Nurburgring 24 hour experience

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flyingkiwi

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My playstation is on the brink, the adapter cable inside the machine has something wrong with it.

If I move the adapter wire 1 mm the thing will turn off, so doing a 24 hour endurance race may not seem like a good idea, but what the hell:dopey:

Have attempted this race with different cars but always pulled out after an hour or so because my car was either too fast or too slow for the AIs.

Now I have hit on the idea of adding ballast to my machine.

Car: BMW 320i Touring Car, Stage 2 turbo, 348hp, 200kg ballast

A-spec points: 157pts

The Lineup:

Toyota Superautobacs APEX MR-S
AMG Mercedes 190 E 2.5-16 Evolution II Touring Car
Opel Calibra Touring Car
Nissan Falken GT-R Race Car
Nissan C-West Razo Silvia (JGTC)
BMW 320i Touring Car

Hour 1

Really untidy in the first hour. I hang back for lap 1 as the Opel and Falken take off. I actually nearly spin trying to pass the Superautobacs on the Schwedenkrenz. :scared:

The Falken passes the Opel on the Autoniusbuche straight before the end of the opening lap and I am 3 seconds behind.

The Falken pulls away on lap 2 as I spend most of the lap trying to pass the Opel. I get by but end lap 2 10 seconds behind the Falken.

Lap 3 and I spin it after putting a wheel in the sand at Pflanzgarten I (I hate that corner and never really seem to get it right). The Opel goes pass me again and I end lap 3 21 seconds behind the Falken. :nervous:

Lap 4 and I finally get a semi-good lap togehter. It's a 7:26 and I pass the Opel and start ever so slightly gaining on the Falken. End the lap 19 seconds down.

Lap 5 and both the Falken and my tyres are spent but I keep catching him still and am about 13 seconds down when we both pit. Unfortunatly that bloody Opel has been catching me again and bumps me into the pit wall!!! I have to select reverse and it costs me valuable time.

I keep with the R1s and top up about 3/4s of the tank. I figure I'll be able to make up the lost ground as the AIs are slow on new tyres.

Lap 6 and I spin again. This is so not like me. This time it's at Metzgesfeld. A weird place to spin. But I gain time on the Opel and Falken anyway. New tyres really is the Falken's achilles heel. The Opel pits and for the remaining two laps of the hour the Falken and me trade split times and I end the first hour 10 seconds behind in 2nd place. I set my fastest lap of 7:24.836 at the end of lap 8.

I think a good race is in prospect. I have the pace at the moment (especially on new tyres) but the Falken has more grunt along the straights and I will lose horsepower and chassis performance as the race goes on, right?

Wish me luck and hope with me that the bloody console doesn't switch off.:nervous:


Hour 2

Have to pit at the end of lap 9 because I didn't think I'd have enough fuel to make it round another lap.
Lap 10 on new R1 tyres and I spin again, this time near Kallenhard. The Falken though has shot tyres so I gain on him rapidly for the rest of the lap until he comes out of the pits right alongside me. I overshoot my braking into turn 1 and he keeps the lead. But I soon pass him Adenauer Forst and pull away for a couple of laps. A few mistakes here and there and he is on my tail by lap 13 and passes me as I go into the sand briefly at Schwalbenschwanz.

I do lap 14 on worn tyres (a mistake), pit in and change to R2s. I figure that they will have more grip plus they might last until the end of 4 laps and I won't have to have a lap on worn tyres like the R1s. I also don't have to put as much fuel into the car.

I exit the pits nearly one minute behind the Falken but gain ground. He pits again and comes out with about a 15 second lead. I slice 10 seconds off that on lap 16, as I set another 7:24.8s lap whilst the Falken battles with his green tyres. 5 seconds behind now.

Hour 3

Rubbish hour, to be fair. Very bad driving on my part. Riddled with mistakes. My R2 tyres did not give me what I expected. They went off on their 4th lap and I struggled for the whole lap and dropped A LOT of time. Came out of the pits after lap 18 about 1:10s behind the Falken. I changed back to R1s and decided to just do four lap stints on them in an endeavour to cut out the worn-tyre slow laps. I need to make this ground back up. Instead, I make silly mistakes. I spin near Kesselchen, go off the road at Aremberg, etc.
These mistakes are mainly due to my habit of running too ride out of the exit of corners. I just love riding those ripple strips too much. Have to have more discipline if I am to make up the ground lost.

Anyway, I pit again on lap 22 and this time I rejoin in 3rd behind the Opel as he has basically done two stops fewer than me at this stage. I pass him on lap 24 and end this somewhat miserable hour 1:21s behind the Falken.

