 6 lap
Conclusion:
So the Mustang '07 had it's day and killed this field but if I'd been more confident and dropped the PP level then I could have made it closer. Mustang runs really well and with this tune feels solid and planted rather than heavy. You can chuck this one around… almost.
This grid, which I found completely by accident/mistake, is very slow. The SRT4 was second by quite a margin but was never able to run faster than mid 1:43.xxxs and even then it's only for about 20-25 laps at most. If you can find this one again you could be on for a record low PP. I wish you luck in finding it though! Not sure what I'll run next. Might have a go with one of the old girls...
GTsail
Premium
- 2,472
- Florida
- GTsail2/GTsail3
Nicely done axletramp!
I'm glad you gave the Ford Mustang a chance to shine!👍
We've been thumping him badly so many times.
So its good that you gave him a chance to taste victory at Laguna Seca.I like the looks of the lineup you found. I may give it a try with my next attempt. I wonder if the Corvette Z06 C5 will stay behind the SRT4 during every race against this lineup.
Respectfully,
GTsail
- 19,013
- Jersey V.1.0
- axletramp
Thanks, and congrats on your Antipodean alternative. 👍 I found the grid completely by accident whilst attempting to get the grid you've been using. I went to the PD cup (expert) and quit it, but missed the fact that I'd just used the Suzuka B-spec race to grind a couple of million creds. Doh! Still I just went with the grid#4 I was offered, which is the one you see here. So for the record it was:
1) Suzuka 650PP B-spec seasonal - launch and quit.
2) Suzuka 650PP B-spec seasonal - launch and quit.
3) PD Cup (Expert) A-spec - launch and quit.
4) Laguna Seca Endurance A-spec - grid #4.
Good luck
1) Suzuka 650PP B-spec seasonal - launch and quit.
2) Suzuka 650PP B-spec seasonal - launch and quit.
3) PD Cup (Expert) A-spec - launch and quit.
4) Laguna Seca Endurance A-spec - grid #4.
Good luck
Last edited:
- 24
I took a break at lap 41 running the 91 Acura NSX. maybe there's a metaphor to be made about sleek gleaming japanese technology slicing through all the big muscle on the track. it should be a pretty easy win. all my driving is with the dualshock controller and ABS 1. i prefer to ride with the driving line on and all the race info off. the view is much better without text on screen.
Redemption
Following last week's poor outing at Laguna Seca and a heated debate with the pit crew we came to the following agreement.
1 They don't work for free because they like me, they just like fast cars.
2 Had I followed their advice we would have done better, there's no I in team.
3 Fitting RS tires to my car would be the same as giving a new driver the Minolta
So after some tweaking of the suspension and a lot of practice we take the Camaro Z28 out again.
New white go faster stripes and a promise that she's now the fastest car on the track we set off.
If the promise holds ill take on the rabbits.
Camaro Z28 '69 418bhp 945 km on the odo.
SH tires used throughout.
The grid:
GTO Coupé
Mustang GT '05
Prowler '02
GNX '87
Challenger R/T '76
Mustang SVT Cobra
Camaro Z28 '69
Camaro SS '10
Corvette Z06 C5 '04
Corvette Z06 C5 '00
Cuda 440 Sixpack
Camaro SS '69
Laps 1/10 1:43.xxx avg times
Took 1st on the second lap and never looked back.
Laps 11/20 1:44.xxx avg
Lap the 440 on lap 18
Laps 21/30 1:45.xxx avg times
Pit on lap 25 mindful of the advice coming through the horn.
Laps 31/40 1:43.xxx
Laps 41/50 1:44.xxx
Pit on lap 50, being a good boy today.
Laps 51/60 1:44.xxx
The '04 Vette starts putting up a fight on lap 50 and it looks like it will be a dog fight till the end. At no point does the gap increase past 2.5 seconds.
Laps 61/70 1:44.xxx
The Vette fills up the rear view mirror and never let's me get further than 2s
Laps 71/80 1:44.xxx
Pit on lap 75 and the Vette on lap 76, I have a 0.7s gap on him as he exits the pits in second, myself in the lead.
Laps 81/90 1:43.xxx
The Vette stays on my tail from the pits up to lap 83 where he passes me and runs away, the SS '10 follows suit and I am nearly in tears.
Miraculously we all catch up to traffic on lap 85 and I sneak by in the confusion
Manage to build a 1s lead and the Corvette promptly destroys it.
Laps 87 to 90 are hard fought and at no point does the shiny yellow paint of the Vette drain from my mirror.
Lap 90 takes an agonising 1:43.342 but I cross the line 0.515s ahead of the C5 '04 the SS '10 is about 1s behind him.
Traffic
Fat lady sings
Total time 2h37m40.650s
Don't have PP levels since I don't have internet, all posts via mobile phone.
Following last week's poor outing at Laguna Seca and a heated debate with the pit crew we came to the following agreement.
1 They don't work for free because they like me, they just like fast cars.
2 Had I followed their advice we would have done better, there's no I in team.
3 Fitting RS tires to my car would be the same as giving a new driver the Minolta
So after some tweaking of the suspension and a lot of practice we take the Camaro Z28 out again.
New white go faster stripes and a promise that she's now the fastest car on the track we set off.
If the promise holds ill take on the rabbits.
Camaro Z28 '69 418bhp 945 km on the odo.
SH tires used throughout.
The grid:
GTO Coupé
Mustang GT '05
Prowler '02
GNX '87
Challenger R/T '76
Mustang SVT Cobra
Camaro Z28 '69
Camaro SS '10
Corvette Z06 C5 '04
Corvette Z06 C5 '00
Cuda 440 Sixpack
Camaro SS '69
Laps 1/10 1:43.xxx avg times
Took 1st on the second lap and never looked back.
Laps 11/20 1:44.xxx avg
Lap the 440 on lap 18
Laps 21/30 1:45.xxx avg times
Pit on lap 25 mindful of the advice coming through the horn.
Laps 31/40 1:43.xxx
Laps 41/50 1:44.xxx
Pit on lap 50, being a good boy today.
Laps 51/60 1:44.xxx
The '04 Vette starts putting up a fight on lap 50 and it looks like it will be a dog fight till the end. At no point does the gap increase past 2.5 seconds.
Laps 61/70 1:44.xxx
The Vette fills up the rear view mirror and never let's me get further than 2s
Laps 71/80 1:44.xxx
Pit on lap 75 and the Vette on lap 76, I have a 0.7s gap on him as he exits the pits in second, myself in the lead.
Laps 81/90 1:43.xxx
The Vette stays on my tail from the pits up to lap 83 where he passes me and runs away, the SS '10 follows suit and I am nearly in tears.
Miraculously we all catch up to traffic on lap 85 and I sneak by in the confusion
Manage to build a 1s lead and the Corvette promptly destroys it.
Laps 87 to 90 are hard fought and at no point does the shiny yellow paint of the Vette drain from my mirror.
Lap 90 takes an agonising 1:43.342 but I cross the line 0.515s ahead of the C5 '04 the SS '10 is about 1s behind him.
Traffic
Fat lady sings
Total time 2h37m40.650s
Don't have PP levels since I don't have internet, all posts via mobile phone.
Last edited:
- 19,013
- Jersey V.1.0
- axletramp
Nicely done against not one, but two rabbits on the infamous grid #1. Interesting to note how close together they were at the end! What was your finishing time btw?
Do you have the PP level of your Camaro for the leader boards?
Do you have the PP level of your Camaro for the leader boards?
GTsail
Premium
- 2,472
- Florida
- GTsail2/GTsail3
I enjoyed my Laguna Seca drive in the Holden Monaro so much (see # 96 post above) that I decided to give it another shot with slightly less horsepower. I am also hoping for a slightly closer race if the AI will cooperate.
I ask my crack pit-crew to give the Holden Monaro CV8 '04 another wrenching, so afterwards I end up with the following spec's:
Horsepower: 264
Weight: 1565 (stage 1 wgt reduct, then added 73kg ballast)
PP value: 437
P.Limiter: 86.7%
Tires: SH (used throughout the race)
No skid
Odometer: 11,399.6 miles
Purchased on: 10/24/12
Switched: 2
Wins: 1
Sitting on the Laguna Seca Grid is the following Alternative lineup # 4 (after PD Cup - Expert):
-------------------
1) Chrysler Prowler '02
2) Corvette Grand Sport C4
3) Mustang V8 GT Coupe '07
4) Corvette ZR-1 C4 '90
5) Plymouth Superbird '70
6) Chrysler 300C '05
7) GTsail in the Monaro CV8
8) Camaro SS '00
9) Tempest LeMans GTO '64
10) Dodge Challenger R/T '70
11) Challenger SRT8 '08
12) Camaro Z28 Coupe '97
The flag drops and we're off for another 90 laps at Laguna Seca. The 8th place Camaro SS '00 beats me into the Andretti hairpin, but I pass him back as we go thru the hairpin, plus I pass the 6th place Plymouth Superbird going thru turn # 3. Up next is the 5th place Ford Mustang V8 GT Coupe, who I pass going thru turn # 5. At the end of lap one, I pass the 4th place Chrysler 300C as we go thru turn # 11 and head up the S/F straight. At the end of the lap I'm in 4th place only 4.3 seconds behind the race leading Chrysler Prowler after a 1.57.676 opening lap.
On lap # 4, I catch and pass the 3rd place Corvette ZR-1 going thru turn # 9. The Corvette ZR-1 passes me back just as we begin lap # 5, so I have to follow him into the Andretti hairpin.
As we begin lap # 5, I see that I'm 7.3 seconds behind the race leading Chrysler Prowler after a 1.44.967 lap.
On lap # 5, I pass the Corvette ZR-1 again as we go thru turn # 9. This time I maintain my position, so I end the lap in 3rd place only 7.1 seconds behind the race leading Prowler after a 1.44.797 lap.
On lap # 7, I set an early lap record of 1.44.023 and end the lap 8 seconds behind the race leading Chrysler Prowler.
On lap # 10, I set another lap record of 1.43.869 as I dip into the 1.43's, and end the lap still 7 seconds behind the race leading Prowler.
After 15 laps, I'm only 6 seconds behind the race leading Prowler after a decent 1.44.368 lap. The 4th place Corvette ZR-1 has fallen back a bit (about 12 seconds) and he's nicely holding up the 5th place Chrysler 300C.
On lap # 18, I set a new lap record of 1.43.809 and end the lap only 5 seconds behind the race leading Prowler.
On lap # 19, I see that the Chrysler 300C has gotten past the Corvette ZR-1, so the 300C will now be in hot pursuit of my Redhot Monaro CV8.
