Won Suzuka 1000K By < 2 Seconds

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iCyCo
GT5: The Ultimate
Just had the most nerve racking GT experience.

The Suzuka 1000K, Castrol Supra '01.
Started with a down pour, track 100% wet. Was able to work my way to first by the end of lap 1, surprisingly. Seems the AI suck in the wet, so there I was short shifting my way to a nice 30+ second lead until my first pit stop some 15 laps in. I decided to save here for now.

Back at it again, track is at 100% wet but the rain has stopped. Decided to leave on my galoshes and venture out. Track was drying at like 2% a lap, my lead was falling way faster, what tires are the AI running I ask myself. Tires started going as fast as my lead so I decided to pit, track was at 69% wet so I expected the race engineer to recommend Intermediates but to my surprise he outfitted me in some nice racing slicks. I rode these out until lap 37, with a slim lead I took another pause for the cause.

This is where it gets interesting.
I never full up my tank as I find it takes to long a pit stop, I just put in enough for the stint which so far for me was like 13 - 15 laps. As I begin a 100+ lap session, I learnt the AI pit strategy and PD's mess ups. Only 3 cars were on the lead lap, the Epson NSX, Woodone GTR and myself. Why is this, and why is it that I can't seem to shake these two. Maybe the fact that they ran 30 laps stints, thats right, 30 laps. I'm not sure if this is the norm but I regularly see the other 8 cars being serviced in the pits at a frequency lower than 30 laps. You're probably wondering, other 8 cars, 3 on lead lap..that equals 11, where's car # 12. Well as I piloted my way around the track I find myself meeting this one car the same place on the track every 3 laps. Crusing along as it appeard it had no fuel, I assume it wasn't pitting that is until I met it at pit entry and realize it was going into the pits but it seems the race crew had left, probably washed away with the earlier rain. It just drove right back out and continued to creep along the track.

So I spent 100+ laps trading places between 1st and 3rd, my mind going crazy trying to calculate if I'd be running in 1st when the checkered comes out. The beautifle all black interior and glorious engine note take back seat to apex after apex and calculation after calculation. Sometimes being as much as 50 seconds behind after I take on a fresh set of rubber. Managing to cut that down to about 35+ seconds in about 1/2 my stint. The AI pits and comes out behind me by about 15+, pit stop delta for them being like 50 seconds. I'd managed to then build on this lead, getting it into the 20 second range before the tires start to fall off. I pit, splash of gas and emerge with a mere few seconds lead and we do it all over again. Me pulling out a little 15 second lead due to fresh rubber.

The fight to the finish.
We continue trading places until my supposed last pit stop (AI made their last on lap 148) my engineer recommend 41l of fuel, I took 20l. Mistake? maybe, I had 20 laps left, I can get 15 out of the tires, I emerged from the pits some 20 seconds down. With fresh rubber I had no issue clawing away at that time, took down #2, #1 in my sights. Tires are about 1/2 worn, tank almost on E, still have 8 laps to go, no way I'm making it to the end. Having a 8 second lead I decided to pit with 7 laps to go, took on 17l and some new shoes. Was greeted with some red text stating I was behind by 16 seconds. Yeah, 7 laps to go, should have enough fuel and I have the freshest rubber on the field. The hunt begins. Checkpoint after checkpoint I'm taking off a modest 1 or 2 seconds, the a 3 second. My engineer radioed me and let me know that P1 was stuck behind some lapped traffic, this giving me the advantage to close in on him a bit faster. As I exit Degner Curve I spot him, passing the lap SC430 just before the hairpain and just pulling away. I know he's faster than me on the straights but I still had 3 laps left.

I trailed him along the fastest sections of the track, my closest to him being at the Casino Triangle but I didn't take the gamble and try to pass. Through the 'S' Curves i stuck behind him, making an attempt at Dunlop but he blocked, he appeared to slow and I made it pass him at Degner, but we're fast approaching the fastest section again right after the hairpin and I know I wont be able to lose him, he's less than 1 second behind me. Through the Casino again about to start lap 171. Heartbeating like my shift point. Around the first corner and into the S curves I see that I'm able to pull away, my engineer informs me after Degner that he's 1.2 seconds behind and to keep my cool in the hairpin to try to get good exit speed. So said so done, but that didn't stop hime from being just 0.8 behind me on the back straight.

