Polyphony Digital Cup trackside commentary

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Duke

Duke

Keep 'em separated
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Pro Level Polyphony Digital Cup

This series is going to annoy me a bit, if the usual AI boost kicks in halfway through. Having to race in a stock car usually means unbalance at one end of the series or the other. I want to run the series in a minimal car so I have to be careful and earn the win. Plus, I'm trying to run prize cars I've never driven before just for variety. This is what's generating some of my criteria for selecting a car.

Round Zero
Pre-series experimentation

I know from Der Alta's writeup that the Evo VII can do it, and I have a virgin one waiting. But I'm bored with Evos. I've got a couple Skylines that will be more than up to the task - snore. The NSX-zero will be overkill. The RX-8 handles like a dream but it has no torque and I'm worried about what will happen as my HP goes down and the AI's goes up. I decided to try the Camaro SS, because it is just like my sister's real car. It ran decently but fell way behind the AI NSX-zero, and I couldn't make the whole race without pitting. Tried again, this time in the NSX-R, which has 20 less hp than the NSX-zero. I was massacring the field in both speed and tire wear when I quit after 12 laps of the first race - still too easy, and besides, I already have a lot of seat time in NSXs.

Ultimately it was the NSX experience that made me determined to beat this series in a cheap American car. The NSX-R has 279 hp; the Camaro SS has 345 or so. Yet I couldn't begin to get the Camaro around Trial Mountain as fast as I could the NSX, and the tire wear was much worse in the Chevy. The NSX is a nice car without doubt, but it's just not that nice. I'm determined to fight the yay Japan! bias as much as I can in the remainder of this game.

The Viper GTS and Corvette Z06 will be overkill. I've got one option left: the Mustang Cobra R, even though I have to buy one and I've never driven it. So I bought one, changed the oil for 355 hp, and stocked T2 and T3 tires. With both sets of tires the bill came to about 55,000cr.

Round One
Trial Mountain Reverse - 20 laps

Although I had used qualifying runs to sample the cars above, I didn't qualify the 'Stang. I put T3s on it and started from 6th, assuming (from my first try in the Camaro) they would last 10 laps. Nope. The fronts were shot by 7-8 laps and I wasn't fast enough to survive more than one pit stop (gee, thanks, PD). Quit again on the 12th lap and reload. This time the AI field is thus:
  • Nissan Z Concept
  • Supra RZ
  • Camaro SS
  • Cobra R
  • R32 Skyline
I would rather have had a field with some Evos to humble instead of the two American cars, but every one of those fields always included either the NSX-zero or the Z06. I don't think the Mustang can take either of those cars.

With T2s on the car, I restarted from 6th. In another fit of gritty determination, I've got TCS at zero (I always run with ASM off). Consequently my launches are poor, and I fell back a few lengths at the start. As the tires warmed I began catching up, running the first lap or two about 5-7 seconds out of first place. The Z Concept took the lead after the first lap and widened it considerably. I had moved up to 4th position by lap 5 when the field started pitting, though the Z held on for another circuit before giving me the lead. I was in the first half of lap 7 when the Z came out of the pits about 4-5 seconds behind me. After a lap or so he was dogging me and around lap 9 he passed me to retake the lead. I pitted after lap 11, staying in second place but losing about 15 seconds. The Z pitted again after lap 12 but was still in front of me by about 4 seconds due to my still-cold tires. This time he didn't gain much and I went from 7 seconds down or so to 7 or 8 seconds up when he pitted after lap 18. He was just starting another run on me when I put in my 20th lap and took the checker.

Margins: +7.556" Nissan Z Concept
Total time: 33':40.224"
Fast lap: 1':36.811"
Average: 1':41.011" with pit on lap 11

The Z was my only competition. I had already passed the R32 and the other Mustang before they pitted, and they were on a 5-lap schedule anyway. The Camaro SS led early but pitted early, plus he got stuck at the pit entrance for a while. The RZ pitted every 6 laps like the Z but was not as fast. I'm a little worried that the margin was this small in the first race and was won mainly on pit strategy.

