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12-12-2009, 07:54 PM
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#51 | ||
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Pro Rookie
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Chicago
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Thursday, August 12th - Season
I'm contacted about a number of different event types since concluding things in Atlanta yesterday, including speedway-oval events as well as some drag-racing competitions. However, the one that appeals to me the most and the one I've signed up for is a closed-course competition. These are single-lap events at some of the most lengthy and difficult road courses in the world. Event: Class E Super Lap Days Limitation: Cars in Rating Category E only Rating Category: E-class # of Races: 3 Total Event Prize: $61,925.00 The only limitation on these events is the Rating Category of the cars involved, so pretty much anything goes. Front-, rear-, or all-wheel-drive, hatchbacks or saloons, none of that matters. Given that, I've decided to run out one of my favorite cars from earlier in the season, the Jedi-Mobile (check the Garage for pic and stats). Here's the rest of the competition for this event: Code:
Rossi and Johansson will be bringing out the same Peugeots they just got done using in the last event, but there's a good mix of other cars involved in this one as well. Esposito will be using the same model car as the Jedi-Mobile, but you may recall I've made a number of modifications to my Alfa. Today we travel to Italy, where the first leg of the event will take place. Thursday, August 13th and Friday, August 14th - Season 1 Upgrade: Sport Intake Manifold and Throttle Body Price: $3,420.00 Effect: Power +10 hp Rating: E-272 (up 12 from E-260) -I use up most of the remaining wiggle-room I have with the Alfa's Performance Index installing a ported intake manifold with port-matched intake runners. That'll net me ten extra horsepower. Upgrade: Sport Springs and Dampers Price: $3,800.00 Effect: Ride Height -0.63 in Rating: E-274 (up 2 from E-262) -New, stiffer InTrax lowering springs, custom-valved shocks and teflon bushings should help lower the ride on the Alfa and help it to hug the track a little better. Sunday, August 15th - Season 1 The Rally di Positano track is a much-expanded version of the Amalfi Coast track that we ran at during the Peugeot Racing Club event. The town of Amalfi is one of those Mediterranean coastal towns that is built from the waterfront and up a steep coast-line. The track works it's way back and forth, up the coastline passing through various parts of the town, then back down once again passing through the town at various levels. The final leg is dominated by a very scenic run along the coastline itself, just above the docks. I spend a good deal of time today learning the track, but it's long, convoluted, and extremely tight in spots. It's all I can do to keep the Alfa off the walls in some places, and I am not very optimistic about my chances tomorrow. Monday, August 16th - Season 1 (Race Day) Event: Class E Super Lap Days Race #1 (of 3): Rally di Positano (Amalfi, Italy) - Full Circuit Reverse  First-Place Prize: $15,675.00 Laps: 1 Race Distance: 7.48 mi Starting Position: 6th I get off to a pretty decent launch off of the green flag, due largely to the all-wheel-drive and the horsepower of the Alfa, but during one of the early turns I end up accidentally spinning out Yoshida's Mazda. While this is going on, Esposito (also in an Alfa) slips by me to the outside and I remain in 4th place. I end up battling with Esposito for most of the climb up the cliffside, with Yoshida catching up and joining the fray as well. Finally, at the top of the cliff I manage to gain a little separation from Yoshida, but that lead quickly evaporates once the downhill portion of the track begins. I'm having a seriously hard time getting the big, heavy Alfa to slow down on the downhill, and the lighter and more maneuverable Miata makes my life very difficult. I spend most of the last half of the race just bumping and battling with Yoshida, with the top three nowhere in sight. The back end of the pack even caught up with us on the final stretch along the coast and through some tight city turns, and it's all I can do to hold off the pack and keep my 4th place position.  Flying across a scenic bridge, high above the town of Amalfi. Result: 4th place
Time: 7:33.263 Prize: $9,735.00 Repairs: -$2,628.00 XP Gained: 9,500 (Driver gained level 11) (2009 Alfa Romeo Brera Italia Independent gained level 4) Event Standings: Code:
Tuesday, August 17th - Season 1 Travel day today. We go to Japan for the 2nd leg of the event. Wednesday, August 18th - Season 1 I take the day off. Thursday, August 19th - Season 1 I spend some time today at the location of the 2nd leg of the Class E Super Lap Days event, Fujimi Kaido. Fujimi Kaido has to be the most unique track I've ever experienced. It's real intent is as a drifting track, and with drift-racing all the rage in Asia these days, the place has become very popular as of late. One lap of the track and you can see why. It is exhilirating, beautiful, dangerous, and perhaps the most challenging course in the world. At it's most basic, the concept of the course is simple. Starting in a small mountain town in eastern Japan, you spend the first five miles climbing a mountain, and the last five miles racing back down the other side. But along the way are a never-ending series of twists, banked turns, tunnels, bridges, and switchbacks steep as goat paths. I only have time to run five full circuits today, and I feel like I am only beginning to learn the track and it's intricacies. I focus first on just learning the basic layout, then on what to do on some of the more dangerous switchbacks and blind turns. While I feel like I am gaining some familiarity, I continue to give the reinforced guardrails on the track more than a few good whacks with my fenders. Tomorrow should be interesting. Friday, August 20th - Season 1 (Race Day) Event: Class E Super Lap Days Race #2 (of 3): Fujimi Kaido (Fujimi, Japan) - Full Circuit Reverse  First-Place Prize: $24,050.00 Laps: 1 Race Distance: 10.20 mi Starting Position: 6th The horsepower in the Alfa really paid dividends today. I got off to a great launch at the drop of the green flag, shooting straight up to 3rd place before the first turn. I managed to slip to the inside of Taylor on that first turn, overtaking him for 2nd, then just overpowered Rossi's little Peugeot as we started our ascent. Taylor and Rossi both managed to stay near my back bumper for the first part of the climb up the mountain, but once the climbing really got steep I left them in the dust. They just didn't have an answer for the 266 horsepower under the Alfa's hood. The new intake manifold really made a difference. By the time I passed the radio tower at the track's summit, I had built up a huge 12 second advantage. The way down was a bit more treacherous, as you can imagine, and was pretty much a white-knuckle affair the entire way, despite not having anyone in my rear-view mirror. Once again, I banged more than a few guardrails pretty hard on my way back down the mountain as I continue to become accustomed to not using ABS. Fortunately the damage the Alfa sustained, while expensive to repair, was nothing more serious than body damage, and I managed to maintain my 12-second lead throughout.  Nearing the summit at Fujimi Kaido. Result:
 Time: 9:56.682 (better than yesterday's best lap time by over 3 seconds) Prize: $24,050.00 Repairs: -$5,092.00 (like I said...alot of body damage) XP Gained: 13,000 (Driver gained level 12) Event Standings: Code:
Saturday, August 21st - Season 1 Travel day. We head to Germany for the final leg of the event. Sunday, August 22nd - Season 1 Upgrade: Street Driveline Price: $400.00 Effect: Weight -4.1 lbs. Rating: E-275 (up 1 from E-274) -Tomorrow is mostly about speed, so I use up the last little bit of wiggle room I have on the Alfa's Performance Index installing an alloy-steel driveshaft to decrease drive inertia and overall weight. Monday, August 23rd - Season 1 Petrol fumes and pine needles. That's a combination of scents that may not seem very appealing to most, but to me it's like coming home. Those were the smells that greeted me when I arrived back in one of my favorite places on the entire planet, the village of Nurburg, Germany. After I'd made my way to Europe, back before everything fell apart, my old crew and I used to come here for track days every chance we got. Since I got out, all of that felt like a lifetime ago, but coming to this place made it all seem much more...real. But I don't have time for sentimentality right now...I've got a race to win. Nurburg is the home of the Nurburgring, what is considered by many to be the toughest, most dangerous and most demanding purpose-built race track in the world. It's a 13-mile monster, largely composed of high-speed sections but with some nifty technical areas as well. After only a few laps, I feel pretty comfortable with the place again. To a certain extent it's like visiting an old friend. Author's Note: The Nurburgring is technically a one-way open toll road, and therefore open to the public. Spending a day here is actually one of the items on my personal Bucket List. Tuesday, August 24th - Season 1 (Race Day) Event: Class E Super Lap Days Race #3 (of 3): Nurburging Nordschleife (Nurburg, Germany) - Full Circuit  First-Place Prize: $22,200.00 Laps: 1 Race Distance: 12.90 mi Starting Position: 6th The race at Nurburgring starts out on a lengthy straightaway, which played to the advantages of the Alfa. However, it seems that Esposito and I both had the same idea of jumping to the inside and cutting through the cars slower off the line. We ended up meeting in the middle and both took a pretty good shot, but kept going. I was able to pull ahead of him and powered my way into 2nd before the bends at the southwest corner of the track, but could probably have passed Rossi for 1st if not for the collision. I had to hang back, as the track is rather narrow in that section, but once we emerged onto the Hatzenbach straights the Alfa's power came to the forefront again. There I was able to power past Rossi into first place, and never looked back. I did have a little trouble a little later in the race, slipping off into the grass in a couple of spots, but the all-wheel-drive helped me keep things under control and I got back on the track with little time lost.  Fighting through traffic at the start of Nurburgring. Result:
2009 BMW Motorsport M5 E60Time: 10:06.198 Prize: $22,200.00 Repairs: -$748.00 XP Gained: 12,000 Event Final Standings: Code:
I feel as though I did well in the last two races largely because of my car selection and the horsepower that the Alfa has, and not necessarily due to any special skill of my own. The descent down Fujimi Kaido proves this, I think, as all I was able to do there was maintain the lead that my extra power had given me on the way up. But still, it does feel good to start winning again. And everybody loves a winner, including BMW and Lexus. Two new cars find their way into my loving care later in the day:   2009 Lexus IS F I've also been awarded a discount with Paxton Superchargers. They make after-market centrifugal superchargers for Alfa Romeo, Dodge, FIAT, Ford, Shelby, and Vauxhall.
All in all, it's been a good couple of weeks.
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Current Games Diablo III (BattleTag: DataKing#1685) Allegiances: Chicago Bears - Detroit Red Wings - Kansas Jayhawks Awards: 2011 Golden Scribe - Other Sports Category (The Straight(away) and Narrow - A Forza Motorsport 3 Dynasty) |
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12-17-2009, 08:41 PM
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#52 |
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Pro Rookie
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Chicago
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Wednesday, August 25th - Season 1
Next up, I've been invited to my first semi-pro event, which will take place exclusively in Japan (which makes today a travel day). Event: Class D Pre-'00 Asian Tour Limitations: Only Class-D cars manufactured in Asia prior to 2000. Rating Category: D-class # of Races: 5 Total Event Prize: $86,025.00 The Competition: Code:
Thursday, August 26th - Season 1 This event has some pretty extensive restrictions compared to alot of the others I've been involved with so far, and none of the cars I own are going to cut it. So I spend the day shopping and eventually settle on the following, for $8,000.00  The 1997 Mitsubishi GTO (picture taken after aero package modifications) The Mitsubishi GTO is better-known in the American market as the Mitsubishi 3000GT or the Dodge Stealth. It features all-wheel-drive and is powered by a twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter, 6-cylinder engine.
Friday, August 27th - Season 1 Upgrade: Street Tire Compound Price: $2,000.00 Effect: Grip +0.03 Rating: D-332 (up 8 from D-324) -Without knowing exactly what to expect from the new GTO, I decide to play it safe and go with better tires. You can never go wrong with tires. So I drop two grand on a set of Yokohama street-racers. Saturday, August 28th - Season 1 I spend a good portion of the day on the West Circuit track at Twin Ring Motegi today, re-acquainting myself with the track and especially getting used to the new set of wheels. The GTO has significant power, and for a late '90s car there is surprisingly little turbo-lag due to the twin-turbo setup under the hood. After running 28 laps I'm pretty comfortable, turning laps in the 45-46 second range with a best of 44.607. Sunday, August 29th - Season 1 (Race Day) Event: Class D Pre-'00 Asian Tour Race #1 (of 5): Twin Ring Motegi (Motegi, Japan) - West Circuit  First-Place Prize: $16,835.00 Laps: 9 Race Distance: 9.90 mi Starting Position: 6th A pretty good launch on my part was ruined by Sato, whose MR2 bumped me to the outside on the opening straightaway. I was still able to power my way past him, then got a nose under Yoshida heading into the first turn, emerging in 3rd place. I tried my luck with Takahashi at the end of the back straight, peaking underneath him, but he out-broke me heading into the notch and I remained in 3rd, hanging right on his bumper as we crossed the start-finish line. Takahashi then took a pretty slow line through the north end of the track at the start of lap 2. I bumped him slightly to clear some space, then took 2nd place heading onto the back-stretch. However, I ended up carrying too much speed into the notch and was rewarded with a trip through the kitty litter. The AWD helped me to maintain control, and I did manage to keep hold of 2nd place (barely). Gunning it down the front stretch at the start of lap 3, I got right up on Sasaki's back bumper, then outbroke him to the inside of the first two turns for a nice clean pass that gave me the lead. That lead I maintained and built upon through the remaining six laps of the race, never looking back.  Running down Sasaki at Twin Ring Motegi. Result:
Time: 6:53.747 Prize: $16,835.00 Repairs: -$642.00 XP Gained: 9,100 (1997 Mitshubishi GTO gained levels 1 and 2) Event Standings: Code:
I'm awarded the following discounts after the race:
Upgrade: Sport Oil & Cooling Price: $720.00 Effect: Power +5 hp Rating: D-336 (up 4 from D-332) -A little extra power never hurts, so I install a HKS Cooling remote mount oil filter and cooler, along with baffled oil pickups. Upgrade: Street Weight Reduction Price: $800.00 Effect: Weight -95 lbs. Rating: D-348 (up 12 from D-336) -Stripping down the GTO and installing a Bride lightweight battery uses up most of my remaining Performance Index wiggle-room for D-class.
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Current Games Diablo III (BattleTag: DataKing#1685) Allegiances: Chicago Bears - Detroit Red Wings - Kansas Jayhawks Awards: 2011 Golden Scribe - Other Sports Category (The Straight(away) and Narrow - A Forza Motorsport 3 Dynasty) |
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12-18-2009, 09:21 PM
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#53 |
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Pro Rookie
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Chicago
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Wednesday, September 1st - Season 1
I'm introduced to a new track today; the Suzuka Circuit in Suzuka City, Japan. Suzuka is a well-known track world-wide, traditionally being the site of the Japanese Grand Prix. It also hosts endurance races, motorcycle events, and has been the site of two NASCAR exhibition events as well. Tomorrow we're racing the East Circuit, which in and of itself is a relatively easy track. One side consists of just a long straightaway, while the "backside" of the track is a set of long, sweeping S-turns. It doesn't take all that long for me to get the GTO dialed in, and after 15 laps I'm consistently turning sub-60 second laps. The GTO feels well-suited, especially through the S-turns where I only have to use the brakes in a couple of spots. The rest of the time, the Mitsubishi responds well to throttle-control as a means of keeping my speed down. Thursday, September 2nd - Season 1 (Race Day) Event: Class D Pre-'00 Asian Tour Race #2 (of 5): Suzuka Circuit (Suzuka City, Japan) - East Circuit  First-Place Prize: $16,650.00 Laps: 7 Race Distance: 9.73 mi Starting Position: 6th The Suzuka Circuit starts out on a straightaway, so I was able to take advantage of the GTO's power and moved into 3rd place before the first turn. I managed to slip past Takahashi coming out of that turn and into 2nd as we headed for the S-turns. I got up on Sasaki's bumper, who ended up taking way too conservative a line through the esses, using brake where throttle control was enough to keep things in hand. I ended up bumping him slightly to the outside on one of the right-handers and powered my way into the lead. The rest of the race was a piece of cake, and my lead was never threatened.  Pulling away from the pack at Suzuka (yes that is a ferris wheel in the background) Result:
Time: 7:07.346 Prize: $16,650.00 Repairs: -$953.00 XP Gained: 9,000 (Driver gained level 13) (1997 Mitsubishi GTO gained level 3) Event Standings: Code:
Luis seemed to take special delight after the race in introducing me to an executive from SEAT, a Spanish auto maker. I was, in turn, handed the keys to this:  2007 SEAT Leon Supercup The Supercup is a cup-racing version of the SEAT Leon hatchback. While it may not have the higher top-end you would expect from a B-class vehicle (top speed is only 134.8 mph), the thing supposedly handles like it's on rails.
I'm also awarded a 10% discount with Cusco, who does after-market differentials for Hyundai, Mazda, Mitsubishi, and Subaru. Friday, September 3rd and Saturday, September 4th - Season 1 Upgrade: Street Driveline Price: $450.00 Effect: Weight -4.1 lbs. Rating: D-349 (up 1 from D-348) -Without much room to maneuver on the GTO, I install an alloy-steel driveshaft to decrease driveline inertia and overall weight. Upgrade: Street Hood Price: $500.00 Effect: Weight -7 lbs. Rating: D-349 (no change) -A Bozz Speed hood saves me a few precious pounds of weight. Sunday, September 5th - Season 1 We're back racing at Twin Ring Motegi tomorrow, but for the first time I'll be driving the entire 3-mile course, rather than the much-abbreviated West Circuit. Lap times are significantly longer than I've seen thus far in this event, but after 9 laps on the full circuit I feel like I've got a pretty good feel for things. The trickiest part for me is the 120-degree right-hand turn at the northwest corner of the track. Sight lines coming out of the turn are a little tough, since you're heading under a low bridge almost immediately, so I'll have to take extra care on that turn tomorrow. Monday, September 6th - Season 1 (Race Day) Event: Class D Pre-'00 Asian Tour Race #3 (of 5): Twin Ring Motegi (Motegi, Japan) - Full Circuit  First-Place Prize: $16,280.00 Laps: 3 Race Distance: 8.95 mi Starting Position: 6th I managed to avoid a collision with Sato out of the gate this time around, and instead took the outside line on the first turn, powering past him and into 4th coming out of the turn. A little too much speed at the end of that straightaway led to a trip into the kitty litter on the next square turn, but the AWD saved my bacon yet again. I was finally able to push past Yoshida and into 3rd place on the next straightaway, and took a nice, clean line through the tunnel turn. Attempts to get past Takahashi in the next set of turns and the sharp hairpin at the northeast end of the track were unsuccessful. But when we came around to the front straightaway I got a really good run, powering past both Takahashi and Sasaki and into the lead.  Running down the competition at Twin Ring Motegi. Result:
Time: 7:16.465 Prize: $16,280.00 XP Gained: 8,800 Event Standings: Code:
Tuesday, September 7th & Wednesday, September 8th - Season 1 Upgrade: Street Springs & Dampers Price: $2,000.00 Effect: Ride Height -0.34 in Rating: D-350 (up 1 from D-349) -A set of Moton progressive rate lowering springs and firmer shocks lower the ride level of the GTO a little bit. Upgrade: Street Front Bumper Price: $600.00 Effect: Aero Rating: D-350 (no change) -I replace the stock bumper with one from Bozz Speed, as much for show as anything else really. Thursday, September 9th - Season 1 Next up is a track I'm very familiar with, the full circuit at Tsukuba. It only takes nine laps before I've really got the GTO dialed in and ready to kick ass. Friday, September 10th - Season 1 (Race Day) Event: Class D Pre-'00 Asian Tour Race #4 (of 5): Tsukuba Circuit (Shimotsuma, Japan) - Full Circuit  First-Place Prize: $18,130.00 Laps: 7 Race Distance: 8.89 mi Starting Position: 6th The drag-race down the home straightaway got interesting as we moved into the first hairpin on the track, where I had the inside line on what turned into a 3-wide competition. Fortunately everyone kept their nose (relatively) clean and I emerged in 3rd place. I was able to get up to Takahashi's back bumper easily enough, but bided my time until the last hairpin at the east end of the track. Takahashi went wide, leaving room for me to move underneath him and onto Sasaki's back bumper. A gentle nudge there gave me room to come out of the hairpin in first place. From there no problems were encountered. I did get a little overzealous on a couple of the hairpins later on, but it was nothing that I couldn't handle.  Three-wide in the first turn at Tsukuba. Result:
Time: 7:50.966 Prize: $18,130.00 Repairs: -$348.00 XP Gained: 9,800 (1997 Mitsubishi GTO gained level 4) Event Standings: Code:
That clinches an overall first place finish in the event. I now have a 10% discount with Ralliart's Valve and Driveline shops. Ralliart does after-market work exclusively for Mitsubishi. Saturday, September 11th & Sunday, September 12th - Season 1 Upgrade: Street Rear Bumper Price: $600.00 Effect: Aero Rating: D-350 (no change) Upgrade: Street Rear Wing Price: $500.00 Effect: Aero Rating: D-350 (no change) -Rear Bumper and Wing from Bomex give everyone I pass something nicer to look at.  Monday, September 13th - Season 1 It's back to Suzuka for the last leg of the event, and this time we get to race on the other half of the track, the West Circuit. This part of the track is a much bigger challenge than the East Circuit. It features a long straightaway with a rather dangerous high-speed turn in the middle of it, then a pair of square turns (where the two halves of the track normally link up). After doubling back on itself, you dip down and go under the straightaway you just came down, through a sharp hairpin, then gradually work your way back around to the straightaway. Tuesday, September 14th - Season 1 (Race Day) Event: Class D Pre-'00 Asian Tour Race #5 (of 5): Suzuka Circuit (Suzuka City, Japan) - West Circuit  First-Place Prize: $18,130.00 Laps: 5 Race Distance: 10.75 mi Starting Position: 6th I moved up from 6th to 4th place, passing Watanabe and Sato on the opening straight, but was blocked from progressing further by Yoshida. Yoshida and I bumped at high speed on the notch in the turn (a scary situation), but we both kept control of our cars. I waited through the double-back, then outbroke Yoshida and overtook him heading into the tunnel-turn where the track moves underneath itself. Moving up to Takahashi's back-bumper on the hairpin, I ended up to the outside coming out of the turn. Takahashi kept me pinned well to the outside, and we ended up banging fenders for a few seconds before he realized I now had the inside line and backed off. While we were trading paint, though, Sasaki had built up a small lead. I set about reducing that lead, and got a good run coming off of the last turn and onto the straightaway. I caught Sasaki and, using just a touch of braking at the right time in the notch, slid to his outside and overtook him on a nice, clean pass. From there it was smooth sailing to another victory. Making the high-speed pass on Sasaki at Suzuka. Result: Time: 8:00.868 Prize: $18,130.00 Repairs: -$317.00 XP Gained: 9,800 (Driver gained level 14) Event Final Standings: Code:
Event Bonus Prize: $23,530.00
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Current Games Diablo III (BattleTag: DataKing#1685) Allegiances: Chicago Bears - Detroit Red Wings - Kansas Jayhawks Awards: 2011 Golden Scribe - Other Sports Category (The Straight(away) and Narrow - A Forza Motorsport 3 Dynasty) |
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12-18-2009, 10:02 PM
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#54 |
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Pro Rookie
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Chicago
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Later that same day...