Hour 4

Some progress has been made. I started 1:21s behind and did not make a mistake the whole hour, putting in consistent 7:27-7:28s laps to slowly close the gap. I decided to go back to 5 lap stints again on the R1s, figuring that my 5th lap won't lose me as much as it takes to make a pitstop. I could be wrong. I lost 20 seconds to the Falken on lap 32. I'll have to reevaluate that strategy in the next hour. Perhaps I could do a quick 3-lap stint on R3s to enable me to get back into sync with the Falken on pitstops. Anyway, I pit at the end of lap 32, and will emerge I am guessing just over a minute behind the lead. So, I have gained about 15 seconds in that hour.

Hour 5

More progress made. I started 1 minute behind the Falken, and pitted on lap 36 and intended to pit on lap 40 to get back in sync with him. Between laps 36-40, the gap was about 36 seconds. I had closed to within 25 seconds when the Falken pitted on lap 40. I intened to do the same, but dropped a wheel off onto the grass exiting the final turn before the pits and lost control and smacked into the fence/pitwall!!! I had to reverse and start another lap. Dear oh dear.
 
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Noooooooooooo! All that momentum. However, once again, you are not to blame. This turn is usually attacked at relativley high speed. This is the only time I suggest doing some early braking.


Hey, words of advice, don't focus too much on closing the gap. Focus more on perfecting your manuver. The lead will come. You have to have a steady hand to do NN. But it's not impossible.
 
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tHeMaZdAMaN, just to give you some advice: When you quote a post, please delete the stuff that's unimportant, so that the quote is not big/ don't just quote big posts 👍
 
Good luck with the race flyingkiwi and I hope the loose connection holds. I guess this is one way to simulate the possibility of a mechanical failure during the race!!! :lol:
Keep concentrating on driving clean, smooth lines on each lap and the speed will eventually pick up by itself, 24 hours of racing and you'll set into a deep groove of Nurburgring "Faszination" and it'll all seem like a set of movements deeply embedded into your subconcious!
 
That's a damn shame, man. :( You did well on ordering a new PS2, in my opinion at least. Recenty I've been getting the "red circle of death", or loading errors to keep it less geeky, and it's freaking me out. :nervous:

I would love to see you race again. I will be cheering for you next time 👍
 
Codename L
That's a damn shame, man. :( You did well on ordering a new PS2, in my opinion at least. Recenty I've been getting the "red circle of death", or loading errors to keep it less geeky, and it's freaking me out. :nervous:
Click to expand...
That happened to me, whenever I went to, say, Seoul or Seattle, I would get the red circle and it wouldn't let me drive. Then, about a month ago, it started showing the RROD right after the intro was over. I got a new GT4 for $20 off Amazon, and problem solved.
 
With a new PS2, I am ready to go at it again.

Wanted to go with the BMW 320i, but want a change.

Will get a car sorted out by this weekend.
 
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The stage is set again:

The race starts at Wednesday 6:10pm my time.

Car: BMW 320i Touring Car, Stage 3 NA, 343hp, 200kg ballast

A-spec points: 162pts

The Lineup:

Toyota Superautobacs APEX MR-S
AMG Mercedes 190 E 2.5-16 Evolution II Touring Car
Opel Calibra Touring Car
Nissan Falken GT-R Race Car
Nissan C-West Razo Silvia (JGTC)
BMW 320i Touring Car

Hour One - Wednesday Night - 8 laps completed

Lap one is eventful with some untidy driving by me. I pass the Silvia easily at turn 3. I get passed the Falken and Opel coming out of Flugplatz. But I try to go around the outside of the Mercedes but he moves over on me and sends me onto the grass! I thus career from side to side across the track before finally gaining control and resuming the chase in 5th.

I get passed the Toyota and the Mercedes on the Kesselchen straight. I try to go around the outside of the Falken coming out of Brunnchen but I end up in the sand.

The Falken passes the Opel on the Autoniusbuche and I end lap one in 3rd (7:54.456), 4.7 seconds behind the Falken.

On lap two I close up on the Opel but put a wheel off the curb near Breidsheid and have a mini-spin.

I am losing 1.4 seconds to the Falken on the Autoniusbuche straight and clock 264km/h coming out of the kink.

I end lap two in 3rd (7:35.366), 11.9 seconds behind the Falken.

Can't get pass the Opel on lap 3, either. I think I have him near Breidshield, but he gets me back on the next straight. I am not blocking in this race. I will just keep the racing line and if they are fast enough, they can pass me.

I try a risky move on the fast Pflanzgarten but I get on the grass and have a mini lose. I compound this with another mini lose at Galgenkopf. Maybe starting on a week night is a bad idea. I feel tired and not at my best.

Anyway, I end lap three still in 3rd (7:37.780), and now 21.9 seconds behind the Falken.

Lap four, and I finally get passed the Opel after catching a slipstream down the Autoniusbuche. I actually hit 284km/h. The only mistake on the lap was going off the road momentarily at Galgenkopf (again) after hitting the inside kerb too hard.