The Cobra R is fun to drive. I don't mind a car that slides around a bit, as long as it's predictable, which this red Mustang is. It's a simple car and prefers you to make your control inputs one at a time so it can understand them. It understeers under heavy brakes, but trail braking lets the back end out and it transitions nicely to slight power-oversteer with careful throttle control. The stock suspension is under-sprung and under-damped, so I suspect that the race suspension could be added to devastating effect (as much as non-Japanese cars are allowed to be 'devastating', anyway). I absolutely love the howl of the square-cut gears, but the spacing is too wide, especially between 2-3, which is where you spend a lot of time. The final drive is also a little tall.
 
Midfield Raceway Reverse - 20 laps

In the first race I hadn't seen much of the competition since pit strategy had played such a large role. I would prefer to have more dicing, and I considered restarting the series with a Z06 on softer tires, forcing me to adopt a pit strategy more like the AI's. The Mustang doesn't have the sauce to run an acceleration race with the stock transmission ratios. However, when I looked at the AI results, I realized that they were spread out over more than a minute by the end of the race, meaning there was just never going to be any very close racing.

So I stuck it out and stayed with the T2s. I started on Midfield from the bottom of the grid, and a better launch got me into the pack by the Turn 1-2 combination. I was hit by someone rebounding off the left side wall of the first tunnel, and smacked back down to last place. Following a suggestion by Giles Guthrie, I was driving conservatively to warm the tires without cooking them too quickly, and it wasn't until lap 3 that I took 5th place from the black Skyline. I made it to 2nd place by lap 5 after some decent racing with the RZ. These two cars seem very evenly matched though his pit schedule kept him out of the overall competition. The Camaro and the Skyline pitted on 5, the other Mustang and the RZ pitted on 6, and the Z stayed out till 7. However, I had passed him for 1st on lap 6, marking the first time I had taken the lead from a car on the track.

My tires still looked great at lap 10 so I postponed pitting. Somewhere around here I lost the lead as the Z's tires hit their peak, putting me 2 or 3 seconds down. I don't know why he hadn't pitted on lap 6, because he handed me the lead by pitting again on 12, going from 4 seconds up to 8 seconds behind me. My tires were aging fast but I kept at it, being very gentle with the fronts. This time I kept the Z behind me until he relaxed the pressure by pitting a third time on lap 18, whereupon I cruised to the finish. In retrospect, I should have pitted on 10: it probably would have been a wash compared to running the last 4-5 laps on suboptimal tires. The outside front was red and the inside front was pretty well done as well. The uneven side-to-side wear I've been experiencing suggests that the 'Stang could use heavier swaybars, too, to help it corner flatter.

Margins: +18.302" Nissan Z Concept > +1':20.025" R32 Skyline
Total time: 29':05.008"
Fast lap: 1':24.565"
Average: 1':27.250" with no pit (See? Shoulda gone in.)

Rome Reverse - 20 laps

Yet again, I started from 6th, yet again made it up to 3rd in the first few turns, yet again got smacked down by bad AI driving. When in Rome, do as the Romans do: the Cobra proved to be more comfortable here than I had expected, and I started passing the back markers in the first lap. I moved up to 2nd by lap 4, after a lap or two fighting it out with the Supra who must have been feeling pretty soggy and hard to light that day. He blocked me heavily before I passed him and jostled and shoved me from behind afterwards. No one pitted on lap 5 (Rome seems to be easy on tires), but the Camaro, Mustang, and Skyline all went in on lap 6. The Supra (behind me) and the Z (in front) stayed out till 7, when I inherited a lead of about 10 seconds. I nurtured that inheritance with loving care and the Z gave me a bonus by pitting a second time on lap 14. Once again I elected to stay out the whole race on one set of tires. They were in a little better shape this time but I don't think I'll keep to this strategy. After running the last quarter of the race fairly conservatively (and trying to figure out how the AI takes Turn 2 in 3rd gear without braking), I took the checker, mere moments from lapping the R32.