The clang of metal-upon-metal and the sound of air ratchets is a type of music to me, and I was inundated with the sounds in the garage area after my victory at Suzuka. It was still an hour to go before the big names took the track, and I was taking my time preparing the GTO to for storage. I've been living out of hotels ever since I got out of prison, with no time to secure a permanent residence or adequate garage space in a single place for all my new cars. "Senor Maxwell, you have visitors," Luis called from behind me. I straightened up from underneath the hood of the GTO and turned, finding Luis standing there with two Japanese gentlemen. Or perhaps it would be more accurate to say he was stooping...he seemed to be in a sort of perpetual bow to the elder of my two visitors. The younger of the two, dressed in an immaculate suit just like his senior, bowed and I returned the traditional Japanese greeting. The elder of the two did not drop his head so much as an inch, and stared at me with steely-grey eyes. "You show great driving skill, Tolliver-san," the younger of the two men spoke. "It was an agreement within our company that we would be awarding the winner of this event, which Honda was primary sponsor for, a special reward. However..." The elder of the two men squinted slightly, and cast a rather angry, sideways glance at his younger counterpart. "...President Fukui did not anticipate that a...gaijin...would not only win, but would so thoroughly dominate the competition..." "Excuse me," I had to interrupt. "President Fukui. This is Honda President Takeo Fukui?" The younger man gave me a look as though I had just asked the most stupid question in history. "He is." I bowed again, slightly lower and for slightly longer than the first time. But the older man's body language did not change. "Still," the younger man continued, "President Fukui is an honorable man, and is true to his word. If you will follow us outside please." The three of us walked outside and around to the side of the garage, with Luis trailing behind. I heard a small gasp escape from Luis' lips when he saw what was awaiting us, and at first I was too stunned to speak at first. "Is that...is that what I think it is?" "If you know your cars, as it appears that you do, then yes, it is what you think it is," the younger man replied. "We at Honda corporation are pleased to grant you the 2005 Honda NSX-R GT."  "Unicorn," I whispered. The younger man appeared to smile slightly at that.
"Yes, Mister Tolliver. The unicorn, as you can do doubt tell, does actually exist. We trust it is now in good hands." "You do me a great honor, President Fukui," I bowed again. "I know." was all the old man would say before turning to leave. A bit of explanation on this car is in order. Everyone who follows cars is familiar with the Honda NSX and the NSX-R racing version. The NSX-R GT however, is a special case. Honda wanted a vehicle to participate in the Super GT circuit in 2005, and the Super GT circuit demanded that only vehicles with a production line could be entered in the prestigious Japanese competition. So Honda built the NSX-R GT, which boasts the same highly-tuned 6-cylinder engine as the normal NSX-R, but with much improved handling characteristics. And in order to satisfy the "production line" requirement, Honda produced exactly five NSX-R GTs, just enough to satisfy the requirement. As only five of these were ever produced, and details regarding the vehicle were kept highly secret, many considered the car to be a unicorn and doubted whether or not they actually exist. Eventually more details were released and the existence of the car was confirmed, but the "unicorn" tag stuck. The cars are highly sought after by collectors, as one can imagine. The last one to sell at auction went for $900,000.00
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Current Games Diablo III (BattleTag: DataKing#1685) Allegiances: Chicago Bears - Detroit Red Wings - Kansas Jayhawks Awards: 2011 Golden Scribe - Other Sports Category (The Straight(away) and Narrow - A Forza Motorsport 3 Dynasty) |
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12-18-2009, 10:52 PM
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#55 |
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Death Herald
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Le stelle la notte sono grandi e luminose nel cuore profondo del Texas
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This is friggin' sweet. I need to document my FxMs3 career
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Thinkin' of a master plan 'Cuz ain't nuthin' but sweat inside my hand So I dig into my pocket, all my money is spent So I dig deeper but still comin' up with lint |
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12-20-2009, 11:50 PM
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#56 |
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Pro Rookie
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Chicago
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cartman: Glad you're enjoying it.
Wednesday, September 15th - Season 1 I've signed up to participate in a manufacturer event next, the World Sub-Compact Shoot-Out. Event: World Sub-Compact Shoot-Out Limitations: Only Renault Twingo, Ford Fiesta, and Honda Fit models. Rating Category: F-class # of Races: 4 Total Event Prize: $37,925.00 I'll be using my original Ford Fiesta Zetec S for this event. I've since paid $1,000.00 for custom paint job on the little sub-compact. Here are a couple of shots of the new look (author's note: This is a little experiment of mine to see if I can get a vibrant red to show up, since Forza's color compression routines hate the color red.)    The Ford Fiesta Zetec's new wardrobe. And here is the competition I'll be facing: Code:
I head to Barcelona today for the first leg of the event. Thursday, September 16th & Friday, September 17th - Season 1 Upgrade: Sport Brakes Price: $3,000.00 Effect: Efficiency +3% Rating: F-199 (up 2 from F-197) -I install a set of Wilwood ventilated 2-piece rotors, aluminum mounting hubs & calipers, and track-spec brake pads. Upgrade: Street Springs & Dampers Price: $1,200.00 Effect: Ride Height -0.34 in Rating: F-200 (up 1 from F-199) -Ground Control progressive rate lowering springs , firmer shocks, and heavy duty bushings drop the Fiesta about a third of an inch. Saturday, September 18th - Season 1 Track time today at the Ladera Test Track in Montserrat. I spend a good twenty laps behind the wheel. Part of that time is spent getting a feel for the Fiesta again (I've been driving things with alot more horsepower lately), and part of it is spent getting re-acquainted with the track. Tomorrow will be the first time I've raced the full circuit here in the opposite direction. Sunday, September 19th - Season 1 (Race Day) Event: World Sub-Compact Shoot-Out Race #1 (of 4): Ladera Test Track (Montserrat, Spain) - Full Circuit Reverse  First-Place Prize: $9,620.00 Laps: 4 Race Distance: 4.84 mi Starting Position: 6th I smoked the tires a bit on launch this time around, and was still in 6th place heading into the 1st turn. There I was able to pass Miller to the outside for 5th, but then rear-ended Brown at the notch in the ensuing straightaway. I was able to power past Brown for 4th before the turnaround, then forced my way to the inside of Williams for 3rd coming out of hairpin on the west side of the track. A powerslide on the last turn of lap 1 moved me past Muller and into 2nd place. I then proceeded to run down Rossi, checking up just in time to avoid another collision on the front-side notch. I finally drew level with him on the stretch heading back towards the start-finish line, and we bang most of the way through the bends until I'm able to power past him and into the lead. The last two laps are a piece of cake now that I've got clean air in front of me, and the little Fiesta returns to victory lane.  Running down the competition at Ladera. Time: 4:19.871 Prize: $9,620.00 Repairs: -$1,081.00 XP Gained: 5,200 Event Standings: Code:
Monday, September 20th - Season 1 Travel day today. Back to Motegi, Japan. Tuesday, September 21st - Season 1 The Fiesta is capped as far as it's Performance Index, and I feel like I've been spending money on additional upgrades to cars just because it's "something to do," rather than it really being needed. So I think I'm going to lay off on that sort of thing for a while, and conserve cash. Wednesday, September 22nd - Season 1 Track time today on the short West Circuit at Twin Ring Motegi. I've really gotten familiar with this place, though the notch at the southeast corner of the track still gives me fits sometimes. A dozen laps or so, though, and I'm feeling pretty good. Thursday, September 23rd - Season 1 (Race Day) Event: World Sub-Compact Shoot-Out Race #2 (of 4): Twin Ring Motegi (Motegi, Japan) - West Circuit First-Place Prize: $9,250.00 Laps: 5 Race Distance: 5.50 mi Starting Position: 6th A better launch this time around allows me to move up to 5th before the first turn. There I'm able to get a nose under Williams and force my way into 4th as we head onto the back straightaway, then out-brake Brown and dive into 3rd in the notch. Coming back around to the front straight, I'm surprised to see that it's Muller, not Rossi, leading the race. I'm able to just barely move past Rossi for 2nd before the turn at the north end of the track, but there I ran into trouble. I'm not sure if Muller just wasn't used to running out in front or what, but he massively over-broke heading into the turn, and I slammed into his back bumper hard. Surprisingly, the Fiesta's engine didn't sustain any damage, and while I did get sideways I only fell back to 3rd place. But things got worse as I was getting back up to speed as Brown came into the turn hard and plowed into my right front fender. I was surprised he hadn't messed up the alignment or camber on that wheel, but he definitely gave himself some pretty extensive engine damage based on the amount of smoke that started pouring out from his tailpipe. The rest of the lap involved me getting my composure back and running down Muller and Rossi, who were continuing to battle for the lead. A really good run through the first turn on lap 3 gave me a lot of momentum on the back stretch, and there I was able to both castch and pass both Rossi and Muller. (I also couldn't help but give Muller a shot to his right quarterpanel, just to let him know I was upset with him). Apparently Rossi and Muller were too busy fighting each other, however, because neither of them was able to challenge me for the last two laps of the race.  OUCH! Result: Time: 4:20.128 Prize: $9,250.00 Repairs: -$2,423.00 XP Gained: 5,000 Event Standings: Code:
Friday, September 24th - Season 1 I actually started having dizzy spells a couple of hours after yesterday's race, which was pretty scary, so the race officials arranged for me to be admitted to a local hospital for observation for 24 hours. Fortunately it was nothing serious, and all the tests they ran came back negative. Apparently I just got my bell rung pretty good. Saturday, September 25th - Season 1 I spend the day on a flight to the States, to catch up with the rest of the league. We'll be racing at Maple Valley Raceway on Monday. Sunday, September 26th - Season 1 I've taken a couple of pretty good shots here earlier in the year as well, so I'm not exactly looking forward to this run. But the place is a pretty high-speed affair, which should bode well for me as I have a horsepower advantage over the competition. A dozen laps is all I need to feel comfortable and shake off any residual cobwebs.
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Current Games Diablo III (BattleTag: DataKing#1685) Allegiances: Chicago Bears - Detroit Red Wings - Kansas Jayhawks Awards: 2011 Golden Scribe - Other Sports Category (The Straight(away) and Narrow - A Forza Motorsport 3 Dynasty) |
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12-20-2009, 11:50 PM
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#57 |
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Pro Rookie
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Chicago
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Question: Which pictures look better? The smaller ones (640x360) or the larger ones (1280x720) ???
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Current Games Diablo III (BattleTag: DataKing#1685) Allegiances: Chicago Bears - Detroit Red Wings - Kansas Jayhawks Awards: 2011 Golden Scribe - Other Sports Category (The Straight(away) and Narrow - A Forza Motorsport 3 Dynasty) |
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12-21-2009, 06:41 PM
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#58 |
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Pro Rookie
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Chicago
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Monday, September 27th - Season 1 (Race Day)
Event: World Sub-Compact Shoot-Out Race #3 (of 4): Maple Valley Raceway (Loudon, NH) - Short Circuit  First-Place Prize: $9,435.00 Laps: 5 Race Distance: 5.80 mi Starting Position: 6th I'm coming to the conclusion that the Fiesta just isn't very good from a standing start, because despite what felt like a great launch on my part, I had only gained one spot before we hit the long, right-handed sweeper at the south end of the track. I did, however, slip to the inside of Brown and into 4th place on that sweeper, and found myself on Muller's back bumper once again. The bastard checked up on me again (he and I are going to come to blows off the track if he keeps that up). I rear-ended him again, but not as badly this time (I was prepared), and managed to keep control of the Fiesta as we finished the sweeper. When we got to the double-apex turn at the north end of the track, I dove to the inside of Muller and forced him wide, moving into 3rd and expressing my displeasure at the same time. After that, I got a great run heading towards the front straightaway, and managed to slip past both Williams for 2nd and Rossi for 1st place in a matter of seconds. Rossi and Muller were able to hang with me on lap 2, but from lap 3 to the end I started to pull away and neither was able to mount a challenge for the lead.  Charging towards the lead at Maple Valley. Result:
Time: 4:15.561 Prize: $9,435.00 XP Gained: 5,100 (2009 Ford Fiestz Zetec S gained level 4) Event Standings: Code:
I now have a 10% discount with Ford's in-house Valve and Displacement shops. Tuesday, September 28th - Season 1 Travel day. Back to Japan Wednesday, September 29th - Season 1 Idle. Thursday, September 30th - Season 1 Track time today at the East Circuit at Suzuka (the easier of the two half-circuits located at Suzuka City). I've been comfortable with this portion of the track since I first saw it back on the 1st. A dozen laps and I've got the Fiesta dialed in pretty well. Friday, October 1st - Season 1 (Race Day) Event: World Sub-Compact Shoot-Out Race #4 (of 4): Suzuka Circuit (Suzuka City, Japan) - East Circuit First-Place Prize: $9,620.00 Laps: 4 Race Distance: 5.56 mi Starting Position: 6th I had an even better launch this time around, staying to the inside as most everybody else dove to the outside line, and had pushed my way into fourth before the right-hand sweeper at the end of the opening straightaway. Coming out of the sweeper I was able to pass Williams as we headed into the S's, but was challenged by him a little later as I was hanging back a bit from the leaders (they were over-braking in spots, in my opinion, similar to what I had seen the last time I was here, whereas I was using a lot of throttle control instead). I was able to fight Williams off, then saw an opening towards the end of the S's and shot up to the lead, to the inside of both Rossi and Muller. From there on out it was smooth sailing with nothing but clean air in front of me. Fending off a challenge and taking the lead at Suzuka. Result: Time: 4:23.323 Prize: $9,620.00 XP Gained: 5,200 Event Final Standings: Code:
Event Bonus Prize: $10,250.00
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Current Games Diablo III (BattleTag: DataKing#1685) Allegiances: Chicago Bears - Detroit Red Wings - Kansas Jayhawks Awards: 2011 Golden Scribe - Other Sports Category (The Straight(away) and Narrow - A Forza Motorsport 3 Dynasty) |
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12-30-2009, 08:45 PM
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#59 |
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Pro Rookie
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Chicago
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Saturday, October 2nd - Season 1
I've agreed to participate in another Manufacturers' event to close out the season. This one is sponsored by Nissan and Infiniti. Event: Nissan Infiniti Owner's Club Limitations: Nissan and Infiniti make vehicles only. Rating Category: B-class # of Races: 4 Total Event Prize: $44,955.00 While technically this is my first B-class event, it is that in name only, as only one of the vehicles I'll be competing against falls into that category. Everything else is Class C or below: Code:
As I don't actually own a Nissan or Infiniti yet I spend the day shopping. I test drive the 2010 Nissan 370Z, the 2003 Nissan Fairlady Z (known in non-Asian markets as the 350Z), and the 2008 Infiniti G37 Coupe Sport. I probably upset a few folks back in the states by deciding on the Fairlady. Even though it is an earlier version of the recent 370Z, and doesn't have quite as much power as its newer cousin, it felt a lot more nimble and responsive than either the 370Z or the Infiniti. And I was able to find one in good condition with a spiffy purple paint job.  2003 Nissan Fairlady Z in a sexy purple dress. The Fairlady is a 2-door couple with a front-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout. Her 6-cylinder engine generates 287 horsepower and 273 pound-feet of torque. This is a car that should present me with some challenges, as I've gotten very used to the extra degree of control front- and all-wheel-drive cars grant the driver. She cost me $14,000.00
Sunday, October 3rd & Monday, October 4th - Season 1 The first two legs of the Nissan Infiniti Owner's Club event will take place in Japan, so only minimal travel time is required. That gives me a little extra time to get the Fairlady Z race-ready. Upgrade: Sport Weight Reduction Price: $1,600.00 Rating: C-408 (up 33 from C-375) -No messing around here. I rip out the stereo, speakers, airbags, air conditioning, and every power accessory I can find in the interest of dropping weight. A Bride lightweight battery helps matters as well. Upgrade: Street Brakes Price: $2,500.00 Effect: Efficiency +1% Rating: C-409 (up 1 from C-408) -A good power/weight ratio isn't going to do me a damn bit of good if I can't get it to slow down when I need to, so I install a set of AP Racing high-performance brake pads, high boiling-point brake fluid, and braided steel brake lines. Tuesday, October 5th - Season 1 Tomorrow will be my first time racing only on the East Circuit at Twin Ring Motegi, but I've seen all of this track before. The 120-degree turn at the northwest corner of the track is still a little tricky, and I spend a good portion of my day at the track, turning 18 full laps before I feel somewhat comfortable. The extra performance that a front-engine, rear-wheel-drive car offers is certainly appealing, but the downside is that (naturally) the ass-end of the car tries to swing around on you at very inopportune moments. Wednesday, October 6th - Season 1 (Race Day) Event: Nissan Infiniti Owner's Club Race #1 (of 4): Twin Ring Motegi (Motegi, Japan) - East Circuit  First-Place Prize: $12,395.00 Laps: 3 Race Distance: 6.45 mi Starting Position: 6th Things started out pretty well for me today. I powered my way past two opponents and into 4th place on the opening straightaway, then slipped to the inside of Sato and into 3rd place on the first turn. I was then able to power my way past Sasaki's 370Z and into 2nd place in the ensuing S's, putting me right on Takahashi's back bumper as we negotiated the northwest corner and under the low bridge that follows it. Heading back south towards the grandstands I was able to push my way into first, but had both Sasaki and Takahashi right on my back bumper. This probably is what made me overshoot the hairpin a little bit at the east end of the track, dropping me back into 3rd. Back on the home straightaway, Takahashi went for a pass to the right and Sasaki swung wide to block him, opening up a perfect hole for me to drive through and back into the lead. But that's where things went horribly, horribly wrong. I was late on the brakes heading into the first turn, resulting in a trip through the gravel. I managed to get back onto the blacktop without losing too much time, but the Fairlady was badly out of shape at that point and I ran her nose into the outside wall of the short tunnel there. This was a bad spot to be, and as I tried to get back on the track and up to speed I ended up getting t-boned badly by Watanabe then had my rear bumper torn off by Kato a few seconds later. By the time I emerged from the tunnel the Lady was in shambles, with smoke pouring from the engine and a horrible grinding sound coming from the gearbox every time I switched gears. Kim's sad little Nissan Versa was still easy pickings after that, and I managed to pass Watanabe and Sato (who were both as badly damaged as I was), but a 5th place finish and a badly damaged car is all I was able to limp home with.  Carnage at Twin Ring Motegi. Result: 5th place:
Time: 6:02.973 Prize: $6,105.00 Repairs: -$3,626.00 (ouch) XP Gained: 6,700 (Driver gained Level 15) (2003 Nissan Fairlady Z gained Level 1) Event Standings: Code:
That wreck certainly has put me in a bit of a whole, but at least I still have plenty of time to climb out of it. Thursday, October 7th - Season 1 I spend all day replacing body panels, engine parts, and removing pieces of transmission from all sorts of interesting places inside the Fairlady. Friday, October 8th - Season 1 Upgrade: Sport Differential Price: $3,300.00 Effect: Differential 1.5-way Rating: C-408 (down 1 from C-409) -After that disaster at Motegi, I decide it's time to invest in a Kaaz Differential for the Fairlady in hopes that it will help me keep her ass where it belongs. For those of you who may not know how a limited-slip differential works, here's the 50-cent version. When driving, both the left- and right-side drive wheels spin at the same rate...makes sense right? However, this is one of the reasons grip is reduced when you're turning, since the wheels continue to spin at the same rate but the outside wheel has more ground to cover than the inside. A limited-slip differential helps to stabilize the car during maneuvering by controlling how much both wheels spin; the inside wheel spins less and the outside wheel spins more to help it "keep up." Saturday, October 9th - Season 1 Track time today at the West Circuit at Suzuka. This should be a good test of the limited slip differential I added to the Fairlady, as there is some tricky maneuvering required around certain parts of this track. The slip does feel like it's helping, and it only takes me about 10 laps or so to feel like I've got the Lady pretty well dialed in. Sunday, October 10th - Season 1 (Race Day) Event: Nissan Infiniti Owner's Club Race #2 (of 4): Suzuka Circuit (Suzuka City, Japan) - West Circuit First-Place Prize: $10,915.00 Laps: 3 Race Distance: 6.45 mi Starting Position: 5th  A poor launch meant that I was still in 5th place as we hit the high-speed turn at the end of the opening straightaway. There I kept to the inside and managed to put the pass on Williams, but ended up banging fenders with him and Sato both through the square turns at the northeast end of the track. I was finally able to split the two of them coming out of those turns, but by then Sasaki and Takahashi had built up a small lead. I tried a little too hard to catch them and ended up overshooting the hairpin turn, dropping back to 5th. But passing Williams and Sato again on the long, right-hand sweeper that followed was no trouble (there's a lot more room to maneuver in that part of the track). Swinging back around towards the start-finish line, I got a good run that led to a lot of speed down the straightaway, allowing me to catch up with the leaders on the high-speed turn. Sasaki and I tapped there, but despite going over 100 mph we were both able to keep things under control. But things got ugly again on the square turns. Sasaki went in hot and turned Takahashi on the inside, but less than a second later I hit Takahashi on the outside. Fortunate for him the end result was he was heading in the right direction again. We ended up going 3-wide through the square turns, where there just isn't room for that, so we ended up swapping paint and banging fenders throughout. As we exited I was finally able to clear a little space and push into the lead, and as is usually the case once I got clean air in front of me I had no problem holding on for the victory.  You just can't make this stuff up. Result:
Time: 4:55.936 Prize: $10,915.00 Repairs: -$1,537.00 XP Gained: 5,900 (2003 Nissan Fairlady Z gained Level 2) Event Standings: Code:
Today's result has tightened things up considerably. Monday, October 11th - Season 1 Travel day today. We head to Daytona Beach, Florida for Race #3. Tuesday, October 12th - Season 1 Upgrade: Street Clutch Price: $1,000.00 Effect: Shift Time -0.05s Rating: C-410 (up 2 from C-408) -Between upgrades and repairs, I'm hardly making any money at all in this event, so I've decided to scale things back a bit. I install an Exedy clutch disc and plate with increased torque capacity.