I end lap four in 2nd (7:27.474), 20.6 seconds behind the Falken.

On lap five my tyres go off and the Opel passes me again. The Falken and I both pit at the end of the lap. But because I only top up 3/4 of the tank, I gain time on him. A clean outlap, and the Falken taking its time to warm up its tyres, means that I am only 9.4 seconds behind at the end of lap 6. The Opel, Mercedes, and Silvia pit from 1st, 4th, and 6th, respectfully.

Another goodish lap (7:27.7) sees me 9.2 seconds behind at the end of lap 7. The Toyota finally pits from 5th.

At the end of lap 8 (7:23.958), I am 6.2 seconds behind.

Hour 2 - Wednesday Night - 16 laps completed

At the end of lap 9 (7:27), I am 4.1 seconds behind. I am running light on fuel, though. Only two units left. Guess I'll find out how many units it uses per lap!

Luckily I made it (just) and we both pitted on lap 10. I emerge behind the Falken but pass him at Adenauer Forst and proceed to stamp my mark on the race as follows:

End of lap 11 +6.3s.
End of lap 12 +7.5
End of lap 13 +10.0
End of lap 14 +12.9

We both pit again at the end of lap 15, and I gain a huge advantage as predicted by putting less fuel in my car and also by being much faster on new tyres.

By the end of lap 16, I am 25.5 seconds ahead of the 2nd placed Falken.

I notice though that I may already be losing horsepower as my max speed is now 260km/h (down from 264km/h on lap 2) and I drove almost a perfect lap on lap 13 but only managed a 7:25 compared to my 7:23 on lap 8.

Hour 3 - Thursday Night - 24 laps completed

Had an untidy couple of laps which lead to the Falken closing up to within 15 seconds of me when we came into the pits for the fourth time on lap 20. I gained 4 seconds on him during the pitstops and also about 8 seconds on the first lap out of the pits. The rest of the hour was tidy and I ended lap 24 29.9 seconds ahead of the Falken.

The Silvia was lapped on lap 17 and the Toyota on lap 18.

Hour 4 - Thursday Night - 32 laps completed

Had a horrible lap 29 which cost me some 10 seconds. Don't know why. I didn't spin or even go off the course. I changed to bonnet-view for that lap but it's hard to see how that cost me so much time. It's a mystery. Anyway, the gap close to about 19 seconds when we both pitted on lap 30. But I pushed hard for the last two laps of the hour and I am now 30.9 seconds ahead of the Falken. One second gained in an hour!!! It annoys me actually that the Falken has such a weakness on new tyres. If it didn't, this race would be much more interesting.

Hour 5 - Friday Night - 40 laps completed

Nothing much happened in this hour. I'm just cruising along now, keeping that gap near 30 seconds. The Silvia and the Toyota were lapped for the second time. I end the hour 30.2 seconds ahead of the Falken.

Hour 6 - Saturday Afternoon - 48 laps completed

Was lazy this hour. I lapped the 4th-placed Mercedes for the first time but I ended the hour only 18 seconds in front of the Falken. I'll push hard and get my act together in the next hour.

Hour 7 - Saturday Night - 55 laps completed

This hour was more action-packed. I decided to change from a 5-lap strategy to a 4-lap strategy because I worked out that I was losing more than 10 seconds on my 5th lap before pitting, and it was quicker in the long run to just do an extra stop.

So I lost the lead when I pitted on lap 49 but go it back on the fast Pflanzgarten as the Falken has trouble lapping the Siliva (for the third time).

I also lap the Toyota for the third time but not before having a big spin and having to reverse at Wehuseifen. That lost me more than 10 seconds.

But the rest of the hour was good driving. I even posted my fastest lap of a 7:23.181 on lap 51, which was probably a perfect lap.

I end the hour 50.2 seconds ahead of the Falken.

Hour 8 - Saturday Night - 63 laps comleted

The Falken now has one pitstop up on me but I am still leading by 34.9 seconds by the end of the first third of the race. The only drama during the hour was forgetting to pit on lap 57 and thus I did a whole lap with only one unit of fuel!! Somehow the car ran on the smell of an oily rag to the pits.

Hour 9 - Sunday Morning - 71 laps completed

Had two spins during this hour but still end it 1:14 ahead of the Falken. The Opel is now about 5 minutes behind. I lapped the Siliva for the fourth time.

Hour 10 - Sunday Afternoon - 79 laps completed

Lapped the Toyota for the fourth time. That is all. 34.9 seconds ahead of the Falken.

Hour 11 - Sunday Afternoon - 87 laps completed

Lapped the Silvia for the fifth time and lapped the Mercedes for the second time. I cruise along really and the Falken gains on me a bit. I am now 24 seconds ahead.