Margins: +30.527" Nissan Z Concept > +1':30.483" R32 Skyline
Total time: 33':47.698"
Fast lap: 1':38.894"
Average: 1':41.384" with no pit (next time I'm pitting at 10.)

The oil light must be about to go on, so I'm expecting the races to start getting tougher. I'm learning the Cobra, though, and my times are improving. Although the series is shaping up very differently than I thought, I'm enjoying it (remind me of that when I get to R11 Reverse).

Points: Cobra R, 30; Z Concept, 18
Unfortunately the Z is far and away the dominant second-place car. Later in the series I may have to "make sure" it finishes last.

[Edit] 60 laps on 3 different tracks, and I have yet to touch 5th gear. I told you the transmission was too tall.
 
Thanks! And here we go... just one race this time.

Special Stage R5 Reverse - 20 laps

For some reason it's been a while since I raced on R5, and I've hardly ever raced on the reverse version. Nonetheless I like this track - a great combination of flow and slow. While I'm staying on T2s, I'm going to pit at the halfway mark rather than nurse it around and turn in slower laps at the end.

Took the green flag from 6th position. With TCS off, launching still requires surgical throttle control, even doing a flash launch in second gear. As a result, I didn't catch up tight to the back of the field until the braking point of the first turn. Rather than get tangled up in the crowd going through the 2-3-4 esses, I conserved the tires and rode the silver Skyline's bumper, but rather than bump drafting I let him move away a bit on the back straight. But it was purely cat and mouse, as I pounced on him 10 seconds later, passing both the Skyline and the other Cobra at the hairpin, giving me 4th place by halfway through the first lap.

Throughout this series, the Camaro SS has led the first lap thanks to his soft tire choice, and this race was no exception. With the leaders about 5 seconds ahead of me, over the next lap I knocked off the Supra RZ while the 350Z knocked off the Camaro. I passed the Camaro for 2nd in the 2-3-4 esses on lap 4, with the 350Z about 4 seconds ahead. The Camaro pitted behind me (first in, as always) and I closed up on the Z. When I was within 1.3xx" of the Z, however, I got a little eager and nearly spun in the big right hander after the back side grandstands (the sharp right, before the left dogleg leading to the tunnel). This was my first and only big mistake in the race. Although I avoided ground looping the Mustang, I did come to a near-stop broadside on the track and fell to about 5.5xx" behind the Z. Luckily the 3rd place car was nowhere to be seen, and I had closed back to about 3.5xx" off the lead when the Z pitted after lap 6, surrendering the lead voluntarily.

The 350Z emerged in 2nd place and was about 15.xxx" behind me at T1 on the 7th lap. Over the next few laps I stretched that lead to almost 18 seconds, but gave it up when I stuck to the crew chief's plan and pitted after lap 10, still wearing optimal tires. I came out of the pits in 2nd place a little over 4 seconds down. As I tread carefully on the cold tires, I lost another second, but I had caught up to about 1.2xx" out of first place when the Z pitted after lap 12. My teammate in the other Cobra R had a brief stint in a distant second place, but that ended when the Z's tires started gripping and he took it back, about 20.xxx" behind me on lap 13 or 14. The 350Z never got closer than that for the balance of the race; he was 30 seconds behind me when he pitted on lap 18. I kept driving smoothly and steadily, posting my fastest lap on 19 when I was well into the rhythm. I could have gone 20 more laps happily when I took the checker on lap 20 with the second set of tires pale yellow-orange in front and pale yellow-green out back.

Margins: +46.681" Nissan Z Concept > +1 lap R32 Skyline (lapped on lap 15)
Total time: 32':47.730"
Fast lap: 1':35.283"
Average: 1':38.386" with 1 pit on lap 10

The oil light went on during lap 17. Having started this series with zero-miles, purchased car at 355 hp, I must have peaked sometime during this race. Currently the car stands at 366 hp, which should mean the margins will start tightening up as my hp goes back down.