On lap # 20, the race leading Prowler catches and passes the 12th place Ford Mustang V8 GT Coupe. Both the 2nd place Corvette Grand Sport and myself in the Monaro also pass the 12th place Mustang V8 GT during the lap. The Corvette Grand Sport gets held up a bit by the Ford Mustang V8 GT, so I've closed the gap to the 2nd place Corvette Grand Sport. The gap is now about 1 second.
On lap # 23, I catch and pass the 2nd place Corvette Grand Sport as we go thru turn # 10. I end the lap only 2 seconds behind the race leading Prowler after a 1.44.382 lap.
On lap # 26, I pass the race leading Prowler as we accelerate out of turn # 11 and head up the S/F straight.
On lap # 27, I battle with the Prowler all the way thru the Andretti hairpin and then consolidate my position going thru turn # 3. By the end of the lap, I have a 2 second lead over the 2nd place Chrysler Prowler after a 1.45.581 lap.
Looking back on lap # 28, I see that the 4th place Chrysler 300C has caught the 3rd place Corvette Grand Sport, who is just behind the 2nd place Prowler. This means that the Chrysler 300C has been running laps a full second quicker than me since he's made up about 10 seconds over the last 10-12 laps. Time for a break.....
On lap # 33, I catch and pass the Tempest LeMans and the Plymouth Superbird. At the end of the lap I have an 11 second lead over the Prowler after a 1.44.683 lap.
As I begin lap # 38, I see that I now have a 25 second lead over the 2nd place Prowler who has been getting held up by the back-markers.
On lap # 44, I catch and pass the 8th place Camaro SS '00 and end the lap with a 42 second lead over the Prowler after a 1.45.454 lap.
On lap # 47 my tires start to lose their grip, so I pit at the end of the lap for a new set of SH tires and 50 liters of fuel. While I'm in the pits a couple of back-markers drive past, so I'm going to have to re-catch them.
As I drive down the pit-out exit lane as I get underway again after my pit-stop, I can see the 2nd , 3rd and 4th place cars all driving up the S/F straight. As I cross the S/F line and begin lap # 48, I see that I have a 5 second lead over the 2nd place Prowler.
The 2nd place Prowler fills my mirrors once I fully exit the pits on lap # 48. I pull away from the Prowler during lap # 48 with ease since I'm now on fresh tires and he's still on his original tires. By the end of the lap I have a 2.5 second lead.
On lap # 50, I run a 1.43.940 lap and stretch out my lead over the Prowler to 11 seconds.
On lap # 52, I set a new lap record of 1.43.393, and my lead grows to 24 seconds over the 2nd place Corvette Grand Sport (the Prowler has pitted and fallen back into 6th place).
On lap # 53, I run a 1.43.395 lap, proving that lap # 52 was no fluke!
As I begin lap # 55, I see that I have a 68 second lead over the 2nd place Chrysler 300C. The Prowler is in 3rd and the Corvette Grand Sport is in 4th place now after everyone's pit-stops.
On lap # 56, I get punted by the 12th place Ford Mustang V8 GT as I try to pass him as we go thru turn # 6. I smack the inside armco and do a 360 before getting underway.
Lap # 56 takes me 1.54.828, and reduces my lead to 55 seconds over the Chrysler 300C.
On lap # 57, I re-catch the Ford Mustang V8 GT, and pass him going thru turn # 6, even though I can see all the black streaks on the track heading towards the inside armco.
As I begin lap # 59, I see that my lead over the Chrysler 300C is down to 52 seconds after a 1.43.824 lap.
As I begin lap # 62, I see that my lead over the Chrysler 300C is back up to 53 seconds after a 1.43.385 lap.
As I begin lap # 65, I see that I'm back to a 51 second lead over the Chrysler 300C after another decent 1.43.596 lap.
As I begin lap # 72, I see that I have a 46 second lead over the Chrysler 300C after a slow 1.45.156 lap. The 300C is still running some fast laps!
On lap # 75, I run a 1.43.735 lap, which helps to increase my lead over the Chrysler 300C to 49 seconds.
On lap # 76, I set a new lap record of 1.43.283 and increase my lead over the Chrysler 300C to 51 seconds.
As I begin lap # 82, I see that I'm back to a 49 second lead over the Chrysler 300C.
On lap # 85, I start to feel that my tires have lost their edge, so my lap time falls off to a 1.45.947 and I begin lap # 86 with a 47 second lead over the 2nd place Chrysler 300C.
When I begin lap # 90, I get the news that I have a 48 second lead over the Chrysler 300C after a 1.45.605 lap.
Lap # 90 takes me 1.46.746 and another win is mine!
Total race time was 2 hours 38 minutes and 26.724 seconds.
Finishing order:
------------------
1) GTsail in the Monaro CV8
2) Chrysler 300C----------50 seconds behind (BL 1.41.470)
3) Chrysler Prowler---------1min,35 secs back (BL 1.43.918)
4) Corvette Grand Sport----1min, 36 secs back (BL 1.43.602)
5) Camaro Z28 Coupe------1 lap down (BL 1.42.937)
6) Challenger R/T-----------1 lap down (BL 1.42.422)
7) Corvette ZR-1-----------1 lap down (BL 1.44.547)
8) Challenger SRT8----------2 laps down (BL 1.44.306)
9) Camaro SS '00-----------2 laps down (BL 1.44.886)
10) Superbird '70-----------3 laps down (BL 1.46.294)
11) Tempest LeMans--------3 laps down (BL 1.45.526)
12) Mustang V8 GT---------5 laps down (BL 1.48.954)
Post race notes:
------------------
Very nice race again, but I ended up with too much car again.
I drove a better race since I was used to the Monaro CV8, so I guess the AI just didn't stand a chance!
After the race I check my Monaro and it now has 11,600.3 miles. This means that I drove 200.7 miles during the race. I was not cutting the corkscrew, so I don't know why the distance is less than the published race distance of 201.44.
Catch you soon for some more Laguna Seca racing!
GTsail
I ask my crack pit-crew to give the Holden Monaro CV8 '04 another wrenching, so afterwards I end up with the following spec's:
Horsepower: 264
Weight: 1565 (stage 1 wgt reduct, then added 73kg ballast)
PP value: 437
P.Limiter: 86.7%
Tires: SH (used throughout the race)
No skid
Odometer: 11,399.6 miles
Purchased on: 10/24/12
Switched: 2
Wins: 1
Sitting on the Laguna Seca Grid is the following Alternative lineup # 4 (after PD Cup - Expert):
-------------------
1) Chrysler Prowler '02
2) Corvette Grand Sport C4
3) Mustang V8 GT Coupe '07
4) Corvette ZR-1 C4 '90
5) Plymouth Superbird '70
6) Chrysler 300C '05
7) GTsail in the Monaro CV8
8) Camaro SS '00
9) Tempest LeMans GTO '64
10) Dodge Challenger R/T '70
11) Challenger SRT8 '08
12) Camaro Z28 Coupe '97
The flag drops and we're off for another 90 laps at Laguna Seca. The 8th place Camaro SS '00 beats me into the Andretti hairpin, but I pass him back as we go thru the hairpin, plus I pass the 6th place Plymouth Superbird going thru turn # 3. Up next is the 5th place Ford Mustang V8 GT Coupe, who I pass going thru turn # 5. At the end of lap one, I pass the 4th place Chrysler 300C as we go thru turn # 11 and head up the S/F straight. At the end of the lap I'm in 4th place only 4.3 seconds behind the race leading Chrysler Prowler after a 1.57.676 opening lap.
On lap # 4, I catch and pass the 3rd place Corvette ZR-1 going thru turn # 9. The Corvette ZR-1 passes me back just as we begin lap # 5, so I have to follow him into the Andretti hairpin.
As we begin lap # 5, I see that I'm 7.3 seconds behind the race leading Chrysler Prowler after a 1.44.967 lap.
On lap # 5, I pass the Corvette ZR-1 again as we go thru turn # 9. This time I maintain my position, so I end the lap in 3rd place only 7.1 seconds behind the race leading Prowler after a 1.44.797 lap.
On lap # 7, I set an early lap record of 1.44.023 and end the lap 8 seconds behind the race leading Chrysler Prowler.
On lap # 10, I set another lap record of 1.43.869 as I dip into the 1.43's, and end the lap still 7 seconds behind the race leading Prowler.
After 15 laps, I'm only 6 seconds behind the race leading Prowler after a decent 1.44.368 lap. The 4th place Corvette ZR-1 has fallen back a bit (about 12 seconds) and he's nicely holding up the 5th place Chrysler 300C.
On lap # 18, I set a new lap record of 1.43.809 and end the lap only 5 seconds behind the race leading Prowler.
On lap # 19, I see that the Chrysler 300C has gotten past the Corvette ZR-1, so the 300C will now be in hot pursuit of my Redhot Monaro CV8.
On lap # 20, the race leading Prowler catches and passes the 12th place Ford Mustang V8 GT Coupe. Both the 2nd place Corvette Grand Sport and myself in the Monaro also pass the 12th place Mustang V8 GT during the lap. The Corvette Grand Sport gets held up a bit by the Ford Mustang V8 GT, so I've closed the gap to the 2nd place Corvette Grand Sport. The gap is now about 1 second.
On lap # 23, I catch and pass the 2nd place Corvette Grand Sport as we go thru turn # 10. I end the lap only 2 seconds behind the race leading Prowler after a 1.44.382 lap.
On lap # 26, I pass the race leading Prowler as we accelerate out of turn # 11 and head up the S/F straight.
On lap # 27, I battle with the Prowler all the way thru the Andretti hairpin and then consolidate my position going thru turn # 3. By the end of the lap, I have a 2 second lead over the 2nd place Chrysler Prowler after a 1.45.581 lap.
Looking back on lap # 28, I see that the 4th place Chrysler 300C has caught the 3rd place Corvette Grand Sport, who is just behind the 2nd place Prowler. This means that the Chrysler 300C has been running laps a full second quicker than me since he's made up about 10 seconds over the last 10-12 laps. Time for a break.....
On lap # 33, I catch and pass the Tempest LeMans and the Plymouth Superbird. At the end of the lap I have an 11 second lead over the Prowler after a 1.44.683 lap.
As I begin lap # 38, I see that I now have a 25 second lead over the 2nd place Prowler who has been getting held up by the back-markers.
On lap # 44, I catch and pass the 8th place Camaro SS '00 and end the lap with a 42 second lead over the Prowler after a 1.45.454 lap.
