The fastest people in GT....

[Johnar726]

How do they do it? Is it a case of sitting there for hours on end shaving every 0.01 possible from their times or are they just the "10mins and done people"? What are your strategies for going quick? Do you follow ghosts? Learn the fastest way yourselves? .....

 

[Guardian]

There's no definitive answer, but the two most popular answers would actually be:

sitting there for hours on end shaving every 0.01 possible from their times

(most likely)

Or...

they're just the "10mins and done people"?

(not likely, unless you're extremely talented)

 

[carracerptp]

👍

But most of the top times are not done in 10 minutes.

 

[Dean]

I recall reading, that some GT Academy driver(s), drove for 8 hours - I don't know if it was straight - every day until the end, to achieve the incredible times. So, it's definitely not something done in 10 minutes.

 

[Torino]

It is a case of sitting & expend hours as much as possible to find the best driving line, get the feel of the car & build a decent setup (in case it is able). The talent factor only affects directly in the time that you will you expend to get a decent lap. Then, is just a case of improving those sectors where you know you're failing.

 

[Doodle]

sitting there for hours on end shaving every 0.01 possible from their times

I am a very fast driver and I do this.

Do you follow ghosts?

...And this.

 

[fbccars924]

I just pound away till I get bored. I play with a ds3 so my times are gonna always be a little slower than with a wheel.

 

[Johnnypenso]

A blend of natural talent, knowledge accumulation, calculated practice and perserverance. 1 or 2 of those can take you a long way. 3 of them can take you near the top. 4 of them puts you over the top.

 

[GTP_CargoRatt]

I can tell you how I've done it. I am not yet one of the fastest, but I am getting there. Only started racing seriously when GT5 came out. I went from not even being able to keep the car on the track to a top 100-150 driver on the Seasonal Time Trial Leaderboards and improving. I did this by countless hours of practice. Sometimes 8-10 hours a day. I also surrounded myself with the best drivers there is here and learned from them. If you truely want to be one of the best, you need to be dedicated and willing to put in hours of practice. Success does not come overnight. Keep practicing and don't get fustrated. I myself have come a long way in two years and still have a long way to go. Also, watching videos of the top drivers will help you also.

 

[Johnar726]

Ah okay, I'm more of the 10mins and done kinda person lol, I can still run top 250 times on almost all time trials and a couple of top 150s but I put that down to the fact I'm a top 10 driver on forza 4 and I'm a racer rather than hot lapper.
So can these guys race real good or are they just the time setters? What about you cargo rat?

 

[Aquarelle]

Ah okay, I'm more of the 10mins and done kinda person lol, I can still run top 250 times on almost all time trials and a couple of top 150s but I put that down to the fact I'm a top 10 driver on forza 4 and I'm a racer rather than hot lapper.
So can these guys race real good or are they just the time setters? What about you cargo rat?

Yes but did you get to that point in 10 minutes or did you put hours of practice to get there?

There's no such thing as natural driver talent that can't be matched by hours of dedication and practice.
Some people get the logic behind driving and the physics involved in handling the weight of the body naturally (even if they can't put it into words or don't understand it on a factual level) and will have an advantage in a sense.. but you can get that to that level with time investment and studying so it's a non issue.

On that base knowledge you build up instincts and talent through practice, hitting the books is all well and good time behind the wheel is the only real way to get to a higher level with your driving.
Anyone can draw the ideal line around a corner but unless you can actually guide a tonne of metal along that line it's worthless.

I've always believed your environment has a great deal of effect on your growth speed, as Mitch said actually.
Being around talent helps nurture your own and speed up your development.

However in the end it's all down to you. Your dedication to driving, to cars and to getting to the top.

 

[GTP_CargoRatt]

Ah okay, I'm more of the 10mins and done kinda person lol, I can still run top 250 times on almost all time trials and a couple of top 150s but I put that down to the fact I'm a top 10 driver on forza 4 and I'm a racer rather than hot lapper.
So can these guys race real good or are they just the time setters? What about you cargo rat?[/QUOTE]

I can't speak for the others, but as for myself, I am a better time trialer but can hold my own in a race.