Hour 12 - Sunday Night - 95 laps completed

Lapped the Toyota for the fifth time. I concentrate on my driving and am now about 1:07 ahead of the Falken. Incidentially, I read Smallhorse's report of this race and I'm thinking just how much more interesting this race could have been with the A4 and the BMW GT-R in it. I've gone too far now though to start again.
 
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If you're losing horsepower now, then you must have made an oil change. I don't recommend that for 24 hour races because the power bump is so fleeting, but unless you want to restart, you're stuck with it. I love your writeup so far, and I hope you can pass and hold off the Falken! Good luck. 👍
 
I did do an oil change before the race. Oh well.

Anyone know if I will lose any more power during the race? I can do a max of 7:27 lap speed now.

And does anyone know when the chassis will start to go?
 
This thread, which is a great resource for any questions about engine wear, says that the power will return to "normal" (that is, as if you hadn't done an oil change) before 300 miles. Over the course of the race, you will probably lose an additional 10-15 horsepower after the oil finishes losing its power bump, but that won't be nearly as noticeable as what you're experiencing now. The chassis should be fine for most of the race, and it won't even be very noticeable when it does start to fade because your car handles well to start with and you aren't going all that fast, but it will start to subtly change the handling and tire wear about 1500-2000 miles in. I hope that helps. :)
 
Nenad
tHeMaZdAMaN, just to give you some advice: When you quote a post, please delete the stuff that's unimportant, so that the quote is not big/ don't just quote big posts 👍
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MinoltaMan89
Uh, please don't quote huge posts, tHeMaZdAMaN.

EDIT: Crap, tree'd by Nenad! It's usually the other way around.
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Folks, I responded to bacically every paragraph. My words were in those long paragraphs.
 
Have decided to call it a day in the 13th hour. A waste, I know. But I am too intrigued by the prospect of having the BMW GT-R and the A4 in the race.
 
I am tired of the BMW 320i, and I have gone for the nimble Opera Performance S2000, which could be a handful around the Nurburgring for 24 hours.

I chose the best lineup I could find this time. The Falken in for the A4 would be handy, but nevertheless, this should give me a run for my money.

The Lineup:

Abt Audi TT-R Touring Car 2002 (494hp, 1080kg)
Audi A4 Touring Car 2004 (484hp, 1080kg)
Subaru Cusco Advan Impreza 2003 (332hp, 1,100kg)
BMW M3 GTR Race Car 2001 (473hp, 1,120kg)
Toyota Superautobacs APEX MR-S 2000 (320hp, 1,125kg)
Opera Performance S2000 2004 (288hp, 1130kg)

200 A-spec pts

Hour 1 - Wednesday night, July 8 2009 - 8 laps completed

Italics indicate in and out laps.

Lap 1 7:52.134 +12.9
Lap 2 7:27.472 +11.4
Lap 3 7:27.352 +10.9
Lap 4 7:22.162 +6.2
Lap 5 8:27.359 +1:06.7
Lap 6 7:30.264 +39.4
Lap 7 7:27.154 +26.0
Lap 8 7:17.737 +16.9

The first hour is full of action. I spin at Schwedenkrenz sweeper on lap 1 after getting too far up on the inside ripple strip. The nimble little S2000 will indeed be a handful.:scared:

I pass the Toyota and the Subaru easily on lap 1 and cruise along for lap 2 before passing the Audi A4 for 3rd on lap 3. I get a clean lap in on lap 4 and close up to within 6.2 seconds of the Abt Audi, who has lead the first four laps.

But my rear tyres go off in a big way just over halfway around lap 5 and my in-lap is thus a nightmare. I spin about 1000 degrees at Pflanzgarten II and the A4 hits me as he goes by into 3rd. I then have another massive spin at the end of the Autoniusbuche straight.

I come into the pits and only top up one unit of fuel because I have only burnt half a tank in that 5 lap stint.

The BMW (who has gained the lead on lap 5 on the Autoniusbuche) and the two Audis continue on and pit on lap 6. I pass the A4 on lap 7 to regain 3rd and put in a very quick 7:17s on lap 8 to close up to within 16.9s of the lead BMW, who is only just ahead of the Abt Audi.

Interesting race. That 7.17s is heartening, almost too heartening since I don't want to be that quick compared to the opposition.

Two things against me, though: I made an oil change before the race so I will lose power soon. Thus that sub-7:20s lap may not be possible for much longer.

I also may have to stop every 4 laps if my rear tyres go off like they did in my first 5 lap stint. Which means that in a 24 hour race where 190 laps may be completed, I will do around 48 stops, compared to my main competitors' 32 stops. That's over 5 minutes lost in the pits that I must gain on the track.

Interesting times, indeed. Stay tuned!:)

Stay tuned.