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Current Games Diablo III (BattleTag: DataKing#1685) Allegiances: Chicago Bears - Detroit Red Wings - Kansas Jayhawks Awards: 2011 Golden Scribe - Other Sports Category (The Straight(away) and Narrow - A Forza Motorsport 3 Dynasty) |
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12-31-2009, 05:44 AM
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#60 |
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College Benchwarmer
Join Date: Oct 2002
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Following along DK. Great job with the dynasty and beautiful pics.
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12-31-2009, 05:49 PM
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#61 |
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Pro Rookie
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Chicago
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the_meanstrosity: Thank you kindly. It is always nice to know one's efforts are appreciated.
Wednesday, October 13th - Season 1 I'm back in Daytona for my second run at the world-famous racetrack here. This time we'll be running the same Club Circuit that I ran on my first trip here, but in the opposite direction. After only a couple of laps I can tell that this is going to be trickier than the last time I was here. The transition from speedway to road-course at the southwest corner of the track is a rough one due to the high speed you're carrying and the steep embankment there. The other tricky spot is the deceptively sharp left-hander at the far east end of the track. After only a few laps I've smacked the wall hard a couple of times and completely ruined the aerodynamics of the Fairlady for the time being. I push through for about a dozen laps, but the aero is shot so I spend the rest of the day getting her fixed up and ready for tomorrow. Thursday, October 14th - Season 1 (Race Day) Event: Nissan Infiniti Owner's Club Race #3 (of 4): Daytona International Speedway (Daytona Beach, FL) - Club Circuit Reverse  First-Place Prize: $11,100.00 Laps: 4 Race Distance: 7.76 mi Starting Position: 5th Starting off on the front straightaway at Daytona was definitely to my benefit, giving me lots of room to maneuver through the pack. Heading into the first turn I dropped down to the inside of Sato and overtook him for 3rd place. All three of the front-runners (Takahashi, Sasaki, and myself) hit the infield turn at about the same time and got through clean. I swung a little wider than the others on the turn and powered past Sasaki for 2nd place, then cut to the inside of Takahashi on the first right-hander and into the lead. Careful this time of the sharp left at the east end of the track, I got through that section clean and had built up a small lead as I powered back down the home stretch. Unfortunately I took the infield turn way too hot the second time around, running the Fairlady well onto the grass there and only avoiding the outside retaining wall by about a foot. I kept at it, gliding most of the way through and back onto the pavement, but by that point me lead had all but evaporated and I had Sasaki and Takahashi both right on my back bumper. But a clean exit from the infield section the second time around gave me a good run back onto the speedway section of the track, where I was able to gain a little leeway once again. The last two laps were smooth sailing and I was never seriously threatened again.  Front-runners speed towards the infield turn at Daytona. Result:
Time: 4:50.088 Prize: $11,100.00 XP Gained: 6,000 (2003 Nissan Fairlady Z gained Level 3) Event Standings: Code:
I've moved into first place, but only by the slimmest of margins, so we won't be easing off at all in Monday's season-ender. Friday, October 15th - Season 1 Travel day today. This season will end for me where it began...in Spain. Saturday, October 16th - Season 1 I take the day off to relax and reflect. Sunday, October 17th - Season 1 I haven't run at Circuit de Catalunya since early August, and I've never run on the National Circuit before. Early on I can tell that the Fairlady is going to be a handful here. Catalunya is a very technical and relatively flat track, which means that the Lady spends most of her day trying to snap her rear end loose on me at all sorts of inopportune moments. It takes a good 20 laps before I have any sense of confidence in my ability to get around this place without incident, and i could probably do with some more practice on top of that, but my patience has worn thin. Monday, October 18th - Season 1 (Race Day) Event: Nissan Infiniti Owner's Club Race #4 (of 4): Circuit de Catalunya (Montmelo, Spain) - National Circuit  First-Place Prize: $10,545.00 Laps: 3 Race Distance: 5.55 mi Starting Position: 5th I had a lousy start this time around, lighting up the tires at the drop of the green, which meant I was still stuck in 5th place as we hit the west-end hairpin. I bided my time, and managed an inside move on Williams for 4th on the right-hander at the northern end of the track. After that I got right up on Sato's back bumper. This apparently made him nervous, as he overshot the east-end hairpin badly and I waltzed into 3rd spot. But a poor exit out of the chicanes at the east end of the track meant a lack of speed down the home straightaway. So, at the beginning of lap 2 I resorted to one of my older tricks, and out-broke Sasaki into the west-end hairpin and forced my way inside. He and I tapped a couple of times working our way through the turn, but nothing serious and I emerged on Takahashi's back bumper. I bump-drafted Takahashi through the next couple of turns, then was able to power past him as we headed towards the east end of the track. From there the rest of the race presented little trouble. I didn't drive completely away from Sasaki and Takahashi, but they weren't able to threaten me for the lead either.  Bump-drafting 101. Result:
Time: 4:32.197 Prize: $10,545.00 XP Gained: 5,700 Nissan Infiniti Owner's Club Final Standings: Code:
It certainly is nice to conclude the racing season with a victory. But things got even nicer when I saw what was waiting for me after the race. Apparently the nice fellows at Ferrari have been impressed with my progress this season. Ladies and gentlemen, may I introduce the newest addition to the Maxwell Tolliver stable: The 2009 Ferrari California.  2009 Ferrari California The California may be on the low-end of things among the Ferrari breed, with only 460 horsepower, zero-to-sixty of 3.9 seconds and a top speed of 195 mph, but it's still a damn Ferrari. You can bet I'm going to be having some fun with this during the off-season.
I'm also awarded with the following shop discounts:
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Current Games Diablo III (BattleTag: DataKing#1685) Allegiances: Chicago Bears - Detroit Red Wings - Kansas Jayhawks Awards: 2011 Golden Scribe - Other Sports Category (The Straight(away) and Narrow - A Forza Motorsport 3 Dynasty) |
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12-31-2009, 10:25 PM
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#62 |
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: New Jersey
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Great pictures. I like the larger ones better, but they all look great. This dynasty has inspired me to play the game some more. Just got to my first speedway oval race - those are a blast
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01-02-2010, 04:01 PM
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#63 |
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Pro Rookie
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Chicago
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EaglesFan27: Glad I've inspired others to play the game some more, and glad you're enjoying the dynasty as well. I've yet to participate in a speedway event, but I'm looking forward to it (I select my events randomly from those events that I have not yet attempted, with some restrictions).
Question: For those of you with the game, is there any interest in seeing my race replays? Generally I don't upload them but I'd certainly be willing to do so if there's interest out there. I'd also be interested in seeing some others' replays as well. I think it'd be cool to look and compare, see the sorts of lines others take, how they perform their passes, that sort of thing. Post-Season 1 Summary What a difference a year makes, eh? A year ago I was wasting away in a Spanish prison cell. Now I'm sitting on a pile of cars and cash, wondering what to do with it all. My official winnings for the season past totaled $463,943.00, which ironically enough was a heck of a lot more than I ever made doing things on the wrong side of the law. But that isn't the half of it. The twenty-three cars now at my disposal are worth just shy of two million dollars. I have to admit I was tempted to put the Honda NSX-R GT up for auction, but decided against it. After all, it's not like I'm lacking for cash right now. My primary objective over the past four months was to establish some sort of permanent residence. I spent the eight months of last season living out of hotels with cars sitting idle in garages all over creation. So after a bit of thought, I've decided to stay in Spain for the time being. Granted, my past here is checkered, but it seems like everywhere else on Earth, everybody loves a winner. And it is a beautiful city. So utilizing a couple of Ferdinand's contacts, I've leased a warehouse in the Badal section of the city near the port. I've made good progress on turning the warehouse into an honest-to-goodness garage, and brought in contractors to install security and convert the office-section of the building into an apartment. Looking forward to the coming year, I hope to further establish both myself and my reputation in the racing community. I've accepted an invitation to participate in this year's Class C World Championship, which kicks off on March 13th in Florida, but I'm hoping to move up in the ranks as well and get myself into some B-class (and maybe even A-class) races this year as well. We shall see what happens.
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Current Games Diablo III (BattleTag: DataKing#1685) Allegiances: Chicago Bears - Detroit Red Wings - Kansas Jayhawks Awards: 2011 Golden Scribe - Other Sports Category (The Straight(away) and Narrow - A Forza Motorsport 3 Dynasty) |
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01-02-2010, 05:04 PM
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#64 |
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: New Jersey
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I would love to see replays. I feel like I suck as I'm generally in the bottom 50% of most of the leader boards for hot laps, and I'd like to see how others race and maybe pick up some tips.
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01-02-2010, 05:27 PM
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#65 |
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College Prospect
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: Whitman, MA
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Am looking forward to how the new year turns out in your universe of racing. Is fun to see how you progress, and just wanted to let you know that am still following along.
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01-02-2010, 06:36 PM
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#66 |
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Pro Rookie
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Chicago
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Monday, February 28th - Season 2
This year's racing season doesn't really get rolling for a couple of weeks yet, but after a four-month layoff I'm itching to get back on the track. A warm-up event is probably a pretty good idea as well, since I've spent precious little time during the layoff behind the wheel. So I've agreed to race in an amateur event to get the new year rolling. Event: Front-Wheel-Drive Elite Open Limitations: Drive type limited to Front-Wheel-Drive Rating Category: D-class # of Races: 3 Total Event Prize: #23,865.00 Event Bonus Prize: $6,450.00 A simple little 3-race event to get things moving. And racing front-wheel-drive should help me knock the rust off without the risk of grievous bodily harm. Event Participants: Code:
It's a pretty simple decision for me to make as far as what car to drive, as I only own one front-wheel-drive vehicle in the D-class range; the 2009 Volkswagen Scirocco GT.  I suppose I could have entered the Peugeot 206 RC, since it's at the very top end of the E-class category, but I really hate that car.
 There's no time for making upgrades to the Scirocco, as I've spent pretty much all of my time lately getting the warehouse set up in Barcelona, but I do arrive in New England for the first event with a day to spare at least. Even though it's technically still winter, things have been unseasonably mild up here lately, so poor weather and bad traction should not be a concern. I spend 20 laps tearing things up around Maple Valley Raceway, getting my driving legs back underneath me again and getting things dialed in. And I've come to the conclusion that, despite my early difficulties here, I rather like this track. It's quick and, at least on lower-end cars like the ones we'll be racing tomorrow, you spend a good portion of your time running flat-out. Tuesday, March 1st - Season 2 (Race Day) Event: Front-Wheel-Drive Elite Open Race #1 (of 3): Maple Valley Raceway (Loudon, NH) - Short Circuit First-Place Prize: $7,585.00 Laps: 4 Race Distance: 4.64 mi Starting Position: 5th The Volkswagen isn't the fastest thing off the line, so I found myself still in 5th place as we hit the long, right-handed sweeper at the south end of the track. I purposely stayed a little to the outside here, hoping to avoid the traffic and check-ups that have caused me problems in the past, and it worked to good effect. I first passed Yoshida's Civic on the outside for 4th, then got a two-for-one deal as I swung past countrymen Muller and Weber battling side-by-side, placing me in 2nd place. An inside move on Rossi's SEAT on the sharper right-hander at the north end of the track moved me into the lead, but an admittedly rookie-mistake on my part landed me in trouble. I was too busy looking out my rear-view mirror and admiring my handy-work, and all of a sudden I was off into the grass on the front straight-away. I got things corrected easily enough, but lost enough momentum where Rossi was able to re-pass me on the inside as we crossed the start-finish line. A wide-approach on the south-end sweeper fixed that little problem, though, as I was able to carry more speed than him through the long turn and emerged back in the lead. Having learned my lesson well, it was all business the rest of the way with no rear-view-mirror nonsense, and I was never seriously challenged again (replay file 'FWD Elite 1').  Trying to fend off Rossi on the front stretch at Maple Valley. Result:
Prize: $7,585.00 XP Gained: 4,100 Race Results: Code:
Event Standings: Code:
Wednesday, March 2nd - Season 2 Travel day today, as we fly back to Spain for the 2nd event in the race. This event has a tight time-frame, so I won't have any free days for upgrading the Scirocco. Thursday, March 3rd - Season 2 I get some track time today at the abbreviated School Circuit at Circuit de Catalunya near Barcelona. This is probably my least-favorite of the track layouts at Catalunya, but at least I'm having a much easier time keeping the Scirocco under control than the last time I raced here with the Fairlady. 13 laps and I feel like I've got my spots identified and things dialed in pretty well.
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Current Games Diablo III (BattleTag: DataKing#1685) Allegiances: Chicago Bears - Detroit Red Wings - Kansas Jayhawks Awards: 2011 Golden Scribe - Other Sports Category (The Straight(away) and Narrow - A Forza Motorsport 3 Dynasty) |
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01-03-2010, 06:40 PM
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#67 |
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Pro Rookie
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Chicago
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Friday, March 4th - Season 2 (Race Day)
Event: Front-Wheel-Drive Elite Open Race #2 (of 3): Circuit de Catalunya (Montmelo, Spain) - School Circuit  First-Place Prize: $8,325.00 Laps: 4 Race Distance: 4.23 mi Starting Position: 5th A better launch off the line this time had me in 4th place before the first turn, having passed Weber to the inside. I was then able to get the inside line and out-brake Yoshida on the ensuing hard left-hander, then swung around Muller to the outside at the south end of the track for 2nd place. Rossi, however, was not so easily overtaken. I tried swinging a little wide on the long sweeping right-hander heading back to the start-finish line, but ended up drifting a little too far outside and onto the grass. I quickly corrected, getting back on the blacktop, but was rewarded by getting rear-ended by Muller. It was nothing too serious, however, and even gained me a little bit of speed, but I did temporarily lose 2nd place to Yoshida as a result. Yoshida fell to me again on the left-hander on lap 2, and this time I was able to force my way to the inside of Rossi at the beginning of the sweeper and into the lead. After that it was smooth sailing to the finish line (replay file: 'FWD Elite 2').  Making the outside move at Circuit de Catalunya. Result:
Prize: $8,325.00 Repairs: -$605.00 XP Gained: 4,500 Race Results: Code:
Event Standings: Code:
Saturday, March 5th - Season 2 Travel day. We head to Japan to conclude the event. Sunday, March 6th - Season 2 I log some track time today at the short version of the Tsukuba Circuit. I still much prefer the full-length version of the track here, as the long right-hand sweeper that cuts down to the abbreviated version just doesn't feel natural to me. Still, I have to make do with what's been scheduled, and after 14 laps I feel like I've got a pretty good handle on things. Downshifting mid-way through that turn seems to be the way to go. Monday, March 7th - Season 2 (Race Day) Event: Front-Wheel-Drive Elite Open Race #3 (of 3): Tsukuba Circuit (Shimotsuma, Japan) - Short Circuit  First-Place Prize: $7,955.00 Laps: 4 Race Distance: 3.88 mi Starting Position: 5th I got off to a good start this time, powering down the opening straightaway and splitting the gap between Weber and Yoshida for 3rd place before the first hairpin. However, Yoshida took me to the inside on that first turn, bumping me to the outside of the turn allowing both himself and Weber back in front of me. Passing either before the second hairpin proved impossible, so I waited and managed an inside move on Weber in the hairpin, moving back up to 4th. Yoshida was next in my sights, and a little bump on his back right quarterpanel let him know I was displeased with his earlier move, and also allowed me to move back into 3rd. After that little tussle, running down the leaders proved comparatively easy. Muller fell into my rear-view mirror heading towards the 2nd hairpin on lap 2. Then at the conclusion of lap 2 I finally managed a good exit from the last turn and overtook Rossi for the lead just as we crossed the start-finish line. After that I did have a couple little slips into the grass on the 4th and final lap, but recovered quickly and my lead was never really in doubt (replay file 'FWD Elite 3'). Fighting through the pack at Tsukuba. Result: Prize: $7,955.00 XP Gained: 4,300 Race Results: Code:
Final Event Standings: Code:
A nice way to start off the season, no doubt. And things got even nicer when I found that the gentlemen at Jaguar wanted to add themselves to the list of manufacturers to grant me a high-priced piece of machinery.  2009 Jaguar XKR-S The 2009 Jaguar XKR-S is a special, "Silverstone" edition of the company's XKR grand tourer. It features the standard 420 horsepower twin-screw supercharged V8 the XKR boasts, but has improved steering, transmission, suspension, and brakes. And it makes a wonderful Jaguar growl when you gun it.
I can't wait until I get the chance to race this thing.Supersprint Exhaust, who do after-market exhaust for Audi, Opel, Porsche, SEAT, and Volkswagen have increased my discount with them to 20%. I also received a $12,900.00 bonus for winning the event and finishing 1st in all three races.
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Current Games Diablo III (BattleTag: DataKing#1685) Allegiances: Chicago Bears - Detroit Red Wings - Kansas Jayhawks Awards: 2011 Golden Scribe - Other Sports Category (The Straight(away) and Narrow - A Forza Motorsport 3 Dynasty) Last edited by DataKing : 01-04-2010 at 11:07 AM. |
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01-03-2010, 06:45 PM
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#68 |
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Pro Rookie
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Chicago
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OK good news for those interested in seeing my game replays. EaglesFan27 and I messed with it a bit earlier today, and we've found the best way for you to find my replays. When I upload them, I'll stick my gamertag (DataKing1) in the description. Just put my gamertag in the manual keyword field and they should come right up. I'll put the name of the replay file at the end of the race description in this dynasty report, so you know which is which. One thing to bear in mind, though, is that the Forza site will only hold 9 replays at a time. So don't want too long to take a look if you're interested. The 9 more recent replays are the only ones I'll be able to keep up there.
