Polyphony Digital Cup - Lexus SC300 '97

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Pupik

dig the bolts in my neck
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A little over three weeks ago, a customer named Mr, Dornick stopped by my Lexus service center, and dropped off his car.

"I'd like to give the car a lube and grease, and change the filter. Can I get the '$100 Special’; since I'd like a car wash too?"

"No problem", I replied, as I check the customer's history. I then checked the car's mileage, which was at about 36,400 miles or so. I checked the VIN number, and checked the car out for scratches and told him to get any personal belongings from the car while it was to be worked on. "The car's in great shape, by the way; an impeccable service history, and so few miles."

"Alright, Mr. Dornick...This will take about an hour or so. Are you interested in a cup of coffee or a complementary snack, while you wait?"

"No thanks, I'm dropping the car off while I'm away for the next two weeks", said Mr. Dornick. "I'm traveling the world with my wife, just a few stops here and there to see the sights."

"Not a problem. We have great security here, and you're car will be in the most capable hands."

"That's why I've been coming here for years." And with that, Mr. Dornick was out the door with a smile. He was after all, about to go on vacation.

Anyways, after the car had its oil changed, and a nice wash, the car was parked in the back lot. After three days, though, the service manager wondered why this car hadn't been picked up yet. After all, it was just here for an oil change. So my boss demanded that we deliver the car, since 'ol Dornick's a good customer, since he has very few warranty claims and brings his car for service religiously. He even buys the nice sports-racing tires for it, too.

I looked on the repair order, and looked up Mr. Dornick's information. He lived in a gated community, so it wasn't possible to deliver the car to his home, as the guards wouldn't let me in. So I called his home number. "I'm on vacation in Japan right now, so if you want to leave me a message, just wait for the..." So it wasn't possible to get the car delivered.

I went home that day, and looked through my mail. It turned out that all the flights I'd taken on PD Airlines had amassed a lot of frequent flier mileage. All those races I'd taken part in my former career as a driver for the Gran Turismo Foundation was worth something, after all. I had enough credits to take Mr. Dornick's Lexus to the transporter plane, and fly it to Japan. This would be the best customer service story ever, I thought!

The weather was so nice in Miami, and quite nice in our stop-over in Los Angeles (well, it looked that way form the window, at least). We were set to fly into Kansai, which would take about 12 hours. The flight went fairly smoothly, but just as we were about to land the cargo plane, we had to divert to another airport. The captain said, "Apparently, there's a large lizard battling it out with a giant moth in the city, so we're going to land elsewhere. Please stay calm."

Hmmm....this doesn't sound right. I had to see what was going on in the cockpit for myself. I was extremely annoyed to find that there was absolutely no pilot or co-pilot in the cockpit whatsoever...Holy crap, PD Airlines is B-spec-ing my flight! No wonder I got a free trip! I took a deep break, and I pressed the orange circular button in the cockpit (these planes are very easy to fly, for some reason), a giant "P" appeared on the screen.

So the plane landed right on the largest piece of paved land it could find. In this case, it was erroneously landing on the Twin Ring Motegi. A race was about to start underneath the oval, but there was only 5 cars. The GTF states explicitly in its rule book that “No circuit race shall take place with less than six competitors, unless the weather deemed inclement, except in Special Conditions as stated in Article V GSR something-something…the number of competitors shall always be six. Seven is right out…” so I promptly showed my old Superlicence, and signed up for a race. Heck, I thought; Mr. Dornick won’t even know I’m driving his car. I’m in Japan; there’s what...130 million people? He won’t have a clue!

So the field was set: An orange Fiat Barchetta (the snazzy Giovanne Due edition), a blue Peugeot 206cc, and old red ’85 Mazda RX-7 GT-Limited, a year-old white Honda Integra Type-R, and the latest incarnation of the Nissan 350Z, the Nismo Fairlady Z S-tune concept by GT (whew!). After I saw the Z (so this is why PD had to cut back on pilot salaries…), I knew it would be formidable competition.

During qualifying, my…er, Mr. Dornick’s SC300 was streets ahead of the competition. I qualified 4.0 seconds ahead of the Z. The race was another matter, though. I led the first three laps, with the Z always trying to get ahead of me. It was pressing me, giving me a tap here and there. Finally, on lap 3, he found a way by at the hairpin before the Mini course’s alternate start-finish line. But I picked off the silver Z at the end of the straight, diving to the right for the downhill right-hander. I wasn’t challenged the rest of the way.
1st: SC300
2nd: Z (+3.52)
3rd: ITR ‘03
4th: FC ’85
5th: 206cc
6th: Barchetta

We flew back to Seattle for the second race. I was qualified 5.5s ahead of the Z. I wasn’t challenged the whole way. The results were the same as the last race (as nearly every position except first and second).
1st: SC300
2nd: Z (+4.53)
[All other positions were the same.]

Next race was at Infineon’s Stock Car Course. I didn’t bother to qualify, as I felt I was going to be the class of the field again. Reality was, I’m never much good here, no matter what the configuration. So I had to settle for second place after a trip or two (or three?) in the dirt. I’m going to have to detail the car before delivering this car to Mr. Dornick, I thought.
1st: Z
2nd: SC300 (+13.5s)
[All other positions were the same.]