Hour 2 - Thursday night, July 9 2009 - 16 laps completed

Lap 9 7:25.272 +15.7
Lap 10 7:44.725 +34.3
Lap 11 7:28.648 +35.9
Lap 12 7:30.710 +11.0
Lap 13 7:27.050 -2.8
Lap 14 7:56.690 +27.5
Lap 15 7:27.950 +29.1
Lap 16 7:34.214 +36.4

A fair few more spins than I would like. So my laps times were very inconsistent, as you can see. My best period was from laps 11-13, where I gained the lead after the BMW and Abt Audi both struggled on new tyres. The good news is that I lasted 5 laps on my second stint without the rears falling apart. I have spun a few times in the current stint, though, so I don't hold out much hope of the rears lasting 5 laps this time around. I pitted on lap 14 because I was running out of gasoline. My team must be more professional!!!

Hour 3 - Friday night, July 10 2009 - 24 laps completed

Lap 17 7:45.753 +50.6
Lap 18 7:23.800 +18.6
Lap 19 7:59.317 +35.6
Lap 20 7:26.419 +34.7
Lap 21 7:22.571 +30.2
Lap 22 7:31.696 +35.4
Lap 23 7:20.651 +29.8
Lap 24 7:53.651 +27.8

Again more spins and more flying laps. Very inconsistent but progress is being made. The BMW is now startin to pull ever so slightly away from the Abt Audi. He leads by about 8 seconds, with another 20 seconds back to me. The A4 Audi is over a minute behind in 4th now. The Subaru and the Toyota went a lap down in this hour. I have decided that I can make 5 laps in a stint. I just have to be careful on the second half on my in-laps.

Hour 4 - Friday night, July 10 2009 - 32 laps completed

Lap 25 7:31.292 +19.3
Lap 26 7:22.845 +14.8
Lap 27 7:27.555 +16.1
Lap 28 7:32.572 +21.6
Lap 29 7:45.281 +40.8
Lap 30 7:26.972 +12.9
Lap 31 7:36.995 +9.4
Lap 32 7:23.458 +5.0

Getting closer but still having a spin every two laps or so. I had an opportunity to pass the Abt Audi on the track but lost it on the third-to-last corner and had to resume the chase all over again. I passed the Abt for 2nd whilst he was still in the pits on lap 30, thanks to my steller in and out laps. I was catching the BMW but lost it in a big way at that left-hand kink before Klostertal, definitely one of my trouble areas with this car.

Hour 5 - Saturday afternoon, July 11 2009 - 40 laps completed

Lap 33 7:37.661 +15.9
Lap 34 7:58.250 +47.7
Lap 35 7:28.595 +50.7
Lap 36 7:23.204 +18.7
Lap 37 7:24.568 +2.5
Lap 38 7:39.625 +8.6
Lap 39 8:08.022 +49.5
Lap 40 7:26.311 +49.2

A couple of spins means I am still chasing the lead. I think I am overdriving the car and getting it too much on the outside curbs. Next hour I will try my best to drive within the limits of the car and concentrate on clean laps. I gain the lead on lap 38 but lose it again by spinning coming onto the main straight. Damn. I end the hour in 3rd, nearly 50 seconds behind the BMW and about 25 seconds behind the Abt Audi.

Hour 6 - Sunday morning, July 12 2009 - 48 laps completed


Lap 41 7:25.524 +49.9
Lap 42 7:22.742 +17.2
Lap 43 7:27.026 +2.8
Lap 44 8:05.036 +40.6
Lap 45 7:27.767 +42.1
Lap 46 7:26.644 +42.3
Lap 47 7:22.123 +38.8
Lap 48 7:30.508 +13.2

More frustration. Geez this car is hard to get consistent laps out of. A see-saw battle is developing. I get up to 2nd and get within 2 seconds of the lead BMW before I have to pit. I drop back to 3rd and pass the Abt Audi on the track whilst he has trouble lapping the Subaru. My tyres went off really badly in my last five lap stint, so still toying with the idea of moving to a 4 lap strategy.

Standings after 6 hours:

BMW M3 GTR Race Car Lap 49
Opera Performance S2000 +13.2s
Abt Audi TT-R Touring Car +35s
Audi A4 Touring Car +3.20s
Toyota Superautobacs APEX MR-S +1 lap
Subaru Cusco Advan Impreza +2 laps

Hour 7 - Sunday morning, July 12 2009 - 56 laps completed


Lap 49 8:07.089 +40.6
Lap 50 7:35.056 +48.5
Lap 51 7:35.565 +57.3
Lap 52 7:21.136 +52.9
Lap 53 7:22.929 +50.3
Lap 54 7:50.197 +43.2
Lap 55 7:28.306 +23.0
Lap 56 7:22.454 +18.5

Drove better in this hour. I drove good clean laps except for lap 50 and lap 51 when I had trouble lapping the Subaru for the third time. I then lost it coming onto the main straight on lap 51 after just passing the Abt Audi for 2nd. The rest of the hour was clean and I gained a massive 20 seconds on lap 55 after we all came into the pits on the same lap and the BMW had trouble coping with the lapped Toyota and his cold tyres on his out lap.