Tellistto: Glad you're following along and enjoying the dynasty.
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Current Games Diablo III (BattleTag: DataKing#1685) Allegiances: Chicago Bears - Detroit Red Wings - Kansas Jayhawks Awards: 2011 Golden Scribe - Other Sports Category (The Straight(away) and Narrow - A Forza Motorsport 3 Dynasty) |
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01-09-2010, 12:08 PM
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#69 |
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Pro Rookie
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Chicago
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Tuesday, March 8th - Season 2
Travel day today, as we head to Florida to kick off this season's Class C World Championship on Sunday. Event: Class C World Championship Limitations: Rating Category only Rating Category: C-class # of Races: 5 Total Event Prize: $107,300.00 This year's championship series is a five race event with over $100,000 in prize money, making it the richest event I've participated in to date. Judging by the list of competition, though, it looks like I'll have my work cut out for me. Code:
Fortunately, the top end racers like Rossi and Sasaki are participating in other events this season, but there's some hardware to contend with here. The Dodge Charger and Pontiac G8 I can see giving me problems. After some consideration, I decide to go a different direction as far as what car I'll use. Last season I definitely found that lighter cars suit my driving style better than heavier cars, so I'm going to run the Vauxhall VX220 Turbo in this year's event. I was given the car way back in June of last year, but never had the opportunity to use it.  The VX220's turbo-charged 4-cylinder engine gives me about 200 horsepower to call upon, which may not seem like much, but offers a great power:weight ratio when you consider the Vauxhall qualifies as an ultra-light, weighing in at just over 2,000 lbs. It is great off the line and extremely nimble. I'm just going to have to remember that I can't bang fenders with the big boys out there. Davis' Charger carries more than double the weight the VX220 does, and will squash me like a bug if given the opportunity.
Wednesday, March 9th thru Friday, March 11th - Season 2 I've got some time to make some upgrades to the Vauxhall. I'm not sure what to expect from it though, and I've only got 28 Performance Index points to play with to keep it in the C-Class range, so I'm going to go cheap for the time being. Upgrade: Sport Oil and Cooling Price: $800.00 Effect: Power +5hp Rating: C-405 (up 8 from C-397) -A Setrab remote-mount oil filter and cooler, along with baffled oil pickups, give me a few extra horsepower. Upgrade: Street Clutch Price: $1,000.00 Effect: Shift Time -0.04s Rating: C-407 (up 2 from C-405) -A Fidanza clutch disc and plate with increased torque capacity should make shifting a bit smoother and more responsive. Upgrade: Street Driveline Price: $600.00 Effect: Weight -2.1 lbs Rating: C-408 (up 1 from C-407) -There's not much to be done to save weight on the already skinny VX220 without paying exorbitant sums of money, so I go with an alloy-steel driveshaft to drop a couple pounds and decrease drive inertia a bit. Saturday, March 12th - Season 2 We kick off the Class C World Championship in Sebring, Florida tomorrow. I've raced both of the half-circuits here before, but tomorrow will be the first time I run the full circuit. I disliked this track before, and I find that I still dislike it now. It's not that I hate it, it just doesn't suit my style very well. Some of the turns don't feel natural to me, and the rough concrete slabs in the start-finish section are murder on your tailbone. I run about a dozen laps getting accustomed to the VX220, but that's about all I can stand today. Sunday, March 13th - Season 2 (Race Day) Event: Class C World Championship Race #1 (of 5): Sebring International Raceway (Sebring, FL) - Full Circuit  First-Place Prize: $24,050.00 Laps: 4 Race Distance: 14.80 mi Starting Position: 5th One problem with driving the Vauxhall in this event became readily apparent as soon as we lined up at the start-finish line: visibility. The VX220 is so low to the ground compared to all of the other cars out here, I really couldn't see a damn thing. But still, heading into Turn 1 I was able to squeeze between Sato's Lancer and Williams' G8 and into 3rd place. Turn 3 caused a big problem though, as I went in too hot and had to bring the power down to get back on the track. In doing so, I pretty much just bounced off of Sato's Lancer (the weight difference coming into effect) and spun out completely (props to Watanabe for doing a really good job checking up and not obliterating me). So I found myself effectively starting from the very back of the field, but at least I still had plenty of time to work with. It took me a couple of turns and a couple of brief trips through the grass to get my rhythm going, but once I did the lesser competition started dropping like flies. Jones' Focus was left in my dust coming out of the Turn 7 hairpin, and I moved past Anderson and into 6th place shortly thereafter. I put Watanabe into my rear-view mirror shortly after the Tower turn, then slipped between Sato and Takahashi for 3rd place as we moved through Turn 16 at the southeast end of the track. I was rather surprised to find that I actually made up ground on Williams' G8 on the Ullman Straight, and managed to pass him to the inside as we headed into the Sunset Bend. By the time we crossed the start-finish line, I was right on the back bumper of Davis' Charger, and an inside move on him on the high-speed 1st turn launched me into the lead. And as is usually the case, once I was able to get out in front in clean air and with a clear line of sight, I was able to maintain my lead and earn a victory (replay file 'Class C 1').  Cutting it close on the Le Mans turn at Sebring International. Result: Prize: $24,050.00 Repairs: -$981.00 XP Gained: 13,000 (2004 Vauxhall VX220 Turbo gained Levels 1 & 2) Hotlap: 2:31.984 (Top 15% of 671,394 racers) (For giggles, I've decided to take a look at my hot lap for each race and see how it compares to the rest of the FM3 community out there. So in this case, my best lap from this race ranks in the top 15% of best laps for all drivers who have run a Class C hot lap at Sebring International). Race Results: Code:
Event Standings: Code:
The Vauxhall really showed its strengths and its weaknesses today. It was almost comical, upon reviewing the replay, how little I even moved Sato's Lancer when we collided. He was fine, but I was spun out completely. But the Vauxhall was so much more agile and nimble that it got through corners much easier than a lot of the heavier competition did, so once the pack had spread itself out a little bit I had a much easier time picking them off one- and two-at-a-time. That will definitely be something to consider when the event resumes on the 27th. I've been awarded 10% discounts with Vauxhall's in-house driveline shop, as well as K&N Europe air filters (Aston Martin, Bentley, Bugatti, Koenigsegg, Land Rover, McLaren, Saab, Vauxhall, Volvo).
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Current Games Diablo III (BattleTag: DataKing#1685) Allegiances: Chicago Bears - Detroit Red Wings - Kansas Jayhawks Awards: 2011 Golden Scribe - Other Sports Category (The Straight(away) and Narrow - A Forza Motorsport 3 Dynasty) Last edited by DataKing : 01-09-2010 at 06:00 PM. |
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01-12-2010, 10:45 PM
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#70 |
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Pro Rookie
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Chicago
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Monday, March 14th - Season 2
I'll be participating in the following event over the next two weeks, before Race #2 of the Class C World Championship. Event: Class F Speedway Challenge Limitations: Rating Category only Rating Category: F-class # of Races: 3 Total Event Prize: $34,410.00 Event Bonus Prize: $9,300.00 This is the first speedway event that I've been invited to. As the name might suggest, these are oval races rather than road course races. Sounds simple, but there's a catch in this case; whoever scheduled the event needs to have their head examined. The first race is tomorrow in Japan, and the second is two days later in Arizona. This means absolutely no track time before these first two races. I guess it's a good thing these are what should be simple oval races. The competition: Code:
Due to the obvious time constraints, my options are limited to Class F cars I already own, which means either the old Ford Fiesta or the Honda Del Sol. I decide to use the Del Sol since it already has an aero package installed, but I'm still going to have trouble with Sasaki and Taylor, both of whom have me beat in the horsepower department.  Hopefully all that air intake on the front will help me keep up. Needless to say, today is a travel day.
Tuesday, March 15th - Season 2 (Race Day) Event: Class F Speedway Challenge Race #1 (of 3): Twin Ring Motegi (Motegi, Japan) - Super Speedway  First-Place Prize: $12,210.00 Laps: 7 Race Distance: 10.48 mi Starting Position: 5th Going into this race effectively blind, my plan was a simple one. I figured everybody else would try to hug the bottom of the race track, since that is the shortest way around any oval track. My plan was to stay high and wide, to both stay clear of traffic until I cleared it, and to keep the engine's RPMs up. I figured I'd need to keep the Del Sol's little 4-banger ramped up pretty high to keep up with the leaders. After a relatively slow start off the line I moved up a little in the field, falling into 3rd behind Sasaki's Familia and Taylor's Trans Am as we headed into the first turn. Unfortunately the others were staying higher than I anticipated, but I did get my RPMs up and when Taylor dropped to the inside on turn 4 near the end of lap 1 I was able to swing wide on him and into 2nd place. Turn 4 appeared to be my magic spot on lap 2 as well, because as Sasaki came off the turn high I was able to slip underneath him and into the lead just before the start-finish line. Sasaki looked underneath me coming off of turn 2 on lap 3, but I was still running wide and was able to carry more speed onto the back straightaway. After that it was all clear to victory lane (replay file 'Speedway F 1').  Powering into the lead on the speedway at Motegi. Result:
Prize: $12,210.00 XP Gained: 6,600 (1995 Honda CR-X Del Sol SiR gained Level 2) Hotlap: 48.462 (Top 52% of 93,491 times recorded - obviously I'm not tuned for speed) Race Results: Code:
I didn't see what happened to Miller's Fiesta but it looked like he blew up at some point during the race. He was trailing smoke badly at the end and I nearly lapped him. Event Standings: Code:
Wednesday, March 16th - Season 2 We hop right back on a plane and head for race #2 in Arizona tomorrow. Thursday, March 17th - Season 2 (Race Day) Event: Class F Speedway Challenge Race #2 (of 3): Sedona Raceway Park (Sedona, AZ) - Speedway  First-Place Prize: $9,620.00 Laps: 6 Race Distance: 9.06 mi Starting Position: 5th The speedway at Sedona is quite a bit narrower than the one at Motegi, so there was a bit of bumping in the pack to start the race. I was able to avoid this by swinging straight out to the wall then pushing forward to 2nd place as we entered the first turn. I was carrying quite a bit of speed coming out of turn 2, but Sasaki was really hammering the gas on the inside as well. We raced side-by-side down the back-stretch, but he was able to keep his lead as we came out of turn 4. I caught back up to him at the conclusion of lap 2, but wasn't able to put a definitive pass on him until turn 3 of the same lap. After that I was able to put him away and got out to a relatively comfortable lead for the remainder of the race (replay file 'Speedway F 2').  A photographer presented me with this shot after the race. It's a super-still that shows just how close I was to tapping Sasaki's back bumper in turn 3...at 120 miles per hour! Yikes! Result:
Prize: $9,620.00 XP Gained: 5,200 (Driver gained Level 17) (1995 Honda CR-X Del Sol SiR gained Level 3) Hotlap: 44.592 (top 52% of 89,756 times recorded) Race Results: Code:
Event Standings: Code:
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Current Games Diablo III (BattleTag: DataKing#1685) Allegiances: Chicago Bears - Detroit Red Wings - Kansas Jayhawks Awards: 2011 Golden Scribe - Other Sports Category (The Straight(away) and Narrow - A Forza Motorsport 3 Dynasty) Last edited by DataKing : 01-12-2010 at 10:48 PM. |
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01-14-2010, 09:54 PM
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#71 |
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Pro Rookie
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Chicago
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Friday, March 18th - Season 2
Travel day today, as we head to Daytona Beach to finish off the event. The nice thing is that I've actually got a few days to spare before the event concludes, so I have some time for upgrades and to run some test laps at the track. Saturday, March 19th & Sunday, March 20th - Season 2 Upgrade: Street Flywheel Price: $1,080.00 Effect: Weight -1 lb. Rating: F-200 (up 2 from F-198) -The weight reduction is minimal, but the Toda forged-steel flywheel should improve the Del Sol's acceleration and throttle response without pushing me over the Performance Index limit of 200 for F-class. Upgrade: Street Driveline Price: $400.00 Effect: Weight -1.8 lbs. Rating: F-200 (no change) -An HPD alloy-steel driveshaft to decrease driveline inertia and overall weight. Monday, March 21st - Season 2 For the first time I get to turn some laps at the full speedway at Daytona. It is by far the biggest of the speedways I've seen thus far, and is pretty steeply banked as well. As it turns out, despite what you might think from watching a NASCAR event, sticking to the bottom is actually the fastest way around for low-power cars like the ones we're driving here. I can pretty well keep the Del Sol on the bottom all the way around and still keep the RPMs up. Tuesday, March 22nd - Season 2 (Race Day) Event: Class F Speedway Challenge Race #3 (of 3): Daytona International Speedway (Daytona Beach, FL) - Speedway  First-Place Prize: $12,580.00 Laps: 6 Race Distance: 14.64 mi Starting Position: 5th Despite my excitement at finally racing the full speedway at Daytona, this race was actually a bit of a let-down. I pushed my way forward through the pack and past Taylor into 2nd place heading into the first turn, then outran Sasaki heading onto the back stretch and into the lead. Before I knew it I had built up a two second lead. Taylor eventually got his Trans Am past Sasaki and into second place, but was never able to cut my lead down to under a full second (replay file 'Speedway F 3').  Moving up through the pack at Daytona. Result:
Prize: $12,580.00 XP Gained: 6,800 Hotlap: 1:07.295 (top 58% of 92,818 recorded times) Race Results: Code:
Event Results: Code:
 2002 BMW Motorsport M3 GTR The M3 GTR is an up-gunned racing-version of BMW's M3 E46 coupe, weighing in at under 3,000 lbs but chugging out 380 horsepower from it's front-mounted 4.0-liter V8.
I was also awarded the following discounts:
We travel home to Barcelona today to prepare for the 2nd leg of the Class C World Championship. Thursday, March 24th & Friday, March 25th - Season 2 Upgrade: Street Air Filter Price: $1,170.00 Effect: Power +4 hp Rating: C-414 (up 6 from C-408) -I drop in a K&N high-flow air filter to coax a few extra horsepower out of the VX220's engine. Upgrade: Sport Chassis Reinforcement & Roll Cage Price: $2,000.00 Effect: Weight +25 lbs. Rating: C-415 (up 1 from C-414) -I swap out the old front & rear strut tower bars and lower subframe bar with stiffer, heavier OMP bars. Saturday, March 26th - Season 2 Tomorrow we're racing the full Grand Prix Circuit at Circuit de Catalunya, which is a track to which the Vauxhall should be well-suited. As I've mentioned before it is a very technical track, which means the agility of the VX220 should really shine. Running some practice laps today, I'm really happy with the feel of the car now that I've reinforced the chassis. While the car is certainly nimble, it felt like there was a bit of body roll when I ran it last at Sebring, no doubt a by-product of the lightweight materials used to build the car. Now with the upgraded chassis, it feels much more rigid and planted, better able to hold it's angle during turns. Sunday, March 27th - Season 2 (Race Day) Event: Class C World Championship Race #2 (of 5): Circuit de Catalunya (Montmelo, Spain) - Grand Prix Circuit  First-Place Prize: $20,350.00 Laps: 4 Race Distance: 11.57 mi Starting Position: 5th I knew that I wanted to do a better job this time of keeping my nose clean, based on how easily I was spun out at the start of the last Class C race, but I still couldn't pass up the opportunity to split between Williams and Sato on the opening stretch to move into 3rd place. Naturally I ended up regretting that as I ended up wedged between Williams and Takahashi on the 1st turn and came out of the turn back in 5th. After that I waited for a little bit, looking for an opening, and found it with an inside move on turn 7, repassing both Sato and Williams for 3rd place. I was later able to actually make an outside pass on Davis' Charger at the Banc de Sabadell, turn 12 (something I never would have been able to do with a heavier car), but overshot turn 13 and took a detour through the sand. By the time I got back out, I was in 5th place again, but quickly worked my way back up to 3rd as soon as we came through New Holland and onto the long front straightaway. I made another outside pass on Davis, this time on the big, sweeping right-hand turn 3, then finally got my first sniff of the lead shortly thereafter but ended up driving too hard into the hairpin turn 5, emerging back in 3rd. Davis fell to me again, this time in the Campa turn 9, but once again I drove it too hard into the next turn, and emerged from turn 10 in 3rd place yet again. I finally decided I'd had enough, putting another outside move on Davis at New Holland, then moved past Takahashi and into the lead carrying a lot of speed on the front stretch. And as is typically the case, once I was able to get up in front with clean race track in front of me I was able to run clean laps and pull away from the pack the rest of the way (replay file 'Class C 2'). Rough treatment at the start of the race at Circuit de Catalunya. Result: Prize: $20,350.00 Event Bonus: $11,000.00 Repairs: -$1,217.00 XP Gained: 11,000 (2004 Vauxhall VX220 Turbo gained Level 3) Hotlap: 2:07.253 (top 25% of 643,443 recorded times) Race Results: Code:
Event Standings: Code:
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Current Games Diablo III (BattleTag: DataKing#1685) Allegiances: Chicago Bears - Detroit Red Wings - Kansas Jayhawks Awards: 2011 Golden Scribe - Other Sports Category (The Straight(away) and Narrow - A Forza Motorsport 3 Dynasty) |
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01-18-2010, 02:31 PM
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#72 |
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Pro Rookie
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Chicago
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Not really an update, just found this and had to share. I'm placing one of these in the Shelby.
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Current Games Diablo III (BattleTag: DataKing#1685) Allegiances: Chicago Bears - Detroit Red Wings - Kansas Jayhawks Awards: 2011 Golden Scribe - Other Sports Category (The Straight(away) and Narrow - A Forza Motorsport 3 Dynasty) |
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01-19-2010, 12:07 AM
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#73 |
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Pro Rookie
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Chicago
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And on a more serious note...
Monday, March 28th - Season 2 I've agreed to participate in a different sort of event over the next two weeks. Event: Fujimi Kaido Class F Series Rating Category: F-class # of Races: 4 Total Event Prize: $71,040.00 Event Bonus Prize: $19,200.00 What makes this event different is how it is organized. It isn't just a series of races up and down Fujimi Kaido in Japan. Instead, it's a series of four races on different sections of the Fujimi Kaido circuit (each one approximately 1/4 the length of the entire circuit). The other thing that is different is that each race is run in a series of three heats. Each heat is a 1-on-1 race against one of the other competitors. Heat #1 determines whether you're racing in the top- or bottom-half of the bracket. Heat #2 determines whether you're racing for 1st or 3rd place overall (in the top-half) or 5th or 7th (in the bottom-half). Heat #3 determines final placement. And since it is a series of 4 races (3 heats each), standard event scoring applies (10 pts for 1st place, 7 pts for 2nd place, and so on). The competition: Sasaki (JPN) (1985 Toyota Sprinter Trueno GT Apex) Takahashi (JPN) (1995 Honda CR-X Del Sol SiR) Yoshida (JPN) (2008 Toyota Yaris S) Sato (JPN) (2005 Mazda Axela Sport 23S) Watanabe (JPN) (2003 Mitsubishi Eclipse GTS) Kato (JPN) (2009 Honda Fit Sport) Kim (KOR) (2009 Nissan Versa SL) So today is a travel day. Tuesday, March 29th - Season 2 I've got nothing else I can really do to the Del Sol (which I'll be using again in this event), so I take the day off. But the car itself is not idle. A mutual friend introduces me to a local detailer who is looking for some free publicity. After looking at some sketches, I decide to let him give the Del Sol a makeover.   (The design is a free one by Valyk Bloodbane if anyone is interested).