White flag is out now, I check my fuel, is it enough, it's not red yet... check my mirrors, he's still on behind me. Through the Esses, around the curves and hairpin, I see he's a bit further back now. we reach the straights and he's gaining, fuel bar is red... through Casino for the last time and across the line.


 
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Thats intense just by reading it. Let alone racing in it! Well done though. Congrats. What kind of a car you win after the race?
 
Thats intense just by reading it. Let alone racing in it! Well done though. Congrats. What kind of a car you win after the race?

A GT-R Concept LM Race Car.
 
Well done holding your nerve, sounds like a great race! 👍

TIP: Unlike my memories of previous GT games, your engineer can actually calculate how much fuel you need for races that aren't timed. If you are doing your own fuel, watch for him to suggest anything other than filling the tank because that means you don't need any more. So take what he offers(unless you can't make it on tires - then you'll need some high-speed maths) instead of guessing on your own number. Maybe even add a couple liters in case you rev higher than he thinks you should.

Usually his number and yours should be pretty close but the mind can be a funny thing after several hours of racing and telling him he's wrong. Also, this means the AI tends to be fastest in the final stint -- often after a very short pit stop to boot.
 
What a race!! :eek:

Congratulations 👍

Thanks

Great race.

Winning by 1.2 seconds after 172 laps is incredible. ;)

Sure is, When I started I had no idea it'd be this close.

Well done holding your nerve, sounds like a great race! 👍

TIP: Unlike my memories of previous GT games, your engineer can actually calculate how much fuel you need for races that aren't timed. If you are doing your own fuel, watch for him to suggest anything other than filling the tank because that means you don't need any more. So take what he offers(unless you can't make it on tires - then you'll need some high-speed maths) instead of guessing on your own number. Maybe even add a couple liters in case you rev higher than he thinks you should.

Usually his number and yours should be pretty close but the mind can be a funny thing after several hours of racing and telling him he's wrong. Also, this means the AI tends to be fastest in the final stint -- often after a very short pit stop to boot.

Thanks. I usually add a few Litres more as we tend to be a bit more agressive than the AI.
 
Thanks



Sure is, When I started I had no idea it'd be this close.



Thanks. I usually add a few Litres more as we tend to be a bit more agressive than the AI.

I tend to be less aggressive than the AI. Early shifting saves gas too :) .
 
Fantastic race, mate 👍 I did the race in the Premium Castrol a couple of days back and got a 0.4 second finish ahead 2nd :)
 
Fantastic race, mate 👍 I did the race in the Premium Castrol a couple of days back and got a 0.4 second finish ahead 2nd :)

That's what I call cutting it close, after 6 hours of racing and that's the gap..wow...Congrats
 
Fantastic race, mate 👍 I did the race in the Premium Castrol a couple of days back and got a 0.4 second finish ahead 2nd :)

Pics or it didn't happen. That is too close to believe after 6 hours of racing :ouch: .
 
That's what I call cutting it close, after 6 hours of racing and that's the gap..wow...Congrats

Thanks :)

Pics or it didn't happen. That is too close to believe after 6 hours of racing :ouch: .

Unfortunately, I didn't have any source of a moment-capture device at the time of the race so I can't provide evidence of such an event.. :ouch:
 
I remember when i raced this race. Won by 1 lap in the Castrol Supra (Premium). It was back when Suspend/Resume wasn't added yet, and it was utter rain all through-out the race. I was thinking of quitting, but i didn't. But you had a close win man! Nice one :D
 
I remember when i raced this race. Won by 1 lap in the Castrol Supra (Premium). It was back when Suspend/Resume wasn't added yet, and it was utter rain all through-out the race. I was thinking of quitting, but i didn't.
Almost ditto, just a different car :)

Grats to the OP, that must have been one hell of a race :)
 
When I did this race in the Xanavi GTR (or any enduro), I made sure I bought every tires available. If the AI is too slow I put on a worse performing tire. When I wanna run some hot laps, I put on the RS. Most of the race, I was trudging along with sports soft. I tried the sports hard but losing time every lap. Would be too close for comfort to have AI breathing down my neck in a 5 hrs plus race with chance of losing the gold.
 
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