Next up was Tokyo, and it was safe to assume that there never was any problem with the city to begin with. In fact, I made sure of this by flying the plane with the SC300 by myself. (Hey, it’s my fantasy, I can fly planes in it too, if it helps the story to have a decent transition and still keep the reader entertained.) I qualified on pole by 2.7 seconds, but was swamped on the straights by the Z in the race.
1st: Z
2nd: SC300 (+1.5s)
[All other positions were the same.]

I drove the car to Fuji International, and felt confident that I’d win the race. And for once, I’m right. I qualified 5.2 seconds ahead of the Z, probably because he kept braking much earlier than I was. After all, I wasn’t driving my own car, so I didn’t have to pay for a brake job.
1st: SC300
2nd: Z (+2.3)
[All other positions were the same.]

My tires are usually toasted by the time I’m done with each race; I fully expected to lose at Motorland. In fact, this is first time ever that I knew darn well that I’d lose. But I had to capture 2nd place. I qualified on pole by about 0.75 sec., but I knew I was going to have to pit at some point during the 19-lap race. I pitted on lap 10, with orange tires in the front. The Z never pitted. Neither did the RX-7, although the Integra did pit as well. The Fiat and Peugeot didn’t pit. I’d had enough of this race by the 18th lap, and allowed myself to get lapped by the winning Z just before my last lap. This was also the only time the FC finished ahead of the ITR.
1st: Z
2nd: SC300 (+1 lap)
3rd: FC
4th: ITR
[All other positions were the same.]

The next race was at La Sarthe. It’s quite a change from Motorland, so I didn’t even bother to qualify for the race. I passed the Z into the first chicane on the straight and wasn’t challenged the rest of the way. Not much drama. But that’s how I wanted it.
1st: SC300
2nd: Z (+9.3s)
[All other positions were the same as the first race.]

At El Capitan, I also do quite well. I didn’t bother to qualify again. But the Z and I had a great battle, all race long. He had the legs of me on the straights, but I had slightly better braking and much better corner-entry handling. We traded the lead about ten times, to be honest. But on the penultimate lap, I went ahead into the lead on the “scenic overlook” 3rd-gear, blind left-hander. For some reason, the Z couldn’t keep up with me at all on the last lap. Maybe it was its turn for the tires to give up grip.
1st: SC300
2nd: Z (+0.72s)
[All other positions were the same as the past race.]

I took the slow boat back to Japan, since I was out of frequent flyer mileage. Too bad it was a garbage barge. The inside of the SC300 stunk really badly, so it looks like this car’s going to need an inside detail as well when I’m done. Suzuka was the next to last round, and I qualified 0.3s ahead of the Z. In the race, the Z passed me right at the start, and was never challenged the entire time. In fact, those noxious garbage fumes prevented me from…okay; I’m just not a good driver at Suzuka. In fact, this whole thing’s been a huge waste of time, since I’ve yet to find Mr. Dornick anywhere in Japan.
1st: Z
2nd: SC300 (+9.9s)
[All other positions were the same.]

So now it came down to this. If GT history has any say in the matter, then the competition wins if the series ends in a tie. So nothing more than outright victory was going to do for yours truly. And after all, since I wasn’t even driving my own car, I’d have to really win the series, in case I lose my job for using a client’s car for racing purposes. The qualifying lap at the ‘Ring is too long, but I knew I had to win it at all costs. I felt the car needed a little bit of weight ballast, since it seems to handle better than all the rest of the cars, 50 lbs. with a 40/60% bias to the rear. This made it handle beautifully for a 3200-lb car. I qualified the Lexus a staggering 15 seconds ahead of the Z. I took it easy through the treacherous “sand trap” corners after the Karusell. They’ll eat up all your time gained.

The flag dropped, and I just worked my rolling-start lead into a few seconds at just about every checkpoint. I’m sweating, nervous, and worried that the Z is going to overtake me at the slightest mistake. I’m going fine until the long straight, whereby the Z gets right on my tail and passes me under braking for the 4th-gear corner. I overtake him right back with a crazy move on the inside with two wheels on the grass. I’m back in the lead as I cross the start/finish line again. I’m extra careful not to upset the car’s balance under heavy braking, and this eats up my lead gained after each flat-out portion. I’m about one second ahead of the Z going down the long homestretch, and he’s trying to pass me four or five times. He tries to get underneath me into braking, but this time, I covered him precisely. The last two turns are slow, so I force him to go as slow as me by taking a line in which he can’t pry me away from victory. Going into the last left-hander, he tries to bump me into the Armco, but it’s of no use. I put the hammer down and take the checkered flag!
1st: SC300
2nd: Z (+0.76)
[All other positions were the same.]

Final Points:
1st: SC300 – 86pt
2nd: Z – 76pt
3rd: ITR – 39pt
4th: FC – 34pt
5th: 206cc – 20pt
6th: Barchetta – 10pt.

