Trial Mountain 2 Hr - Post Race Report

Delray Sandusk

Delray Sandusk

242
Wow. Don't think I wanna do this one again anytime soon. After running this race I can safely say that I've had enough of Trial Mountain to last me the rest of my life, and probably the rest of yours too.

As there weren't any other write-ups for this race at the time I write this, all I had to go on was the preview. Judging from that it looked like the NSX was the car to watch out for, and as it appeared to be the only mid-engine car in the field I figured that it might be trouble. Since this race requires an untuned car, I decided to take my Nismo GT-R LM Road Car out as it's the only one I have that hasn't been tuned (ie: only one without a weight redux). One oil change (bringing the car up to 316 HP) and set of Super Slicks later, it was off to the track...

There's some pretty stiff competiton for this enduro, and after 3 laps of qualifying the line-up was thusly:

NSX Type S-Zero 1'38.422
NISMO GT-R LM Road Car 1'41.113
Mazda RX-7 Type RZ 1'41.167
Supra RZ 1'41.297
Skyline GT-R Vspec II 1'41.659
Lancer Evolution VII RS 1'42.797

I had figured the NSX was on soft tires from those times, but the fact that it was 3 seconds faster than me made me worry that I wouldn't be able to catch up when he finally did pit in. Still, there was only one way to find out...

Pitting:

NSX Type S-Zero 5 Laps
Skyline GT-R Vspec II 5 Laps
Lancer Evolution VII RS 5 Laps
Supra RZ 15 Laps
Mazda RX-7 Type RS 24 Laps

Since I was able to manage 15 laps out my tires, I was able to slowly knock down the NSX's overall advantage. By the halfway point I had gained enough of a lead that pitting wouldn't let the NSX pull right up onto my rear bumper and get around me again. Which was certainly a good thing, because at this point I was already starting to get worn out (even with the short breaks I took at each pit stop), so I really didn't need to get caught up in a heated battle then.

Final:

Total Mileage 175.7 mi
Best Lap 1'35.952
Avg. Lap 1'38.400

NISMO GT-R LM Road Car 73 Laps
NSX Type S-Zero 73 Laps (+12.956 sec)
Mazda RX-7 Type RS 71 Laps
Supra RZ 71 Laps
Skyline GT-R Vspec II 68 Laps
Lancer Evolution VII RS 68 Laps

I gotta tell you right now, this race was brutal. When you're done, I will guarantee you that your hands WILL be cramped and you'll probably be aching in other places too. Running a super-fast car won't help... in fact, it'll probably be more of a hindrance. Since the race doesn't end until the timer passes the 120 minute mark, faster lap times mean more laps, which means you'll just be hurting more afterwards. Your best bet would be to get a car that's just fast enough to beat out the NSX, because the less laps you need to run to finish, the better.

That aside, the key to winning here is consistency. Find a good line and stay with it, this track is unforgiving if you screw up. Try to plan your pistops with the NSX so that you can stay close to it, pitting out of sequence will quickly erase any advantage you might gain on the track. Oh yeah, and have an ice pack handy when you're done too... you'll need it! :hurt:
 
Hoo, boy, good writeup, Delray! I was just getting ready to run this enduro a couple of weeks ago, when a number of race series all happened to include Trial Mountain. I got sick enough of it that I haven't run the enduro yet. I don't mind the track, but the JGTC cars really kind of took the joy out of it for a while.

My plan, in fact, was to run my as-yet-undriven blue NSX-zero. I've been saving it for that race; but I may need something a little more powerful to stay ahead of him. I'll give it a go and see what develops. I must have something between the NSX and the ZZII...

Thanks for the writeup.
 
I'd say that if you have anything that can manage a lap time in the 1'36.000 to 1'38.000 range on warmed-up tires and isn't overly abusive on its tires, you should be able to finish this one easily enough. "Easily" being a relative term, of course.

Oy... 5 more enduros to go. If they're all as rough as this one was, I may wind up becoming arthritic before I'm 25! :P
 
Delray:

The one hitch about this forum that it only displays a few of the total posts in a given forum. Down near the bottom of the page, you can set it to view all the way from teh beginning, last 100 days...and so on.

I just noticed this the other day.

Once you change it, you'll see this post

Trail Mtn. Enduro - the Write-up.

My write-up of the two hour run. In a Lancer Evo.

AO
 
D'ohh... so I see! Boy, between this and missing Duke's Amateur WC report a couple days ago, I'm starting to wonder if there's some sort of conspiracy to keep me from finding the truth! Why, I may have to write a strongly-worded letter to someone about this... :D

Hmm, comparing our notes it looks like the NSX isn't a mainstay. Possibly that one is related to the difference in our car's power? I also see that we got the same prize car, hope that you liked it more than I did though.

Ah well, at least I got in some quality time with the Nismo (fun car, if a bit chunky) and experienced my first truly close enduro race. And I learned a new tactic (synchronizing pit stops with AI drivers) which should come in handy later on too.
 
