- 25
- paulturismo
Trial Mountain Endurance Race 2hrs
I have recently been playing through GT3 for the second time. I cant remember how far I got the first time, but I know I didnt complete it. So I decided to go from the beginning again, but this time using the added fun of playing with the wheel (Logitech DFP) for every licence and race. It has been great, but as I draw closer to 100% all I have left to do is the 2hr endurance races at Trial Mountain and Rome, plus the formula GT championship to finish. I really wanted these last races to be maximum fun and a real challenge, so I have read through race reports to get some ideas for close battling. The reports were also useful for figuring out when long running cars like the RX-7 would pit.
I was inspired to write my first race report to describe the action; I chose to drive my Evolution V GSR(J) a prize car in a vibrant blue colour, 305hp with stock tuning, and T3s for a pit strategy of every 7 laps. I qualified for 3 laps, got second on the grid behind the soflty-shod Skyline.
Field:
Car Pit Strat. Qual. time
Skyline GT-R V-spec II(R34,J) 4 01:37.498
Me in my Evolution V GSR(J) 7 01:38.865
Supra RZ(J) 15 01:40.463
Lancer Evolution VII RS(J) 5 01:40.888
Mazda RX-7 Type RZ 23 01:41.284
Impreza WRX Sti(J) 8 01:42.305
Lap 1: Skyline pulls into the lead, after some initial battling with Supra and RX-7 I pull out into 2nd place
Lap 2: Skyline has a lead of 3.472 secs. I pull a decent lap of 137.980 but I gotta make these tyres last at least 7 laps
Lap 4: under-steering through the tunnel section causes me to clip the rock and lose time, just getting used to the car, Skyline is +5.724 but he pits at the end of the lap.
Lap 6: Tyres getting a bit worn. Evo VII RS pits at the end of his 5th lap, he is behind me, he wont be any trouble today.
Lap 7: I take a lead into my pitstop of -8.292 over the RX-7, with knowledge that he will be going for a long time before stopping.
Lap 8: 4th place, I begin chasing the RX-7, Supra, and a 3rd car, the Skyline, he should pit at the end of the lap
Lap 10: From 10 seconds behind the lead is down to 7.5 seconds and I can see the two lead cars at the bottom of the back straight. As I chase I set a new best lap of 137.907. If I can keep setting low 138s for the rest of the race I should narrowly win.
Lap 12: As I try overtaking the Supra he shunts me into the canyon wall by the tunnels, I manage to pass just before the back straight grazed paintwork to boot, now to chase down the RX-7!
Lap 14: I get to within a second of the RX-7 before I have to pit. Its going to be such a close finish, I just hope I get it right or this could be embarrassing.
Lap 15: RX-7 lead is now +19.704, I will have to drive hard to catch up, lap times seem to be dwindling in the low 139s, Ive got to do better. The Supra, up ahead of me in 2nd, pits at the end of the lap. Now time to focus on getting back 1st, although I may well have to pit before overtaking if he stays out longer than 21 laps.
Lap 17: In 2 laps Ive cut the lead by 6 seconds to +12.869, and set a new best lap of 137.540.
Lap 21: After some consistent lapping, the deficit is down to 2.5 seconds, but I have to pit. Ive just noticed how noisy the crowd are near pit-lane, they must be cheering in anticipation for the retake of the lead by the Gran Turismo Evo 5 team.
Lap 22: +22.274 down on the RX-7 and the Supra is hot on my heels!
Lap 23: the RX-7 does pit, and I set a new best lap of 137.227, into first, now to try and build a lead for 4 laps til I pit again.
Lap 27: I lap the Evo VII as he pits, and then lap the Impreza without much trouble, now stretching the lead to -11 seconds. Just after writing the last sentence I am shunted in the back at the bottom of the back straight just before the left-hander. That pesky Impreza wants some agro! He just put me into the wall, this will cost vital seconds, I need to drop this loser pronto!
Lap 28-29: I pit with a lead of -12.704, RX-7 passes just as I pull away from my garage, closely followed by the Supra who should be due to pit the following lap.
Lap 30: After draughting the Supra down the back straight I pull a lovely clean move with a superb line through the left-hander, see you later! The RX7 is in sight, the supra pits behind me and the chase is on.
Lap 32: The Impreza is giving the RX7 just as much hassle as he gave me, and it plays to my advantage, Im right up on the tail of the RX7 by the back straight and I pass him at the left-hander.
Lap 35: I pit with a lead of -6.230 over the RX-7
Lap 39: DISASTER, the RX7 makes a mistake by the tunnels and I gain ground so I am within sight. Then I got a bit to pushy after braking too late at the end of the back straight and span the car, losing precious seconds, those 9 seconds could cost me the race! Now I have to nail every lap to catch them up again.
