Roadster 4-hour endurance - Tsukuba

[flyingkiwi]

Have taken a mazda 1600 with normal street tyres and no tuning except for a sports ROM (130 hp).
I have been tempted to do this in b-spec, but I will do it in a-spec because a): there is nothing to do today and b) I just want to have the pride of having done it.


Hour One:
Have taken the lead by lap 4. I keep extending it to the Mazda 1800 for the next 15 laps. By lap 20, the gap is out to 14 seconds, and I'm starting to think this will be a yawn-fest. However, the mazda 1800 starts slowly catching me up. I am in the mid 1:13s, but it is not enough, it seems. Occasionally, I slip out into the 1:14s. My fastest lap is a 1:12.9. By lap 38, my left-rear is feeling the pinch and the mazda 1800 is closing in fast. On lap 40, he overtakes me in the last corner sweeper. I couldn't resist. I have to pit the next lap (41). The 1800 goes off into the distance. With new tyres I have to push really hard otherwise this race is gone.
Luckily for me, the 1800begins to hit traffic (positions 3rd to 6th lol). I sense my opportunity and put in a couple of high 1:12s (1:12.826 being the fastest). The 1800 eventually pits on lap 49 (right on the one hour mark) and I get out ahead of him. The gap on lap 50 is now 2 seconds.
I feel I have to make 4 stops to the 1800s' 3. He has an advantage but with cold tyres I should be able to extend the gap again. I just can't let him close up so much like last time.

 

[flyingkiwi]

Hour Two

97 laps completed.

Dear oh dear. The 1800 absolutely dropped the ball this hour and effectively handed me this race on a platter. The backmarkers all pitted and all emerged between me and the 1800. The 1800, for whatever reason, could not lap them for some 25 laps. Meanwhile, I cruised off into the distance and, incredibly, was coming up to lap the 5 car bunch (including the 1800) some 20 laps later. I had to pit though, as my tyres were fading. I pitted on lap 81, and soon after, the 1800 finally got past the last backmarker in the group. He has not done his second pitstop yet, and has closed the gap down to 34 seconds. My fastest lap time of that hour has been a 1:12.9.



Looking good.

 

[flyingkiwi]

Hour Three

147 laps completed.

1800 did his pitstop around lap 100. The process repeated, him warming up his tyres, getting stuck behind traffic, me getting close to lapping him yet again.
Did my third pitstop on lap 141. Need one more, as does 1800.

lead is 58 secs. Just a matter of cruising for the last hour.

Fastest lap: 1:12.707 (lap 112).

 

[flyingkiwi]

Completed!!!

194 laps completed. 1 lap up on the Mazda 1800.

I wish these races would have blue flags and the backmarkers could get out of the way. Not for me, but for the AI. The 1800 lost this race due to its inability to pass backmarkers. That combined with its issues in warming up its tyres.

Anyway, glad it's over.

 

[VTiRoj]

Sounds like a good race you had. Shame the 1800 sucks at passing traffic.

I've yet to A-Spec this race myself. What colour RX-7 LM did you get?

 

[flyingkiwi]

a black and white one.

 

[mafia_boy]

I was a bludger when I did it, bought an 1800RS, oil change and demolished the field.

How many A-spec pts. did you get for that kiwi??

 

[flyingkiwi]

I can't remember :-(

The aim for me is always to win by the closest margin, esp. in endurance races, which can become very, very boring if you are already leading by 5 seconds after two laps...

 

[Smallhorses]

The aim for me is always to win by the closest margin, esp. in endurance races, which can become very, very boring if you are already leading by 5 seconds after two laps...

Amen to that! Welcome to GT Planet, fellow close-racing fanatic!
It sounds like a fun race anyway, even if it wasn't as close as you'd've liked, but that's just incentive to go back and try it again in a used MK1 (NA) Miata / MX-5 for better racing and more points next time!

As an aside, you may not be aware that you can edit your posts later on by using the edit button in the bottom right corner, that way you can add additional information to your original post which is useful for the endurance races when you're posting hourly updates! (I know, I've posted many report threads in here which've been updated over days or even weeks! Click the light blue link in my signature to see some of them if you'd like an example or 35! )

Hope that helps, and we look forward to seeing more from you shortly!

 

[flyingkiwi]

I should be free tonight or tomorrow so I'll probably do the Tokyo 300km.

As for the 4 hour roadster endurance, I can't see myself doing it again.

 

[Smallhorses]

Interesting! What ride do you have planned for Tokyo?
Or is that going to remain a secret until you post the race report?