Here are the complete average lap times:
- 2003 Shelby______ Series 1 Super Charged___ 01'59.510
- 2003 TVR_________ T350C____________________ 02'00.495
- 2000 Chevrolet___ Corvette Z06 (C5)________ 02'00.952
- 1999 Dodge_______ Viper GTS________________ 02'01.499
- 2004 Mercedes____ SL 65 AMG (R230)_________ 02'02.310
2000 Ruf 3400S
Well, I finally settled on a car and ran the El Capitan 200 today. I didn't end up using any of the cars on my list, an unfortunately I ended up with more of a blowout than I wanted - yet more testimony to the ultimate futility of A-spec points.
I had been trying for a decently close race, as the thread above will attest. My most likely 200-point contender was the Flying Banana, my 396-hp BMW M Coupe. However, after two tries against the second field (listed above), I was only able to keep the pace on S3 tires, and running too short a pit interval to make the race winnable. I could get a few seconds ahead of the Shelby S1, but my front tires would fade and by lap 10 he'd not only have the lead when I pitted, but he'd have several more peak laps before his crew chief called him in. I lightened the car and reduced the power, but I was gunning for 200 A-spec, and even at 196 points I was toast by lap 10. So the Banana went back to the paddock.
Out came my Ruf 3400S, with about 70 miles on it. I tweaked the parts list, opting for the following loadout:
341 hp
1300 kg (a full 185k lighter than the M Coupe)
Chip, race I/E, 3x clutch, Race suspension (mildly tweaked, needed more), race brakes, S2 tires.
I gridded up and was thankfully awarded with 200 A-spec points in the kitty. I haven't driven this car much, or recently, so at the flag I pinned the tach and lost time with wheel spin. I carried more speed through the dogleg right Turn 1, however, and arrived at the braking point for the 180 left sweeper Turn 2 in good position. I turned in from way outside, sneaking inside the Viper GTS after the first apex, then easing wide to take the Z06 on the outside of the second half of the sweeper.
Rather than press my luck, I hung behind the big SL65 through the dunes, then made a clean pass in the tunnel. This left the blue/green TVR in my sights and the S1 about 5 seconds ahead of us. I pressured him all though lap 1, hard enough to make him swipe the abutment at the long bridge, but that long 6 power meant I couldn't get a clean shot at him. I waited, then took him with another inside move at Turn 2 on Lap 2.
The Shelby S1 played the same game - giving ground in the turns, but managing to get back in it early enough to keep me at bay. I never realized how much negative camber that thing has on the rear wheels - must be a swing axle setup. I finally got around him, after a couple minutes of good dogfighting, again between the apexes at Turn 2 on Lap 3. In contrast, with the M Coupe on S3s, I was in the lead about a lap and a half earlier. The 3400S has more top end, but less thrust.
With a clear track and warming tires making the 3400 happy, I put some padding behind me. Luckily it seemed the tires were heat cycling much more evenly in the midengine car. Starting my 9th lap, the tires were still yellow/green instead of yellow/orange. Then, at the Hoopdie, I got a little enthusiastic and spun a 360 on the downhill side. A minor wall scrape would have done cosmetic damage, but I managed to get it pointed the right way without coming to a stop. I lost about 8 or 9 seconds of my padding, with the S1 closing to within 4 seconds by T3 on lap 9. I got back in stride and started widening the gap again.
By the 11th lap, the tires were getting, well, tired, and some gentle understeer was making itself more an more noticeable. This was a decent interval, so I pitted for tires only. I gave up a 10-second lead for an 18-second deficit by the tunnel on Lap 12 (28 seconds on the nose - WTG
Digital Nitrate. The pit put me back to 3rd, but I was within moments of taking 2nd when the TVR pitted and gave it to me. A lap or two later, I was given the lead on 14/15 when the Shelby finally went in for tires.
The race was fairly uneventful from here out. I ptted again on 22 without losing the lead, and encountered my first lap traffic in the form of the red AMG on lap 25. I kept the pace with no major offs or shunts, though the right side of the car will need some work after a couple brushes with the bridge wall. I never spun again or had any major collisions with competitors or landscape. Somewhere in my third stint I set my FTOD at 1':53.791", but most of my normal laps were in the 55-56 range.
The Shelby took 4 pits to my 5, but he never managed to challenge me again. I got tires on 11, 22, 33, 44, and 55, and topped up the fuel on the even numbered pits. I had given up expecting to see the Shelby again, but around Lap 60, I put the TVR another lap down and I started to realize that my lead interval was edging closer to my lap ET. Since I wasn't going to have a very close race as I hoped, I pretended I was in 2nd place and began a final push to the finish.
Over the next 6 laps I closed up on the Shelby, duelling my momentum against his horsepower. On Lap 65 I wagged the car around a bit through third quadrant of the course, but I settled down and reeled him in, finally making a good clean pass on him following the hairpin on lap 66. We crossed the finish line with him 1 lap + 0.5xx" behind me.
Ruf 3400S
Overall ET: 2h:11':08.753"
FTOD: 1':53.791"
Avg Lap: 01':59.223"
+1 Lap Shelby S1
+2 Laps TVR 350C, Corvette Z06, Viper GTS
+3 Laps AMG SL65[/B]
Truthfully, it could use more power towards top end, anyhow. I'm sure you could get a 200 point race out of about 225 hp, and I'm really sure the tires will survive about 12-14 laps regardless. That car's handling is spot-on, as are the brakes.