Wednesday, March 30th - Season 2 Idle. Thursday, March 31st - Season 2 The first two races of the Fujimi Kaido event are back to back on Friday and Saturday, so I spend time today on both sections of track we'll be seeing; Stage C and Stage A Reverse. Stage C starts on an uphill climb, passes the radio tower at the mountain's peak, then starts a very tricky, curving downhill descent where I have trouble keeping the Honda off of the guardrails. I have a better feel for Stage A Reverse, which begins with a set of steep switchbacks, then moves into a wooded downhill section. By the end of the day I have a pretty good feel for both stages of the track, but I'm still having a hard time keeping the Del Sol off the barriers in sections (a fact to which my fenders can attest). Friday, April 1st - Season 2 (Race Day) Event: Fujimi Kaido Class F Series Race #1 (of 4): Fujimi Kaido (Fujimi, Japan) - Stage C  First-Place Prize: $16,095.00 ($5,365.00 per heat) Heats: 3 Heat Distance: 2.20 mi Heat #1 vs. Sasaki (1985 Toyota Sprinter Trueno GT Apex) A miserable start on my part allowed Sasaki to jump out to the lead off the line, compounded by the fact that I tried to cut an early corner too closely and banged in my front driver-side quarter-panel pretty good. A good run on the brief up-hill section heading towards the summit gave me the lead, however. After that I did a pretty good job of keeping my nose clean and got out to a pretty big lead over Sasaki. I did bang my right side into a couple of guardrails late in the heat, but by then Sasaki had no chance to catch me (replay file 'Fujimi F1 H1').  Pulling away from Sasaki at the radio tower on Fujimi Kaido. Result: Victory Prize: $5,365.00 Repairs: -$268.00 XP Gained: 2,900 Heat Results: Code:
With that victory I'm guaranteed a finishing position in the top 4. Heat #2 vs. Takahashi (1995 Honda CR-X Del Sol SiR) A better launch on my part means I immediately jumped out to a lead over Takahashi, and managed to keep it even though I banged my right-front in the exact same place this time around. I sustained a few more knocks on the way down, and things did get a little sloppy on my part towards the end, but Takahashi never really got close to overtaking me (replay file 'Fujimi F1 H2'). Result: Victory Prize: $5,365.00 Repairs: -$145.00 XP Gained: 2,900 Heat Results: Code:
That earns me a spot in the 1st-place heat. Heat #3 vs. Sato (2005 Mazda Axela Sport 23S) A clean start on my part meant I was easily able to accelerate away from Sato's Mazda at the beginning, and keeping my nose clean through the first few turns helped considerably as well. By the time I passed the radio tower I was already ahead by a football field, and I knew then that this one would be no contest. I tried to take it easy on the way down the mountain, but still managed to bang up a couple of fenders in the process. Still, it was an easy victory and I'll take it (replay file 'Fujimi F1 H3'). Result: Victory Prize: $5,365.00 Repairs: -$314.00 XP Gained: 2,900 (1995 Honda CR-X Del Sol SiR gained Level 4). Hotlap: 2:17.370 (top 49% of 212,239 recorded times). Heat Results: Code:
Event Standings: Code:
Saturday, April 2nd - Season 2 (Race Day) Event: Fujimi Kaido Class F Series Race #2 (of 4): Fujimi Kaido (Fujimi, Japan) - Stage A Reverse  First-Place Prize: $16,650.00 ($5,550.00 per heat) Heats: 3 Heat Distance: 2.30 mi Heat #1 vs. Sasaki (1985 Toyota Sprinter Trueno GT Apex) Sasaki's old Sprinter beat me off the line again today, and we ended up playing a bit of bumper-tag through the opening set of switchbacks. Sasaki emerged still in the lead, but only just. I was finally able to get a fender underneath him and forced my way into the lead just before the halfway point of the heat. After that I did bounce off of the guardrails a couple of times, which allowed Sasaki to keep things close, but he was never able to overtake me (replay file Fujimi F2 H1). Result: Victory Prize: $5,550.00 Repairs: -$314.00 XP Gained: 3,000 (Driver gained level 18) Heat Results: Code:
Heat #2 vs. Takahashi (1995 Honda CR-X Del Sol SiR) This was by far my best run of the event thus far. A decent jump pushed me into the lead right off the bat, and I had a nice, clean trip through the opening switchbacks. Everything after that was clean, too. Granted, I came close to the guardrails a couple of times, but never touched then and therefore never had them scrub precious seconds off of my time. This was one of those great, exhilirating runs that keeps you coming back, looking for more (replay file 'Fujimi F2 H2').  Flying into town at the end of a great run. Result: Victory
Prize: $5,550.00 XP Gained: 3,000 Heat Results: Code:
Heat #3 vs. Sato (2005 Mazda Axela Sport 23S) Flush with my earlier success, another good launch on my part pushed me into the lead over Sato early on, and I had another good clean run through the switchbacks. But after that I got a little too aggressive in spots, bouncing the Honda off of the guardrails in places where I really knew better. Still, Sato was never really able to threaten me once I got out to the early lead (replay file 'Fujimi F2 H3'). Result: Victory Prize: $5,550.00 Repairs: -$229.00 XP Gained: 3,000 Hotlap: 2:21.792 (top 10% of 205,583 recorded times) Heat Result: Code:
The format of these heat races is such that I'm actually facing my tougher competition in the earlier heats. Rather odd, but that means that I have to stay sharp early on. One false move on my part and I could fall back into the pack in the points standings very easily. Event Standings: Code:
Sunday, April 3rd - Season 2 I've got more scheduling peculiarities coming up here shortly, so I'll be breaking with tradition here over the next few days. The last two races in the Fujimi Kaido event will be held on Thursday and Friday of the coming week, which only leave enough time for travel before Sunday's Class C World Championship race in Sedona. So even though I'm in the middle of an event, I spend today on a plane heading for Arizona. Monday, April 4th - Season 2 The only way I could squeeze in some practice time at Sedona Raceway Park before Sunday's race was to do it today, so that's what I did. I put the Vauxhall through its paces today at the odd speedway-road-dragstrip combination that is the full circuit at Sedona. Tomorrow I'll be hopping a plane and heading back to Japan.
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Current Games Diablo III (BattleTag: DataKing#1685) Allegiances: Chicago Bears - Detroit Red Wings - Kansas Jayhawks Awards: 2011 Golden Scribe - Other Sports Category (The Straight(away) and Narrow - A Forza Motorsport 3 Dynasty) |
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01-20-2010, 02:35 PM
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#74 |
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Pro Rookie
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Chicago
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I've added a 'Benchmarks' section to the Garage post on page 1. Here I will be listing the following statistics for each car in my stable. The current leader in each category is listed below:
-Acceleration 0mph to 60mph: 2009 Ferrari California (3.900 seconds) -Braking 60mph to 0mph: 2006 Lotus Exige Cup 240 (109.4 feet) -Top Speed: 2009 Ferrari California (195.0 mph) -Lateral Gs at 60mph: 2007 SEAT Leon Supercup (1.23)
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Current Games Diablo III (BattleTag: DataKing#1685) Allegiances: Chicago Bears - Detroit Red Wings - Kansas Jayhawks Awards: 2011 Golden Scribe - Other Sports Category (The Straight(away) and Narrow - A Forza Motorsport 3 Dynasty) |
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01-20-2010, 06:16 PM
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#75 |
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: New Jersey
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Love the makeover for the Del Sol! I'm a big fan of the speedways, and I enjoyed reading about your first exploits on them.
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01-22-2010, 05:29 PM
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#76 |
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Pro Rookie
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Chicago
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Eaglesfan27: Glad you like the Del Sol. I thought that design was kind of cool, and the skull design on the hood works with the hole I've got there. As for the speedways, they weren't the most entertaining thing I've done so far in this game, but I think that mostly had to do with the fact that I was running low-hp Class F cars. I can definitely see those being more intense when I go back in higher-power cars.
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Current Games Diablo III (BattleTag: DataKing#1685) Allegiances: Chicago Bears - Detroit Red Wings - Kansas Jayhawks Awards: 2011 Golden Scribe - Other Sports Category (The Straight(away) and Narrow - A Forza Motorsport 3 Dynasty) |
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01-22-2010, 06:54 PM
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#77 |
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Pro Rookie
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Macomb, MI
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This is a pretty cool dynasty, you are making me want to go out and buy this.
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01-22-2010, 09:00 PM
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#78 |
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Pro Rookie
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Chicago
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Tuesday, April 5th - Season 2
Travel day today. I head back to Fujimi Kaido to finish up the Class F Series there. Wednesday, April 6th - Season 2 Today was not a good day. I had time scheduled to do some practice runs down the two remaining stages of Fujimi Kaido; Stage D and Stage B Reverse. But on my 4th run down Stage D I screwed up on a turn and smacked the wall hard just before the tunnel. I ended up spending the rest of the day swapping out a busted radiator and fixing the other damage the Del Sol sustained. I'm pretty sure I caught everything, but this means I'll be running Stage B Reverse on Friday pretty much blind, with no practice time on it whatsoever. We'll see how much I can remember from my last trip here (August of last season). Thursday, April 7th - Season 2 (Race Day) Event: Fujimi Kaido Class F Series Race #3 (of 4): Fujimi Kaido (Fujimi, Japan) - Stage D  First-Place Prize: $16,095.00 ($5,365.00 per heat) Heats: 3 Heat Distance: 2.60 mi. Heat #1 vs. Sasaki (1985 Toyota Sprinter Trueno GT Apex) Sasaki and I were pretty even off the line this time, but I was able to out-perform him through the opening switchbacks and started out with a small lead. That small lead rapidly grew into a pretty large one as I made good maneuvers on the ensuing turns, coming perilously close to the guardrails a couple of times but not making contact. That is, until the turn just before the tunnel at the halfway point of the stage. The Del Sol snapped loose on me in the exact same spot it did yesterday. I hit the wall pretty hard again, but managed to save it just enough to avoid engine damage. Fortunately my lead was such that I was able to get moving again and still maintained a healthy lead to the finish line. Result: Victory Prize: $5,365.00 Repairs: -$195.00 XP Gained: 2,900 Heat Results: Code:
Heat #2 vs. Takahashi (1995 Honda CR-X Del Sol SiR) All-around a pretty smooth run this time down the mountain. Obviously our cars were pretty evenly matched, but I was able to get a small lead off the line and maintained that through the opening switchbacks. I did bounce the fenders off of the guardrails a couple of times before the midway tunnel, but nothing more than superficial scratches and not enough to hurt my time. While the run was relatively smooth, I was perhaps a bit too cautious. I was still able to beat Takahashi, but my time was less than impressive. Result: Victory Prize: $5,365.00 XP Gained: 2,900 Heat Result: Code:
Heat #3 vs. Sato (2005 Mazda Axela Sport 23S) A perfectly clean run down the mountain on my part means poor Sato never really stood a chance in his Mazda. He disappeared from my rear-view pretty early on and didn't reappear until I was idling across the finish line.  Emerging from the midway tunnel at Fujimi Kaido. Result: Victory
Prize: $5,365.00 XP Gained: 2,900 Hotlap: 2:14.000 (top 23% of 206,382 recorded times) Heat Results: Code:
Event Standings: Code:
Friday, April 8th - Season 2 (Race Day) Event: Fujimi Kaido Class F Series Race #4 (of 4): Fujimi Kaido (Fujimi, Japan) - Stage B Reverse  First-Place Prize: $22,200.00 ($7,400.00 per heat) Heats: 3 Heat Distance: 3.10 mi Heat #1 vs. Sasaki (1985 Toyota Sprinter Trueno GT Apex) I figured this would be my most difficult heat of the day, since I was facing Sasaki on a section of track where I had no practice time, and I was right. I was able to get the jump on him at the start line, but had him all over my back bumper through the first section of tight downhill turns. I was probably being a little over-generous with the brakes, but I felt rightfully so due to unfamiliarity with the track. I did get a little overzealous coming out of the high-speed section at the north end of the track and flattened my left front quarter-panel, but managed to keep Sasaki at bay. It was a tight run throughout, and I was never able to gain much separation, but did manage to just hold Sasaki off for the win.  No time for sightseeing on Fujimi Kaido. Result: Victory
Prize: $7,400.00 XP Gained: 4,000 Heat Results: Code:
Heat #2 vs. Takahashi (1995 Honda CR-X Del Sol SiR) A little more comfortable this time down the mountain, I was able to jump out to an early (albeit short) lead on Takahashi off the line. I bounced off of a couple of guardrails in the early section of the track, but nothing serious. A couple of pretty hard shots later on did give me some significant body damage (and a bit of a headache). I wasn't exactly able to blow Takahashi's doors off, but I was able to maintain enough of an advantage that my miscues didn't cost me a win. Result: Victory Prize: $7,400.00 Repairs: -$597.00 XP Gained: 4,000 Heat Result: Code:
Heat #3 vs. Sato (2005 Mazda Axela Sport 23S) Another anti-climatic finale, as greater track familiarity on my part and inferior equipment on Sato's part led to a resounding victory for yours truly. Result: Prize: $7,400.00 Event Prize: $38,400.00 (doubled for finishing in 1st place all 4 races) XP Gained: 4,000 (Driver gained Level 19) Hotlap: 3:06.003 (top 63% of 207,314 recorded times) There was quite a bit of buzz around Fujimi Kaido this week, as apparently the popularity of drifting and the unique nature of the track itself has begun to garner a lot of attention from racers outside of Japan. In particular, a number of European manufacturers had representation present, and apparently I impressed some of them. I was presented with two cars after today's podium ceremony.  2007 Peugeot 207 Super 2000 Those wonderful frogs...sorry, I meant Frenchmen
at Peugeot awarded me with a nice little factory-tuned racer called the Super 2000. It is actually a rally car with a nice all-wheel-drive control system and a race-tuned 4-cylinder engine that cranks out 280 horsepower. Of course, I had to take it for a spin, and I immediately liked it. The race-tuning on this thing is superb, especially the gear ratios. It red-lines around 8,500 RPM and when you up-shift, you're already in the turque-band for the next gear, which makes for some serious acceleration. 2007 Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione Not to be outdone, the gentlemen at Alfa Romeo (who know I'm a big fan of the Brera Italia) present me with a 2007 Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione. The 8C was a special, limited-run sports car created by Alfa, with only 500 units produced that quickly sold out. It also marked the return of Alfa to the American car market after a 12-year absence. Regularly selling for $300,000.00 at auction, the Alfa boasts a hearty 450 horsepower V8 that makes it quite a handful to drive. But oh, what a wonderful sound it makes.
HPD, Honda's designated Valve and Displacement shop, have awarded me a 10% discount as well. Saturday, April 9th - Season 2 Today we travel back to Arizona for the next leg in the Class C World Championship. Sunday, April 10th - Season 2 Event: Class C World Championship Race #3 (of 5): Sedona Raceway Park (Sedona, AZ) - Full Circuit  First-Place Prize: $18,500.00 Laps: 3 Race Distance: 12.39 mi. Starting Position: 5th I got an absolutely fantastic jump at the drop of the green flag, slipping out towards the wall and up to the front of the pack before the first turn in the speedway section of the course. A little slip into the dirt on the transition off of the speedway allowed Davis to move up and challenge me for the lead, but the more maneuverable Vauxhall was able to pull away again as we turned towards the outbound tunnel. While I was able to maintain my lead for a while, the rest of the pack stayed pretty close, and it was the middle of lap two before things began to get stretched out a little bit. Then late in lap 2, disaster struck. Heading into the turn to the inbound tunnel the Vauxhall slipped and hit the retaining wall, in the same spot where I had trouble on my first run at this track. The impact brought me to a standstill, and as I turned around my front end was clipped by Takahashi's Subaru. By the time I got back up to speed I had fallen back to 6th place and not only was the aero on the Vauxhall shot, I also had damage to the front suspension and brake assembly. The engine, at least was still intact, but the rest of the damage meant making up any ground on the speedway was a lost cause. All I could do there was maintain. I actually slipped back into 7th on the transition as I struggled to get used to the new handling on the car, but to it's credit the little ultralight still managed to shine once we got to the road-course section. Things had gotten a little bunched up behind Takahashi, and I moved up to 4th right behind him as we hit the west end of the course. Coming out of there, the nimble little Vauxhall managed to hold the inside line and I accelerated past Takahashi and Sato and into 2nd. Davis' big Charger was my next target, and I finally managed to catch and pass him to the inside, back on the speedway section and heading for the finish line. But the Charger's big engine brought him right up to my back bumper and the front-suspension damage the Vauxhall had sustained finally got the best of me. Davis' move stole away some of my precious down-force. The little car slid up the track, brushed the wall, and that was all the opening Davis needed to slip past me on the final straightaway and on to victory lane.  Jumping out to the early lead at Sedona Raceway Park Result:
 Time: 8:33.733 Prize: $16,465.00 Bonus: $8,900.00 Repairs: -$5,027.00 XP Gained: 10,000 (2004 Vauxhall VX220 Turbo gained Level 4) Hotlap: 2:48.313 (top 84% of 636,491 recorded times) Race Results: Code:
Event Standings: Code:
Today's results certainly tighten matter up between myself and Davis. It looks like a two-horse race the rest of the way, though. With only two races to go, I don't have room for another error like I had today. Vauxhall's in-house Valve shop offers me a 10% discount.
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Current Games Diablo III (BattleTag: DataKing#1685) Allegiances: Chicago Bears - Detroit Red Wings - Kansas Jayhawks Awards: 2011 Golden Scribe - Other Sports Category (The Straight(away) and Narrow - A Forza Motorsport 3 Dynasty) |
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01-24-2010, 12:33 AM
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#79 |
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Pro Rookie
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Chicago
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Balldog: Glad you're enjoying this. Thanks for following along.
Monday, April 11th - Season 2 There isn't much going on in the bigger circuits over the next couple of weeks, so I'll be driving the Fairlady in an amateur event; the Rear-Wheel-Drive Elite Open. Event: Rear-Wheel-Drive Elite Open Rating Category: C-class # of Races: 3 Total Event Prize: $23,495.00 Event Bonus Prize: $6,350.00 I was thinking this might be some easy money, but upon reviewing the list of competitors, I'll be up against some pretty good horsepower. A couple of nice pony cars in the mix here: The Competition: Code:
Today is a travel day. Despite fielding an almost exclusively American field, this event takes place entirely in Japan. Also, we won't have any time for warm-ups. Race #1 is tomorrow. Let's hope I remember how to drive the Nissan. Tuesday, April 12th - Season 2 (Race Day) Event: Rear-Wheel-Drive Elite Open Race #1 (of 3): Tsukuba Circuit (Shimotsuma, Japan) - Short Circuit First-Place Prize: $7,955.00 Laps: 4 Race Distance: 3.88 mi. Starting Position: 5th Going in I figured this would be a tight race, since we had a bunch of relatively big, heavy cars competing on a pretty short, tight track (the short circuit is less than a mile in length), and I pretty much got what I expected. I managed to gain one spot off the line, then jockeyed with Brown a little bit on the first hairpin, nearly spinning out the Fairlady's rear wheels on exit. Coming out of the second hairpin, I ended up in a short dragrace with Taylor, then bumped fenders back and forth with both him and Davis as we fought for the lead around the east sweeper. Again, I nearly lost the Fairlady's back end coming out of the turn, but managed to hold the line and took the lead at the start of the long, right-hand sweeper that leads back to the start-finish line. Lap 2 saw me swing wide and a bit into the grass at the east end of the track as I struggled to re-familiarize myself with rear-wheel-drive racing, but I managed to hang on and keep my lead the rest of the way.  Little room to maneuver at Tsukuba. Result:
Prize: $7,955.00 Repairs: -$481.00 XP Gained: 4,300 Hotlap: 49.495 (top 32% of 565,094 recorded times) Race Results: Code:
Event Standings: Code:
It's probably just as well that I was at a horsepower disadvantage in today's race. Tsukuba isn't exactly the sort of place where you could use it, especially not on the shortened version of the track. Still, the Fairlady's back end kept swinging wide on me until I got the tires warmed up. That's something I want to address. Wednesday, April 13th - Season 2 Upgrade: Upgraded Rear Tire Width Price: $2,700.00 Effect: 265/45R17 Rating: C-420 (up 10 from C-410) -I take a big swing at the Fairlady's grip characteristics and widen the rear tires by 30 millimeters. I'm hoping that all that extra rubber on the road will help to keep her back end in check when I accelerate out of a turn. Thursday, April 14th - Season 2 I turn some practice laps today at our next destination, the Suzuka East Circuit. This is a place I've always done well, and the East Circuit is largely about throttle control. Not exactly the best place for testing the widened rear tires, but I'm not complaining. Friday, April 15th - Season 2 (Race Day) Event: Rear-Wheel-Drive Elite Open Race #2 (of 3): Suzuka Circuit (Suzuka City, Japan) - East Circuit First-Place Prize: $7,215.00 Laps: 3 Race Distance: 4.17 mi Starting Position: 5th I got off to a good launch this time around, slipping past Brown and Williams and into 3rd place before the first double-apex turn at the east end of the track. Coming out of that, I was determined not to press the issue too much early on, knowing how others like to use their brakes here, but this ended up hurting me. I checked up a little too much, and got the Fairlady out of shape, slipping and sliding through most of the southern half of the track. I even drifted back into 5th place briefly, but finally got the Nissan settled and powered back into 3rd as we headed for the west end of the track. I got a good run coming out of the west end and back onto the front straightaway, then beat Taylor's 300C in a drag-race down the front stretch. I then slipped to the inside of Davis and into the lead as we broke into turn 1. Once I was in the clear I let my throttle-control do the work and opened up a huge lead on the rest of the pack. Hanging on for dear life at Suzuka. Result: Prize: $7,215.00 XP Gained: 3,900 (2003 Nissan Fairlady Z gained Level 4) Hotlap: 56.992 (top 6%  of 231,813 recorded times. Did I mention I like this place? I'm curious to see what I could do here if I actually tuned my car.)Race Results: Code:
Event Standings: Code:
Saturday, April 16th - Season 2 Upgrade: BBS RK Rims Price: $3,700.00 Effect: Weight -31 lbs. Rating: C-423 (up 3 from C-420) -A set of BBS RK Rims slims the Fairlady down by a few pounds, but I mostly got them for looks.  Sunday, April 17th - Season 2 Track time today at the last leg of the event, the East Circuit at Twin Ring Motegi. You may recall that the last time I drove the Fairlady here I was involved in a nasty wreck. Needless to say that was at the forefront of my thoughts today, but I do my best to forget about it and get things dialed in for tomorrow's race. Monday, April 18th - Season 2 (Race Day) Event: Rear-Wheel-Drive Elite Race #3 (of 3): Twin Ring Motegi (Motegi, Japan) - East Circuit First-Place Prize: $8,325.00 Laps: 2 Race Distance: 3.77 mi Starting Position: 5th The start of the race wasn't as good to me this time around, but I was still able to pass Brown for 4th place. As we headed for the first turn and the spot of my nasty wreck last year, I admit to getting a little cautious, taking the turn relatively gently (despite a bump from Brown) and emerged from short tunnel still in 4th place. Feeling a bit more confident now, I took advantage of a tangle between Williams and Davis on the next turn, swinging to the outside of the both of them and into 2nd. I looked to the inside of Taylor and tried to outbrake him for the lead on the sharp 120-degree turn at the northwest end of the track, but we bumped through the turn and he was able to muscle his way into keeping the lead. I stayed right on his back bumper until the sharp left-hander before the end-lap hairpin, where I was able to slip to the inside and into the lead. He tried to muscle me out of the way again with his bigger 300C, but I was having none of that this time around. Lap 2 was smooth sailing and I was able to complete my sweep of the event.  Putting the pass on Taylor at Twin Ring Motegi. Result:
Prize: $8,325.00 Repairs: -$327.00 XP Gained: 4,500 Hotlap: 1:38.927 (top 23% of 386,720 recorded times) Race Results: Code:
Event Final Standings: Code:
Event Bonus Prize: $12,700.00 AP Racing Japan offers me a 10% discount on their brakes. They do after-market brakes for Infiniti, Mazda, Mitsubishi, and Nissan.
