Participate in Mission race No.18. 1st place
Time: 9'09.065
Driving Missions : Mission 18 : "3 Lap Battle: Sarthe II"
Venue: Circuit de la Sarthe 2
Me: Nissan R92CP Race Car '92
Opponent(s):
.. 1 - Sauber Mercedes C 9 Race Car '89
.. 2 - Toyota GT-ONE Race Car (TS020) '99
.. 3 - Bentley Speed 8 Race Car '03
.. 4 - AMG Mercedes CLK-GTR Race Car '98
.. 5 - Panoz Esperante GTR-1 Race Car '98
Margin: -0'07.323
+ 250 A-spec Points
+ $10000
Please keep in mind that these are not necessarily my best times (CLICK HERE for my best times/replays). Please refer to these track maps when looking up Turn numbers/names * Special thanks to AMG @ GTPlanet.net for the hard work put in to generate them!!! *
Before I explain this run, I need to reiterate that my goal is not to drive realistically. My goal is to finish in first place. I don't care if I have to cut across chicanes... I'll do it. I don't care if I have to punt opponents into the junk... I'll do it. For the most part, I prefer to drive cleanly, but when I'm in my "Any Means Necessary" mode, I'll do anything for the Checkered Flag. No-nonsense driving = nonsensical driving...
This Mission, and all others, can be cleared cleanly. But since I don't like wasting time, I prefer to take advantage of every opportunity to help ensure that I win. Through my experiences, I've found that the best places for chicane cutting are through the Dunlop Curves and the Ford Chicane (the turns just after, and just before the S/F line)... I do this for each of the 3 laps. Other than that, this Mission will be driven similarly to the S15 License Test.
And lastly, this car is a great drive, especially with the default settings. Driving this beast with Aids @ 0,0,0 makes it very tough to launch and/or pull out of corners with a DualShock2.
S: + ???
There are around 12.5 seconds on the clock when this Mission begins, and the leader is making its way through Tetre Rouge. I'm all kinds of sloppy as I cut the first of the Dunlop curves, and this gets my rhythm completely off, even after making it back on track.
L1 T1: + 0'34.121
L1 T2: + 0'31.901
L1 T3: + 0'30.261
L1 T4: + 0'29.235
I come up on the Panoz at the end of the long straight, and pass it just as I'm crossing T4.
L1 T5: + 0'28.386
L1 T6: + 0'27.696
I pass the AMG as I cut across the latter portion of the Ford Chicane. Since it was making it's entry into the last right hander, I had to pass it on the right. This forces me to travel through more of the "sand trap" than I usually like, slowing me considerably.
L1 F: + 0'21.619
L2 T1: + 0'17.533
L2 T2: + 0'15.296
L2 T3: + 0'13.648
I come into the draft of the Speed 8 as I approach Mulsanne, and I brake too late for the turn. I nearly ram into it, but I jink to the left to avoid the penalty. This puts me VERY wide and VERY slow through the corner, and the Speed 8 pulls away.
L2 T4: + 0'13.440
I pass the Bentley along the straight, but as I brake for the right hand kink that leads to Indy, I get into the dirt on the left side, and I fall back into 4th place.
L2 T5: + 0'13.555
I try to pass again on the inside of Arnage, but I come in too hot and nearly smack into the wall. The Bentley passes me again, and I finally pass it for good about 6 seconds later.
L2 T6: + 0'13.371
My right side edges the grass as I come out of Maison Blanche, and this makes my back end step out. I "semi-drift" the entry to the left hander, and cross T6 much slower than usual. I see the GT-ONE as I approach the Ford Chicane, and I try to be careful not to run into it (or have it run into me) as I cut across the final right hander.
L2 F: + 0'08.453
L3 T1: + 0'04.250
If you keep your eye on the Position indicator in the upper left (around 6'56.000, race time), you'll see it flip from 2 to 3 back to 2. You'll also notice the "Wrong Way" indicator flash for a moment. I have no idea why this happens, but it has also happened during a race. If I find a good explanation for this, I'll give a heads up...
L3 T2: + 0'01.991
I'm into the Sauber's draft just before T3.
L3 T3: + 0'00.272
As I'm about to pass the C 9 on the outside, it widens its turn through the kink. I try to dive back toward the right, but I'm too close and I bump it from behind. Fortunately, no penalty is issued, and I pass it a few seconds later.
L3 T4: - 0'00.974
L3 T5: - 0'02.607
I brake way too late for Arnage, and I smack into the wall. PENALTY! I use the rear-view mirror to line up in the C 9's path, and I get a bump-start from it just as the penalty is lifted. It's nice to see that the Stewards issue penalties to all vehicles objectively (sarcasm). As I pull away, I try to stay off of the C 9's line, so that it won't be able to get as much of a draft... at least for a short while.
L3 T6: - 0'00.748
F: - 0'07.731
Please note that for some Races/Missions, the opponents will sometimes (not always) slow down considerably when the leader crosses the line. This happens here, so the actual gap is likely to be smaller.
I cross the line at 9'09.065, going 129 mph in 3rd gear.
Here's a video of my run:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4182874569354659797
Thanks for reading. Thanks for watching. And Have A Great Drive!
RoadHazard
http://www.mygt4diary.com/