On lap # 47 my tires start to lose their grip, so I pit at the end of the lap for a new set of SH tires and 50 liters of fuel. While I'm in the pits a couple of back-markers drive past, so I'm going to have to re-catch them.
As I drive down the pit-out exit lane as I get underway again after my pit-stop, I can see the 2nd , 3rd and 4th place cars all driving up the S/F straight. As I cross the S/F line and begin lap # 48, I see that I have a 5 second lead over the 2nd place Prowler.
The 2nd place Prowler fills my mirrors once I fully exit the pits on lap # 48. I pull away from the Prowler during lap # 48 with ease since I'm now on fresh tires and he's still on his original tires. By the end of the lap I have a 2.5 second lead.
On lap # 50, I run a 1.43.940 lap and stretch out my lead over the Prowler to 11 seconds.
On lap # 52, I set a new lap record of 1.43.393, and my lead grows to 24 seconds over the 2nd place Corvette Grand Sport (the Prowler has pitted and fallen back into 6th place).
On lap # 53, I run a 1.43.395 lap, proving that lap # 52 was no fluke!
As I begin lap # 55, I see that I have a 68 second lead over the 2nd place Chrysler 300C. The Prowler is in 3rd and the Corvette Grand Sport is in 4th place now after everyone's pit-stops.
On lap # 56, I get punted by the 12th place Ford Mustang V8 GT as I try to pass him as we go thru turn # 6. I smack the inside armco and do a 360 before getting underway.
Lap # 56 takes me 1.54.828, and reduces my lead to 55 seconds over the Chrysler 300C.On lap # 57, I re-catch the Ford Mustang V8 GT, and pass him going thru turn # 6, even though I can see all the black streaks on the track heading towards the inside armco.
As I begin lap # 59, I see that my lead over the Chrysler 300C is down to 52 seconds after a 1.43.824 lap.
As I begin lap # 62, I see that my lead over the Chrysler 300C is back up to 53 seconds after a 1.43.385 lap.
As I begin lap # 65, I see that I'm back to a 51 second lead over the Chrysler 300C after another decent 1.43.596 lap.
As I begin lap # 72, I see that I have a 46 second lead over the Chrysler 300C after a slow 1.45.156 lap. The 300C is still running some fast laps!
On lap # 75, I run a 1.43.735 lap, which helps to increase my lead over the Chrysler 300C to 49 seconds.
On lap # 76, I set a new lap record of 1.43.283 and increase my lead over the Chrysler 300C to 51 seconds.
As I begin lap # 82, I see that I'm back to a 49 second lead over the Chrysler 300C.
On lap # 85, I start to feel that my tires have lost their edge, so my lap time falls off to a 1.45.947 and I begin lap # 86 with a 47 second lead over the 2nd place Chrysler 300C.
When I begin lap # 90, I get the news that I have a 48 second lead over the Chrysler 300C after a 1.45.605 lap.
Lap # 90 takes me 1.46.746 and another win is mine!
Total race time was 2 hours 38 minutes and 26.724 seconds.
Finishing order:
------------------
1) GTsail in the Monaro CV8
2) Chrysler 300C----------50 seconds behind (BL 1.41.470)
3) Chrysler Prowler---------1min,35 secs back (BL 1.43.918)
4) Corvette Grand Sport----1min, 36 secs back (BL 1.43.602)
5) Camaro Z28 Coupe------1 lap down (BL 1.42.937)
6) Challenger R/T-----------1 lap down (BL 1.42.422)
7) Corvette ZR-1-----------1 lap down (BL 1.44.547)
8) Challenger SRT8----------2 laps down (BL 1.44.306)
9) Camaro SS '00-----------2 laps down (BL 1.44.886)
10) Superbird '70-----------3 laps down (BL 1.46.294)
11) Tempest LeMans--------3 laps down (BL 1.45.526)
12) Mustang V8 GT---------5 laps down (BL 1.48.954)
Post race notes:
------------------
Very nice race again, but I ended up with too much car again.
I drove a better race since I was used to the Monaro CV8, so I guess the AI just didn't stand a chance!
After the race I check my Monaro and it now has 11,600.3 miles. This means that I drove 200.7 miles during the race. I was not cutting the corkscrew, so I don't know why the distance is less than the published race distance of 201.44.
Catch you soon for some more Laguna Seca racing!
GTsail
Last edited:
- 19,013
- Jersey V.1.0
- axletramp
Brainfail, it was such a relief when I finished I forgot to list the total time in the post.
Edited all better now.
No problem, I'll just drop you in as 'PP N/A'. Thanks for the race time as well. Shows me that my Mustang '07 could have a close race with the rabbits at it's current tune level.
GTsail
Premium
- 2,472
- Florida
- GTsail2/GTsail3
Camaro Z28 '69 418bhp 945 km on the odo.
SH tires used throughout.
Fat lady sings
Don't have PP levels since I don't have internet, all posts via mobile phone.
Nicely done fjdutoit!
Your "fat lady" seems to have a few aerodynamic adjustments to the right-front fender. Does this increase its speed?
If you can check the weight for your Camaro Z28, I can estimate the PP value of your Camaro for axletramp's leaderboards, by setting up my Camaro with the same spec's and checking to see what PPV number I get. Did you install any engine upgrades on your Camaro?
Respectfully,
GTsail
Last edited:
Aero dynamic adjustments done on the fly, flew into the pit wall on my second pit. I was not impressed!
Setup: quite a lot really
Rigidity improvement
Aero F0/R8
Sport ecu
Engine stage 2
Sports intake manifold
Racing air filter
Sports exhaust
F/C tranny 220km/h
Twin clutch
Semi racing flywheel
F/C LSD
Carbon propshaft
F/C suspension
418bhp @ 6500rpm
53kgfm @ 4500rpm
1415kg as standard
Thanks for the trouble GTsail
Slowly into the pits!
Fjdutoit
Setup: quite a lot really
Rigidity improvement
Aero F0/R8
Sport ecu
Engine stage 2
Sports intake manifold
Racing air filter
Sports exhaust
F/C tranny 220km/h
Twin clutch
Semi racing flywheel
F/C LSD
Carbon propshaft
F/C suspension
418bhp @ 6500rpm
53kgfm @ 4500rpm
1415kg as standard
Thanks for the trouble GTsail
Slowly into the pits!
Fjdutoit
GTsail
Premium
- 2,472
- Florida
- GTsail2/GTsail3
OK, I added all the parts that you list, and did an oil change on a new Camaro Z28 and got:
HP @ 406
Wgt @ 1415
Wing @ 0/8
PPV @ 502
Since the horsepower was a little down, I added the sports exhaust manifold and got the following:
HP @ 418
Wgt @ 1415
Wing @ 0/8
PPV @ 506
Which matches the numbers you list. Did you have the sport exhaust manifold on your Camaro Z28? If you didn't, then the HP gain is probably from engine break-in.
Respectfully,
GTsail
- 19,013
- Jersey V.1.0
- axletramp
OK, this run was a bit weird, so I've given it the title of:
'Where the Rabbits at?!'
My plan was to run my Mustang Premium '07 in it's current tune against some rabbits as my finish time was around that of the faster cars. So on paper I could be in for a close race as I could hit 1:41.xxxs for 10 laps on new tyres and the likes of the Corvette Z06 and Camaro SS '10 a second faster. To maximise my lap times I switched to a 2-stop strategy as on my last 1-stopper I was finding that from laps 35 to 45 I was running 5 to 6 seconds slower than on good tyres. At that rate the 2-stopper made more sense against hotter competition.
I also had another trick up my sleeve - intimidation! These flashy rabbits needed to know I meant business, so off came the candy red paint and chrome wheels and I went all stealth matt black and black wheels, Mwhahahahahaha….
^The world's widest Prowler!
Car: Mustang V8 GT Coupe Premium '07
HP: 269
PP: 440
Weight: 1521Kg
Power Level: 85%
Top Speed Setting: 145mph
Tyres: SM
Mods: Fully lightened, full trans and suspension.
Ballast: 200Kg @ +50 (56/44)
All aids off. ABS 1. DFGT wheel.
Grid #1 conveniently has both the Corvette Z06 '04 and Camaro SS '10, so no need for cycling through, and off we go...
Grid #1
1. GTO 5.7 Coupe '04
2. Mustang GT '05
3. Prowler '02
4. GNX '87
5. Challenger R/T '70
6. Mustang SVT Cobra R '00
7. Me[/]
8. Camaro SS '10
9. Corvette Z06 (C5) '04
10. Corvette Z06 (C5) '00
11. Cuda 440 Six Pack '71
12. Camaro SS '69
Lap 1: I lose out on the straight to the SS '10 but switch to the right and slip back around the outside of turn 1. I'm massively aggressive (and fair) through the lap, taking a car pretty much at every corner. I'm amazed to find myself in the lead at the last turn after an opening lap of 1:51.042, which isn't particularly special. First stage of my plan complete.
Laps 2-5: Second stage of my plan is to hammer in the lap times and try and make a big a gap as possible before the rabbits break free and track me down. Experience from my last run shows that these tyres will last (just about) to lap 45, so I can abuse them this run and get to lap 30 for my first stop. It starts out well as by lap 3 I'm in the low 1:42s and start to open a gap back to the 2nd place GTO who just ran a 1:50! By the end of lap 5 I'm +11 secs ahead from the nose-to-tail Prowler, GTO and Mustang '05.
Laps 6-10: Now comfortably running in the 1:41s and opening a gap at about a 2 seconds a lap back to the Prowler. Surprised that the Corvette and Camaro SS '10 haven't caught him yet but they have passed the Mustang '05. Not complaining though as I can predict that by lap 20 I'll be in the 1:43/1:44.xxxs and they'll be running faster. End lap 10 +23 secs ahead of the Prowler, SS '10 and Z06 '04. Prowler running mid 1:44s and the SS' 10 and Z06 '04 low 1:41s and matching me.
Laps 11-20: The SS '10 and Z06 '04 have caught the Prowler but instead of clearing him their lap times drop into the 1:44s. Mine are in the low 1:42s. On lap 15 I pass and lap The Cuda 440. By lap 20 I'm +45 seconds ahead and about to catch a gaggle of six backmarkers.
Laps 21-30: The odd lap now drops into the 1:43s. I lap the following cars between lap 21 and 24: GNX '87, Z06 '00, SS '69, SVT Cobra R and Mustang '05. I lap the GTO on lap 29. The second placed Prowler is running mid 1:45s and holding up the Z06 '04 and SS'10 (swapped places). I pit for some new SM tyres and 17 litres of fuel (Tyres down to 67% front / 75% rear). I exit the pits +38 seconds ahead of the Prowler (gap of 1:10 before I pitted) and now starting to think that if either the Z06 '04 or SS '10 don't clear that Prowler soon this race is over!