Hour 8 - Tuesday Night, July 14 2009 - 64 laps completed

Lap 57 7:25.012 +16.5
Lap 58 7:17.511 +7.6
Lap 59 7:57.456 +39.2
Lap 60 7:26.758 +11.9
Lap 61 7:28.724 -0.8
Lap 62 7:27.582 +1.5
Lap 63 7:44.343 +20.2
Lap 64 7:28.772 +22.8

An exciting hour. I drove quite well. No spins. I only had a half-spin on my in-lap on lap 59, which influenced my decision to go on a four-lap strategy from that point onwards. Had a great battle for the lead with the BMW from laps 61-63. I thought I'd be able to pull away, but he always came back on the straights. Subaru was lapped for the fourth time.

Hour 9 - Wednesday Night, July 15 2009 - 72 laps completed

Lap 65 7:24.480 +21.7
Lap 66 7:31.213 -2.5
Lap 67 7:54.124 +12.8
Lap 68 7:28.008 +13.5
Lap 69 7:22.271 +9.1
Lap 70 7:20.474 +2.8
Lap 71 7:24.793 +0.6
Lap 72 8:05.404 +10.6

Another good hour. I battled with the BMW for the lead again but had to pit on lap 67. I chased him down again in my next stint and decided to go another lap instead of pitting to continue the battle. As expected, I lost a lot of time as my rear tyres were shot, but I want to pass this guy on the track and not in the pits. We pitted together on lap 72 and we will resume the battle into the 10th hour.

Hour 10 - Saturday morning, July 18 2009 - 80 laps completed

Lap 73 7:30.931 +0.9
Lap 74 7:33.681 +4.6
Lap 75 7:30.676 +6.3
Lap 76 7:39.665 +20.1
Lap 77 7:34.724 +28.6
Lap 78 7:31.176 +4.1
Lap 79 7:43.024 +2.6
Lap 80 7:52.859 +28.6

Absolutely horrible hour. I feel the car is becoming more unstalbe, especially under heavy braking. I am also contributed to my many spins on this hour through my habit of going on the outside curbs too much approaching and exiting corners. I had three spins approaching Aremburg alone. I had good battles with the BMW but always lost it exiting the main straight when I was in his slipsteam. The Opera seems to be really unsteady when in another car's trailing air. I had the lead comfortable on lap 79 but lost it coming out of the main straight and entered the road again without looking in the rearview mirror and the BMW hit me square up the rear-end. I let him through, but the race-director has given me a further 10 second penalty for reckless driving when I next enter the pits. I really have to get my head down and drive sensibly in the next hour. The Toyota was lapped for the third time and the Subaru for the fifth time.

Hour 11 - Saturday afternoon, July 18 2009 - 88 laps completed

Lap 81 7:42.658 +44.6
Lap 82 7:26.148 +44.3
Lap 83 7:24.389 +42.5
Lap 84 7:44.740 +31.9
Lap 85 7:27.856 +19.1
Lap 86 7:21.508 +13.4
Lap 87 7:24.064 +11.9
Lap 88 7:40.240 +25.5

Served my 10 second penalty but charged on and had a good solid hour of driving. The car is scaring me in a few places but I did solid 7:20 laps all hour so was happy with the progress I made.

Hour 12 - Saturday night, July 18 2009 - 96 laps completed

Lap 89 7:27.181 +25.8
Lap 90 7:31.024 -1.7
Lap 91 7:19.956 -22.6
Lap 92 7:42.888 -8.9
Lap 93 no time recorded
Lap 94 7:19.904 -16.1
Lap 95 7:19.757 -22.2
Lap 96 7:51.706 -25.5

Another good hour. Only had one spin (again at Aremburg) but I feel I have stamped my authority on the race. I put in three good 7:19s laps. The Toyota, Subaru and Audi A4 were all lapped. But the Audi A4 got his lap back as I pitted at the end of lap 96.

Standings after 12 hours:

Opera Performance S2000 Lap 97
BMW M3 GTR Race Car +25.5s
Abt Audi TT-R Touring Car +1:45s
Audi A4 Touring Car +7:25s
Toyota Superautobacs APEX MR-S +4 laps
Subaru Cusco Advan Impreza +6 laps

Hour 13 - Sunday morning, July 19 2009 - 104 laps completed


Not good driving in this hour. Had three spins at Aremburg. Car is really unsteady there, so for the next hour I just have to give up taking it flat and go really easy through it. I still end the hour 34 seconds ahead of the BMW.

