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This is the first part of a racing story/diary chronicling the exploits of Advanced Vehicle Systems, a racing team known for creating and campaigning its own racing cars. For the sake of the story, the cars are usually either Highly-Tuned Road cars of all shapes, sizes and classes of competition, Road Cars turned into all-out Racers or lesser-known Race Cars (Nissan 300ZX LM, Honda S200 GT1, Toyota Altezza LM, Mitsubishi 3000GT LM Etc.).
GT2 Race Story: All-Night @ Special Stage Route 5
Part 1: The germ of an idea
When it was announced that Special Stage Route 11 was to be closed for racing due to repairs for the duration of the GT2 racing series, the famed All-Night Endurance Event was transferred to Special Stage Route 5 for the first (And last) time. The big factory teams were set to attend, though the Vector Aeromotive Team decided to test at Trial Mountain Raceway instead and several others only sent one-car teams.
Initially, I was signed to drive for the factory Venturi Team, though my place was taken about three months in advance by a wealthy Paying Driver from Belgium. Not to be deterred, I began negotiations with Venturi to loan me a Factory-Spec Atlantique 600LM to campaign myself under the Advanced Vehicle Systems moniker, though my idea was met with a polite, Gallic No.
After getting rebuked by the French, I went about looking for a suitable donor car to transform into a racer fast enough to win the GT Class, if not contend for overall victory. After a week of searching, an idea came to me: With cash in hand, I went down to the West City to give my Local Venturi dealer a visit. 135,000 Cr. Latter and I drove off in a dark grey/blue Atlantique 400 GT.
Part 2: Building the car/Track testing
The Venturi came back to the shops and immediately went on a crash-course worthy of the Advanced Vehicle Systems name; The car was stripped down to the bare frame with every part taken out replaced by lighter, race-worthy components. The Engine was massaged and later turbocharged to give 476 HP @ 6100 RPM with 426.7Lbs-Ft of Torque @ 5100 RPM. This, coupled with a running weight of 2,261 Lbs made for a fairly competitive package on paper (And I was in for a nice surprise come race time..More on that later). The body was made out of Carbon-Fibre, the Transmission was a 5-Speed from X-Trac with Brakes from Brembo. Due to a lack of Wind Tunnel testing, the Stock Body Panel shapes were retained to go along with a custom-made adjustable version of the Stock Rear Wing.
Thanks to the hard work of all the boys and girls at AVS the car was ready in around five weeks and hit the track for preliminary testing at Deep Forest Raceway. Despite the rush to get the car together, the Atlantique felt very solid right out of the box with minimal set-up changes to get the car running in the low 110.xxxs/High 109.xxxs - Not exactly Suzuki Escudo speeds, but decent nonetheless. It was entered in a follow-up race there, the Tuned Turbo No. 1 Cup event for further testing. Needless to say, the Atlantique dominated the proceedings, finishing nearly 12 seconds up on the second-placed car and allowing us to pocket a cool 50,000 Cr to pay for the cost of shipping to Special Stage Route 5.
The Atlantique ran the test and Subsequent Race at Deep Forrest in the stock Blue/Grey color out of a lack of time to get a cohesive paint scheme together. However, for the All-Nighter this was changed quickly and simply: A single, wide White Stripe starting at the roof and running down the front nose of the car was added to compliment white paint on the sides of the Car, the look topped off with White Volk TE37 Wheels on Bridgestone Racing Slicks.
Part 3: The Pre-Race
The grid for the All Nighter:
1) [R] Toyota TS020 GT-ONE 99
2) [R] Jaguar XJ220 GT Race Car
3) [R] Ford GT40 Race Car 69
4) [R] Nissan R390 GT1 98
5) Citroen Xantia 3.0i V6
6) [R] Venturi Atlantique 400GT
I was quite surprised to see how light the Atlantique was on tires during practice sessions at SSR5. Even on Medium Compound Tires it could go between 13-15 Laps per set, which made the possibility of running a two-stop race look tantalizing. The Mediums were fitted to the car after qualifying as the cars were loaded into Parc Ferme, not to be touched until Mourning (Or in this case Evening) Warm-Up the following night.