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Current Games Diablo III (BattleTag: DataKing#1685) Allegiances: Chicago Bears - Detroit Red Wings - Kansas Jayhawks Awards: 2011 Golden Scribe - Other Sports Category (The Straight(away) and Narrow - A Forza Motorsport 3 Dynasty) |
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01-26-2010, 09:10 PM
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#80 |
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Pro Rookie
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Chicago
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Tuesday, April 19th - Season 2
Travel day today. We head to England for the 4th stage of the Class C World Championships. I have a rarity coming up...nearly a full week off as the race isn't until Sunday. Wednesday, April 20th thru Friday, April 22nd - Season 2 I use the time off to make some improvements to the Vauxhall. Upgrade: Street Valves Price: $1,530.00 Effect: Power +4 hp Rating: C-422 (up 7 from C-415) -Large-diameter stainless steel valves should provide additional airflow to the mid-mounted engine. Upgrade: Sport Brakes Price: $5,000.00 Effect: Efficiency +2% Rating: C-423 (up 1 from C-422) -Large ventilated 2-piece rotors, aluminum mounting hubs & calipers, and track-spec brake pads, all from Ferodo. The later I can hit the brakes heading into corners, the better. Upgrade: Sport Springs and Dampers Price: $4,200.00 Effect: Ride Height -0.37 in. Rating: C-424 (up 1 from C-423) -Stiffer lowering springs, custom-valved shocks, and teflon bushings from KW drop the VX220 about a third of an inch closer to the ground and still keep things stiff. Saturday, April 23rd - Season 2 This is my first trip to Silverstone since the 4th of July last year, so today is well-spent re-familiarizing myself with the track and its nuances. I had forgotten how flat the place is. The lack of banking makes some of the sharp turns rather hard on the tires, but hopefully that will be to my advantage as all of my competition tomorrow is considerably heavier than I am. Sunday, April 24th - Season 2 (Race Day) Event: Class C World Championship Race #4 (of 5): Silverstone Racing Circuit (Northamptsonshire, England) - Grand Prix Circuit  First-Place Prize: $20,350.00 Laps: 4 Race Distance: 12.76 mi Starting Position: 5th I didn't get a very good jump off the line, briefly falling back into 6th place, but the Vauxhall's superior acceleration soon kicked in and I jumped up to 4th in the opening Copse Turn. Without the top end that a lot of the lead race cars had, I stayed in 4th through the Hangar and Vale straights. Coming up to the Abbey Turn, I slid past Takahashi to the outside, but ran hard into the back end of Williams' Pontiac. If I had been in a front-engine car I very likely would have damaged the engine and ruined any real shot I had at winning. But as it was, I still did some damage to the transmission and my left-front suspension. Coming out of the Farm Straight I pushed past Williams and into 2nd place. After that I was right on Davis' back bumper, but didn't have the firepower to pass him as we came through Woodcote and on to the start of lap 2. I tried my luck with Davis and took him for the lead at the Chapel turn, but he powered back past me and into the lead on the Hangar Straight. We continued to battle all the way through the Club and Abbey turns before I was finally able to put the pass on him and make it stick, to the outside of the Bridge turn near the end of lap 2. After that I was able to maintain a small lead the rest of the way, but wasn't able to run away from the pack. I lost ground to the bigger engines in the field on the straightaways, but made up for it by being faster through the bendy bits. Taking the lead (for good) at Silverstone. Result: Prize: $20,350.00 Race Bonus: $11,000.00 Repairs: -$3,352.00 XP Gained: 11,000 (Driver gained Level 20) Hotlap: 2:14.575 (top 66% of 606,170 recorded times - damage really screwed me here) Race Results: Code:
Event Standings Code:
Davis' unexpected 3rd place finish is an additional boon to me. All I need is a 5th place finish in the finale on May 8th to secure the Championship. After the race I had the usual opportunity to meet-and-greet a number of suits. As it turns out, two of those suits were actually the lead designers of the latest-and-greatest put out by Audi. They handed me the keys to an impressive new machine, but there was a catch:  The 2010 Audi R8 5.2 FSI quattro I was truly impressed with this beast as we took it for a few low-speed laps around the track late in the day (didn't want to scare the egg-heads with my driving). The R8 has been out for a few years, but apparently it was these guys' idea to jam a V10 522-horsepower monster in behind the cockpit. All that power, combined with Audi's Quattro All-Wheel-Drive system, should in theory present an awe-inspiring combination. Now...the catch. The Audi was mine to have, but I had to agree to participate in an Audi-only club event. No big deal you're probably thinking...except that the 1st race is the day after tomorrow...in Italy. So I'll be driving this thing with virtually no seat-time whatsoever, and to make matters worse the race is at the super-tight Amalfi Coast course. This ought to be...interesting. The eggheads inform me that I will have one significant advantage, however. None of the other participants will be running the 5.2. I'm told there's another R8 in the field, but it's the slower V8 model. Event: Audi Club Rating Category: A-class Restrictions: Make limited to Audi # of Races: 4 Total Event Prize: $47,730.00 Event Bonus Prize: $12,900.00 The Competition: Code:
Monday, April 25th - Season 2 We travel to Italy today. Tuesday, April 26th - Season 2 (Race Day) Event: Audi Club Race #1 (of 4): Amalfi Coast (Amalfi, Italy) - Full Circuit Reverse  First-Place Prize: $12,210.00 Laps: 4 Race Distance: 4.60 mi Starting Position: 4th I knew the Audi was going to be fast and all, but HOLY CRAP! The thing absolutely flew off the line, and I'm sure I would have shot straight up to the front if we didn't have an immediately hairpin turn to the left. Coming out of the turn still in 4th, even with the Quattro AWD working I still nearly lost control of the thing and dropped back to 5th. Struggling to get a handle on the power now contained by my right foot as we moved through the tight city bends of Amalfi, I eventually spun out and fell all the way to the back of the pack. Working my way back up to 6th was a piece of cake, easily accomplished by the end of lap 1 even on such a narrow track. But after that, passing proved more difficult even with the massive horsepower advantage I had. I was able to force my way past both Weber and Esposito, but not without sustaining more body damage to my beautiful new car. Evans I was able to pass without incident at least, on the outside as we reached the far hairpin on lap 2. I caught Muller's RS 4 on the south-bound half of lap 3 and was able to force my way past him as well (but again, not without swapping paint). At last I was within sight of Rossi's R8, making up good time through the return-trip chicanes and getting right up on his back bumper as we started the 4th and final lap. He did a good job of blocking me through the first half of the lap, but I was able to finally get a nose underneath him on the south-end hairpin. We emerged in a dead heat, but my big V10 easily overpowered him and took me into the lead.  Even with All-Wheel-Drive, the R8 proves a difficult beast to tame. Prize: $12,210.00 Repairs: -$5,179.00 (ouch) XP Gained: 6,600 (2010 Audi R8 5.2 FSI quattro gained Level 1) Hotlap: 1:08.955 (top 73% of 222,957 recorded times) Race Results: Code:
Event Standings: Code:
Honestly, I really had no business winning this race, but I had so much more car than anyone else, I was still able to pull it off. Wednesday, April 27th - Season 2 Travel day today. We're heading for the Big Apple and my first taste of the New York Circuit. Thursday, April 28th - Season 2 My first time in a real city course (Amalfi doesn't count...it's a sleepy little Mediterranean town), and I am immediately reminded of running from the police back in Chicago in my youth. The lighting, reflections, and sharp shadows actually make high-speed visibility more difficult than you might think, so I spend extra time learning the track. The track itself is relatively simple, and is set right in the heart of downtown Manhattan. We start runniing north a little bit north of Times Square, then come around on a long right-hander around Columbus Circle. East for a little bit, then back south on 6th Avenue, then turn around at 39th Street and back north, past the Square and to the finish line. But to make matters a little more interesting, they also contruct artificial chicanes with concrete barriers and tires, two on the north-bound section and two south-bound, to prevent the race from just being a set of drag-races. These chicanes are where a lot of time is either gained or lost, so I spend a good part of the afternoon learning how to get through them clean. Friday, April 29th - Season 2 (Race Day) Event: Audi Club Race #2 (of 4): New York Circuit (New York, NY) - Full Circuit Reverse  First-Place Prize: $12,950.00 Laps: 4 Race Distance: 7.27 mi. Starting Position: 4th I get off to a fantastic start at the drop of the green, shooting straight up to the front and side-by-side with Rossi as we enter the first chicane. There we bump, and Rossi makes a fantastic move to keep his R8 off the tires and in the hunt as we blast north towards Columbus Circle. I go into the Circle a little too hot and scrape the outside retaining wall, allowing Evans to briefly take the lead, but I easily power past him as we swing east and I'm back in the lead when we turn south on 6th Avenue. I scrape the retaining wall one more time working my way through the southbound chicanes, but hardly lose any time and I've got a comfortable lead by the time I turn around and start back north. After that it was smooth sailing all the way to the finish line, and an easy victory. Nobody could challenge the R8's big V10 here.  Leading the pack early in New York Result:
Prize: $12,950.00 Repairs: -$1,676.00 XP Gained: 7,000 (2010 Audi R8 5.2 FSI quattro gained Level 2) Hotlap: 1:12.564 (top 14% of 225,952 recorded times) Race Results: Code:
Event Standings: Code:
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Current Games Diablo III (BattleTag: DataKing#1685) Allegiances: Chicago Bears - Detroit Red Wings - Kansas Jayhawks Awards: 2011 Golden Scribe - Other Sports Category (The Straight(away) and Narrow - A Forza Motorsport 3 Dynasty) Last edited by DataKing : 01-26-2010 at 09:21 PM. |
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01-30-2010, 11:08 AM
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#81 |
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Pro Rookie
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Chicago
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Saturday, April 30th & Sunday, May 1st - Season 2
Round 3 of the Audi Club event is just up the road in Loudon, New Hampshire, so no need for a travel day. Instead, I spend the weekend making a couple of improvements to the R8 (not that it really needs it against this level of competition). Upgrade: Race Chassis Reinforcement & Roll Cage Price: $2,700.00 Effect: Weight +53 lbs. Rating: A-560 (up 2 from A-558) -In the New York race, the car felt like it had a bit too much body roll and flex for my liking, probably due to the length of the car. So I seem-weld the chassis and install a Sparco roll cage for maximum safety and stiffness. Upgrade: Sport Weight Reduction Price: $2,200.00 Effect: Weight -315 lbs. Rating: A-586 (up 26 from A-560) -I pull out the entertainment system, airbags, power accessories and AC to lighten the load on the suspension. Monday, May 2nd - Season 2 I spend the day running practice laps at Maple Valley Raceway, getting used to the stiffer chassis. Maple Valley is such a high-speed circuit, I don't see how any of the other competitors in the Audi Club has a chance tomorrow. Tuesday, May 3rd - Season 2 (Race Day) Event: Audi Club Race #3 (of 4): Maple Valley Raceway (Loudon, NH) - Short Circuit Reverse  First-Place Prize: $11,470.00 Laps: 6 Race Distance: 6.96 mi Starting Position: 4th Today's race really was no contest, as I suspected. I blasted off the line and right into the lead, overtaking Rossi's R8 on the entry to the first turn, and never looked back. The Italian did hang with me for most of the first lap, but the end result was really never in doubt. The 5.2 was so dominant that I actually lapped Johansson and Spiers at the beginning of my final lap, and getting through that slower traffic provided the only tense moment of the afternoon.  Lapping the slower traffic at Maply Valley. Result: Prize: $11,470.00 XP Gained: 6,200 (2010 Audi R8 5.2 FSI quattro gained Level 3) Hotlap: 41.835 (top 9% of 270,799 recorded times) Race Results: Code:
Event Standings: Code:
Wednesday, May 4th - Season 2 We stay stateside to finish off the Audi Club, heading down the east coast to Daytona for Friday's finale. Thursday, May 5th - Season 2 I turn some laps today at the Club Circuit at Daytona. Another fast track means tomorrow's race should be a foregone conclusion. However, I do manage to clip one of the retaining walls on lap 7, and spend the rest of the day and into the evening hours fixing the steering mechanism. Friday, May 6th - Season 2 (Race Day) Event: Audi Club Race #4 (of 4): Daytona International Speedway (Daytona Beack, FL) - Club Circuit  First-Place Prize: $11,100.00 Laps: 4 Race Distance: 7.76 mi Starting Position: 4th Once again the superior horsepower of the 5.2 prevails off the line, and I take the lead to the outside as we head onto the Daytona infield for the first portion of the race. Rossi and a couple of others were at least able to stay within shouting distance through the infield, but once we made the transition to the speedway section of the track, it was all over. The V10 in my R8 just blew away the competition here. Interesting side-note, I set a new person in-race top speed record today of 175.7 mph.  Pulling away from the field at Daytona. Prize: $11,100.00 XP Gained: 6,000 Hotlap: 1:02.069 (top 9% of 272,664 recorded times) Race Results: Code:
Event Result:  Event Bonus Prize: $25,800.00 Code:
Obviously this entire event wasn't even much of a contest, really. I almost feel guilty about taking the prize money. Almost. The Audi eggheads were quite pleased, as you can imagine, and have offered me discounts at Audi's in-house Driveline and Valve shops. I've also been awarded a discount on Sachs Germany Clutch assemblies (Audi, Mercedes-Benz, Opel, Porsche, and Volkswagen). Saturday, May 7th - Season 2 I have to cut my celebration time in Florida short and get on a plane. I'm headed to Japan for the finale of the Class C World Championship. There will be no time for practice laps at the Suzuka Circuit, but I am still pretty confident. I've raced each half of the track by itself on plenty of occasions (the East and West Circuits) and I'm quite familiar with them, but tomorrow will be my first time racing the Full Circuit. I'll need to be careful in the transitions, which I won't be familiar with, but a 5th place finish is all I need in order to ensure a championship. Then the real party can begin. Sunday, May 8th - Season 2 (Race Day) Event: Class C World Championship Race #5 (of 5): Suzuka Circuit (Suzuka City, Japan) - Full Circuit  First-Place Prize: $24,050.00 Laps: 4 Race Distance: 14.44 mi Starting Position: 4th As the race began I kept telling myself to look at the big picture and remember I only needed to finish 5th. I had managed to squeeze my way up into 3rd place before the first turn, but took that initial turn too wide and found myself falling back deeper into the pack. Apparently I haven't made very many friends amongst this group, because more than one driver made sure to give me a little shot on that first turn, and I emerged all the way back in 7th. Moving back up in turns 3 thru 5 proved difficult (as is usually the case here), but I managed to slip between the inside and outside lines on the Gyaku Bank, then to the inside of turn 7 and back up to 4th place as we headed through the curving transition to the West Circuit. An inside move on Williams at the Degner turn moved me back into 3rd. I made up some good ground on the leaders heading into and out of the turn 11 hairpin, then passed Davis to the inside of the long, right-handed sweeper turn 12. Takahashi and I touched on the entry to the famous Spoon turn at the southwest corner of the track, but I was able to move my way past him and into the lead on the Crossover straight. As I crossed the start-finish line for lap 2, I realized I had forgotten all about "just finishing 5th." The red mist had descended. I was not about to just back off and let anyone pass me. If so much as one of these much bigger cars really had a mind to ruin my day, they could very easily do so if I let them catch me. Perhaps due to a touch of nerves I got loose in a couple of spots on lap 2, allowing Davis to keep his big Charger right on or near my back bumper for most of the lap, but I was able to hold him off. Laps 3 and 4 were little better on my part, but I was still able to work my way out to a semi-comfortable lead as my competitors' lap times started to drop off considerably. Perhaps they were pushing especially hard early on, I don't know. All I know is the checkered flag and the Class C World Championship is mine! Close-quarters racing early on at Suzuka. Result: Prize: $24,050.00 Bonus Prize: $13,000.00 XP Gained: 13,000 (Driver gained Level 21) Hotlap: 2:28.466 (top 50% of 570,399 recorded times) Race Results: Code:
Event Result: Event Bonus Prize: $29,000.00 Code:
Winning the Class C World Championship certainly is a feather in my cap and the highlight of my season thus far, but seeing what the gentlemen at Ford had in store for me for winning comes in a close 2nd:  2005 Ford GT The Ford GT belongs near the top of the list when it comes to modern American muscle. Only four thousand were produced between 2003 and 2006, and it was styled closely after Ford's GT40 racers of the 1960s. But underneath it is a completely different animal. It's mid-placed 5.4-liter V8 engine is augmented by a twin-screw supercharger and cranks out 550 horsepower and, as is typical for American engines, is very torquey too, with 500 lb-ft of it at 4,500 RPMs. I had to take it for a spin around the track later in the day once things had died down, and I do like it. Plenty of grip in the massive rear wheels, but not so much that it isn't a hoot to drive. If I end up racing this thing, though, I'm going to have to swap out the transmission. The factory gearing is set up strictly for top speed and is all wrong for track racing. I was doing 100 mph in 2nd gear!