Delray:

I did enjoy driving the Mine's skyline. I used it extensively for the Rally section of the game. Wiped out most all the rally races with it. Once done with the rally, I put it away after an oil change. Haven't used it since.

AO
 
Delray, were the lap numbers you listed for all the other cars' pitstops the lap they were on when they pitted in, or the lap number that you were on?
 
Whoa, I never knew it the timer didn't stop till 120 min! Are you serious? I thought there were so many laps and it would take you approximatley 120 min. I'm gonna see how many laps I can do!
 
Man, this race made me so mad - I ran about 74 laps in a corvette Z06 or whatever that gas guzzling car is named and got through the entire race on a 10 lap pit strategy. Then it struck. D#$ gremlins in the PS2. While loading up the replay it locked up on me. I was ready to throw the PS2 through the window. It will probably be a while before I try this again. This time I think I am going to try another car, Any suggestions??? BTW love the avatar Neon
 
As a really fun and competitive race, I've run it in the Lancer Evo VI GSR on super slicks.

Mustang man has done it in a stock Mustang SVT, and I've heard of it being done in a camaro SS.

SO the possibilities are wide open. Pit strategy, and smooth, clean laps are a must. I also have a pretty good feeling that it can be done in a stock NSX.

Good luck
AO
 
Why, thank you. So far I've gotten nothing but a bunch of positive comments about the Honda avatar. I don't know if Alexy has seen it or not (at least judging from what he hasn't said about it)...
:smilewink
Sorry to hear about your lockup. So far I haven't had any similar problems.
 
Hey Neon Duke, what cars are your favourite, in real life?

PS: I have heard this somewhere before, but I cant put my finger on it, "All your base are belong to us" Where is that from, my curiosity is killing me.
 
I like a lot of different cars. I'm not a one-brand fan like many people seem to be (which is what leads to my general dislike of Hondas - too many fanboys who drool over stuff that just ain't that great, because it has the holy H on the hood). Honda makes nice cars (yes, I've owned a Civic hatch) but they are not the best thing you can buy for the price.

Not much from GM or Ford thrills me. I wouldn't mind having a second-gen SHO with a 5 speed, I guess, or preferably an SVT Contour. But that's about it.

Most of the rice-boy drool queens, like the Skyline, TT Supra, etc. are nice enough, but certainly for the money spent on them you could get something a lot more interesting.

For Hondas, I like second-gen CRXs, particularly of course the Si. I also like the older Si Civics from the same vintage. Never owned or driven an S2000 but they look nice. The problem in general with Hondas is that everybody raves about their horsepower-per-litre, but nobody mentions what that costs in terms of lack of torque.

I like cars that go fast and handle well, for cheap. This led me to buying the 2 Neons we currently own, and tinkering with them: best combination of handling and performance for the dollar. I'm a fan of the mid-80s Shelby Dodges - you can be in the 12-sec range for under $2000, including buying the car. They can handle pretty well, too, with some suspension work.
I'd also like to own an Impreza 2.5RS or a new WRX. A Flyin' Miatas-blown 1.8 Miata would be fun.

I've got my eye open for a nice E36 M3 but they are still a little over my price range; ditto the E36 325i ragtop. I prefer driving quality - power and handling - first, with luxury a long second. Luxury adds weight and weight is the enemy. I don't say "ooooh, power windows, nice" I say "geez, that's 10 pounds of extra stuff".

I've got my eye on the upcoming US-spec Evo, but I have a feeling that the WRX is still going to be nicer, and the Neon SRT will crush it for less money.
 
The 1st time I did this enduro in a Z06, ages ago. :)

I’ve since tried many other cars winning it - without the Zero - in a EVO VI stripe and in a NSX type R. With the Zero, in a 3400S and an Esprit.
I’ve also spent ages in the qualifying for that race – it’s something I use to test stock cars. I have come to realize that you can win this race with many cars, some less powerful than the competition. I’ve managed to get a time of 1.36.5xx in a Elise 190 but its not a very reliable car for so many laps. Also, I don’t have that many time to race the 2 hours!!

I’m gonna try the motorsport next! :D
 
PS: I have heard this somewhere before, but I cant put my finger on it, "All your base are belong to us" Where is that from, my curiosity is killing me.
Click to expand...

It's from a normal 8-bit Nintendo game (that was badly translated) called Zero Wing, I'm pretty sure...
 
even if you have a car that can make the 1 minute mark on TM ..that's ONLY 120 laps fellas..

considering the time spent on tokyo..this isn't THAT bad

heck, after running the enduro on tokyo..everything else seems like a piece of cake right now
 
my friends and i had a lil competition on tokyo..i didn't know the track that well so i figure an endurance ought to solve that problem

boy did it ever and then some. i ain't touching that track unless i HAVE to :D

didn't know what to expect going in so i just played it. didn't know it's prolly the longest enduro out there in GT3

doesn't hurt to do the hardest one first..everything else now seems like cakewalk as far as length goes.
 
I've played only one endurance race... The Super Speedway! I used fully tuned Viper . I raced that race only because I wanted a Polyphony 001 (The F1 car in the Eur. Version) and I got it!
 

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