Laps 31-40: Back up to speed with these tyres and I start hitting 1:41s again with a FL of 1:40.325 on lap 36. The chasing three are now running 1:47s. Lead by lap 40 up to +1:19, Hmm… Things have bunched up behind the Prowler and even the Challenger R/T has caught them up.
Laps 41-45: I catch an enormous group of nine cars on lap 43. This hits my lap times as I pick my passes. It turns out that the car at the front of this group is the Prowler, so as I double lap some cars I also lap places fourth, third and second without realising it! That kind of ruins the race for me now, but I carry on as this is now a fact-finding mission. Why can't those rabbits pass the Prowler? They easily have 4 seconds a lap over him and it's killed the race.
Laps 46-60: I'm now cruising in the 1:43s. Finally the SS '10 passes the Prowler on lap 49 but they are all doing 1:48s now on bad tyres. The only exception is the Z06 '00 who's been in clear air down in 6th who's hitting 1:43s - just goes to show how much quicker the pack could have been without that Prowler messing things up! SS '69 and Cobra R pit first on lap 51, then the SS '10 on 52 and the Prowler and Challenger R/T on lap 53. Bizarrely the Z06 '00 is homing in on the Z06 '04 who then pits on lap 55. The GNX '87 and Z06 '00 pit on lap 57 and the Corvette slots in just ahead of his older self - looks like running in clear air has paid off! Mustang '05 pits the same lap. GTO pits on lap 59. By lap 60 I'm still a lap ahead of the SS '10, Prowler, Challenger R/T, Z06 '04 and Z06 '00. I pit again for new tyres and another 17 litres of fuel. Tyres down to 67% front / 75% rear.
Laps 61-70: Not much to report. I'm back in the 1:41s and everyone else is holding station. Cuda 44 pits on lap 72.
Laps 71-80: On lap 75 the Z06 '00 catches and passes the Challenger R/T and on the very next lap he gets passed back. The SS '10 is now hitting consistent high 1:41s and low 1:42s. Everyone else behind the Prowler isn't.
Laps 81-90: It's a straight and rather boring run into the flag. I take the win but feel a bit robbed.
Finishing time was 2:35:52.330 with a MOV of over a lap. Fastest lap was 1:40.325 on lap 36. Final standings makes for interesting reading…
Final Standings
Mustang V8 GT Coupe Premium '07 …… 2:35:52.330
Camaro SS '10 ……………..........…………. -1 lap
Prowler '02 ……………………..............…. -2 lap
Challenger R/T '70 ………………………..... -2 lap
Corvette Z06 (C5) '00 ………………………. -2 lap
Corvette Z06 (C5) '04 ………………………. -2 lap
Camaro SS '69 ……………………….......... -3 lap
GTO 5.7 Coupe '04 ………………………..... -4 lap
Mustang SVT Cobra R '00 …………………. -4 lap
GNX '87 ………………………................... -4 lap
Mustang GT '05 ……………………….......... -4 lap
Cuda 440 Six Pack '71 ………………………. -6 lap
Conclusion:
Robbed of a race purely by the rabbits being held up by that damn Prowler. fjdutoit's run showed that the two rabbits on Grid #1 could go pretty well, but for me the SS '10 got held up too long and the Corvette Z06 '04 really let himself down - well I've never seen him finish as low as 6th before! OK, I was more familiar with the Mustang '07 this time around and I did run considerably faster, but the rabbits just didn't even challenge me. They managed to match my pace in the later stages, but all too late and lap down. Very tempted to run this grid again and deliberately hold up the Prowler at the start, just to find out how fast those rabbits could be.
Still had fun though and this Mustang with this tune as actually a joy to drive. Seriously considering having a crack with her at the Nurb 4hr, albeit with different gearing.
'Where the Rabbits at?!'
My plan was to run my Mustang Premium '07 in it's current tune against some rabbits as my finish time was around that of the faster cars. So on paper I could be in for a close race as I could hit 1:41.xxxs for 10 laps on new tyres and the likes of the Corvette Z06 and Camaro SS '10 a second faster. To maximise my lap times I switched to a 2-stop strategy as on my last 1-stopper I was finding that from laps 35 to 45 I was running 5 to 6 seconds slower than on good tyres. At that rate the 2-stopper made more sense against hotter competition.
I also had another trick up my sleeve - intimidation! These flashy rabbits needed to know I meant business, so off came the candy red paint and chrome wheels and I went all stealth matt black and black wheels, Mwhahahahahaha….
^The world's widest Prowler!
Car: Mustang V8 GT Coupe Premium '07
HP: 269
PP: 440
Weight: 1521Kg
Power Level: 85%
Top Speed Setting: 145mph
Tyres: SM
Mods: Fully lightened, full trans and suspension.
Ballast: 200Kg @ +50 (56/44)
All aids off. ABS 1. DFGT wheel.
Grid #1 conveniently has both the Corvette Z06 '04 and Camaro SS '10, so no need for cycling through, and off we go...
Grid #1
1. GTO 5.7 Coupe '04
2. Mustang GT '05
3. Prowler '02
4. GNX '87
5. Challenger R/T '70
6. Mustang SVT Cobra R '00
7. Me[/]
8. Camaro SS '10
9. Corvette Z06 (C5) '04
10. Corvette Z06 (C5) '00
11. Cuda 440 Six Pack '71
12. Camaro SS '69
Lap 1: I lose out on the straight to the SS '10 but switch to the right and slip back around the outside of turn 1. I'm massively aggressive (and fair) through the lap, taking a car pretty much at every corner. I'm amazed to find myself in the lead at the last turn after an opening lap of 1:51.042, which isn't particularly special. First stage of my plan complete.
Laps 2-5: Second stage of my plan is to hammer in the lap times and try and make a big a gap as possible before the rabbits break free and track me down. Experience from my last run shows that these tyres will last (just about) to lap 45, so I can abuse them this run and get to lap 30 for my first stop. It starts out well as by lap 3 I'm in the low 1:42s and start to open a gap back to the 2nd place GTO who just ran a 1:50! By the end of lap 5 I'm +11 secs ahead from the nose-to-tail Prowler, GTO and Mustang '05.
Laps 6-10: Now comfortably running in the 1:41s and opening a gap at about a 2 seconds a lap back to the Prowler. Surprised that the Corvette and Camaro SS '10 haven't caught him yet but they have passed the Mustang '05. Not complaining though as I can predict that by lap 20 I'll be in the 1:43/1:44.xxxs and they'll be running faster. End lap 10 +23 secs ahead of the Prowler, SS '10 and Z06 '04. Prowler running mid 1:44s and the SS' 10 and Z06 '04 low 1:41s and matching me.
Laps 11-20: The SS '10 and Z06 '04 have caught the Prowler but instead of clearing him their lap times drop into the 1:44s. Mine are in the low 1:42s. On lap 15 I pass and lap The Cuda 440. By lap 20 I'm +45 seconds ahead and about to catch a gaggle of six backmarkers.
Laps 21-30: The odd lap now drops into the 1:43s. I lap the following cars between lap 21 and 24: GNX '87, Z06 '00, SS '69, SVT Cobra R and Mustang '05. I lap the GTO on lap 29. The second placed Prowler is running mid 1:45s and holding up the Z06 '04 and SS'10 (swapped places). I pit for some new SM tyres and 17 litres of fuel (Tyres down to 67% front / 75% rear). I exit the pits +38 seconds ahead of the Prowler (gap of 1:10 before I pitted) and now starting to think that if either the Z06 '04 or SS '10 don't clear that Prowler soon this race is over!
Laps 31-40: Back up to speed with these tyres and I start hitting 1:41s again with a FL of 1:40.325 on lap 36. The chasing three are now running 1:47s. Lead by lap 40 up to +1:19, Hmm… Things have bunched up behind the Prowler and even the Challenger R/T has caught them up.
Laps 41-45: I catch an enormous group of nine cars on lap 43. This hits my lap times as I pick my passes. It turns out that the car at the front of this group is the Prowler, so as I double lap some cars I also lap places fourth, third and second without realising it! That kind of ruins the race for me now, but I carry on as this is now a fact-finding mission. Why can't those rabbits pass the Prowler? They easily have 4 seconds a lap over him and it's killed the race.
Laps 46-60: I'm now cruising in the 1:43s. Finally the SS '10 passes the Prowler on lap 49 but they are all doing 1:48s now on bad tyres. The only exception is the Z06 '00 who's been in clear air down in 6th who's hitting 1:43s - just goes to show how much quicker the pack could have been without that Prowler messing things up! SS '69 and Cobra R pit first on lap 51, then the SS '10 on 52 and the Prowler and Challenger R/T on lap 53. Bizarrely the Z06 '00 is homing in on the Z06 '04 who then pits on lap 55. The GNX '87 and Z06 '00 pit on lap 57 and the Corvette slots in just ahead of his older self - looks like running in clear air has paid off! Mustang '05 pits the same lap. GTO pits on lap 59. By lap 60 I'm still a lap ahead of the SS '10, Prowler, Challenger R/T, Z06 '04 and Z06 '00. I pit again for new tyres and another 17 litres of fuel. Tyres down to 67% front / 75% rear.
Laps 61-70: Not much to report. I'm back in the 1:41s and everyone else is holding station. Cuda 44 pits on lap 72.
Laps 71-80: On lap 75 the Z06 '00 catches and passes the Challenger R/T and on the very next lap he gets passed back. The SS '10 is now hitting consistent high 1:41s and low 1:42s. Everyone else behind the Prowler isn't.
Laps 81-90: It's a straight and rather boring run into the flag. I take the win but feel a bit robbed.