I'm really enjoying this car and I can't wait to see what it can do with a stiffer suspension package. It feels very old-school, and even with R5's long front straight I have yet to touch 5th gear. Although it brakes relatively well, the Mustang prefers to be turned in fairly early with just a quick lift and a short, firm steering input. Once the nose is set this way, the car can easily be balanced on the throttle in a real four-wheel drift, rotating through all but the longest sweepers with almost no steering lock at all.

Next up, Seattle, where the thoroughbred Mustang is on its home turf. Should be fun!
 
i just finished this series today in an RX7 RS and it was beautifuly close racing up until they start to pit....you seriously havto pit with them, regardless of tire wear to have a close race the whole way through...once they start pitting it gets kinda lonely till you pit, then hes right on your butt again! (only for 1 lap then he pits again:( )
 
Yes, I think at Seattle I'm going to run T3s and pit on lap 7 and 14, rather than just once at the midpoint. Plus as the oil wears further it should get closer. I'm really enjoying doing this in a cheap American car, though I wish the field was more Japan-heavy.
 
Seattle Reverse - 20 laps

The All-American Mustang didn't feel very at home in Grunge City; it was happier in Tokyo for some reason. Plus, the crew chief's plan didn't work out the way he expected, but we got the desired result anyway. The plan was to switch up to T3s and pit on 7 and 14, being more in line with the 350Z's regular 6, 12, 18 pit schedule and hopefully giving a tighter race.

So with T3s on the Mustang, I took my place at the bottom of the grid. As always, I lagged a bit at the green, and deliberately avoided the inevitable first turn carnage in the offset right at the end of Pit Road. I watched as they slammed through 3 wide, and punched it as they all slid across to the left side rail. Having come through the offset more slowly (but in control), I sailed by to the outside as the Skyline and the Supra bounced off and slid back to the right. I couldn't quite stretch the momentum far enough to take 3rd place from my teammate in the other Cobra, but we went through Turn 3 and into the Canyon doorhandle to doorhandle.

Our cars were of course evenly matched, and I battled him for the first two laps, passing and being passed numerous times. I took 3rd for good somewhere in lap three, about 9.xxx" behind the 350Z. The Camaro's early sprint was already over, and I passed him for 2nd on lap 5. However, I got my first notion that things were not following the script when the Camaro didn't pit immediately after that, but stayed out another lap. Sure enough, the Z went on by the pits on his normally-scheduled 6th lap.

I kept chipping away at him, however, and I was about 3.5" out of first when 350Z pitted after lap 7, giving me the lead. With the other Cobra a distant and short-lived 2nd, I took as much advantage of the Z's down time as possible. I had a 12.xx" lead when he rejoined the race and made quick work of my teammate behind me.

My T3s were getting old and his were getting warm, so by the time I made it to the pit after lap 10, he was 1.5xx" behind me and my tires were reddish orange. I came back out in 2nd place, about 15.xx" down. I concentrated on speed and consistency, knowing he only had one more pit I could exploit, and then it would be a distance run to the checker. I was about 10.2xx" behind when he pitted again on lap 14, leaving me with a slim 5.xxx" lead.

The only thing I had in my favor was the slower heat cycle of my tires, and that wasn't much. I was able to stretch my lead a little while his tires were cold, but I lost that advantage on lap 18 when I encountered the backmarker Skyline at the worst possible place - the back side of the track after the long straight. He slowed me down so much that when I finally passed him on the toboggan ride down the big hill, the Z was only 2.2" behind me.

Going through the first two quadrants or so, I was able to gain a little over 2 additional seconds, only to lose them on the third and fourth quadrants. For the last few laps this cycle was repeated, with the Z closing in on the second half of the track and falling back on the front side. I was driving extremely carefully now, both to preserve the tires and to avoid any fatal mistakes. On lap 20, I caught the rail at the bottom of the back straight, which cost me a chunk of my cushion. Going up the hill, also, I was horrified to note that my right front tire was almost dead and the Z was only decimals behind.