It was decided that I, Paolo Bellomo, owner and operator of AVS would run the race solo...Not out of glory, but simply because I couldn't find another driver interested in joining me! (Hey, YOU try to sell the idea of runing against the big factory teams in a "Modified road-car"!)
Part 4: The All-Nighter Begins
Lap 1-2:
The race was a rolling-start affair that took me be surprise somewhat. The Citroen was passed without difficulty while I went to work on the rest of the field. I passed the GT40 in the tunnel by sticking with an inside line, but this threw me off-line for the next series of corners as I over-estimated the grip in the cold tires. While I escaped with nary a power slide, it was fairly hairy stuff as I tucked in behind the factory-supported Nissan R390 GT1 98.
I drafted him for a little bit and went around the outside of him on the short straight leading to Turn 7 and out-braked the Jaguar XJ220 GT entering said Turn, picking off two cars in succession. I then gave chase to the lead car, The Toyota GT-ONE. Starting from the Hairpin on I followed him through the subsequent couple of corners that lead to the chicane section that marked the near-end of the lap. I tucked in behind him and, crazily, out-braked and somehow drifted through the first part of the Right-Left-Right section that made up Turn 12 without hitting any walls.
Because of how I drifted through the first part of Turn 12, the car was set-up to take a quick line through the following turns, giving me a small gap to work with. However, the Toyota passed me like I was tied to a fence post on the start of the long main straightaway. I ended the first lap in second, around seven-tenths behind. I trailed him for a little bit and tried to out-brake the GT-ONE going into Turn 3. Unfortunately, the move was just a tad bit too bold and I ended up having to concede the lead back, though this allowed me to get a run on the Toyota and pass him under braking for Turn 7(In a copy of the pass on the Jaguar).
Lap 3-6:
With the Toyota firmly in my rear-view mirror, I started to eke out a small-but-steady gap. I couldnt tell by Feel (Remember that, for whatever reason, the game doesnt tell you how far ahead you are of the second-placed car) how much time I was opening up on him, but I looked as though I was increasing my lead by anywhere between two-five tenths per sector. I wasnt even really pushing the car hard; Because I started on Medium-Compound Tires, I wanted to try and get as many laps out of them I could. Lap times were solidly in the 118.xxx bracket as the tires started to wear in, though on Lap five I was held up passing the hapless Citroen (Really, who let that car start this race?) which ruined the flow of fast laps.
Lap 7-17:
On Lap Seven, while coming up to the hairpin the Atlantique got unsettled and pitched sideways on entry into the corner. I tried to save it by driving into the slide and drifted a bit around the Hairpin at Turn 9 but it was no use: The car tipped into a spin on exit. While I was very thankful I didnt hit anything and got turned around and back under power as fast as one could, the gap between myself and the second-placed car closed fairly quickly.
I then slipped and slid around for ten more laps before the tires began to cry enough at the end of Lap 17, my times creeping up to the 120.xxxs by the end of the stint. I came in, the pit crew did a tremendous job to slap on a fresh set of Medium Compound Bridgestones as fast as they did, though it wasnt quite fast enough: Coming out of the pits, the Toyota went by to re-take the lead. In response, I peeled out of the pit-lane in hot pursuit of him.
Lap 18-34
I chased after the leading GT-ONE and ultimately closed up behind him by the short straight leading down to Turn . I looked for a place to pass, but I didnt want to end my race against a concrete wall so I stayed patient, riding his diffuser for nearly half a lap, getting my tires up to temperature. This was thankfully short-lived, as the Toyota pitted at the end of the Lap 18. This allowed me to get the lead back and build up a comfy margin between myself and second spot. The laps that followed afterwards were pretty lonely ones, though I enjoyed getting down to simply driving. By my calculations the Venturi would need only one more pit-stop to reach the finish, so I started to drive a little bit more conservatively to save tires; The average Lap time during this stint was in the 119.xxx range. Otherwise, no real trouble (Except from trying to pass that Citroen seemingly every other lap).