Finishing time was 2:35:52.330 with a MOV of over a lap. Fastest lap was 1:40.325 on lap 36. Final standings makes for interesting reading…
Final Standings
Mustang V8 GT Coupe Premium '07 …… 2:35:52.330
Camaro SS '10 ……………..........…………. -1 lap
Prowler '02 ……………………..............…. -2 lap
Challenger R/T '70 ………………………..... -2 lap
Corvette Z06 (C5) '00 ………………………. -2 lap
Corvette Z06 (C5) '04 ………………………. -2 lap
Camaro SS '69 ……………………….......... -3 lap
GTO 5.7 Coupe '04 ………………………..... -4 lap
Mustang SVT Cobra R '00 …………………. -4 lap
GNX '87 ………………………................... -4 lap
Mustang GT '05 ……………………….......... -4 lap
Cuda 440 Six Pack '71 ………………………. -6 lap
Conclusion:
Robbed of a race purely by the rabbits being held up by that damn Prowler. fjdutoit's run showed that the two rabbits on Grid #1 could go pretty well, but for me the SS '10 got held up too long and the Corvette Z06 '04 really let himself down - well I've never seen him finish as low as 6th before! OK, I was more familiar with the Mustang '07 this time around and I did run considerably faster, but the rabbits just didn't even challenge me. They managed to match my pace in the later stages, but all too late and lap down. Very tempted to run this grid again and deliberately hold up the Prowler at the start, just to find out how fast those rabbits could be.
Still had fun though and this Mustang with this tune as actually a joy to drive. Seriously considering having a crack with her at the Nurb 4hr, albeit with different gearing.
Last edited:
GTsail
Premium
- 2,472
- Florida
- GTsail2/GTsail3
For my next attempt, I decide to run another "stock" classic American muscle car, so I check my extensive garage and chance upon a never used Chevy Corvette Convertible C3 '69.
The Corvette C3 Convertible has comfort soft tires installed, so I have to go to GT Auto and purchase two sets of SH tires for the race. There goes $12k, I hope I can earn it back at the track!
Since I will run the Corvette "stock" my fabled pit-crew doesn't have much to do except give my car a wash.
After the wash, my Daytona Yellow Chevy Corvette Convertible C3 '69 has the following spec's:
Horsepower: 290
Weight: 1552
PP value: 451
P.Limit: 100%
Tires: SH (used throughout the race)
4-speed tranny, 142mph top speed limited
Odometer: 0 miles
Acquired: 12/10/2011
Switched: -0-
Wins: -0-
No skid
I know I can probably beat a bunch of snails with the stock Corvette, so I decide that I would rather face the chance of losing, so I look for some rabbits:
Sitting on the Laguna Seca grid are the usual suspects from lineup # 1:
1) Pontiac GTO 5.7 Coupe
2) Mustang GT '05
3) Chrysler Prowler '02
4) Buick GNX '87
5) Challenger R/T '70
6) Mustang SVT Cobra R
7) GTsail in the Corvette C3
8) Camaro SS '10
9) Corvette Z06 C5 '04
10) Corvette Z06 C5 '00
11) Plymouth Cuda 440 Six Pack
12) Camaro SS '69
The flag drops and we're off!
Off the start-line, I coast for a bit to let the field stream past, so I follow the 11th place Cuda 440 Six Pack into the Andretti hairpin. During lap # 1, I pass the Cuda 440 Six Pack and the 10th place Camaro SS '69.
As I begin lap # 2, I see that I'm 7.8 seconds behind the race leader. On lap # 2, I pass the 9th place Mustang SVT Cobra R. At the end of lap # 2, I'm 7.5 seconds behind the race leader and right on the rear-bumper of the Corvette C5 '00 after a 1.47.196 lap.
On lap # 3, I pass the 8th place Corvette C5 '00 as we go thru turn # 11 and end the lap 8.6 seconds behind the race leader.
On lap # 5, I catch and pass the 7th place Buick GNX and the 6th place Mustang GT '05, and end the lap 10.1 seconds behind the race leader after a 1.45.156 lap.
On lap # 7, I pass the 5th place Pontiac GTO 5.7 Coupe and end the lap 10.2 seconds behind the race leading Chrysler Prowler after a lap record 1.43.408 lap.
On lap # 12, I run a 1.43.530 lap and end the lap only 8.5 seconds behind the race leading Chrysler Prowler.
On lap # 14, the 6th place Corvette C5 '00 catches me and taps my rear-bumper as I brake for the corkscrew. I pull away again after the corkscrew and end the lap 6.9 seconds behind the race leading Chrysler Prowler after a 1.44.867 lap.
On lap # 16, the 6th place Corvette C5 '00 thumps my rear-bumper again as I brake for the corkscrew. Again, I manage to pull away over the rest of the lap and end the lap only 5.7 seconds behind the race leading Chrysler Prowler after a decent 1.44.083 lap.
On lap # 18, I just reach the rear-bumper of the 4th place Challenger R/T '70 as we accelerate out of turn # 11 and head up the S/F straight. I end the lap 4.1 seconds behind the race leading Chrysler Prowler after another decent 1.44.154 lap.
On lap # 19, I catch and pass the 4th place Challenger R/T '70 as we go thru turn # 9 and end the lap only 3.1 seconds behind the race leading Chrysler Prowler after a 1.44.203 lap.
At the end of lap # 20, the leading 3-car pack catches the first back-marker. This slows them down a bit, so I reach the rear-bumper of the 3rd place Corvette C5 '04 as he accelerates up the S/F straight.
The three front-runners, plus my Corvette C3 all get past the 12th place Plymouth Cuda 440 Six Pack before the Andretti hairpin on lap # 21.
On lap # 22, I pass the 3rd place Corvette C5 '04 going thru turn # 9 and the 2nd place Camaro SS '10 going thru turn # 11, and end the lap only 1.1 seconds behind the race leading Chrysler Prowler, who has certainly been holding up the two rabbits!
On lap # 25, the Chrysler Prowler "parks" himself on the exit from turn # 11, so I easily pass him and end the lap with a 0.478 second lead after a decent 1.44.957 lap.
On lap # 29, the Corvette C5 '04 passes the Chrysler Prowler and takes up the chase of my Corvette C3. At the end of the lap, I have a 1.1 second lead over the 2004 Corvette C5 after a 1.45.169 lap.
On lap # 30, the 2nd place Corvette C5 '04 challenges me in both turn # 5 and turn # 6, but I hold him off. I end the lap with only a slim 1 second lead over the 2004 Corvette.
On lap # 32, the Camaro SS '10 passes the Chrysler Prowler and takes over 3rd place in the race. He's about 1.5 seconds behind me.
On lap # 34, I catch and pass the Ford Mustang SVT Cobra and the Buick GNX, and put them both between me and the ever-present Corvette C5 '04, who's been staying right in my mirrors.
At the end of lap # 35, I have a 1.9 second lead over the 2nd place Corvette C5 '04. My lead has increased a little because I passed the Ford Mustang GT '05, who then held up the 2004 Corvette C5 for a bit.👍
On lap # 37, the 2nd place Corvette C5 '04 dumps me into the sand as we brake for the corkscrew. I lose my position but give chase thru the corkscrew and re-pass the 2004 C5 as we go thru turn # 10, so at the end of the lap, I still have a 0.571 second lead over the 2nd place Corvette C5 '04 after a 1.45.548 lap.
On lap # 39, the Corvette C5 '04 beats me thru turn # 9 (I was slow thru the corkscrew), but I'm able to quickly re-pass him going thru turn # 10.
By lap # 42, I can tell that my tires have lost their grip. Fast laps are no longer possible. At the end of the lap I have a 1.1 second lead over the 2nd place Corvette C5 '04 after a slow 1.46.227 lap.
On laps # 43 and # 44, I battle the 2nd place Corvette C5 '04 thru turns five, six and the entry to the corkscrew, making my Corvette C3 nice and wide!
On lap # 46, I catch and pass the 8th place Pontiac GTO 5.7 Coupe and get a brief breather from the ever-present Corvette C5 '04 for the rest of the lap. I'm able to end the lap with nearly a 2 second lead!
I begin lap # 48 with a 1.3 second lead over the 2nd place Corvette C5 '04, who still trys to pass me in turns five, six and the corkscrew. I pit at the end of lap # 48 for a new set of SH tires and 60 liters of fuel. My tires were down about 50% on their tire bars.
While I'm in the pits, I get passed by the Corvette C5 '04, the Camaro SS '10, the Corvette C5 '00 and a back-marker, so I fall back into 4th place while getting some fuel.
The 5th place Chrysler Prowler and the 6th place Challenger R/T '70 also drive past me just as I get released and begin my slow drive down the pit-out exit lane.
At the first checkpoint on lap # 49, I see that I've fallen 52.5 seconds behind the race leading Corvette C5 '04.
As I begin lap # 50, I pass the 5th place Challenger R/T '70 who has entered the pits and given me his position on the track. At the end of the lap I see that I'm 52 seconds behind the race leading Corvette C5 '04 after a 1.45.076 lap.
Now that I'm on fresh tires, I must take back some time on the race leading Corvette C5.
As I begin lap # 51, I pass the 4th place Camaro SS '10, who has entered the pits and given me his position. Time for a break.....
At the end of lap # 51, I'm about 1.5 seconds behind the Chrysler Prowler when he enters the pits, so I find myself in 3rd place as I accelerate up the S/F straight.
As I begin lap # 52, I see that I'm 51.6 seconds behind the race leading 2004 C5 Corvette after a fast 1.43.887 lap.
When I begin lap # 54, I find myself in 2nd place because the race leading Corvette C5 '04 has pitted. I'm now 33 seconds behind the new leader, the 2000 C5 Corvette.
At the end of lap # 55, I pass the race leading 2000 C5 Corvette who is in the pits. I take over the race lead as I begin lap # 56.
At the first checkpoint on lap # 56, I see that I have a 3.6 second lead over the 2nd place Camaro SS '10. I doubt that this will be enough! The 2004 C5 Corvette is in 3rd place a few seconds further back.
By the time I get to turn # 5 on lap # 57, I have the Camaro SS '10 right on my rear-bumper.
On lap # 58, I set a new lap record of 1.43.077 and end the lap with a 0.920 second lead over the 2nd place Camaro SS '10.
On lap # 59, I pass the Plymouth Cuda 440 Six Pack. Looking back, I get the news that the 2004 C5 Corvette gets past the Camaro SS '10 as they battle past the Cuda 440 Six Pack. At the end of the lap I have a 0.706 second lead over the 2004 C5 Corvette.
During the next five laps, I work hard to stay ahead of the 2004 C5 Corvette who catches me going into turns five, six and the corkscrew.
At the end of lap # 65, I have a 0.939 second lead over the 2004 C5 Corvette after a decent 1.43.504 lap.
Five more laps battling the 2004 C5 Corvette thru turns five, six and the corkscrew.
At the end of lap # 71, I have a 0.764 second lead over the 2004 C5 Corvette after another decent 1.44.309 lap.
At the end of lap # 72, I pass the Pontiac GTO 5.7 Coupe and put him between me and the 2004 Corvette. This gives me a 2.5 second lead as I begin lap # 73. Wow! Breathing room!