He made a banzai pass at the top-of-the-hill left hander, but not really under control, and I was able to pull even on the outside after he bounced back into the center of the track. I held the car wide open on the toboggan ride, staying to the inside for the two fast rights leading under the freeway. Although I never rammed him, I did aggressively defend the inside line, and managed to make a decent turn at the bottom of the hill for the 5th lap in a row. I blazed up the little chute and then had to use all my self-control to avoid blowing my slender lead by overcooking the hairpin. I braked early, crawled the car around to a wide apex with every muscle tense, and tipped back into the throttle as quickly as I could. As the front straight opened up I ran up through 3rd gear and took the checker with a big sigh of relief.

Margins: +4.886" Nissan Z Concept > +1 lap R32 Skyline (lap 18)
Total time: 36':34.660"
Fast lap: 1':46.869"
Average: 1':49.733" with 1 pit on lap 10

Does this Mustang even have 5 gears? I guess I will only find out on the Test Course.
 
Originally posted by neon_duke
Does this Mustang even have 5 gears? I guess I will only find out on the Test Course. [/B]
Click to expand...

The Mustang Cobra R actually has 6 gears; they're just spread out.;)
 
MAnufactures should realize that tighter gear ratios are needed for these strock cars. I'm sure you can use all 5 or 6 gears in a japanesse car if you ran it :lol:
 
Bwahahahahahahah... thanks! A man's got to be able to shoot his own dog when the time comes, though. It should be interesting in the scoot-n-slide Mustang.
 
Apricot Hill Reverse - 20 laps

I love this track, completely and without shame. It's so much like the great amateur road courses such as Lime Rock Park, Mid-Ohio, Road America, and even Road Atlanta. Great flowing turns, a good front straight, and some slow bits thrown in for fun. Unfortunately, I lost my notes on this race, so I'm going by memory. This sucks, because I even watched the whole replay for once and took very detailed info on split times, margins, etc.

I stuck with T3s, unsure if I would need a two-stop or one-stop strategy. I also started from 6th position again in the interest of, well, interest. After a good launch, I took 5th from the black R32 going into the Dirt Chicane on lap 1, and stayed inside on the uphill-right sweeper to knock off the silver Supra for 4th. The soft-tired Camaro was a few seconds in front, followed by the 350Z. Once again I was evenly matched with my Mustang-driving teamate (we seem to be using the same tires, even) and I enjoyed a very even battle for a lap or so before asserting my seniority.

The leaders were not far in front, and I quickly reeled in both the Z and the SS. You can gain so much time on this course just by staying on the track and to the inside. I knocked off the Z in the last turn of the second lap, then followed the SS around for a lap as I watched him zoom back and forth across the road in front of me. I took him down in the same place, at the base of the front straight, on lap three. After that I simply kept going, towing the Z some distance behind me. The SS pitted for tires on lap 5, indicating that it would be a 3-stop race for them and a 2-stop race for me. Sure enough, the Z pitted on 6, extending my lead. I gave him some of that back when I pitted on lap 7, followed by the other Mustang. However, I emerged onto the track still in 1st place, and held it easily to the finish.

The racing was interesting (if not close) because the course is fun to drive. The 350Z made a slightly smarter pit decision than before, pitting on 11 and 16 rather than 12 and 18. It didn't help though, and even though I pitted again on 14 he never got close to me, though it was a heated battle for 2nd place as the Z, the Camaro, and the other 'Stang all played pit games.