Lap 34-50:
I came out of the pits with the lead of the race intact, though I was only just ahead of the second-placed Toyota. I cut down to the inside of Turn 3 to try and hold my line, expecting him to try and make a move around the outside of me But I could tell that the GT-ONE wasnt really racing that hard. Probably has to stop one more time I thought to myself as I started to slowly motor away from him. Sure enough, I could see him peel off onto pit road at the end of Lap 35. Without having to really worry about conserving my tires, I started to learn the limits of the car, eventually setting my personal fastest lap of the race on Lap 38 (117.203) after getting a tow from the Factory Nissan R390 GT1. After passing him on the inside at Turn on Lap 39, it was smooth sailing all the way to the finish line.
The Results:
1) [R] Venturi Atlantique 400GT 1:0734.8
2) [R] Toyota TS020 GT-ONE 99 +53.718
3) [R] Nissan R390 GT1 98 +1 Lap
4) [R] Ford GT40 +1 Lap
5) [R] Jaguar XJ220 +2 Laps
6) Citroen Xantia 3.0i V6 +10 Laps
Post-Race Thoughts:
What surprised me the most were two things: The Speed of the Venturi and the general lack of competition. I was expecting to be in for quite a dust-up when my cars Power deficit to the fastest cars came into the equation, but in reality the Atlantiques handling and light tire wear more than made up for the lack of top-end speed. The fastest speed seen during the racewas 176.30 MPH on the main straightaway and that was due to getting a draft from a following car; 171 MPH was the average speed going into the first corner.
Overall, Id say that any car that can average 118-19.xxxs while at the same time getting 16-18 Laps on a set of tires can win this race quite easily Ill tell you one thing, Ill certainly have fun finding out which cars can meet those requirements.
The winners Purse was a healthy 350,000 Cr., which was more than enough to offset the cost of building the race-ready Atlantique in the first place. The Prize car awarded to AVS was a 99-Spec Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI Rally Car. Sadly, there was already one in the back of the garage, so it was sold for an extra 125,000 Cr.
Next up: Unknown for now, though the Laguna Seca 200 looks mighty tempting What car to use though?
GT2 Race Story: All-Night @ Special Stage Route 5
Part 1: The germ of an idea
When it was announced that Special Stage Route 11 was to be closed for racing due to repairs for the duration of the GT2 racing series, the famed All-Night Endurance Event was transferred to Special Stage Route 5 for the first (And last) time. The big factory teams were set to attend, though the Vector Aeromotive Team decided to test at Trial Mountain Raceway instead and several others only sent one-car teams.
Initially, I was signed to drive for the factory Venturi Team, though my place was taken about three months in advance by a wealthy Paying Driver from Belgium. Not to be deterred, I began negotiations with Venturi to loan me a Factory-Spec Atlantique 600LM to campaign myself under the Advanced Vehicle Systems moniker, though my idea was met with a polite, Gallic No.
After getting rebuked by the French, I went about looking for a suitable donor car to transform into a racer fast enough to win the GT Class, if not contend for overall victory. After a week of searching, an idea came to me: With cash in hand, I went down to the West City to give my Local Venturi dealer a visit. 135,000 Cr. Latter and I drove off in a dark grey/blue Atlantique 400 GT.
Part 2: Building the car/Track testing
The Venturi came back to the shops and immediately went on a crash-course worthy of the Advanced Vehicle Systems name; The car was stripped down to the bare frame with every part taken out replaced by lighter, race-worthy components. The Engine was massaged and later turbocharged to give 476 HP @ 6100 RPM with 426.7Lbs-Ft of Torque @ 5100 RPM. This, coupled with a running weight of 2,261 Lbs made for a fairly competitive package on paper (And I was in for a nice surprise come race time..More on that later). The body was made out of Carbon-Fibre, the Transmission was a 5-Speed from X-Trac with Brakes from Brembo. Due to a lack of Wind Tunnel testing, the Stock Body Panel shapes were retained to go along with a custom-made adjustable version of the Stock Rear Wing.