Lap 42: Closing in on another pit stop, Im trying to do maths whilst driving. I may have to alter my pit strategy to correct the mistake of spinning. I have 28 laps left, if I can push 1 more lap before pitting, then 9,9,9 and stop only twice more, Id get by 20 seconds from the pit stop back, and Id just have to be really careful for that extra time driving on worn tyres! RX7 is due to pit on 56 laps, he wont pit again, Ive got to go for it.
Lap 43: New pit strategy adopted, This in-lap was not great due to the red front rear. I pull away from the garage, again with a large gap to make up, and the Supra to contend with. He overtakes me as I exit the pits, itll not do the tyres any good if he pushes me round any corners.
Lap 46: RX7 pits, hang on a minute I made a mistake somehow I made 23x2 = 56 instead of 46! Buffoon! This is good news tho, it means he will pit again on lap 70. Can I risk changing my strategy back to 7 laps now? Its risky business! Ill see how it goes.
Lap 51: Ive decided to stick with the new strategy and my front right is really red. My 11 second lead is now shrinking due to slow cornering, Ive just got to get one more safe lap and pit at the end of lap 52. To make matters more tricky, the Impreza is right ahead, hes gonna be a pain I just know it.
Lap 52: It was the Evo VII not the Impreza, he just gave me a helpful little draught down the straight, I managed to get real close and and overtook him at the mouth of the pit entry as we pitted together sneaky.
Lap 53: My fastest outlap of the race at 143.091, gotta keep up the pace and get the lead back before next pit.
Lap 55: Im feeling very comfortable with my lines now and set a new best lap of 137.135
Lap 58-59: After a really good battle after catching him on the back straight of lap 58 I finally take the lead from the RX-7 by the tunnels before the back straight of 59.
Lap 60: -1.7 secs lead down the back straight, I gotta get one more good lap here!
Lap 61: Pit, I manage to go into pits still with that slim -1.7 secs lead. All Ive got to do is drive hard til the end of the race and if he pits on lap 69 all should be ok. However, I cant afford to pit again, and depending on the clock, I may have a very hard lap just surviving on worn tyres at the last gasp.
Lap 64: As Im driving, steadily gaining on the RX7 again, an insane thought creeps into my head, or am I just thinking clearly now If I get close enough, and depending on the clock, I might just pit at the same time as the RX7 on lap 69 and battle to the finish why not 
Lap 66: Almost a high speed collision as the Skyline exits the pits right onto my racing line, I miss the nose of his car by mere inches at full pelt! Now the RX-7 is in sight down the straight, with 9 mins 30 seconds to go, I could afford the pit stop, Ill go in maybe lap 68.
Lap 67: The skyline is causing trouble, getting very close behind me now on his softer tyres. RX-7 lead is 2 seconds. Out of the left hander on the back straight and the Skyline un-laps himself from me. Rather than try and lap the Skyline again, I pit early to avoid any mishaps.
Lap 69: The RX-7 pits as expected, as I drive past him he pulls away from his garage. I have 7 seconds lead to extend and hold onto!
Lap 72: After 3 laps of mid 137s I give myself 18 seconds breathing space. 2 hrs clocks by and all thats left is a sprint to the finish.
Finish: Another mid 137 to finish in style, phew, it wasnt so bad after all, I could have stuck with the original pit strategy which would have made for an even edgier finish, I would have been due to pit on lap 70, but would have had to keep going to avoid losing the lead and the race.
Final Standings:
Car Laps Race Time
Me in my Evolution V GSR(J) 72 02:01:28.709
Supra RZ(J) 71 02:00:04.960
Mazda RX-7 Type RZ 71 02:00:29.738
Skyline GT-R V-spec II(R34,J) 70 02:01:35.986
Impreza WRX Sti(J) 69 02:00:36.060
Lancer Evolution VII RS(J) 68 02:01:12.402
Best lap: 137.135 on lap 55
Prize Car Lottery: Won the Lister Storm
After qualifying I had calculated approximately what the race results would be if cars raced on their qualifying times, taking into account pit stop frequency, and 20 seconds needed for pitting. My figures suggested that I would finish only just in front of the RX-7, which is sort of what happened, I think the difference in the end was about 20 seconds which is close enough. I made enough mid 137 laps to even out my average (without pits) at around 138.732. Average overall lap-time was 141.232
In my next race I would like to try the Rome endurance with a Mini, thats gotta be a really big challenge, I read about it in write-ups by Smallhorses and DaveS1138.