Margins: +31.xxx" Nissan Z Concept > +1 lap R32 Skyline (lapped on lap 15)
Total time: 32':27.067"
Fast lap: 1':33.219"
Average: 1':37.353" with 2 pits, on laps 7 and 14
 
Deep Forest Reverse - 20 laps

After easily romping the field at Apricot Hill a few days ago, I wasn't sure what to expect at DF2. I enjoy the track but I have certain critical areas where I'm not very fast. It didn't help that it was the middle of the night and I was a bit tired. The Mustang doesn't seem to be losing horsepower and appears to be bottomed out at 366, which is enough to overcome the wide gearing on the longer straights. It pulls hard all the way to redline, and is only handicapped by the wide-ish jump between 2nd and 3rd gears at medium speed turns.

I stayed on T3s and chalked in stops at 7 and 14 on the board. Starting as always from 6th, I was in 5th a nose behind the Supra going into the first turn. I held the inside line and took 4th on the entrance to the first tunnel. I'm weak through the 'Bus Stop' area at the bottom of the first long hill, but I can usually gain in the combination that flows through the second and third tunnels and down to the last turn. This let me work my way up front to claim the lead on-course rather than in the pits, on lap 3. However, I lost it on 5 after a poor lap, as the SS and the Z took me on the back side of the course and stayed in front until the Camaro pitted at the end of lap 5. I dogged the Z for another lap, and I was the length of the last turn behind him when he pitted on lap 6.

I took the lead and worked with it for a lap, but the schedule and the tires agreed I had to pit after lap 7. I went in with an 8.xxx" lead and came out in 4th place. I paused during the stop for a minute to make some notes, and apparently lost my mojo bigtime. That, plus cold tires, meant that I had fallen to 10 seconds behind the leader by lap 10. After nearly spinning after the 2nd tunnel on 9, I found my mojo again, and I was in third about 2 seconds when the Z pitted on 12. I'm not sure what the field was doing, but there were a lot of changes going on as the front runners all pitted to their different schedules. I pitted again from the lead on lap 14, about 7 seconds in front of my teammate who had taken 2nd as the Z and the Camaro both recovered from earlier stops. I came out in 4th again, about 10 seconds down. I passed the Supra for 3rd right away, took 2nd when the SS made his last stop on 15, and was 6 seconds behind when the Z took his last stop on 18 (driven by M. DuMass, apparently). This left me with a low-6 second lead over the Camaro, which I held for the last two laps. Due to bad pit scheduling, the Z set himself back to 4th place, which is the first time he's finished anywhere but 2nd. Great for my points lead!

Margins: +6.944" Camaro SS > +1':27.556" R32 Skyline
Total time: 29':45.667"
Fast lap: 1':24.955"
Average: 1':29.283" with 2 pits, on laps 7 and 14

Points standing: 70 points, Mustang Cobra R; 39 points, Nissan 350Z.

SS Route 11 Reverse - 20 laps

After two fun races - one on a track I'd drive anything around, and one that offered a good competitive race - I knew that the inevitable was approaching. Even though it was the middle of the night, I figured there was no time like the present, and saddled up for my least favorite track.

R11 is like that ex-girlfriend that you could never make happy. Cause-and-effect don't seem terribly well acquainted here: one day she kisses you and the next she slaps you for no apparent reason; and it's not your fault either way! 8 turns out of 10, no matter where you brake, the car will understeer towards the outside wall. On the other two (thrown it at random) the front will bite immediately and hurl you nose-first into the inside rail, 5 feet short of the apex. After a while you just don't care any more.

I intended to switch down to T2s and pit once, but of course I forgot to before hitting "Start". It didn't change the outcome, really; just made it a little worse. Starting from 6th, I knew I was in trouble immediately, because it took me 4 laps to get around the perennial backmarking Skyline. I got 4th when the SS pitted on lap 5, and took the lead as the rest of the field pitted between 5 and 6. The Z came out behind me and we diced for the lead a few times while his tires were still cool, but I had to pit after lap 7, giving up a 2-second lead.