Thanks to the hard work of all the boys and girls at AVS the car was ready in around five weeks and hit the track for preliminary testing at Deep Forest Raceway. Despite the rush to get the car together, the Atlantique felt very solid right out of the box with minimal set-up changes to get the car running in the low 110.xxxs/High 109.xxxs - Not exactly Suzuki Escudo speeds, but decent nonetheless. It was entered in a follow-up race there, the Tuned Turbo No. 1 Cup event for further testing. Needless to say, the Atlantique dominated the proceedings, finishing nearly 12 seconds up on the second-placed car and allowing us to pocket a cool 50,000 Cr to pay for the cost of shipping to Special Stage Route 5.
The Atlantique ran the test and Subsequent Race at Deep Forrest in the stock Blue/Grey color out of a lack of time to get a cohesive paint scheme together. However, for the All-Nighter this was changed quickly and simply: A single, wide White Stripe starting at the roof and running down the front nose of the car was added to compliment white paint on the sides of the Car, the look topped off with White Volk TE37 Wheels on Bridgestone Racing Slicks.
Part 3: The Pre-Race
The grid for the All Nighter:
1) [R] Toyota TS020 GT-ONE 99
2) [R] Jaguar XJ220 GT Race Car
3) [R] Ford GT40 Race Car 69
4) [R] Nissan R390 GT1 98
5) Citroen Xantia 3.0i V6
6) [R] Venturi Atlantique 400GT
I was quite surprised to see how light the Atlantique was on tires during practice sessions at SSR5. Even on Medium Compound Tires it could go between 13-15 Laps per set, which made the possibility of running a two-stop race look tantalizing. The Mediums were fitted to the car after qualifying as the cars were loaded into Parc Ferme, not to be touched until Mourning (Or in this case Evening) Warm-Up the following night.
It was decided that I, Paolo Bellomo, owner and operator of AVS would run the race solo...Not out of glory, but simply because I couldn't find another driver interested in joining me! (Hey, YOU try to sell the idea of runing against the big factory teams in a "Modified road-car"!)
Part 4: The All-Nighter Begins
Lap 1-2:
The race was a rolling-start affair that took me be surprise somewhat. The Citroen was passed without difficulty while I went to work on the rest of the field. I passed the GT40 in the tunnel by sticking with an inside line, but this threw me off-line for the next series of corners as I over-estimated the grip in the cold tires. While I escaped with nary a power slide, it was fairly hairy stuff as I tucked in behind the factory-supported Nissan R390 GT1 98.
I drafted him for a little bit and went around the outside of him on the short straight leading to Turn 7 and out-braked the Jaguar XJ220 GT entering said Turn, picking off two cars in succession. I then gave chase to the lead car, The Toyota GT-ONE. Starting from the Hairpin on I followed him through the subsequent couple of corners that lead to the chicane section that marked the near-end of the lap. I tucked in behind him and, crazily, out-braked and somehow drifted through the first part of the Right-Left-Right section that made up Turn 12 without hitting any walls.
Because of how I drifted through the first part of Turn 12, the car was set-up to take a quick line through the following turns, giving me a small gap to work with. However, the Toyota passed me like I was tied to a fence post on the start of the long main straightaway. I ended the first lap in second, around seven-tenths behind. I trailed him for a little bit and tried to out-brake the GT-ONE going into Turn 3. Unfortunately, the move was just a tad bit too bold and I ended up having to concede the lead back, though this allowed me to get a run on the Toyota and pass him under braking for Turn 7(In a copy of the pass on the Jaguar).
Lap 3-6:
With the Toyota firmly in my rear-view mirror, I started to eke out a small-but-steady gap. I couldnt tell by Feel (Remember that, for whatever reason, the game doesnt tell you how far ahead you are of the second-placed car) how much time I was opening up on him, but I looked as though I was increasing my lead by anywhere between two-five tenths per sector. I wasnt even really pushing the car hard; Because I started on Medium-Compound Tires, I wanted to try and get as many laps out of them I could. Lap times were solidly in the 118.xxx bracket as the tires started to wear in, though on Lap five I was held up passing the hapless Citroen (Really, who let that car start this race?) which ruined the flow of fast laps.