I have recently been playing through GT3 for the second time. I cant remember how far I got the first time, but I know I didnt complete it. So I decided to go from the beginning again, but this time using the added fun of playing with the wheel (Logitech DFP) for every licence and race. It has been great, but as I draw closer to 100% all I have left to do is the 2hr endurance races at Trial Mountain and Rome, plus the formula GT championship to finish. I really wanted these last races to be maximum fun and a real challenge, so I have read through race reports to get some ideas for close battling. The reports were also useful for figuring out when long running cars like the RX-7 would pit.
I was inspired to write my first race report to describe the action; I chose to drive my Evolution V GSR(J) a prize car in a vibrant blue colour, 305hp with stock tuning, and T3s for a pit strategy of every 7 laps. I qualified for 3 laps, got second on the grid behind the soflty-shod Skyline.
Field:
Car Pit Strat. Qual. time
Skyline GT-R V-spec II(R34,J) 4 01:37.498
Me in my Evolution V GSR(J) 7 01:38.865
Supra RZ(J) 15 01:40.463
Lancer Evolution VII RS(J) 5 01:40.888
Mazda RX-7 Type RZ 23 01:41.284
Impreza WRX Sti(J) 8 01:42.305
Lap 1: Skyline pulls into the lead, after some initial battling with Supra and RX-7 I pull out into 2nd place
Lap 2: Skyline has a lead of 3.472 secs. I pull a decent lap of 137.980 but I gotta make these tyres last at least 7 laps
Lap 4: under-steering through the tunnel section causes me to clip the rock and lose time, just getting used to the car, Skyline is +5.724 but he pits at the end of the lap.
Lap 6: Tyres getting a bit worn. Evo VII RS pits at the end of his 5th lap, he is behind me, he wont be any trouble today.
Lap 7: I take a lead into my pitstop of -8.292 over the RX-7, with knowledge that he will be going for a long time before stopping.
Lap 8: 4th place, I begin chasing the RX-7, Supra, and a 3rd car, the Skyline, he should pit at the end of the lap
Lap 10: From 10 seconds behind the lead is down to 7.5 seconds and I can see the two lead cars at the bottom of the back straight. As I chase I set a new best lap of 137.907. If I can keep setting low 138s for the rest of the race I should narrowly win.
Lap 12: As I try overtaking the Supra he shunts me into the canyon wall by the tunnels, I manage to pass just before the back straight grazed paintwork to boot, now to chase down the RX-7!
Lap 14: I get to within a second of the RX-7 before I have to pit. Its going to be such a close finish, I just hope I get it right or this could be embarrassing.
Lap 15: RX-7 lead is now +19.704, I will have to drive hard to catch up, lap times seem to be dwindling in the low 139s, Ive got to do better. The Supra, up ahead of me in 2nd, pits at the end of the lap. Now time to focus on getting back 1st, although I may well have to pit before overtaking if he stays out longer than 21 laps.
Lap 17: In 2 laps Ive cut the lead by 6 seconds to +12.869, and set a new best lap of 137.540.
Lap 21: After some consistent lapping, the deficit is down to 2.5 seconds, but I have to pit. Ive just noticed how noisy the crowd are near pit-lane, they must be cheering in anticipation for the retake of the lead by the Gran Turismo Evo 5 team.
Lap 22: +22.274 down on the RX-7 and the Supra is hot on my heels!
Lap 23: the RX-7 does pit, and I set a new best lap of 137.227, into first, now to try and build a lead for 4 laps til I pit again.
Lap 27: I lap the Evo VII as he pits, and then lap the Impreza without much trouble, now stretching the lead to -11 seconds. Just after writing the last sentence I am shunted in the back at the bottom of the back straight just before the left-hander. That pesky Impreza wants some agro! He just put me into the wall, this will cost vital seconds, I need to drop this loser pronto!
Lap 28-29: I pit with a lead of -12.704, RX-7 passes just as I pull away from my garage, closely followed by the Supra who should be due to pit the following lap.
Lap 30: After draughting the Supra down the back straight I pull a lovely clean move with a superb line through the left-hander, see you later! The RX7 is in sight, the supra pits behind me and the chase is on.
Lap 32: The Impreza is giving the RX7 just as much hassle as he gave me, and it plays to my advantage, Im right up on the tail of the RX7 by the back straight and I pass him at the left-hander.
Lap 35: I pit with a lead of -6.230 over the RX-7
Lap 39: DISASTER, the RX7 makes a mistake by the tunnels and I gain ground so I am within sight. Then I got a bit to pushy after braking too late at the end of the back straight and span the car, losing precious seconds, those 9 seconds could cost me the race! Now I have to nail every lap to catch them up again.
