But there's more to winning a race than simply being the fastest. I highly doubt there are more than a handful of people who would be able to sweep this series for 200 pointers while driving "cleanly" (using the 2CV), and I'm not the kind of person who would care enough to try more than I already have.
Lawnmowing, crash-turning, and bumper bashing are all within the rules I've set for myself, and if I have to repeat myself when I say I don't care about how "dirty" some of my tactics are, I'll explode. ANYTHING GOES, especially when 200 points are being offered! Like many 200 pointers (not all of them), one can't win by driving cleanly, and one can't win by driving poorly.
So after getting in this car, I headed to the Tune Shop for the mods I needed. I bought a Racing Muffler, a Stage 1 Turbo Kit, Nitrous, Sports Suspension, Full Custom Transmission, Triple-plate Clutch, and a Racing Flywheel. I should warn those who haven't tried it to NOT use a Chip if they're also using the Turbo 1. Starting from a stand-still is nearly impossible, in addition to dropping the SettingsHP down.
The tougheset of these races is the first at Nurburgring. The 2CV barely makes it up the hill between T5 and Karussel in the 70s, while the opponents easily run near the triple digits. Blocking opponents in this section is absolutely required, as it is for many other portions of this course. This race cannot be won without keeping an eye on the rear-view mirror.
...
Participated in Europe Classic Car League Battle 1 (Nurburgring Nordschleife). Champion.
Time: 10'07.094
European Events: Europe Classic Car League: Nurburgring Nordschleife: 1 Lap
Settings: N3/N3; Racing Muffler, Stage 1 Turbo (51 SettingsHP); Nitrous @ 90; RideHt 141/141, Shocks 5/5, Camber 0.5/0.0; Auto 13, 4-0.847; Triple-plate Clutch; Racing Flywheel; Aids 000; 98 Ballast @ 0
A-spec points: 200
Prize: $10000
| F | S | Car Name | Time (Gap) | Best |
| 1 | 2 | Citroen 2CV Type A '54 | 10'07.094 | 10'07.094 |
| 2 | 3 | Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint Speciale '63 | +0'00.524 | |
| 3 | 5 | Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint GTA 1600 '65 | +0'01.515 | |
| 4 | 1 | Ginetta G4 '64 | +0'04.077 | |
| 5 | 4 | Alfa Romeo Spider 1600 Duetto '66 | +0'06.015 | |
| 6 | 6 | VW Karmann Ghia Coupe (Type-1) '68 | DNF |
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!!! **
Qualifying is an important part of winning the races of this event. To qualify P1 at The Ring is VERY difficult, as one would have to block the opponents for both the out lap AND the hot lap. Any time one gets by, it's a guarantee that they'll be starting in front of you, as there are very few opportunities to catch up. The GTA and the G4 are the toughest of the bunch, and I had to typically block more than 2 opponents during the practice sessions and the race. I've only managed to qualify P1 once in the many many attempts I've made at this race, and I ended up having to reload the game after losing that race...
For the practice session, I fitted S2 tires front & back, set the Ballast to 0, and maxed the Nitrous at 100. For the out lap, I tried as best as I could to keep the GTA behind me, but it got by and I restarted the session. For the second session's out lap, I would only spray to get back in front of the others, conserving the bottle for the hot lap. Unfortunately, the G4 got by me while coming through Mutkurve, but knowing how poorly it drives, and knowing from previous attempts that there are early opportunities to pass it, I continued on with the GSS and GTA behind me.
I qualified P2 with a 9'51.479, still more than 23 seconds behind the G4. I refitted the N3/N3 tires, set the Ballast back to 98kg, and ticked the Nitrous down to 90 to allow for slightly more liberal use. I also ticked 4th gear up by 3, in the hopes of holding speed up the hills a little better... I should've done a little more...
The race starts normally, and I crash-turn Hatzenbach and then cut through the grass for the left-right that follows. Heading into Hocheichen, I cut sharply to the left to avoid colliding with the G4, and manage to take the lead there.
The G4 is on my tail as we cross T1, and I'm ahead by 0.209". I continue to block it as we head for Kottenborn, but now the others are starting to join the lead pack. By the time we get to Schwedenkreuz, the G4 starts to make its move to my right, and I do my best to send it into the grass. It works well, as the G4 spins and ends up facing the wrong direction, but not without cost. This allows the GSS to slip by on my left, and I briefly lose the lead as we head through Aremburg.