Lap 7-17:
On Lap Seven, while coming up to the hairpin the Atlantique got unsettled and pitched sideways on entry into the corner. I tried to save it by driving into the slide and drifted a bit around the Hairpin at Turn 9 but it was no use: The car tipped into a spin on exit. While I was very thankful I didnt hit anything and got turned around and back under power as fast as one could, the gap between myself and the second-placed car closed fairly quickly.
I then slipped and slid around for ten more laps before the tires began to cry enough at the end of Lap 17, my times creeping up to the 120.xxxs by the end of the stint. I came in, the pit crew did a tremendous job to slap on a fresh set of Medium Compound Bridgestones as fast as they did, though it wasnt quite fast enough: Coming out of the pits, the Toyota went by to re-take the lead. In response, I peeled out of the pit-lane in hot pursuit of him.
Lap 18-34
I chased after the leading GT-ONE and ultimately closed up behind him by the short straight leading down to Turn . I looked for a place to pass, but I didnt want to end my race against a concrete wall so I stayed patient, riding his diffuser for nearly half a lap, getting my tires up to temperature. This was thankfully short-lived, as the Toyota pitted at the end of the Lap 18. This allowed me to get the lead back and build up a comfy margin between myself and second spot. The laps that followed afterwards were pretty lonely ones, though I enjoyed getting down to simply driving. By my calculations the Venturi would need only one more pit-stop to reach the finish, so I started to drive a little bit more conservatively to save tires; The average Lap time during this stint was in the 119.xxx range. Otherwise, no real trouble (Except from trying to pass that Citroen seemingly every other lap).
Lap 34-50:
I came out of the pits with the lead of the race intact, though I was only just ahead of the second-placed Toyota. I cut down to the inside of Turn 3 to try and hold my line, expecting him to try and make a move around the outside of me But I could tell that the GT-ONE wasnt really racing that hard. Probably has to stop one more time I thought to myself as I started to slowly motor away from him. Sure enough, I could see him peel off onto pit road at the end of Lap 35. Without having to really worry about conserving my tires, I started to learn the limits of the car, eventually setting my personal fastest lap of the race on Lap 38 (117.203) after getting a tow from the Factory Nissan R390 GT1. After passing him on the inside at Turn on Lap 39, it was smooth sailing all the way to the finish line.
The Results:
1) [R] Venturi Atlantique 400GT 1:0734.8
2) [R] Toyota TS020 GT-ONE 99 +53.718
3) [R] Nissan R390 GT1 98 +1 Lap
4) [R] Ford GT40 +1 Lap
5) [R] Jaguar XJ220 +2 Laps
6) Citroen Xantia 3.0i V6 +10 Laps
Post-Race Thoughts:
What surprised me the most were two things: The Speed of the Venturi and the general lack of competition. I was expecting to be in for quite a dust-up when my cars Power deficit to the fastest cars came into the equation, but in reality the Atlantiques handling and light tire wear more than made up for the lack of top-end speed. The fastest speed seen during the racewas 176.30 MPH on the main straightaway and that was due to getting a draft from a following car; 171 MPH was the average speed going into the first corner.
Overall, Id say that any car that can average 118-19.xxxs while at the same time getting 16-18 Laps on a set of tires can win this race quite easily Ill tell you one thing, Ill certainly have fun finding out which cars can meet those requirements.
The winners Purse was a healthy 350,000 Cr., which was more than enough to offset the cost of building the race-ready Atlantique in the first place. The Prize car awarded to AVS was a 99-Spec Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI Rally Car. Sadly, there was already one in the back of the garage, so it was sold for an extra 125,000 Cr.
Next up: Unknown for now, though the Laguna Seca 200 looks mighty tempting What car to use though?