Lap 42: Closing in on another pit stop, Im trying to do maths whilst driving. I may have to alter my pit strategy to correct the mistake of spinning. I have 28 laps left, if I can push 1 more lap before pitting, then 9,9,9 and stop only twice more, Id get by 20 seconds from the pit stop back, and Id just have to be really careful for that extra time driving on worn tyres! RX7 is due to pit on 56 laps, he wont pit again, Ive got to go for it.
Lap 43: New pit strategy adopted, This in-lap was not great due to the red front rear. I pull away from the garage, again with a large gap to make up, and the Supra to contend with. He overtakes me as I exit the pits, itll not do the tyres any good if he pushes me round any corners.
Lap 46: RX7 pits, hang on a minute I made a mistake somehow I made 23x2 = 56 instead of 46! Buffoon! This is good news tho, it means he will pit again on lap 70. Can I risk changing my strategy back to 7 laps now? Its risky business! Ill see how it goes.
Lap 51: Ive decided to stick with the new strategy and my front right is really red. My 11 second lead is now shrinking due to slow cornering, Ive just got to get one more safe lap and pit at the end of lap 52. To make matters more tricky, the Impreza is right ahead, hes gonna be a pain I just know it.
Lap 52: It was the Evo VII not the Impreza, he just gave me a helpful little draught down the straight, I managed to get real close and and overtook him at the mouth of the pit entry as we pitted together sneaky.
Lap 53: My fastest outlap of the race at 143.091, gotta keep up the pace and get the lead back before next pit.
Lap 55: Im feeling very comfortable with my lines now and set a new best lap of 137.135
Lap 58-59: After a really good battle after catching him on the back straight of lap 58 I finally take the lead from the RX-7 by the tunnels before the back straight of 59.
Lap 60: -1.7 secs lead down the back straight, I gotta get one more good lap here!
Lap 61: Pit, I manage to go into pits still with that slim -1.7 secs lead. All Ive got to do is drive hard til the end of the race and if he pits on lap 69 all should be ok. However, I cant afford to pit again, and depending on the clock, I may have a very hard lap just surviving on worn tyres at the last gasp.
Lap 64: As Im driving, steadily gaining on the RX7 again, an insane thought creeps into my head, or am I just thinking clearly now If I get close enough, and depending on the clock, I might just pit at the same time as the RX7 on lap 69 and battle to the finish why not 
Lap 66: Almost a high speed collision as the Skyline exits the pits right onto my racing line, I miss the nose of his car by mere inches at full pelt! Now the RX-7 is in sight down the straight, with 9 mins 30 seconds to go, I could afford the pit stop, Ill go in maybe lap 68.
Lap 67: The skyline is causing trouble, getting very close behind me now on his softer tyres. RX-7 lead is 2 seconds. Out of the left hander on the back straight and the Skyline un-laps himself from me. Rather than try and lap the Skyline again, I pit early to avoid any mishaps.
Lap 69: The RX-7 pits as expected, as I drive past him he pulls away from his garage. I have 7 seconds lead to extend and hold onto!
Lap 72: After 3 laps of mid 137s I give myself 18 seconds breathing space. 2 hrs clocks by and all thats left is a sprint to the finish.
Finish: Another mid 137 to finish in style, phew, it wasnt so bad after all, I could have stuck with the original pit strategy which would have made for an even edgier finish, I would have been due to pit on lap 70, but would have had to keep going to avoid losing the lead and the race.
Final Standings:
Car Laps Race Time
Me in my Evolution V GSR(J) 72 02:01:28.709
Supra RZ(J) 71 02:00:04.960
Mazda RX-7 Type RZ 71 02:00:29.738
Skyline GT-R V-spec II(R34,J) 70 02:01:35.986
Impreza WRX Sti(J) 69 02:00:36.060
Lancer Evolution VII RS(J) 68 02:01:12.402
Best lap: 137.135 on lap 55
Prize Car Lottery: Won the Lister Storm
After qualifying I had calculated approximately what the race results would be if cars raced on their qualifying times, taking into account pit stop frequency, and 20 seconds needed for pitting. My figures suggested that I would finish only just in front of the RX-7, which is sort of what happened, I think the difference in the end was about 20 seconds which is close enough. I made enough mid 137 laps to even out my average (without pits) at around 138.732. Average overall lap-time was 141.232
In my next race I would like to try the Rome endurance with a Mini, thats gotta be a really big challenge, I read about it in write-ups by Smallhorses and DaveS1138.
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