The 2004 C5 Corvette makes short work of the Pontiac GTO 5.7 Coupe, so by the first checkpoint on lap # 73, the 2004 C5 Corvette is right back in my mirrors and only 1.1 seconds behind me.
Four more laps of battling the 2004 C5 Corvette thru turns five, six and the corkscrew.
At the end of lap # 77, I actually pull out a 1.6 second lead over the 2004 C5 Corvette after a decent 1.44.299 lap. This is the largest margin that I've had at the S/F line since the end of lap # 72.
There's 4 back-markers about 5 seconds ahead of me which I will try to catch and put them between me and the ever-present 2004 C5 Corvette.
I catch the first of these back-markers on lap # 79, so I get an extra second of breathing room for a lap.
On lap # 81, I lose the back-end of my Corvette C3 as I exit turn # 9.
I end up out in the sand! It takes me a couple of seconds before I get my Corvette back under control. The 2nd place 2004 C5 Corvette, the 3rd place Camaro SS '10, and the 4th place 2000 C5 Corvette all get past me before I'm back on the tarmac.
At the end of the lap I'm 5.6 seconds behind the race leading 2004 C5 Corvette after a disasterous 1.51.879 lap. I guess I spent about 6 seconds at the beach!
At the end of lap # 82, I get the un-welcome news that I'm 7.7 seconds behind the race leading 2004 C5 Corvette who is motoring away from me!
After 84 laps, I've fallen 12 seconds behind the race leading 2004 C5 Corvette, who is now running some very fast laps. Lap # 84 took me 1.45.678, which is the best that I can currently do on my worn tires.
At the end of lap # 87, I get the bad news that I've fallen 22 seconds behind the race leading 2004 C5 Corvette after a decent (for the state of my tires) 1.45.448 lap.
Lap # 90 takes me 1.46.502 and I drag myself across the finish line in 4th place, a full 34 seconds behind the 2004 C5 Corvette who just ran away from me once I had my sand 'n surf moment!
My total race time was 2 hours, 38 minutes and 59.942 seconds.
Finishing order:
----------------
1) 2004 Corvette ----- 90 laps in 2 hrs, 38 mins, 25 secs (BL 1.41.341)
2) Camaro SS '10 ------ 6.209 secs behind (BL 1.40.812)
3) 2000 Corvette ------ 13.818 secs back (BL 1.41.937)
4) GTsail in Corvette --- 34.351 secs back (BL 1.43.077)
5) Prowler '02 --------- 1 min, 31 secs back (BL 1.43.940)
6) Challenger R/T ------ 1 min, 33 secs back (BL 1.43.818)
7) Camaro SS '69 ------ 1 lap down (BL 1.43.503)
8) Pontiac GTO 5.7 ----- 2 laps down (BL 1.46.004)
9) Mustang SVT -------- 2 laps down (BL 1.44.772)
10) Mustang GT -------- 2 laps down (BL 1.46.406)
11) Buick GNX ---------- 2 laps down (BL 1.46.618)
12) Cuda 440 Six ------- 4 laps down (BL 1.49.510)
Post race notes:
----------------
The rabbits were too much for me! Once they got past, there was just no way to stay with them. At the end of the race they were running laps between two to three seconds faster than me. The stock Corvette C3 '69 handles decently, so I just needed some more speed. The stock 4-speed tranny is ok for Laguna Seca. 4th gear is a little tall, but otherwise the 4-speed tranny shifted decently. Race winnings were $75,400 which covered the cost of two sets of SH tires and my west-coast travel.
Enjoy the racing!
GTsail
The Corvette C3 Convertible has comfort soft tires installed, so I have to go to GT Auto and purchase two sets of SH tires for the race. There goes $12k, I hope I can earn it back at the track!
Since I will run the Corvette "stock" my fabled pit-crew doesn't have much to do except give my car a wash.
After the wash, my Daytona Yellow Chevy Corvette Convertible C3 '69 has the following spec's:
Horsepower: 290
Weight: 1552
PP value: 451
P.Limit: 100%
Tires: SH (used throughout the race)
4-speed tranny, 142mph top speed limited
Odometer: 0 miles
Acquired: 12/10/2011
Switched: -0-
Wins: -0-
No skid
I know I can probably beat a bunch of snails with the stock Corvette, so I decide that I would rather face the chance of losing, so I look for some rabbits:
Sitting on the Laguna Seca grid are the usual suspects from lineup # 1:
1) Pontiac GTO 5.7 Coupe
2) Mustang GT '05
3) Chrysler Prowler '02
4) Buick GNX '87
5) Challenger R/T '70
6) Mustang SVT Cobra R
7) GTsail in the Corvette C3
8) Camaro SS '10
9) Corvette Z06 C5 '04
10) Corvette Z06 C5 '00
11) Plymouth Cuda 440 Six Pack
12) Camaro SS '69
The flag drops and we're off!
Off the start-line, I coast for a bit to let the field stream past, so I follow the 11th place Cuda 440 Six Pack into the Andretti hairpin. During lap # 1, I pass the Cuda 440 Six Pack and the 10th place Camaro SS '69.
As I begin lap # 2, I see that I'm 7.8 seconds behind the race leader. On lap # 2, I pass the 9th place Mustang SVT Cobra R. At the end of lap # 2, I'm 7.5 seconds behind the race leader and right on the rear-bumper of the Corvette C5 '00 after a 1.47.196 lap.
On lap # 3, I pass the 8th place Corvette C5 '00 as we go thru turn # 11 and end the lap 8.6 seconds behind the race leader.
On lap # 5, I catch and pass the 7th place Buick GNX and the 6th place Mustang GT '05, and end the lap 10.1 seconds behind the race leader after a 1.45.156 lap.
On lap # 7, I pass the 5th place Pontiac GTO 5.7 Coupe and end the lap 10.2 seconds behind the race leading Chrysler Prowler after a lap record 1.43.408 lap.
On lap # 12, I run a 1.43.530 lap and end the lap only 8.5 seconds behind the race leading Chrysler Prowler.
On lap # 14, the 6th place Corvette C5 '00 catches me and taps my rear-bumper as I brake for the corkscrew. I pull away again after the corkscrew and end the lap 6.9 seconds behind the race leading Chrysler Prowler after a 1.44.867 lap.
On lap # 16, the 6th place Corvette C5 '00 thumps my rear-bumper again as I brake for the corkscrew. Again, I manage to pull away over the rest of the lap and end the lap only 5.7 seconds behind the race leading Chrysler Prowler after a decent 1.44.083 lap.
On lap # 18, I just reach the rear-bumper of the 4th place Challenger R/T '70 as we accelerate out of turn # 11 and head up the S/F straight. I end the lap 4.1 seconds behind the race leading Chrysler Prowler after another decent 1.44.154 lap.
On lap # 19, I catch and pass the 4th place Challenger R/T '70 as we go thru turn # 9 and end the lap only 3.1 seconds behind the race leading Chrysler Prowler after a 1.44.203 lap.
At the end of lap # 20, the leading 3-car pack catches the first back-marker. This slows them down a bit, so I reach the rear-bumper of the 3rd place Corvette C5 '04 as he accelerates up the S/F straight.
The three front-runners, plus my Corvette C3 all get past the 12th place Plymouth Cuda 440 Six Pack before the Andretti hairpin on lap # 21.
On lap # 22, I pass the 3rd place Corvette C5 '04 going thru turn # 9 and the 2nd place Camaro SS '10 going thru turn # 11, and end the lap only 1.1 seconds behind the race leading Chrysler Prowler, who has certainly been holding up the two rabbits!
On lap # 25, the Chrysler Prowler "parks" himself on the exit from turn # 11, so I easily pass him and end the lap with a 0.478 second lead after a decent 1.44.957 lap.
On lap # 29, the Corvette C5 '04 passes the Chrysler Prowler and takes up the chase of my Corvette C3. At the end of the lap, I have a 1.1 second lead over the 2004 Corvette C5 after a 1.45.169 lap.
On lap # 30, the 2nd place Corvette C5 '04 challenges me in both turn # 5 and turn # 6, but I hold him off.
I end the lap with only a slim 1 second lead over the 2004 Corvette.On lap # 32, the Camaro SS '10 passes the Chrysler Prowler and takes over 3rd place in the race. He's about 1.5 seconds behind me.
On lap # 34, I catch and pass the Ford Mustang SVT Cobra and the Buick GNX, and put them both between me and the ever-present Corvette C5 '04, who's been staying right in my mirrors.
At the end of lap # 35, I have a 1.9 second lead over the 2nd place Corvette C5 '04. My lead has increased a little because I passed the Ford Mustang GT '05, who then held up the 2004 Corvette C5 for a bit.👍
On lap # 37, the 2nd place Corvette C5 '04 dumps me into the sand as we brake for the corkscrew. I lose my position but give chase thru the corkscrew and re-pass the 2004 C5 as we go thru turn # 10, so at the end of the lap, I still have a 0.571 second lead over the 2nd place Corvette C5 '04 after a 1.45.548 lap.
On lap # 39, the Corvette C5 '04 beats me thru turn # 9 (I was slow thru the corkscrew), but I'm able to quickly re-pass him going thru turn # 10.
By lap # 42, I can tell that my tires have lost their grip. Fast laps are no longer possible. At the end of the lap I have a 1.1 second lead over the 2nd place Corvette C5 '04 after a slow 1.46.227 lap.
On laps # 43 and # 44, I battle the 2nd place Corvette C5 '04 thru turns five, six and the entry to the corkscrew, making my Corvette C3 nice and wide!
On lap # 46, I catch and pass the 8th place Pontiac GTO 5.7 Coupe and get a brief breather from the ever-present Corvette C5 '04 for the rest of the lap. I'm able to end the lap with nearly a 2 second lead!
I begin lap # 48 with a 1.3 second lead over the 2nd place Corvette C5 '04, who still trys to pass me in turns five, six and the corkscrew.
I pit at the end of lap # 48 for a new set of SH tires and 60 liters of fuel. My tires were down about 50% on their tire bars.While I'm in the pits, I get passed by the Corvette C5 '04, the Camaro SS '10, the Corvette C5 '00 and a back-marker, so I fall back into 4th place while getting some fuel.
The 5th place Chrysler Prowler and the 6th place Challenger R/T '70 also drive past me just as I get released and begin my slow drive down the pit-out exit lane.
At the first checkpoint on lap # 49, I see that I've fallen 52.5 seconds behind the race leading Corvette C5 '04.