I fell to 5th in the pits, coming out 23 seconds off the pace. The Z was on fire on this track, with a huge lead over the rest of the field. I chugged along as best I could, but already the handwriting was on the wall. In fact, I didn't get higher than 3rd place in the second round of pit stops, and the 350Z came back on track about 2" ahead of me. I came out of my lap 14 pit stop in 4th place, 16 seconds back. Again the Z was leaving the entire field behind, and by the time he pitted on 18 I was almost 90 seconds behind, and no one else was even close to him. His pit stop brought me up to less than a minute down, but there was no chance to do more than try to maintain my finishing position. My teammate in the Mustang took 2nd, 35 seconds behind the 350Z, followed by the Camaro.

Margins: -1':00.332", 4th behind Nissan Z Concept > +44.640"ahead of R32 Skyline
Total time: 46':29.699"
Fast lap: 2':14.902"
Average: 2':19.485" with 2 pits on laps 7 & 14

Points standing: 73 points, Mustang Cobra R; 49 points, Nissan 350Z

I barely have enough points that I could skip the next race, quit the last one, and still choose my prize car. However, I enjoy Laguna even though the SVT Mustang is an unknown there. The lack of long straights will hurt me, with the tall stock gearing. It's not a Japanese track, though, so I bet the Z won't get a huge boost. Stay tuned.
 
neon duke:

It seems like that the Z Concept gets a massive boost at SSR11 Reverse.;) How do i know this? I ran the PD cup in a RX8 and owned the comp at everywhere except here, where the Z Concept owned me.:P



*You should've sent your game save to me.:lol: ;) *
 
Lagun... d'oh! Grand Valley Reverse - 20 laps

OK, it was late, and I didn't really watch any of the preview. I should have realized it wasn't Laguna because every other track is reverse. GV is an easy track to drive, but a difficult track to drive well. Fortunately that doesn't matter since the AI stinks so badly on this course.

I'm sticking with T3s and a 7/14 schedule. Starting from the basement, I passed the Skyline on the inside of turn one, then hung back as the Bumper Car Boys clanged their way through turns 3 and 4. If you stay tight to the inside in the first tunnel (or last; it works either way) you can usually gain big time on the AI. In this case I moved up a notch or two, running the rest of the lap in 3rd behind the big white Camaro. Apparently he didn't care if a riceburner won the race, so long as it wasn't a Ford. He tangled me up so many times that my tires heated early, and the Supra got past both of us for 2nd place. I finally got around the Camaro in the swoops leading down to the Big Hair Pin, leaving me free to catch the Supra, whom I passed on the front straight. It took me well into lap 3 to catch the Z, but I passed him at the exit to the Little Hairpin. I opened a lead out and waited for the field to start pitting behind me.

The Camaro and the Skyline started the parade on lap 5, followed by nearly everybody else on 6. This gave me a healthy margin, but by lap 7 my outside front tire was dying and the others were feeling poorly. I pitted at the end of that lap with a 26.xxx" lead, and came back on course right in front of the flyin' Z. On my cold tires he didn't have to nudge me very hard to put me out of shape for the turn 3-4 esses, allowing him by. For lap 8 he kept in front of me anywhere from zero inches to 10 or so carlengths, but by the next time around my tires were warm enough to return the favor in the same spot. I didn't ram him, but I did put myself in the sweet spot and let him turn into my outside door. I clawed my way through turn 4 and shook him off in the first tunnel of lap 9.

After that it was a matter of staying smooth to make the tires last 7 laps on this long track. They pitted on 10 and 11; I pitted on 14, keeping the lead; they pitted again on 15 and 16 (getting smarter). The whole time I was just driving the bus and trying to turn consistent, moderately fast laps. I decided I really like the Mustang's exhaust note when you're down low in second gear and you blip the throttle as you horse it around a tight corner. I crossed the finish line on light orange tires this time, having turned in 4 or 5 laps in a row within a few tenths of my lowest time. Interestingly enough, I deliberately drove the last lap very aggressively, and turned in a time almost 2 seconds slower.

Margins: +34.574" Nissan Z Concept > +1 lapahead of R32 Skyline (poor sod)
Total time: 44':13.800"
Fast lap: 2':07.391"
Average: 2':12.690" with 2 pits on laps 7 & 14
 
I sell my used tires to the Skyline driver. Thanks, Bob!