In any case, I’m jet-lagged, my boss is wondering where I am, and I’ve got a car to deliver back across the Atlantic. Mr. Dornick’s going to be very angry…so much for that customer service award! So I save the game, and wake up from my dream. I’m running late for work because I played too much GT4 last night. No time for coffee, so I kiss my wife goodbye, and head out the door.

In my driveway, though, is a brand-new Opera Performance S2000. I hop in, pull out my key chain, and realize there’s about 120 keys on the key ring. How the heck do I fit this key fob in my pocket? And ouch…why does my butt hurt? I feel around and pull out a wallet with 296,000 credits in it! What in the heck is going on here? In fact…I don’t want to know what’s going on here, I’m just going to enjoy it!

Anyhow, I get to work, and everyone’s looking at my new car. Of course, the boss is wondering why I bought a Honda, and why in the heck did I paint it like that…but I don’t care. I check my voice mail, and hear that ‘ol Dornick’s back from vacation, and going to pick up his car. I feel cold, and I drop the phone.

Quick…To the key room! I look for his keys, and they are still there, right were the valet put them. I grab the keys and run to the black Lexus SC300. I find it in fine shape, and the mileage is just what it read when I check it in a few weeks ago. The car smells fine, and it doesn’t need a detail. No door dings, no scratches. Perfect.

Now I’ve calmed down. I walk back to my office and put the phone back on the receiver. It was all just a dream, I thought. Just a mix-up between your illusions, fears, and little dose of reality as viewed through a video game. Nothing to worry about.

A few minutes later, I’m checking in a dark blue Lexus GS300. The owner‘s inside my office, and I notice another car coming into our service drive. It‘s not a Lexus, so it naturally catches my eye.

The car’s a silver Nismo Fairlady Z S-tune. It’s driven by Mr. Dornick’s wife. She drops off her husband at the front of the drive.

“How was your vacation, sir?” I asked.

“Okay….I’ve had better. How are you doing?” he said as he was about to hand me his credit card.

I held out my palm to him and smiled. “No charge, sir.”
 
DumpValve
Ok that's very nice and all that, but surely this is just a game - not an English essay ?!
Maybe it's not a game. Maybe it really happened. I'm not sure.

And I can tell you it's not an English essay. Unless they grade on a curve.
 
Really enjoyable write-up, especially as I had virtually the same experience of fighting off that Nismo (etc etc) Z. I used the Chevelle SS in my championship, and also won 6-4 after I lost at Infineon, Motorland, Suzuka and the 'Ring.

Even after qualifying for pole on most races, I was trading places through pretty much every race with the Z being predictably better in some areas than me, but the Chevelle's awesome grunt out of bends saw me through OK. The squat and dive of this beast under acceleration and brakes were also something to behold and made for good replays. The sky disappeared when braking!

Take the right car along and this can be a fun championship, but that seems to rely more on luck. In cleaning-up the remaining races I've seen line-ups where the best opposition would range from an Integra up to a Ford GT. Due to the number of slow cars in the race, points are out of whack with overall difficulty, so I can see the 200-point guys struggling with this one.
 
Damn. I had a cool idea about an original write-up but this guy just raised the level of cool, original write-ups by a notch. Or like three notches.

Oh well, back to the lab again.

Nice work on this one, dude. 👍
 
Excellent write-up 👍 I really enjoyed this! If it were an essay, I can guarantee it wouldn't be needing a curve to get an A from me ;) I am encouraged to see it open ended too- Means there might be a few more fau reality stories yet to come.

I can see it now, The Smith's Subie Story or Pupik Cruises Carol's Shelby or Nelson's Nissan on Nurburgring or Mr and Mrs Callaway's Corvette :lol:

Yep, another series comin' up 👍

phattboy
 
lol great write up. Your method makes the write up a much more fun and exciting read. What hall is this championship in? I think more writeups should be written like this. Do you mind if i give it a try? not with mr dornick or the dealership of course.
 
Hmmm....this doesn't sound right. I had to see what was going on in the cockpit for myself. I was extremely annoyed to find that there was absolutely no pilot or co-pilot in the cockpit whatsoever...Holy crap, PD Airlines is B-spec-ing my flight! No wonder I got a free trip! I took a deep break, and I pressed the orange circular button in the cockpit (these planes are very easy to fly, for some reason), a giant "P" appeared on the screen.

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
 
PUpik,
A+++ on the write up.
It seems as though you have indeed raised the bar for entertaining write-ups.👍
 
I suppose I should mention what tuning I used:

Oil change, car wash (not sure if this has any effect), and set the ASM to 0 and the TCS to 1 (after all, you can't completely shut off the traction control on the SC300). Tires were the Sports 2 variety (you get them with the car).

For the final Nürburgring round, I used the Ballast feature, using 50lbs with a 60% tendency to the rear.

The car had 37999.x (!) miles on it when I was done, I don't recall the mileage prior to it. It was the very same car you can buy on Day 1.

Mr. Dornick is a fictional character; he's in Asimov's Foundation, a bit role early in the book. I couldn't think of any other odd names.

Yes, I work at a Lexus dealer. No, I don't joy-ride in customer cars. I also haven't written a fictional story like this in about 20 years.

I'm glad you all enjoyed it.
 
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