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Current Games Diablo III (BattleTag: DataKing#1685) Allegiances: Chicago Bears - Detroit Red Wings - Kansas Jayhawks Awards: 2011 Golden Scribe - Other Sports Category (The Straight(away) and Narrow - A Forza Motorsport 3 Dynasty) |
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02-01-2010, 11:57 PM
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#82 |
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Pro Rookie
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Chicago
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Monday, May 9th - Season 2
Things are a little quiet at this level over the next couple of weeks with the conclusion of the Class C Championship, so I've signed up for something a little different. Somebody out there in the amateur ranks decided it would be interesting to try racing SUVs (and pickups). I figured what the heck, let's give it a shot, so I spend the day today heading back to Florida for the start of the event. Event: SUV Road Test Rating Category: C-class Restrictions: Body style family limited to Sport Truck # of Races: 3 Total Event Prize: $23,495.00 Tuesday, May 10th - Season 2 If we're going to be racing Sport Trucks, that means I'm going to need to buy one. My decision on what to purchase may seem a little suspect, but I assure you there is a reason for it:  2008 Land Rover Range Rover Supercharged Maybe buying a Range Rover makes me yuppie scum, I don't know. But I've wanted to get my hands on one for a while now. Not necessarily for racing purposes, but to have something for moving tools, parts, etc during the winters in Barcelona. Sure, it ran me $68,000.00, which is a heck of a lot more than I stand to win in this event, but I can afford it. Author's Note: There's actually a big out-of-character reason for me buying the Range Rover. There is an Xbox achievement called Connoisseur that you get for owning at least one car from each manufacturer in the game. The Range Rover is the only vehicle in the game from Land Rover, so I would have had to buy one eventually anyway. The Competition: Code:
The Range Rover is a bit low as far as performance index goes against some of the other vehicles here, but Rossi's Cayenne (which I consider to be an eyesore and an insult to the Porsche name) is the only C-class in the field. Odds are I probably won't win in this event, but it's just not worth it spending a bunch of money beefing up the Range Rover for a limited payout. Wednesday, May 11th - Season 2 That being said, I do feel I should do something. Upgrade: Sport Weight Reduction Price: $1,200.00 Effect: Weight -633 lbs. Rating: D-305 (up 43 from E-263) -I strip out the entertainment system, airbags, power goodies, etc to at least get the weight down a bit. Thursday, May 12th - Season 2 I spend the day running laps in the Range Rover at Sebring International. The all-wheel-drive gives me a good feeling of control over the big SUV, but the ride height is something I'm completely unused to in a racing situation, and I can't corner anywhere near as fast as I normally can, for obvious reasons. Friday, May 13th - Season 2 (Race Day) Event: SUV Road Test Race #1: Sebring International Raceway (Sebring, FL) - Short Circuit  First-Place Prize: $6,845.00 Laps: 2 Race Distance: 4.00 mi Starting Position: 4th I got a decent jump off the line in the Range Rover, moving immediately into 3rd place behind Rossi and Muller. Muller and I bumped a little bit moving through the first turn, but I had the inside line and emerged in 2nd place. I was able to stay near Rossi's back bumper for a good portion of the lap, but once we hit the south straightaway the Porsche turbo under his hood really kicked in and he opened up a small lead. I was able to close that lead back down a bit as we made the turn at the west end of the track and headed back towards the start-finish line. I was near Rossi's back bumper as we approached the sharp turnaround at the north end of the track on lap 2 when he badly overbroke heading into the turn, causing me to rear-end him quite hard. We both kept going largely unaffected, a testament to the durability of these vehicles, but I was still pissed as he proceeded to drive away and I had to settle for a 2nd place finish.  Collision at Sebring (notice the glow of the brake rotors). Prize: $5,920.00 Repairs: -$498.00 XP Gained: 3,700 Hotlap: 1:29.534 (top 37% of 280,360 recorded times) Race Results: Code:
Event Standings: Code:
A satisfactory result, actually, when you consider that I'm using inferior equipment here. I just couldn't bring myself to buy one of those Cayenne atrocities. Saturday, May 14th - Season 2 Travel day today. For the first time in a while, I'm going to get to spend a few days in my own bed in Barcelona. Sunday, May 15th - Season 2 On a bit of a whim I decided to buy another car. It'll probably just end up in my garage gathering dust, but what the hell.  2006 Mitsubishi Eclipse GT Author's Note: I bought this car because I wanted to see how good a job the game did of modeling it, since this is what I drive in the real world (mine is a 2008, but they're pretty much identical). I was sorely disappointed in the treatment the Eclipse got here. It is a joyless lump in comparison to the real thing, let me tell you. Mine really comes alive when the torque kicks in at 4,000 RPM, but no such luck in the virtual world. Guess I'll stick to the real thing when it comes to the Eclipse. Monday, May 16th - Season 2 I get some track time today at the short School Circuit at Circuit de Catalunya. This is my least-favorite layout at Catalunya, and today was made even more difficult because the short, tight layout does not suit big SUVs very well. Oh well. Tuesday, May 17th - Season 2 (Race Day) Event: SUV Road Test Race #2 (of 3): Circuit de Catalunya (Montmelo, Spain) - School Circuit First-Place Prize: $8,325.00 Laps: 4 Race Distance: 4.23 mi Starting Position: 4th Another good start off the line (thanks in part to the all-wheel-drive on the Range Rover) and an early inside move on Muller shot me up to 2nd place very early in the race. I thought the lack of open straightaways would be to my advantage in overtaking Rossi, but although I was able to hang with him in the first two laps, even tapping is back bumper as we made he turn at the south end of the track, I was not able to gain enough of an advantage to overtake him. After that, with a little bit of a lead over the rest of the pack, I tried pressing a bit but only managed to run the Range Rover off of the track in a couple of spots, and ended up with another 2nd place finish overall.  Inside of Muller's Merc early in the race at Catalunya. Result: Prize: $7,215.00 XP Gained: 4,500 (2008 Land Rover Range Rover Supercharged gained Levels 1 & 2) Hotlap: 51.341 (top 6% of 389,055 recorded times) Race Results: Code:
Event Standings: Code:
Catching Rossi will be pretty much impossible now, unless he has a complete meltdown. Wednesday, May 18th - Season 2 Travel day today, as we turn right around and head back to Florida to finish off the event. But first... Thursday, May 19th - Season 2 (Project Stacey) I've been looking for a "project car" for a while now. Something that I can really concentrate on when I'm not focusing on the current event I'm participating in. I started to do this a little bit with the 2010 Camaro a little bit last year, but it never really stuck with me, and I think it was because of the vehicle. I'd thought about picking up an old Japanese tuner-special, like a Supra for an S-2000, but that's not really where my passion lies. I may live in Spain now, but I'm still an American gearhead, and that means I love muscle. Old muscle. 1960's muscle. Ladies and gentlemen, meet my new girlfriend; Stacey.   Stacey is a prime-condition 1967 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray 427 Big Block. She goes like a bat-out-of-hell for an old girl (D-category for a 40+ year-old-car is pretty damn good). And none of that fancy all-wheel-drive, traction control, launch control, or anything else you find on the modern stuff, which means she's a lot of fun to drive. And the noise she makes when I get her all hot-and-bothered...hubba hubba. OK, maybe I need help, but this thing is fun to drive. My idea for her is pretty simple, actually. I'm curious to see what an old muscle car can do if I turn it into a complete hot-rod (bore out the engine, supercharge it, just go bonkers with the engine) and at the same time give it some modern control mechanisms (differential, modern brakes, etc). I'm curious to see how she'll react and if I can actually turn her into a legit modern racer. Probably not...not at the higher levels, but it'll be a lot of fun trying. The name, by the way, comes from Gone in 60 Seconds. This car was in that movie, and her name was Stacey. Now back to your regularly scheduled program... Friday, May 20th - Season 2 We're in Daytona for the series finale. I run enough laps to get comfortable here with the Range Rover, but I don't bother pressing the matter much. I figure there's no way I'll be able to catch Rossi's Porsche engine here, of all places. Saturday, May 21st - Season 2 (Race Day) Event: SUV Road Test Race #3 (of 3): Daytona International Speedway (Daytona Beach, FL) - Club Circuit First-Place Prize: $8,325.00 Laps: 3 Race Distance: 5.82 mi Starting Position: 4th A decent launch on my part shot me right up to 3rd place, where I ducked in behind Muller's Merc to try a little drafting as we headed into turn 1 of the speedway section of the course. The transition to the infield part of the course went smoothly enough, but I remained buried behind Muller in 3rd until the very end of the 1st lap, where I pulled a bit of a dirty trick. With outside position right next to Muller I ran a line that would take the Range Rover right past the retaining wall that separated the track from pit road, leaving the German with no choice but to back off and fall into 3rd. By now Rossi had built up a small lead, but I was able to hold him within shouting distance. I'm not sure if he was just overcautious, missed a shift, or what, but I had a good run as we transitioned to the infield straightaway where I was able to move up to his back bumper and actually overtake him for the lead! Obviously I wasn't able to run away from that Porsche engine, but I was able to maintain my advantage for the remainder of the race and bring home an unexpected victory.  Overtaking Rossi for the lead at Daytona. Prize: $8,325.00 XP Gained: 4,500 Hotlap: 1:11.704 (top 33% of 304,029 recorded times) Race Results: Code:
Event Result:  Event Final Standings: Code:
At the conclusion of the event I receive the following discount offers:
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Current Games Diablo III (BattleTag: DataKing#1685) Allegiances: Chicago Bears - Detroit Red Wings - Kansas Jayhawks Awards: 2011 Golden Scribe - Other Sports Category (The Straight(away) and Narrow - A Forza Motorsport 3 Dynasty) |
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02-04-2010, 11:33 PM
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#83 |
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Pro Rookie
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Chicago
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Sunday, May 22nd - Season 2
I've got something a little different lined up for next week. I've been invited to a short drag-racing competition out in Arizona next week, and I've accepted the invitation. Now, I haven't done any drag racing since I was a kid, so this should be interesting. Event: 350HP RWD Shoot-Out Rating Category: C-Class Restrictions: Power limited to 350 horsepower, drive type must be rear-wheel-drive. # of Races: 3 (3 heats per race) Total Event Prize: $3,474.00 There's not very much money involved, but I figured why not? It'll be something a little different. The competition: Code:
It's really a shame that Stacey has too much power under the hood for this event. I'd love the chance to line her up against some of this muscle, especially that old Shelby. Unfortunately I don't have much in my garage that matches up well here, and I'm not really in the mood to spend more money on another car right now. So I decide to try old reliable, the Vauxhall VX220. It's only carrying 210 horsepower, but the light weight should hopefully make up the difference. We spend the day today in transit to Arizona. Monday, May 23rd - Season 2 I spend the day today making practice runs on the 1/8th mile strip at Sedona, and after a few runs I think I'm doing all right. The key appears to be to get just enough wheel spin off the line to heat up the tires real quick for good traction, but not enough to where you actually lose time. Obviously this is all about the launch...nothing else matters here. My best time on the day is a 9.610 seconds. Tuesday, May 24th & Wednesday, May 25th - Season 2 (Project Stacey) I really don't know what to expect with the drag-racing (which runs Thursday through Saturday) or how I match up, but I've got practically no P.I. to work with on the Vauxhall anyway, so I spend the next couple of days working on Stacey. Upgrade: Rear Tire Width Price: $2,300.00 Effect: 245/60R15 Rating: C-356 (up 11 from D-345) -With all the power the Big Block under the hood puts out, the first thing I need to do is improve Stacey's grip. As it is right now, a lot of her power is going to waste. Upgrade: Race Tire Compound Price: $10,000.00 Effect: Grip +0.25 Rating: C-418 (up 62 from C-356) -I drop ten large on a supply of racing slicks for Stacey. These should go a long way towards improving her track stickiness. Thursday, May 26th thru Saturday, May 28th - Season 2 (Race Day) Event: 350HP RWD Shoot-Out There's really not a lot to describe here, except to say that the Vauxhall proved more than enough for the competition. My average time improved by about a half a second over my practice times the other day, and I won all nine heats I was involved in over the three-day period. (Author's Note: I doubt everyone wants to read "I beat [insert opponent's name] off the line and won" nine times in a row, so I'll just list the times for each heat below and a summary of what I received at the end.) Day 1 / Heat 1 - vs. Sasaki (1998 Toyota Supra Z)Winner: Tolliver - 9.009 Loser: Sasaki - 9.660 Day 1 / Heat 2 - vs. Taylor (1996 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport) Winner: Tolliver - 9.042 Loser: Taylor - 9.676 Day 1 / Heat 3 - vs. Brown (1992 Chevolet Camaro 35th Anniversary SS) Winner: Tolliver - 9.042 Loser: Brown - 10.060 Day 2 / Heat 1 - vs. Sasaki (1998 Toyota Supra Z)Winner: Tolliver - 9.042 Loser: Sasaki - 9.660 Day 2 / Heat 2 - vs. Taylor (1996 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport) Winner: Tolliver - 9.092 Loser: Taylor - 9.659 Day 2 / Heat 3 - vs. Brown (1992 Chevolet Camaro 35th Anniversary SS) Winner: Tolliver - 8.959 Loser: Brown - 10.060 Day 3 / Heat 1 - vs. Sasaki (1998 Toyota Supra Z)Winner: Tolliver - 9.076 Loser: Sasaki - 9.644 Day 3 / Heat 2 - vs. Taylor (1996 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport) Winner: Tolliver - 8.992 Loser: Taylor - 9.644 Day 3 / Heat 3 - vs. Brown (1992 Chevolet Camaro 35th Anniversary SS) Winner: Tolliver - 8.992 Loser: Brown - 10.077  Defeating Taylor's Corvette in the closest race of the event. Prize: $3,474.00 ($386.00 per heat) XP Gained: 1,890 (210 per heat) Hotlap: 8.959 (top 7% of 38,384 recorded times) Event Bonus Prize: $945.00 Sunday, May 29th - Season 2 After the (admittedly anti-climatic) drag-racing at Sedona, I accept an invitation to participate in another manufacturer event that will start right here at Sedona on Thursday. Event: Tarmac Rally Rating Category: C-Class Restrictions: Model family limited to Impreza or Evo # of Races: 4 Total Event Prize: $41,255.00 The Subaru Impreza and the Mitsubishi Lancer Evo have a long-standing rivalry in the consumer market, so both companies sponsor a number of events like this to "settle things on the track," as it were. Unfortunately I don't own either model, so I spend my day shopping and test driving. Eventually I decide upon the following:  The 2005 Subaru Impreza WRX STI Overall I found the Impreza to feel more nimble and maneuverable than the bigger and heavier Lancers. The 2005 Impreza certainly isn't the newest or most powerful, but I find the power:weight ratio to my liking. The competition: Code:
*Special Note: The Impreza S204 that Sasaki is driving is a Unicorn. You can't buy one in the game. The only way to acquire one is to purchase one in the Auction House, where Turn 10 (the makers of the game) sell them on occasion. Needless to say, they go for ridiculous sums of money. Monday, May 30th & Tuesday, May 31st - Season 2 Upgrade: Street Weight Reduction Price: $800.00 Effect: Weight -80 lbs. Rating: C-392 (up 10 from C-382) -Removing the spare tire and tool kit, and dropping in a Bride lightweight battery, sheds eighty pounds. Upgrade: Sport Oil and Cooling Price: $720.00 Effect: Power +7 hp Rating: C-399 (up 7 from C-392) -An HKS Cooling remote mount oil filter and cooler along with baffled oil pickups will squeeze out a few extra horsepower. Wednesday, June 1st - Season 2 I spend the day back at Sedona Raceway Park, running laps on the Club Circuit. While the all-wheel-drive on the Impreza (and the Lancer too, for that matter) does take some of the fun out of driving, the car definitely feels planted and grippy around this place. That's especially good here, where sometimes the desert sand makes things feel a little slick. Thursday, June 2nd - Season 2 (Race Day) Event: Tarmac Rally Race #1 (of 4): Sedona Raceway Park (Sedona, AZ) - Club Circuit  First-Place Prize: $9,990.00 Laps: 3 Race Distance: 6.06 mi Starting Position: 4th The all-wheel-drive gave me a great jump off the line, and I was able to immediately overtake Yoshida for 3rd place, then passed Takahashi's Lancer on the inside for 2nd before the first hairpin turn at the east end of the track. Takahashi, Sasaki, and I jostled a little bit through that turn, but I emerged with the lead. After that the rest of the race was pretty much a non-event. I built up nearly a five second lead by the end of lap 1 and never looked back.  Sunset racing at Sedona Raceway Park. Result: Prize: $9,990.00 Repairs: -$178.00 XP Gained: 5,400 (2005 Subaru Impreza WRX STI gained Level 1) Hotlap: 1:20.984 (top 9% of 194,870 recorded times) Race Result: Code:
Event Standings: Code:
Friday, June 3rd - Season 2 Travel day. The event now shifts to Japan for the next two races, then back to the States for the finale. Saturday, June 4th - Season 2 Upgrade: Street Clutch Price: $900.00 Effect: Shift Time -0.04s Rating: C-401 (up 2 from C-399) -I install an Exedy clutch disc and plate with increased torque capacity. Sunday, June 5th - Season 2 We're back at one of my favorite tracks, Tsukuba, and for the first time this year I get to run the full layout, which I prefer. It doesn't take me long to get the Impreza dialed in here. The tight turns really seem to suit the nimble Subaru well. Monday, June 6th - Season 2 (Race Day) Event: Tarmac Rally Race #2 (of 4): Tsukuba Circuit (Shimotsuma, Japan) - Full Circuit First-Place Prize: $10,360.00 Laps: 4 Race Distance: 5.08 mi Starting Position: 4th Another good launch vaulted me straight up to 3rd place, and I even got a nose past Takahashi for 2nd before the first turn, but I was on the outside and could not press my advantage any further through the turn. Coming out of the 2nd hairpin I was still right behind Sasaki, and actually just came level with his back bumper as he moved back to the outside in preparation for the upcoming right-hander. He started to roll right across my front bumper, but instead of send him into the wall I took mercy, moving to the outside and slowing down, allowing him to recover and keep position. I remained on his back bumper through the east hairpin, and we were pretty much neck-and-neck across the southern straightaway, but I outbroke him into the right-hand sweeper at the end of the lap and took the lead. He tried me to the inside of that sweeper, but I was able to rub him off and keep my lead. Sasaki was able to hang with me for another lap, but after that I pulled away and had a comfortable lead for the last half of the race.  Showing mercy to the competition at Tsukuba. Result:
Prize: $10,360.00 XP Gained: 5,600 (Driver gained Level 22) (2005 Subaru Impreza WRX STI gained Level 2) Hotlap: 1:04.175 (top 22% of 146,593 recorded times) Race Results: Code:
Event Standings: Code:
Author's Note: I've apparently hit the limit on Spoiler tags in a single post, so I've stripped out some of the details on the Garage post back at the start of the dynasty, until I figure out another solution. I'm not sure if anyone's even looking at that thing or not.
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Current Games Diablo III (BattleTag: DataKing#1685) Allegiances: Chicago Bears - Detroit Red Wings - Kansas Jayhawks Awards: 2011 Golden Scribe - Other Sports Category (The Straight(away) and Narrow - A Forza Motorsport 3 Dynasty) |
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02-05-2010, 12:30 PM
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#84 |
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Pro Rookie
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: Canada eh
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Just caught up with this and really enjoying the read. Kind of disappointed you haven't used the Mustang though
Good luck with the project build. That should be a lot of fun to follow and be interesting to see how far you can build her up and how effective she'll be on the track.
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"I don't want to play golf. When I hit a ball, I want someone else to go chase it." - Rogers Hornsby |
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02-05-2010, 01:08 PM
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#85 |
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Pro Rookie
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Chicago
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Glad you're enjoying it Travis.
I'm kind of disappointed in the event selection I've had thus far too, actually. I roll randomly among the events that I qualify for (with a couple of other qualifications as well that I won't get into here), and so far it seems like I've been getting nothing but C-class and below (the Audi Club event being the one exception). The good news is that events get removed from the list once I've tried them once, so the odds of getting some higher category events keeps getting better. I've got a whole slew of cars in the B- and A-class categories I'm itching to try; Maserati, Camaro, BMW M5, Lotus, NSX-R, Jaguar, the new Ford GT, the BMW M3-GTR (which I want to turn into a dedicated A-class racer), and the Shelby GT500. There's even a 2010 Shelby available via one of the car pack DLCs I've been looking to buy as well. I'm really looking forward to seeing what I can do with Stacey, and I've got a couple of other ideas that have been rattling around in my head too. Ideas that will help shake things up and help keep this from becoming race-travel-upgrade-rinse-repeat.