 

[ItsAllAboutWins]

When I took racing games way to serious, I spent the time from when I woke up to the time I went to bed racing. On Grid, I raced rather than hot lapped. Then I got to where I was good. To good. Racing was becoming a bore to me. I reset my stats and had over 2k wins, with under 100 losses (I think in the 70s) then I turned to hot lapping. From the skill I accumulated from racing, I had 3 world records in the series I used to race and as far as I know, one was beaten but 2 stood until the servers went down.

Then I took a break from racing until forza 3 was out for about 6 months. By then I was horrible, plus I had only driven the arcade feeling Grid. I found a class (S class) that felt comfortable to me, then a friend who also liked going for lap times and myself would set up a lobby on Camimo Veijo full. I can't tell you how many hours I put into just that track alone. When I first started I was running 5 seconds slower than the WR. After about a month of constant sessions, it was like a light switch for me. Suddenly everything went together, like a work of art. Before I knew it I was top 10 on the track I had focused on. Then magically the other tracks fell into place. It took about 3-4 days to get top 20 times on every other track that I enjoyed driving. I couldn't race on forza 3 because once I broke into the top times, I would find myself getting kicked from lobbies because no one ever finished due to the timer. Sittin at the finish line got boring when you're 45 seconds ahead on a 5 lap maple valley or road Atlanta.

It boils down to this. If you are naturally gifted, it will come in time. I've always been good at racing games once I got a good feel for the car, but I have to put a lot of time into a car to get that feel. It also takes determination. You have to want it. You have to have a lot of expendable hours to throw away. It's not easy.

 

[Johnar726]

Yes but did you get to that point in 10 minutes or did you put hours of practice to get there?

There's no such thing as natural driver talent that can't be matched by hours of dedication and practice.
Some people get the logic behind driving and the physics involved in handling the weight of the body naturally (even if they can't put it into words or don't understand it on a factual level) and will have an advantage in a sense.. but you can get that to that level with time investment and studying so it's a non issue.

On that base knowledge you build up instincts and talent through practice, hitting the books is all well and good time behind the wheel is the only real way to get to a higher level with your driving.
Anyone can draw the ideal line around a corner but unless you can actually guide a tonne of metal along that line it's worthless.

I've always believed your environment has a great deal of effect on your growth speed, as Mitch said actually.
Being around talent helps nurture your own and speed up your development.

However in the end it's all down to you. Your dedication to driving, to cars and to getting to the top.

Well i generally spend 10-20mins on an event, it depends how long the track is really. Sometimes i go back to an event and re-run it again. Time is quite the issue for me, i dont get much free time due to work and GF etc :-(.

I guess its all about time by the looks of it. Sounds like itsallaboutthewins has spent a long time racing. I guess if i can find the time i'll eventually get my aim of top 10 times in GT :-).

How long do time trial events stay active for? is it generally a set amount of time? ive seen some last for a week and some last for a couple weeks. I think im gonna spend 2 or 3 evenings on each event from now on, should help me out :-)

 

[Aquarelle]

Well i generally spend 10-20mins on an event, it depends how long the track is really. Sometimes i go back to an event and re-run it again. Time is quite the issue for me, i dont get much free time due to work and GF etc :-(.

I guess its all about time by the looks of it. Sounds like itsallaboutthewins has spent a long time racing. I guess if i can find the time i'll eventually get my aim of top 10 times in GT :-).

How long do time trial events stay active for? is it generally a set amount of time? ive seen some last for a week and some last for a couple weeks. I think im gonna spend 2 or 3 evenings on each event from now on, should help me out :-)

That isn't what I meant. What I mean is, before you sit each time trial how many hours, months or years of practice is behind your driving style/method?

That's what I was getting at, how many attempts it takes for any given event is all well and good, that's when you're splitting hairs over split seconds. But before you get into that region you need to dedicate so much time to improving your technique.
Nobody is born into being an amazing leader board topping master mind, that's just how it is.

I'll also add that I don't participate in time trials personally, I'll do one lap to smash the gold and then leave it; before anyone goes looking up my time trial results to use to discredit me. (Yes this has happened before so I'm putting this disclaimer here now)

 

[Johnar726]

Ah right, well i only started playing properly when forza 4 was released, so thats about two years ago, before then i just drove round the track, and that was it.

using your laptimes to discredit you... thats aint good

 

[nickg07]

I'd be a tad annoyed if someone could just jump onto any random car or track and set a top 10 time in 10 mins - cleanly.