As I begin lap # 50, I pass the 5th place Challenger R/T '70 who has entered the pits and given me his position on the track. At the end of the lap I see that I'm 52 seconds behind the race leading Corvette C5 '04 after a 1.45.076 lap.
Now that I'm on fresh tires, I must take back some time on the race leading Corvette C5.
As I begin lap # 51, I pass the 4th place Camaro SS '10, who has entered the pits and given me his position. Time for a break.....
At the end of lap # 51, I'm about 1.5 seconds behind the Chrysler Prowler when he enters the pits, so I find myself in 3rd place as I accelerate up the S/F straight.
As I begin lap # 52, I see that I'm 51.6 seconds behind the race leading 2004 C5 Corvette after a fast 1.43.887 lap.
When I begin lap # 54, I find myself in 2nd place because the race leading Corvette C5 '04 has pitted. I'm now 33 seconds behind the new leader, the 2000 C5 Corvette.
At the end of lap # 55, I pass the race leading 2000 C5 Corvette who is in the pits. I take over the race lead as I begin lap # 56.
At the first checkpoint on lap # 56, I see that I have a 3.6 second lead over the 2nd place Camaro SS '10. I doubt that this will be enough!
The 2004 C5 Corvette is in 3rd place a few seconds further back.By the time I get to turn # 5 on lap # 57, I have the Camaro SS '10 right on my rear-bumper.
On lap # 58, I set a new lap record of 1.43.077 and end the lap with a 0.920 second lead over the 2nd place Camaro SS '10.
On lap # 59, I pass the Plymouth Cuda 440 Six Pack. Looking back, I get the news that the 2004 C5 Corvette gets past the Camaro SS '10 as they battle past the Cuda 440 Six Pack. At the end of the lap I have a 0.706 second lead over the 2004 C5 Corvette.
During the next five laps, I work hard to stay ahead of the 2004 C5 Corvette who catches me going into turns five, six and the corkscrew.
At the end of lap # 65, I have a 0.939 second lead over the 2004 C5 Corvette after a decent 1.43.504 lap.
Five more laps battling the 2004 C5 Corvette thru turns five, six and the corkscrew.
At the end of lap # 71, I have a 0.764 second lead over the 2004 C5 Corvette after another decent 1.44.309 lap.
At the end of lap # 72, I pass the Pontiac GTO 5.7 Coupe and put him between me and the 2004 Corvette. This gives me a 2.5 second lead as I begin lap # 73. Wow! Breathing room!
The 2004 C5 Corvette makes short work of the Pontiac GTO 5.7 Coupe, so by the first checkpoint on lap # 73, the 2004 C5 Corvette is right back in my mirrors and only 1.1 seconds behind me.
Four more laps of battling the 2004 C5 Corvette thru turns five, six and the corkscrew.
At the end of lap # 77, I actually pull out a 1.6 second lead over the 2004 C5 Corvette after a decent 1.44.299 lap. This is the largest margin that I've had at the S/F line since the end of lap # 72.
There's 4 back-markers about 5 seconds ahead of me which I will try to catch and put them between me and the ever-present 2004 C5 Corvette.
I catch the first of these back-markers on lap # 79, so I get an extra second of breathing room for a lap.
On lap # 81, I lose the back-end of my Corvette C3 as I exit turn # 9.
I end up out in the sand! It takes me a couple of seconds before I get my Corvette back under control. The 2nd place 2004 C5 Corvette, the 3rd place Camaro SS '10, and the 4th place 2000 C5 Corvette all get past me before I'm back on the tarmac.At the end of the lap I'm 5.6 seconds behind the race leading 2004 C5 Corvette after a disasterous 1.51.879 lap. I guess I spent about 6 seconds at the beach!
At the end of lap # 82, I get the un-welcome news that I'm 7.7 seconds behind the race leading 2004 C5 Corvette who is motoring away from me!
After 84 laps, I've fallen 12 seconds behind the race leading 2004 C5 Corvette, who is now running some very fast laps. Lap # 84 took me 1.45.678, which is the best that I can currently do on my worn tires.
At the end of lap # 87, I get the bad news that I've fallen 22 seconds behind the race leading 2004 C5 Corvette after a decent (for the state of my tires) 1.45.448 lap.
Lap # 90 takes me 1.46.502 and I drag myself across the finish line in 4th place, a full 34 seconds behind the 2004 C5 Corvette who just ran away from me once I had my sand 'n surf moment!
My total race time was 2 hours, 38 minutes and 59.942 seconds.
Finishing order:
----------------
1) 2004 Corvette ----- 90 laps in 2 hrs, 38 mins, 25 secs (BL 1.41.341)
2) Camaro SS '10 ------ 6.209 secs behind (BL 1.40.812)
3) 2000 Corvette ------ 13.818 secs back (BL 1.41.937)
4) GTsail in Corvette --- 34.351 secs back (BL 1.43.077)
5) Prowler '02 --------- 1 min, 31 secs back (BL 1.43.940)
6) Challenger R/T ------ 1 min, 33 secs back (BL 1.43.818)
7) Camaro SS '69 ------ 1 lap down (BL 1.43.503)
8) Pontiac GTO 5.7 ----- 2 laps down (BL 1.46.004)
9) Mustang SVT -------- 2 laps down (BL 1.44.772)
10) Mustang GT -------- 2 laps down (BL 1.46.406)
11) Buick GNX ---------- 2 laps down (BL 1.46.618)
12) Cuda 440 Six ------- 4 laps down (BL 1.49.510)
Post race notes:
----------------
The rabbits were too much for me! Once they got past, there was just no way to stay with them. At the end of the race they were running laps between two to three seconds faster than me. The stock Corvette C3 '69 handles decently, so I just needed some more speed. The stock 4-speed tranny is ok for Laguna Seca. 4th gear is a little tall, but otherwise the 4-speed tranny shifted decently. Race winnings were $75,400 which covered the cost of two sets of SH tires and my west-coast travel.
Enjoy the racing!
GTsail
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GTsail
Premium
- 2,472
- Florida
- GTsail2/GTsail3
Nice thumping you gave those pesky rabbits axletramp!
The rabbits in my race have not decided to roll-over and cruise. I'm up against F.Magnusson in the 2004 Corvette and L.Barthelemy in the 2010 Camaro, so they must make all the difference in the world!
The Chrysler Prowler in my race is being driven by N.Lehner
I now know that this means that he's a New Learner, and has had no track time in which to learn how to hold up the rest of the field!
I've paused my race to wipe the sweat off my brow!
Hammering at Laguna,
GTsail
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The morning after the fat lady`s win at Laguna Seca, I venture forth from the pits the crew and I celebrated our win a little too hard and we would all do better with some sustenance. Since the fat lady suffered a minor facial injury I had no choice but to use the crew bus, and would't you know it I got lost and found my way onto the starting grid.
VW Sambabus Typ2(T1) '62
208bhp, 992kg of rapid crew transporter. Its almost new, only 45.6km on the odo.
And boy has it been made rapid:
SS tires
Weight reduction 3
Window weight reduction
Rigidity improvement
Sports ECU
Engine 3
Sports intake
Racing airfilter
Sports exhaust
Catalytic converter sports
Titanium racing exhaust
Turbo 3
F/C Transmission
Twin clutch
Flywheel semi racing
F/C Suspension
Brakes 5/5
The Grid
Camaro coupe '97
Corvette coupe C2 '63
Taurus SHO '98
Chevelle SS454 '70
Viper GTS '99
Cougar XR-7 '67
Sambabus
Corvette (Z06) '00
Prowler '02
Mustang V8 GT coupe premium '07
300C '05
Superbird '70
The flag drops and my scenic route to the local grocer becomes 200miles more scenic
Lap 1 1:43.073
Up to 4th at AHP manage 2nd at turn 4 eventhough the SS454 threw its weight around a bit.
Lap 2 1:43.791
Went off at turn 5 dropped back down to 3rd but managed to take 2nd at the C/S
Lap 3 1:42.742
Bus really is rapid, and the celebration side effects are wearing off fast in the bright sun
Lap 4 1:42.613
Go through the C/S side by side with the Viper GTS
Lap 5 1:40.981
Draft the race leading Z28 as much as possible the entire lap, take 1st at turn 10 finish the lap 1.5s ahead of the Z28
Lap 6 1:42.379
Gap open to about 2s
Lap 7 1:42.037
The Viper has taken 2nd and is fully intent on not losing to a bus despite it having a truck engine derivitive its still a sports car.
Laps 8 - 14 1:42.xxx
The Viper keeps chipping away at the lead through every straight and every corner i reply by stretching the gap again, keep gap at +-2s.
Lap 15 1:43.713
Put the Ford V8 GT a lap down
Lap 16 1:43.725
The Mustang does a stunning job of holding the Viper up and the gap goes to 3s
Lap 17 1:44.514
Viper finally passes the V8GT and in a vulgar display of power guts 2s off my lead, finish the lap 1.3s ahead
Lap 18 1:43.894
Put the Taurus SHO a lap down through the C/S
Lap 19 1:43.308
Put the Superbird a lap down at turn 9, the backmarkers really slow the Viper down, end the lap 6s ahead.
Lap 20 1:43.750
Lap 21 1:44.667
Put the SS454 down a lap
Lap 22 1:43.129
Finally in clean air again
Lap 23-30 high 1:43. - low 1:44.
Stretch the gap to 9s i can lap alot faster on worn tires than the Viper, so much so i lap the V8GT again
Lap 31 2:06.402
Pit for new SS tires and 3l of fuel, the crew was ready and eager since this was to be billed as the ultimate test drive of their bus and it was holding up well where it really didnt belong. Exit the pits in 2nd 12.7s behind the viper.
Lap 32 1:47.871
Put the SHO 2 laps down as we enter the AHP since he pitted when I did.
Lap 33 1:43.406
Lap 34 1:43.669
Put the V8GT down a lap, he managed to unlap himself when i pitted. Pass the SS454 and the Viper as they drop in for their first pits of the race.
Lap 35 1:41.479
I have a lead of 13s over the Viper since his pit lap took 2:39.626, he must have taken atleast 30l of fuel.
Lap 36 1:41.121
21s lead
Lap 37 1:40.493
Clean air and I manage the best lap of my race, fuel in the sambabus has finally reached the 3/4 mark lead 26s
Lap38 1:41.380 lead 31s
Lap39 1:41.272 lead 36s
Lap40 1:41.184 lead 40s
Lap41 1:42.318 lead 45s
Lap42 1:40.660 lead 52s
Lap43 1:40.989 lead 56s
Lap44 1:42.304 lead 58s
Put the V8GT another lap down
Lap45 1:43.908 lead 56s
End of lap 45, ive lapped every car in the field except the Viper GTS.