Hour 14 - Sunday afternoon, July 19 2009 - 111 laps completed

A bad hour. I had music on for the first time so I lost my concentration. I really need to hear the engine's noise to drive properly, especially the nervous Opera.

I tried R2s for the first time, but they only netted me three laps and the rears were very red by the end of the stint. I made a mistake by not changing onto R1s and thus had to do another three lap stint. I pitted on lap 111 to change back to R1s but by this time the BMW had regained the lead. I am now about 38 seconds behind.

The Subaru and Toyota were lapped for the 7th and 5th time respectively.

Hour 15 - Sunday night, July 19 2009 - 119 laps completed

Another bad hour of frustration and spins at various places, most notably Aremburg. Almost impossible to brake into that corner now without the car getting really unstable and twitchy. It's twitchy everywhere, in fact. I pit on laps 115 an 119 and end the hour 1:03 behind the BMW. The winning of this race hangs in the balance. The next couple of hours may be crucial.

Hour 16 - Monday afternoon, July 20 2009 - 127 laps completed

Drove good until the last lap of the hour. I had gained a lot of time on the BMW and after he made his second stop of the hour, compared to my one so far, I was 2 seconds behind him and gaining fast when I spun it at the double right-hander coming up to Wehuseifen. Was so angry at myself after all the good work during the hour. Anyway, I pitted at the end of lap 127 and emerged 23 seconds behind the BMW. The Subaru was lapped for the 8th time.

Hour 17 - Wednesday night, July 22 2009 - 135 laps completed

A good hour, where I drove hard, and retook the lead! The gap went out to 36 seconds as I tried to come to grips with the Opera's increasingly bad handling. After my pitstop on lap 131 the gap went out to 52 seconds but I gained in confidence and closed the gap as the BMW pitted and come out 23 seconds ahead of me. I took massive amounts of time off him, and even did a 7:18.8 as I closed up on his bumper by the end of lap 134. I passed him on lap 135 and ended the hour 3.7 seconds ahead. The Toyota was lapped for the 6th time.

Hour 18 - Wednesday night, July 22 2009 - 143 laps completed

I lost the lead on the Autoniusbuche straight before pitting at the end of lap 136. I resumed 23 seconds behind the BMW but spun on my out lap which meant that the BMW was still in the lead after he pitted on lap 138. Not for long. I passed him and pulled away at a rate of knots. I was still pulling away on lap 140 but the Subaru got in my way (again) and I lost a couple of seconds. Which meant that I resumed after my pitstop on lap 140 about 12 seconds behind the BMW. Of course the Subaru has gained back a lap and as I passed him again at Klostertal I came across him too early and I spun around, much to my disgust. I pushed hard again and ended the 18th hour 10 seconds behind the leading BMW.

Standings after 18 hours:

BMW M3 GTR Race Car Lap 144
Opera Performance S2000 +10s
Abt Audi TT-R Touring Car +1:45s
Audi A4 Touring Car +1 lap
Toyota Superautobacs APEX MR-S +6 laps
Subaru Cusco Advan Impreza +9 laps


Hour 19 - Thursday morning, July 23 2009 - 151 laps completed

Very frustrating hour. Three times I grabbed the lead. Three times I spun out and handed the lead back. I can't believe myself. I was cursing myself many times throughout the hour. All these spins, but one lap was a 7:18.7, which proved that pace is still in the car if I manage to put a clean, fast lap together. Why can't I ever stamp my lead on the race and pull away??? This race should have been a foregone conclusion by now, but thanks to the Opera's unsteadiness and my at times piss-poor driving, it is far from over. I lead by 0.7 seconds after 19 hours. The Toyota was lapped for the 7th time.

Hour 20 - Thursday afternoon, July 23 2009 - 159 laps completed

Another frustrating hour, where I almost threw the controller away in disgust. I was leading coming into the pits on lap 152, then had a hour out lap where I spun twice, then once more on laps 154 and 155. Laps 156-159 were relatively clean and I end the hour 9.5 seconds down. It could have been much worse. I was nearly 50 seconds down at one stage.

This race will most likely go until lap 191, so in that case by my estimate the BMW has 5 more pitstops against my 8. My laps have to be clean and steady if I am going to win this race.

The Subaru was lapped for the 10th time.

Hour 21 - Friday morning, July 24 2009 - 167 laps completed

The race is still in the balance, although this hour was not bad. Still a big missed oppurtunity though. I am now 0.5 seconds behind the BMW and we are both coming in on lap 168.

I should have been in the lead, though. I had a lead of 15 seconds on lap 163 after the BMW had pitted. But I lost it and spun on Pflanzgarten II and thus the BMW regained the lead as I pitted on lap 164. I spent the rest of the hour tracking him down.

The Toyota was lapped for the 8th time.