I juice it to regain the lead, and I'm side-by-side with the GSS as we cross T2. I'm behind by 0.027" at that point, with the GTA hounding my tail. I edge past the GSS for the lead again, and we head down the hill.
I cut the grass through Adenaur-Forst, and I'm up 3.867" to the GTA as I cross T3. A little bit of breathing room for a little while, but the opponents aren't far behind. The lead shrinks to 1.618" as we cross T4, and I choose to take Breidscheid normally instead of wallriding it.
Between Ex-Muhle and Bergwerk, the GTA closes the gap completely. I manage to block it through Bergwerk, choosing not to risk a bad wallride through it, and I'm ahead by 0.192" as we cross T5. As we head into Mutkurve, the lead pack is now 4-deep, and fortunately the GSS and GTA block the G4 from making a move. We cross T6, and I'm up 0.355".
Just after that, the G4 comes up fast on the right and I move to block it sucessfully. After doing so, it cuts back across the others and they fall back slightly as we head into Steilstreke.
The Duetto has caught up by now, and the pack is now 5-deep heading into Karussel. I elect to wallride it, but the G4 still manages to close the gap shortly after the exit. I'm ahead by 0.205" at T7, and we enter my favorite section of The Ring.
With N3 tires, I'm forced to take the turns much slower and much more cautiously than I normally would. I take tight lines to the inside curb, but for my exit out of Brunnchen, I go wide into the grass. I recover well enough, and after crossing T8, I'm ahead by 0.667".
The GTA moves into P2 after exiting Sprunghugel, and I move to the inside curb of Pflanzgarten III to prevent it from passing me. At the same time, the G4 makes its move on the outside of both of us, and takes the lead!
I cut over to the left to push it into the grass, and after failing, I'm forced to countersteer, then counter-countersteer, to prevent from going off. The GTA falls back a little bit, and I hound the G4 as we head for Schwalbenschwanz. However, I'm too hot heading into the right hander, and I go off into the left side grass just before its entry.
Fortunately, the G4 goes off to the right and into the junk for the exit of Schwalbenschwanz. It spins as it gets back on track, facing the wrong way, and while I'm distracted by the GTA that's directly on my bumper, I crash into it, sending me wide, and slowing me down below 30mph!!! The GTA and the GSS manage to pass by, putting me in P3 with very little "recovery speed".
At this point, my neighbors must've wondered what's wrong with me (more than they usually do), as I yelled something not worth typing here, VERY LOUDLY. I almost decided to reload the game, but with 3 bars of Nitrous left (I usually only have 2 at this point), I decided to press onward...
And it was a good thing, too. I never noticed how slowly the opponents take Kleine-Karussel, and I managed to catch a draft from the GSS while exiting that corner. This gave me hope, and as I lay into the spray, I pass the GSS on the inside to the first part of Galgenkopf. This sets me into the draft of the GTA, and I find myself only down 0.884" to the GTA at T10 and gaining.
I manage to hit 118mph while in the windbreak of the GTA, my personal record in this car, and manage to overtake the GTA for the lead!!! I squeeze by it and immediately get in front of it, but it might've been better to stay behind it and push-draft it to extend the gap to the others behind us. You can see how poorly the 2CV cuts through the air, as I instantly start to lose speed, dropping down back below 110.
I'm in the lead by 0.172" to the GTA as we cross T11, but then the GSS zooms by on my left to put me into P2! I do my best to cut in front of it, but can only manage to scrape fenders with it as we head up the final hill. And as we ascend the hill, MY BOTTLE RUNS OUT! Knowing there's one final grass-cut available, I press onward.
As we pass the barrier on the left on the entry to Hohenrain, I brake and cut across the grass. My angle is poor, and I smack the wall opposite the pit lane entry, but manage to move back into P1. I drop it back down to 2nd gear (usually I can hold 3rd), and try to settle the car down for the final turn, but in my excitement, I turn-in too early and have to correct from going into the inside wall. Fortunately, I manage to stay clear of it, and despite my slow speed, manage to cross the line for the win!!!
PHEW! What a race! My test run had a tighter lead pack, but a little over 6 seconds separating P1 to P5 was still quite a rush!
I ended the practice session with 28 miles, and ended the race with 41 miles on the odometer.
Here's a video of my run:
(Practice)
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=124627898703379154
(Race)
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1151211272005951186
Thanks for reading. Thanks for watching. And Have A Great Drive!
RoadHazard
http://www.mygt4diary.com/