Annoyed at myself because I'm inferior.

 

[Vegard]

Learn the car first, weaknesses and strong points.
Then you just find the limit on each corner and try to make a clean fast lap without overdoing it (This may take quite some time).
On the TTs I usually download the top ghost try to follow it and note where i leave time.

 

[Johnar726]

I generally go as fast as i can without any ghosts, just racing my self. If its a completely new track then i'll follow ghosts.
Im gonna take what all you guys are saying and put that to practice, looks like im opposite to everyone else lol

 

[VBR]

A blend of natural talent, knowledge accumulation, calculated practice and perserverance. 1 or 2 of those can take you a long way. 3 of them can take you near the top. 4 of them puts you over the top.

It boils down to this. If you are naturally gifted, it will come in time.

Knowledge can be aquired, practice can be put into action, & perseverance can be learned. However, natural ability cannot, & that's what seperates the GT Planet Division 1 Gold "Aliens" from the merely fast drivers like myself.

I just simply don't have the natural ability to squeeze that last second or so out of a track like they do, even after learning everything I possibly can, & practicing huge amounts.

 

[Whitey093]

For me, I have gotten progressively better in direct correlation to my competition getting better. When I start to win a lot in one group, I move up to a faster group. If you're always winning, you're not improving, you need to be surrounded by people who push you to be faster.

And I don't care how fast you think you are, there are always people that are faster. Check the racing series forum on this website and join a series where you're one of the slower drivers. By the end, you will have improved out of necessity and following fast drivers teaches you a lot

 

[Johnnypenso]

For me, I have gotten progressively better in direct correlation to my competition getting better. When I start to win a lot in one group, I move up to a faster group. If you're always winning, you're not improving, you need to be surrounded by people who push you to be faster.

And I don't care how fast you think you are, there are always people that are faster. Check the racing series forum on this website and join a series where you're one of the slower drivers. By the end, you will have improved out of necessity and following fast drivers teaches you a lot

Tell that to DHolland...lol..

 

[dxm8975]

Actually, the top 10 drivers on the bulletin board do not finish up their own run within solely 10 minutes after their entry to the trial - it's not that challenging just to submit the individual's single lap time that you presume to be enough fast personally without comparison to other extremely quicker aliens being ranked on the top of the leaderboard.

If they desire to do at their best they at first have to go through a series of backbreaking attempts in order to chop the minimal seconds off from their own lap time in the very extreme condition - not only their own distinguished in-game driving techniques but also other external factors in need of being taken into consideration.

So that shouldn't simply hang on the driver's intrinsic aptitude but their in-race strategy that came up with their mindsets I suppose.

 

[PR1VATEJ0KER]

I am a very fast driver and I do this.

You could also get a top 200 time or better with just ten minutes play depending if you know the track. 👍

 

[CinnamonOD]

I usually play 10 min sessions to improve my times, but I dont really push the car a lot, sometimes getting gold is enough for me, but it's kinda boring because I always get in my first try 👎

 

[Johnnypenso]

I'd like to be a consistent top 100 guy but I just can't run TT's for more than an hour without being bored to tears. I have cracked the top 100 2 or 3 times and it took more than an hour which is about my limit. Many of them I run a good lap to get gold and then that's it for me. I find a lot of silly car and track choices really turn me off, like the FGT at Madrid, but even the ones I like, I can't take for more than an hour. I guess that's where the "perserverence" part comes in I mentioned earlier...lol..and I just don't have it when it comes to TT's.

 

[carracerptp]

Some of the guys I race could crack a top 100 is less than 30 minutes. In event #47 "Road Course - Indy" I got a to 65 in less than 30 minutes using a pre-tuned car from another round. 10 minutes spent tweaking the car to handle better and hit a great lap my 3rd attempt.

3 reasons for this:

1. Not everyone has a 2J with the right number of miles on it to get the optimal HP/weight ratio. I can't remember if I borrowed it or not.

2. I had a good tune from the forums TT thread.

3. I knew the track very well.


I'm sure some people could do it in less.