Hour 22 - Friday afternoon, July 24 2009 - 175 laps completed

The decisive hour.

I passed the BMW for the lead on lap 168 at Breidshield and after we both pitted, I pulled a big gap and made no mistakes. All flying laps were 7:19s, with the exception of the last lap of the hour, which was a 7:28 after (you guessed it) a spin at Aremburg. But I lead by 1:06 now and intend to keep it that way. Two hours to go, and the excitement is building!!!

The Subaru was lapped for the 11th time.

Hour 23 - Friday afternoon, July 24 2009 - 183 laps completed

Had a couple of spins, but nothing that threatened my hold on the race. I am more relaxed now. I lead by 50 seconds from the BMW and have put the Audi A4 down another lap (he is now 2 laps down). I have two more stops to make, and the BMW has one more stop. But it shouldn't make a difference as long as I keep my head. One more hour, flyingkiwi, one more hour...

Hour 24 - Friday afternoon, July 24 2009 - 191 laps completed

Done!!! I won by about 23 seconds after making two more pitstops, compared to the BMW's one, and basically cruising the last three laps or so. Made a few errors, but the winning of the race was done in the 22nd hour, which ended up being crucial. All it took was one good hour of driving and I guess I did it when it really mattered. I had good hours in the middle hours, but I would throw it away again in the next hour, basically because I wasn't that motivated to keep building the lead as there was still a long way to go.

Anyway, it's all over!!! Very relieved and very tired. Thanks for reading!

My advice is not to do this race in an Opera, it is just too taxing on the mind trying to keep the car on the road, esp. when the chassis loses it's optimum performance.

Final standings:

Opera Performance S2000 Lap 191
BMW M3 GTR Race Car +23s (approx.)
Abt Audi TT-R Touring Car +3:05 (approx.)
Audi A4 Touring Car +2 laps
Toyota Superautobacs APEX MR-S +8 laps
Subaru Cusco Advan Impreza +12 laps
 
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What tires are you using on the Opera, and have you altered the power/weight/downforce to reach 200 A-Spec points? I know it will be offered and can easily win 200 with S1s, no ballast, and added downforce, but I'm guessing you're using R1s with ballast instead. Either way, it sounds like it's going to be a lot of fun! :)
 
R1s with 200 ballast. Are the units in ballast kgs?

Also, the Opera is fairly unstable now, and I'm thinking it would be a nightmare if the chassis went off. Anyone know if this is likely to happen?
 
Yes, they're kilograms. The Opera's handling was only at all problematic for me when the rear tires wore to orange, but I know it's something of an adventure with 200 ballast from one of Famine's race reports. The car might get a bit more squirrely in the last few hours, but I don't expect it to be a major issue. I think you'll be able to adapt your driving if necessary, anyway.
 
flyingkiwi
R1s with 200 ballast. Are the units in ballast kgs?

Also, the Opera is fairly unstable now, and I'm thinking it would be a nightmare if the chassis went off. Anyone know if this is likely to happen?
Click to expand...

Chassis should go around 12-13 hours if I recall correctly when I did it in a Clio V6 Race Car. At least the track is more interesting than Le Sarthe (not that that's a bad track either though). Good luck! :)
 
Good to see you get back on the bike kiwi. Did you test the Aspec values of the lineup with 150/170kg ballast etc? And did you look on gtp for what's considered the 'best' lineup? (not that I know what it is, can anyone help?).

And what about f/r tyre wear; do the rears get red far before the fronts? If so a R2/R1 setup at the first pitstop could be beneficial. Please note that I've tried this a few times in my limited experience of enduros and have failed every time, so this may not be a good idea.
 
The lineup he got is pretty good, as it has three fast cars and no ultra-slow ones (however, the two JGTC300s will be many laps down at the end). My guess is that he went for a surefire 200-point setup without worrying too much about getting it right on the cusp, as he was already concerned about the car being too fast. From my experience with this car, R2/R1 might produce balanced wear, but the car already oversteers (which is why the rears wear faster in the first place) and softer front tires would probably make it practically undrivable.
 
Four hours to go!!!!

I am down 9 seconds on the lead BMW and he will probably make 3 less stops than me in the last four hours.

Stay tuned for the thrilling conclusion (go to page one of this thread). I should finish it in the next 24 hours.
 
Thrilling indeed! You really chose a tough car, by the sound of it. I hope you don't lose by under ten seconds, because then you'd really be second-guessing that self-imposed penalty. And I was completely wrong about the chassis wearing out. :guilty: Apparently, it isn't very noticeable when the car is stable to begin with, but it really makes a difference when it's hard to control from the beginning.
 
Done!!!

Sorry it took so long to write-up the final hour, but I had to dash out after finishing the race last Friday and I've been tied up with other things since then.

Hope everyone enjoyed reading the report.👍
 

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