Next up - R246 Reverse, where the Japanese cars always seem to have a big home-court advantage. I'm a lot more comfortable there than I am at R11, though. Also, the long straights will play to the Mustang's high-rev power curve. Who knows - maybe I'll even get to use 5th gear for the first time in this series!
 
SS R246 Reverse - 20 laps

First up - I used my points lead to exit the last race, picking up the championship and 400,000cr, putting me over 2 megacredits for the first time in the game. I also got lucky - without touching the controller, might I add - and was awarded the F094/S immediately. The only problem was that it is black, which makes it hard to see the detailing. I washed and lubricated the poor Mustang, saved the game, and went back to Tokyo.

With the extra 16 hp on tap, I'm pretty confident, even if they get a home-court boost. I also got lucky reentering the single race, because the hot car was again the 350Z, so I can finish our duel with full honor.

From my 6th place launch, the Mustang stepped out smartly, allowing me to duck inside the backmarkers at the bend in the front straight and take 4th. I was too far left and didn't realize how dramatically it necks down, so I tagged the angled wall leading down to the braking point, but kept it under control. The tires were cold but I was able to hang right in the crowd around the whole back side of the track, slipping back to 5th briefly at the end of the back straight, but reclaiming that and advancing to 3rd on the last turn. I took 2nd before the S/F line, then closed in on the 350Z.

After nipping at him throughout lap 2, I passed him on the exit to the last turn. Again I slipped back after the back straight, but the Z doesn't know how to make the right at the end of the long sweeper left, so I got the lead and made it stick there on lap 3.

The Lancers started pitting on 4, and the Z pitted out from behind me on lap 5. I stayed on track, finally pitting in after lap 7, cutting my 20-second lead to just 2 seconds by T1 on the eighth lap. I lost the lead to the warm-tired Z, again on the back side of the track, but picked it up for good on the front straight. Gotta work on that.

The Z pitted again on lap 11 or 12, ending our duel. He didn't lose 2nd place, but he did fall to 20+ seconds behind me. I went in for my last pit on lap 14, with a 26-second margin. This was cut to a mere 10.9 seconds, but he had another pit scheduled, and I cruised to an easy victory.

Margins: +41.635" Nissan Z Concept > +1 lap (2) Evo VIIs
Total time: 35':59.920"
Fast lap: 1':53.975"
Average: 1':59.796" with 2 pits, on laps 7 and 14
 
You know, I spent some time hanging out near the AI every time I passed them, just so I could hear that 302's bellow drown out the weenie little dirtbike motors on the Japanese stuff? I'm really glad to have won this so handily in American iron that cost < 50kcr with tires and oil.
 
Thanks anyway, but I have a virgin R390 road car for that. Or maybe the Vanquish...
 
They're in there! I just did it in eight sessions - two times I did two races at one sitting. I guess I should clarify that next time.
 
the mustang svt cobra r has a DOHC 4.6 ltr maybe supercharged. Not 100% on that, but I think thats the whining noise at about 6 grand. But it does sounds GREAT :P
 
Originally posted by wana b drifter
the mustang svt cobra r has a DOHC 4.6 ltr maybe supercharged. Not 100% on that, but I think thats the whining noise at about 6 grand. But it does sounds GREAT :P
Click to expand...

Actually the Cobra R has a Modular 5.4 litre DOHC naturally aspirated powerplant.

The "normal" Cobras had the 4.6L DOHC motor from '96 through 2002, with the '03 getting an eaton supercharger, an iron block and forged internals, aswell as a T-56 transmission.

I should also state that the Cobra R is a much more capable track car than GT3 makes it out to be.
 
I touched 5th gear for about 5 seconds at the end of the front straight, and even that wasn't strictly necessary. I could have easily done it without the upshift, just by lifting slightly to stay out of the rev limiter.
 

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