Challenge accepted!!
Laps 46-60
Nothing really happens lap times avg 1:43.xxx two off road stints but never major, gap stays at the 56s mark
Lap61 1:45.073
Slacking off, the race is kinda dead at this point as i have managed to get 1 min ahead of the Viper, backmarkers are ruining his race.
Lap62 1:45.055 lead 59s
Lap63 2:07.796
Pit new SS tires and 2l of fuel everyone wants to be part of the team that entered the bus so eventhough i dont need fuel we still add some for the action shot. Lead down to 35s
Lap64 1:49.629 lead 32s
Lap65 1:40.923 lead 36s
Lap66 1:41.490 lead 40s
Lap67 1:41.433 lead 45s
Lap68 1:41.291 lead 1m13s
Viper pits, lap time 2:09.938
Lap69 1:42.224 lead 1m17s
Lap70 1:42.338 lead 1m21s
Lap71 1:40.972 lead 1m25s
Lap72 1:40.931 lead 1m29s
Finally down to a 1/4 tank of fuel
Lap73 1:40.918 lead 1m33s
Lap74 1:41.857 lead 1m33s
The Viper is finally in clean air for a bit, this is as close as I got to lapping him.
Lap 75-81 avg 1:42.xxx lead stays at 1m30s
Lap82 1:42.720 lead 1m31s
Lap83 1:42.938 lead 1m30s
Lap84 1:43.348 lead 1m28s
Lap85 1:44.016 lead 1m26s
Lap86 1:45.178 lead 1m24s
Lap87 1:45.412 lead 1m22s
Lap88 1:44.551 lead 1m22s
Lap89 1:44.565 lead 1m22s
Lap90 1:46.647 lead 1m20s
Standings
Sambabus 2h35m49.308 B/L 1:40.493
Viper GTS +1m19.941 1:40.378
C5 Vette 2 laps 1:41.481
Z28 2 laps 1:41.071
XR-7 2 laps 1:42.876
Prowler 2 laps 1:42.410
300C 3 laps 1:41.318
SS454 4 laps 1:45.452
Superbird 4 laps 1:45.484
C2 vette 5 laps 1:46.715
SHO 5 laps 1:47.295
V8 GT 6 laps 1:48.780
About 10l of fuel left in the tank, front tires never wore more than 50% rear never more than 40%.
Post race bhp 198, quick oil change and its up to 208
Odo reads 367.2km so total race distance was 324.2km about 202 miles, like i said a scenic route.
The Viper's gains on the uphill must be on account of him drafting me
Surely that has to be the reason.
Soberly
Fjdutoit
VW Sambabus Typ2(T1) '62
208bhp, 992kg of rapid crew transporter. Its almost new, only 45.6km on the odo.
And boy has it been made rapid:
SS tires
Weight reduction 3
Window weight reduction
Rigidity improvement
Sports ECU
Engine 3
Sports intake
Racing airfilter
Sports exhaust
Catalytic converter sports
Titanium racing exhaust
Turbo 3
F/C Transmission
Twin clutch
Flywheel semi racing
F/C Suspension
Brakes 5/5
The Grid
Camaro coupe '97
Corvette coupe C2 '63
Taurus SHO '98
Chevelle SS454 '70
Viper GTS '99
Cougar XR-7 '67
Sambabus
Corvette (Z06) '00
Prowler '02
Mustang V8 GT coupe premium '07
300C '05
Superbird '70
The flag drops and my scenic route to the local grocer becomes 200miles more scenic
Lap 1 1:43.073
Up to 4th at AHP manage 2nd at turn 4 eventhough the SS454 threw its weight around a bit.
Lap 2 1:43.791
Went off at turn 5 dropped back down to 3rd but managed to take 2nd at the C/S
Lap 3 1:42.742
Bus really is rapid, and the celebration side effects are wearing off fast in the bright sun
Lap 4 1:42.613
Go through the C/S side by side with the Viper GTS
Lap 5 1:40.981
Draft the race leading Z28 as much as possible the entire lap, take 1st at turn 10 finish the lap 1.5s ahead of the Z28
Lap 6 1:42.379
Gap open to about 2s
Lap 7 1:42.037
The Viper has taken 2nd and is fully intent on not losing to a bus despite it having a truck engine derivitive its still a sports car.
Laps 8 - 14 1:42.xxx
The Viper keeps chipping away at the lead through every straight and every corner i reply by stretching the gap again, keep gap at +-2s.
Lap 15 1:43.713
Put the Ford V8 GT a lap down
Lap 16 1:43.725
The Mustang does a stunning job of holding the Viper up and the gap goes to 3s
Lap 17 1:44.514
Viper finally passes the V8GT and in a vulgar display of power guts 2s off my lead, finish the lap 1.3s ahead
Lap 18 1:43.894
Put the Taurus SHO a lap down through the C/S
Lap 19 1:43.308
Put the Superbird a lap down at turn 9, the backmarkers really slow the Viper down, end the lap 6s ahead.
Lap 20 1:43.750
Lap 21 1:44.667
Put the SS454 down a lap
Lap 22 1:43.129
Finally in clean air again
Lap 23-30 high 1:43. - low 1:44.
Stretch the gap to 9s i can lap alot faster on worn tires than the Viper, so much so i lap the V8GT again
Lap 31 2:06.402
Pit for new SS tires and 3l of fuel, the crew was ready and eager since this was to be billed as the ultimate test drive of their bus and it was holding up well where it really didnt belong. Exit the pits in 2nd 12.7s behind the viper.
Lap 32 1:47.871
Put the SHO 2 laps down as we enter the AHP since he pitted when I did.
Lap 33 1:43.406
Lap 34 1:43.669
Put the V8GT down a lap, he managed to unlap himself when i pitted. Pass the SS454 and the Viper as they drop in for their first pits of the race.
Lap 35 1:41.479
I have a lead of 13s over the Viper since his pit lap took 2:39.626, he must have taken atleast 30l of fuel.
Lap 36 1:41.121
21s lead
Lap 37 1:40.493
Clean air and I manage the best lap of my race, fuel in the sambabus has finally reached the 3/4 mark lead 26s
Lap38 1:41.380 lead 31s
Lap39 1:41.272 lead 36s
Lap40 1:41.184 lead 40s
Lap41 1:42.318 lead 45s
Lap42 1:40.660 lead 52s
Lap43 1:40.989 lead 56s
Lap44 1:42.304 lead 58s
Put the V8GT another lap down
Lap45 1:43.908 lead 56s
End of lap 45, ive lapped every car in the field except the Viper GTS.
Challenge accepted!!
Laps 46-60
Nothing really happens lap times avg 1:43.xxx two off road stints but never major, gap stays at the 56s mark
Lap61 1:45.073
Slacking off, the race is kinda dead at this point as i have managed to get 1 min ahead of the Viper, backmarkers are ruining his race.
Lap62 1:45.055 lead 59s
Lap63 2:07.796
Pit new SS tires and 2l of fuel everyone wants to be part of the team that entered the bus so eventhough i dont need fuel we still add some for the action shot. Lead down to 35s
Lap64 1:49.629 lead 32s
Lap65 1:40.923 lead 36s
Lap66 1:41.490 lead 40s
Lap67 1:41.433 lead 45s
Lap68 1:41.291 lead 1m13s
Viper pits, lap time 2:09.938
Lap69 1:42.224 lead 1m17s
Lap70 1:42.338 lead 1m21s
Lap71 1:40.972 lead 1m25s
Lap72 1:40.931 lead 1m29s
Finally down to a 1/4 tank of fuel
Lap73 1:40.918 lead 1m33s
Lap74 1:41.857 lead 1m33s
The Viper is finally in clean air for a bit, this is as close as I got to lapping him.
Lap 75-81 avg 1:42.xxx lead stays at 1m30s
Lap82 1:42.720 lead 1m31s
Lap83 1:42.938 lead 1m30s
Lap84 1:43.348 lead 1m28s
Lap85 1:44.016 lead 1m26s
Lap86 1:45.178 lead 1m24s
Lap87 1:45.412 lead 1m22s
Lap88 1:44.551 lead 1m22s
Lap89 1:44.565 lead 1m22s
Lap90 1:46.647 lead 1m20s
Standings
Sambabus 2h35m49.308 B/L 1:40.493
Viper GTS +1m19.941 1:40.378
C5 Vette 2 laps 1:41.481
Z28 2 laps 1:41.071
XR-7 2 laps 1:42.876
Prowler 2 laps 1:42.410
300C 3 laps 1:41.318
SS454 4 laps 1:45.452
Superbird 4 laps 1:45.484
C2 vette 5 laps 1:46.715
SHO 5 laps 1:47.295
V8 GT 6 laps 1:48.780
About 10l of fuel left in the tank, front tires never wore more than 50% rear never more than 40%.
Post race bhp 198, quick oil change and its up to 208
Odo reads 367.2km so total race distance was 324.2km about 202 miles, like i said a scenic route.
The Viper's gains on the uphill must be on account of him drafting me
Surely that has to be the reason.
Soberly
Fjdutoit
Last edited:
Great win against the 'demi-rabbit' Viper. 👍 Hope the kids were alright in the back.
The Viper is a lot of things, but a rabbit it aint. It does 5 maybe 6 quick laps on new tires then it crawls if I had known I could pull off 1:40.xxx I would have taken on the rabbits with the bus. Sadly in practice I never got under 1:43 so I kinda thought that was as good as it gets.
Managed to take about 40s total time on the Viper through the pits alone, fuel efficiency trumps power then is the moral of this story.
- 637
- NH
- Whodoyouthink
Using a 100% stock Acura DNX. On lap 71. In first, but have 2nd place car riding my ass like there is no tomorrow (avg. bout 0.7xxs behind me. had a 3s lead just a few laps ago). Trying to keep cool. Only other worry is if it was smart to fuel up on 27 liters instead of the 32 the game suggested. I do not want to lose because I ran out of fuel on one of the last laps, or even the very last one.
These races are so stressful hahahha. I still can't imagine how long it will take me, if I ever get to them, to do Le Mans and Nurgburgring 24. I started this at around 4PM EST, so that shows just how much I've already done for break times.
Anways, I'll let you guys know what the end result is once I finish.
These races are so stressful hahahha. I still can't imagine how long it will take me, if I ever get to them, to do Le Mans and Nurgburgring 24. I started this at around 4PM EST, so that shows just how much I've already done for break times.
Anways, I'll let you guys know what the end result is once I finish.
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