 

[Stotty]

Whilst not in the super alien class, I’m pretty quick and rank top 50 in Seasonals reasonably comfortably. With a new event, I normally get in the top 100 within 10 laps assuming it’s a car and track I feel OK with. After that, the amount of time I invest in to a TT depends on how nice the car is to drive and if tuning is allowed.

If tuning is allowed, and it’s a car I enjoy driving (eg; the Corvette at Deep Forest reverse or the Super GT at Motegi), I might put as much as 8-10 hours in over a 2 week period (work and wife permitting), but a lot of that will be spent on the tune (I really enjoy the tuning side).

If no tuning is allowed I’ll spend much less time, and if I don’t like the combo I’ll only run enough to get a top 100 – I spent less than an hour on the Cappuccino at Kartspace (for 37th- fluked a lap ). But if I like the combo and I have time I’ll run a lot more- I expect I’ll run the current BMW at GV a lot as I really like that one.

I generally run 10-12 lap stints before having a short break (to have a smoke). I always use a ghost to chase fast times &#8211; normally the #1 ranked ghost. I will be close to my limit within the 1st hour (<1s per minute of lap time), after that it&#8217;s just clipping tenths off here and there by trying to hit 3 good sectors in the same lap.

I think most people get close to their potential reasonably quickly (their natural talent level)&#8230; after that it&#8217;s about commitment and effort, whoever you are.

In my experience, the very fastest drivers can also be very fast racers, but this isn&#8217;t always the case - some who are a level or 2 behind on TT pace can be equal or better when it comes to a race.

 

[Saidur_Ali]

This is the method I use. I prefer stock TTs like current ones. If it is a tuned TT, I normally wait for it to settle down a bit so fastest car gets found for combo and there are usually good tunes (Normally Active-Steering ones) which can then be tweaked (I drive without Active Steering) quite quickly to be competitive.

Before I run TT, I usually watch leaders ghost and look at speeds in corners and ideal racing line. Then I do a few laps myself, normally quite easy to get in top 100 or top 50 after a few laps. Then I watch replay of fastest leaderboard lap, confirm some things and then go back time trialling. Depending on how competitive leaderboard is, top 10-20 is usually within reach within an hour on a matured leaderboard. However you can spend a few more hours trying to nail a lap and hit close to best sectors which normally doesn't really happen unless I get lucky. Generally improve by a few tenths after say an extra hour but potential is usually a lot higher.

Tuned leaderboards, you can spend more time trying to be competitive as you need to get car setup and feel it is competitive. I remember when I borrowed CargoRats 2J (Thanks again) for Tsukuba and was challenging and getting number 1 position for a bit but did not run any laps after. It was good enough for 3rd in the end and fastest without active steering and I felt there was the potential to do the number 1 time if I spent a good few hours on it and tried to get closer to my best sector times.

About ghosts, I personally don't use other peoples ghosts, just use my best lap or close to my best lap and use that as reference. If I am chasing ghost, I am more likely to be behind it at end of lap. If I am leaving my ghost for dead, I am more likely to improve .

I am far from fastest people in GT though. I would imagine the top players like Ti-tech85 would probably be challenging or getting number 1 times within 10 minutes or at least within half an hour. Towards the last week or last few days of TT, it would be probably hard to get number 1 time that quick though even for an alien of his level so a few hours will probably be enough. That will still be impressive as people setting fast times are quite alien too and also probably put quite a bit more time into it.

Finally about learning fastest way yourselves, you get used to that already and have a good idea of it before checking someones lap out as you get closer to the top. I think this comment by Lewis Hamilton fits well:

"You know how in 'The Matrix,' he can see the matrix? When I'm driving, I see the lines."

Tell that to DHolland...lol..

I think Dan thinks Arnaud is fastest GT player.

 

[Monatsende]

I have two or three god given talents but driving in GT5 is not included. So I normally golden each event (pretty often within 1st to 3rd try, including latest) except Drift (I can`t drift and have no urge to learn how to...) and FGT (I hate FGT.) and am happy with it, don`t care if I did it by 0.012 or 2.568 secs.

On top of my lack of talent I have no patience and no time. Really a bad combination to achieve a high rank on the leaderboard.
Overall I got bored a bit...