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Current Games Diablo III (BattleTag: DataKing#1685) Allegiances: Chicago Bears - Detroit Red Wings - Kansas Jayhawks Awards: 2011 Golden Scribe - Other Sports Category (The Straight(away) and Narrow - A Forza Motorsport 3 Dynasty) |
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02-06-2010, 02:32 PM
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#86 |
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Pro Rookie
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Chicago
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Tuesday, June 7th & Wednesday, June 8th - Season 2 (Project Stacey)
Upgrade: Front Tire Width Price: $2,100.00 Effect: 235/65R15 Rating: C-423 (up 5 from C-418) -In the never-ending search for more grip, I swap out Stacey's front wheels with wider ones. Upgrade: Modulare M7 Rims Price: $3,600.00 Effect: Weight -16 lbs. Rating: C-425 (up 2 from C-423) -At the same time, I replace Stacey's rims with a set of Modulare M7s. They reduce her overall weight by a few pounds, but this is really about looks.  Stacey's new shoes. Thursday, June 9th - Season 2 Track time today on the East Circuit at Suzuka, where I usually excel. It doesn't take long to get the Impreza dialed in, and the planted feel the car offers means I expect some really good lap times tomorrow. Friday, June 10th - Season 2 (Race Day) Event: Tarmac Rally Race #3 (of 4): Suzuka Circuit (Suzuka City, Japan) - East Circuit First-Place Prize: $9,620.00 Laps: 4 Race Distance: 5.56 mi Starting Position: 4th The all-wheel-drive and good grip in the Impreza makes things exceptionally easy off the line; just jam your foot into the floorboards and go. That's exactly what I did, firing all the way up to the lead as we headed into the first turn. As we ran through the esses on the back half of the track I did what I usually do here, which is pull away from the pack. By the end of the first lap I had built up a four second lead, and that lead did nothing but grow for the remainder of the race.  Jumping out to the early lead at Suzuka. Result: Prize: $9,620.00 XP Gained: 5,200 (2005 Subaru Impreza WRX STI gained Level 3) Hotlap: None (did not surpass previous best lap time) Race Results: Code:
Event Standings: Code:
Saturday, June 11th - Season 2 Travel day today. We head back to state-side to finish up the event. Sunday, June 12th - Season 2 (Project Stacey) I said I wanted to go bonkers with Stacey's engine...here's what going bonkers looks like: Upgrade: Twin-Screw Supercharger Price: $3,600.00 Effect: Power +70 hp Rating: B-466 (up 41 from C-425) -Because 435 horsepower is nowhere near enough. I spend the day fitting an Eaton twin-screw supercharger on Stacey's big block, pushing her past 500 horsepower.Monday, June 13th - Season 2 I turn some laps today at the Short Circuit at Maple Valley Raceway, first in Stacey then in the Impreza. A dozen laps or so is all it takes to get the Impreza ready for tomorrow, but Stacey is going to take some more getting used to. Even with the racing slicks I'm having a seriously hard time controlling all of her power in anything but a straight line. I'm thinking a limited-slip differential is the next order of business there. Tuesday, June 14th - Season 2 (Race Day) Event: Tarmac Rally Race #4 (of 4): Maple Valley Raceway (Loudon, NH) - Short Circuit First-Place Prize: $11,285.00 Laps: 6 Race Distance: 6.96 mi Starting Position: 4th Another great launch had me right up in front as we entered the first right-hand sweeper at the south end of the track, where I swept out wide and took the lead from Sasaki. He managed to stay with me for the remainder of the lap, but after that I really started to stretch things out for an easy victory. Even after locking up the brakes at the north end of the track on lap 4 and brushing the wall, I never even saw any of the opposition in my rear-view mirror.  Crossing the finish line at Maply Valley. Result: Prize: $11,285.00 Repairs: -$341.00 XP Gained: 6,100 Hotlap: 43.910 (top 6% of 305,272 recorded times) Race Results: Code:
Event Result: Event Bonus Prize: $11,150.00 Event Final Standings: Code:
It wasn't just Mitsubishi and Subaru stiffs that have been watching this race. Apparently some folks from Mercedes-Benz have been watching as well, and were impressed. They presented me with the following:  The 2009 Mercedes-Benz SL 65 AMG Black Series The Black Series is the high-performance version of the Mercedes-Benz AMG SL 65, and in typical AMG fashion the thing is truly mad. The 6.0-liter V-12 engine is fitted with up-sized twin turbochargers and puts out a staggering 661 horsepower! Subaru's after-market partners were also pretty impressed with my performance. I have been granted the following discounts:
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Current Games Diablo III (BattleTag: DataKing#1685) Allegiances: Chicago Bears - Detroit Red Wings - Kansas Jayhawks Awards: 2011 Golden Scribe - Other Sports Category (The Straight(away) and Narrow - A Forza Motorsport 3 Dynasty) |
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02-07-2010, 11:56 PM
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#87 |
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Pro Rookie
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Chicago
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Wednesday, June 15th - Season 2
We've got a new event lined up. It's another Manufacturer-sponsored event, this time a joint venture by Honda and Acura. Event: Honda Acura Owner's Meeting Rating Category: C-class Restrictions: Manufacturers limited to Honda and Acura # of Races: 4 Total Event Prizes: $46,995.00 I spend the day heading back to Japan for the start of the event. Thursday, June 16th - Season 2 The only Hondas I own right now are the Del Sol (which doesn't stand a chance) and the super-rare NSX-R GT (which is rated too highly). But there's another car on Honda's list that I've been keen to add to my collection for a while now, the S2000.  2003 Honda S2000 The S2000 is a compact little roadster with a very high-strung 4-banger that manages to put out 247 horsepower. One neat little thing about the car is that the revs are displayed digitally right across the display panel, and flash when redline is reached. I got his one in line-new condition for $15,000.00 The competition: Code:
Realistically, I expect Davis to run away with this one. Nothing else in the field can compete with his NSX, and I'm not prepared to drop $45,000.00 on a NSX (or $60,000.00 on the '05 model) when I have the NSX-R GT at home. So the guy I'm shooting for here is Takahashi. If I can beat him for 2nd place I'll consider it a success. Friday, June 17th - Season 2 Upgrade: Sport Differential Price: $2,880.00 Effect: Differential 1.5-way Rating: C-360 (no change) -Test-driving the S2000 shows me that, despite the even front/back weight distribution, the back end wants to swing around in the worst way when I try to accelerate out of a turn. So I put in a Kaaz differential to allow stronger positive lock torque under acceleration. Saturday, June 18th - Season 2 I spend the day turning laps with the S2000 at Twin Ring Motegi's West Circuit. As is usually the case here, I do great on most of the track, but the notch at the southeast corner continues to give me trouble. For some reason I just can't get comfortable with the approach into that area of the track. Sunday, June 19th - Season 2 (Race Day) Event: Honda Acura Owner's Meeting Race #1 (of 4): Twin Ring Motegi (Motegi, Japan) - West Circuit First-Place Prize: $11,700.00 Laps: 6 Race Distance: 6.60 mi Starting Position: 4th A decent start on my part gave me a short lead over Yoshida for 3rd place heading into the first turn. He and I bumped there, but I managed to hold the line and emerged on the back stretch still in 3rd place. Still in 3rd at the end of lap 2, I got in trouble at the south end of the track, missing my approach to the notch badly and then overshooting my exit back onto the front stretch, severely limiting the possibility of me catching Takahashi for 2nd. After more of the same on the first turn of lap 3, I resorted to a strictly defensive approach, just trying to hold my position from the weaker competition behind me. But at the start of lap 4 I completely overshot the first turn, heading off into the kitty litter and was back in 5th behind Sato and Yoshida both before I got back on track. However, on the run back towards the south end of the track I was able to slip between the two through a narrow gap, then took advantage of the inside line to retake 3rd place in the notch (despite a frightening amount of tailspin from the S2000). I was able to hold my position for the remainder of the race and retained my place on the podium.  Slipping through the cracks at Twin Ring Motegi. Result:  Prize: $8,775.00 XP Gained: 6,000 (2003 Honda S2000 gained Level 1) Hotlap: 44.536 (top 74% of 159,671 recorded times) - too much damn wheel spin. Race Results: Code:
Event Standings: Code:
Monday, June 20th - Season 2 Upgrade: Sport Weight Reduction Price: $1,600.00 Effect: Weight -200 lbs. Rating: C-386 (up 26 from C-360) -I'm hoping that lightening the S2000's load (AC, stereo, spare tire, etc) along with a Bride lightweight battery will help with the braking as well as the grip when I hit the gas coming out of the turns. Tuesday, June 21st - Season 2 I get some track time today at Tsukuba's Short Circuit. With the two hairpin turns and the right-hand sweepers at the tail end of the track, keeping grip in the back tires is going to be crucial. Wednesday, June 22nd - Season 2 (Race Day) Event: Honda Acura Owner's Meeting Race #2 (of 4): Tsukuba Circuit (Shimotsuma, Japan) - Short Circuit First-Place Prize: $12,480.00 Laps: 6 Race Distance: 5.82 mi Starting Position: 4th I got a great jump at the line, and had a clean hold on 3rd place heading into the first hairpin. I got a nose under Takahashi's S2000 as we headed into the 2nd hairpin and we bumped, but he managed to hold me off and maintain his spot. I tried the same thing at the start of the ensuing right-hand sweeper, but we bumped again and this upset the delicate balance I had on the car. The back end swung right around on me, spinning me out completely and dumping me all the way at the end of the pack. I managed to work my way back past Kim's Honda Fit (poor bastard always ends up racing crappy cars) between the two hairpins on lap 2, and Kato's Civic fell just as we crossed the line separating laps 2 and 3. It took me all the way until the front stretch on lap 5 to catch and pass Watanabe's Prelude. I was trying like mad to run down Sato before we ran out of time, but once the again the tail end on the S2000 ended up biting me in the ass. I lost rear grip again, this time on the very last sweeper heading for the finish line, allowing Watanabe to reclaim 5th place.  It's only drifting if it's on purpose. Result: 6th place Prize: $4,680.00 Repairs: -$104.00 XP Gained: 6,400 (2003 Honda S2000 gained Level 2) Hotlap: 48.499 (top 13% of 594,851 recorded times) Race Results: Code:
Event Standings: Code:
I can probably forget about catching Takahashi for 2nd place at this point. The first thing I've got to do is solve the grip problems on my little Honda. But before that... Thursday, June 23rd - Season 2 And now for something completely different... I've been invited to take place in the "DK Enterprises Endurance Challenge Invitational" at Mugello Autodromo Internazionale in Italy. This is a one-time, special event by invitation only, with rules that are a bit different than a conventional race. Event: DK Enterprises Endurance Challenge Invitational Rating Category: B-Class Restrictions: Rear-Wheel-Drive Only # of Races: 1 Scoring: 1-hour timed event, scoring based on distance covered. Instead of the shorter, sprint-type races that dominate the racing world these days, this is a much longer event that requires consistency and mental fortitude and yes, a pit stop. Each team must take at least one pit stop during the race, whether or not fuel is required (for most B-class cars, it will be). I spend the day traveling to Italy for the race and making arrangements to have my BMW M3-GTR meet me there. The competition: Ross (USA) (2000 Ford Mustang Cobra R) Johnson (UK) (2006 Lotus Exige Cup 240) Lockhart (USA) (2000 Ford Mustang Cobra R) Reed (UK) (2008 Maserati GranTurismo) Tunnell (GER) (2006 Porsche Cayman S) Caviezel (ITA) (2008 BMW Z4 M Coupe) Hartman (GER) (2008 Maserati GranTurismo) Author's Note: This is one of the ideas I've been bouncing around as a way to shake things up in this dynasty report. This will effectively be a private, online race between myself and seven A.I. drivers (difficulty level and assists remain the same). This is just a trial, but if it goes well I could see doing something like this once-per month or so, on the last Sunday of the month, once that year's World Championship event has concluded. A full-length track is chosen at random and the computer is instructed to select cars at random from the restrictions I've indicated above. We'll see how it goes. Friday, June 24th - Season 2 Track time today to get ready for the big race at Mugello. Saturday, June 25th - Season 2 (Race Day) Event: DK Enterprises Endurance Challenge Invitational Race #1 (of 1): Mugello Autodromo Internazionale (Mugello, Italy) - Full Circuit  Author's Note: Forgive me if the details are sketchy here. I screwed up and didn't save the replay. Instead of using Performance Index to declare starting positions, all of the racers drew straws in the morning at the driver's meeting. Naturally I came in dead last and started at the very tail end of the pack. But the highly-tuned V-8 in the front of the GTR more than made up for that little bit of bad luck, and I was able to overtake Johnson's Lotus Exige and both Maseratis before we reached the end of the first straightaway. Careful not to be in too much of a hurry (this was a marathon, not a sprint after all), I was able to move my way past the Mustangs easily enough on the first lap, and before the end of lap 2 I had Caviezel's Z4 in my rear-view mirror as well. However, at this point Tunnell had built up what felt like a massive lead (I could just barely catch sight of him on some portions of the track). I hunkered down and prepared for the long task of reeling him back in. I got particularly good at late-braking into San Donato at the end of the long straightaway and made up considerable time there. Finally, after 25 minutes of racing I had the Beemer on the back bumper of Tunnell's Porsche, and two minutes later I finally made my pass on the front straightaway and took the lead. That lead gradually grew for the next twenty minutes or so, until the Porsche was just a speck in my rear-view mirror. With ten minutes to go I made my mandatory pit-stop (the tires were still in relatively good shape, but it was iffy whether or not I had enough gas on board to finish). Then, back on the track and running smoothly with five minutes to go, disaster struck. Heading into San Donato my brakes failed. There's a long sand-trap at the end of that straightaway (for just such a reason), but I was still helpless and ended up banging the front end into the retaining wall pretty good. The only good news was that the impact had apparently knocked out whatever caused the brakes to fail in the first place (Author's note: My xbox wheel, not the brakes, is what failed here, causing me to lose all control and coast into the wall. Needless to say I was pissed). But by the time I got the GTR back through the sand and onto the track, Tunnell's Porsche had retaken the lead and I did not have enough time to try to track him down again.  Crossing the line early on in the DK Invitational. Result: Prize: $126,000.00 Repairs: -$24,246.00 XP Gained: 80,000 (2002 BMW M3-GTR gained Levels 1 thru 5) (Driver gained Levels 23 thru 25) Race Results: Code:
Whoever this DK joker is that sponsored the event and bored us all to tears during the driver's meeting, the guy has connections. Those of us that did well were inundated with gifts and goodies after the race. I received the following:  2005 TVR Sagaris For the uninitiated, TVR is an British company, and is the world's 3rd-largest independent producer of sports cars and racing vehicles. They specialize in lightweight racers and sports cars, similar to Lotus in that respect. The Sagaris is one of their most recent offerings, weight in at under 2,400 pounds and powered by a sport-tuned 4.0-liter straight-six that puts out 406 horsepower.  2008 Porsche 911 GT2 (997) Porsche is a little odd, in that on most of their sports cars they use rear-mounted engines (meaning the engine is located behind the rear axle). This gives the cars a lot of understeer, but completely eliminates any trouble with the acceleration coming out of turns. The 2008 GT2 has a twin-turbocharged 6-cylinder engine that puts out 530 horsepower and reaches maximum torque at only 2,200 RPMs.  2008 Lamborghini Reventon No, that's not a spaceship, that's a car. Although when that DK oddball gave me the keys, I'm sure I was looking at him like he was from some other planet. He told me he had originally planned to give it to the winner of the race, but decided to give it to me instead, since I would have won handily if not for my little mechanical mishap near the end. Hooray for eccentric bazillionaires, which is apparently what this guy is. Allow me to explain. Only 21 of these cars exist on the entire planet. The Reventon is a Lamborghini Murcielago LP640 with a completely new carbon fibre exterior. The instrument panel consists of three liquid-crystal displays. The instruments themselves are housed in a structure milled from a solid block of aluminum. It even includes a damn built-in G-force meter. The price tag: two-point-one million dollars. Like I said; eccentric bazillionaire. I doubt you'll find me racing this thing any time soon (though it should help in other endeavors). Author's Note: After a bit of reflection, I like the idea of these custom hour-long races, but I'm going to have to wait until I reach Level 50 (the level maximum in the game) before I start running them regularly. The rewards are just too rich. Three brand new cars after a single race? I think not. Still, look for these to return at some point in the future.
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Current Games Diablo III (BattleTag: DataKing#1685) Allegiances: Chicago Bears - Detroit Red Wings - Kansas Jayhawks Awards: 2011 Golden Scribe - Other Sports Category (The Straight(away) and Narrow - A Forza Motorsport 3 Dynasty) Last edited by DataKing : 02-13-2010 at 10:47 PM. |
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02-13-2010, 11:49 PM
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#88 |
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Pro Rookie
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Chicago
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Sunday, June 26th - Season 2
Travel day today, as we head to Spain to continue the Honda Acura Owner's Meeting event. It'll be nice to spend a few days in my own bed for once (I've been traveling since mid-May). Monday, June 27th - Season 2 Upgrade: Sport Tire Compound Price: $5,000.00 Effect: Grip +0.07 Rating: C-399 (up 13 from C-386) -I haven't given up on the S2000 just yet, so I drop five large on a supply of Bridgestone sport tires to improve the grip and try to keep the back end in line. Tuesday, June 28th - Season 2 I spend the day running laps and tuning the S2000 at the Iberian International Circuit in Montserrat. After some experimentation I figure out that I had the differential rating set too high on the back tires. Lowering it seems to have the desired effect, and I'm actually able to keep the back end from sliding around on high-speed turns. Tomorrow we'll see whether or not that translates into better performance on the track. Wednesday, June 29th - Season 2 (Race Day) Event: Honda Acura Owner's Meeting Race #3 (of 4): Iberian International Circuit (Montserrat, Spain) - Full Circuit Reverse  First-Place Prize: $10,725.00 Laps: 4 Race Distance: 5.96 mi Starting Position: 3rd I get a good jump on Takahashi off the line to get things started, and move up into 2nd place before the double-apex turn at the north-east corner of the track, but an incorrect line on my part through the 2nd apex allows him to take the position right back. I'm still trailing my fellow S2000 as we cross the line to start lap 2, but not by much. I'm able to out-break him into the north-east corner, and this time I'm able to hold my line and keep 2nd all to myself. The back end did give me a bit of trouble at the same double-apex at the beginning of lap 3, and although Takahashi was able to close the gap I had built between us, it was not enough of an error to allow him to overtake me. I was never able to challenge Davis' NSX for the lead, but that was not my goal. I did get the 2nd place finish that I had been looking for in this event.  Flying over the drop-off at Iberian International Prize: $9,360.00 XP Gained: 5,500 (2003 Honda S2000 gained Level 3) Hotlap: 1:01.518 (top 25% of 54,285 recorded times) Race Results: Code:
Event Standings: Code:
Thursday, June 30th - Season 2 Travel day. We're headed back to Maple Valley in New Hampshire to close out the event. Friday, July 1st - Season 2 Upgrade: Sport Clutch Price: $800.00 Effect: Shift Time: -0.09 s Rating: C-404 (up 5 from C-399) -The high-revving engine in the S2000 could use with a better clutch, so I install an Ogura Racing sport model to cut down on the shift time. Saturday, July 2nd - Season 2 I spend the day turning laps back at Maple Valley, fine-tuning the differential settings a little bit more. The big sweeper at the south end of the track is a great test for the diff, and by the end of the day I've got it set right on the very edge of out-of-control. And on a side note, it'll be nice to spend the holiday weekend back in the states this year. Sunday, July 3rd - Season 2 (Race Day) Event: Honda Acura Owner's Meeting Race #4 (of 4): Maple Valley Raceway (Loudon, NH) - Short Circuit Reverse First-Place Prize: $12,090.00 Laps: 6 Race Distance: 6.96 mi Starting Position: 3rd Another good jump off the line allowed me to beat Takahashi for 2nd place before we headed into the first turn. He took a wide approach through the north end of the track, while mine allowed me to hug the bottom edge, then drift out in front of him with more speed onto the back section. The rest of the race I was able to complete without drama for another solid 2nd-place finish. I figured on a high-speed track like Maple Valley Davis' NSX would absolutely leave me in the dust, but the S2000 performed so well I was actually able to keep him within sight.  Gunning it at the start at Maple Valley Result: Prize: $10,530.00 XP Gained: 6,200 Hotlap: 44.883 (top 6% of 445,071 recorded times) Race Results: Code:
Event Result:  Event Final Standings: Code:
Unfortunately my early troubles, especially the disaster at Tsukuba, pretty much ruined my shot at beating Takahashi for 2nd place overall, but at least I was able to salvage a spot on the podium. And, perhaps more importantly, I've found a car that I really like. The S2000 almost lost me at first, but I've completely changed my opinion of it, and I'm considering turning it into a tuner special at a later date. The following discounts have been increased from 10% to 20%:
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Current Games Diablo III (BattleTag: DataKing#1685) Allegiances: Chicago Bears - Detroit Red Wings - Kansas Jayhawks Awards: 2011 Golden Scribe - Other Sports Category (The Straight(away) and Narrow - A Forza Motorsport 3 Dynasty) |
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02-14-2010, 10:46 AM
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#89 |
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Pro Rookie
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Chicago
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Monday, July 4th - Season 2
I've got another amateur event lined up for the next couple of weeks (My random event rolls have been pretty lousy lately). Event: Hot Hatch Road Test Rating Category: C-Class Restrictions: Body style limited to Hatchbacks. # of Races: 3 Total Event Prize: $25,545.00 I spend the day today traveling back to Barcelona and looking over my garage. It looks like the most suitable car I own is the 2009 Ford Focus Rally Sport, so I'll be using that.  The competition:
Code:
Looking over this group, I should have a clear advantage over all of them except for Sasaki's Subaru. I've got him beat on raw power, but his Subaru's all-wheel-drive may make him difficult to deal with. Tuesday, July 5th - Season 2 The first race isn't until Friday, but I spend some time today running laps in the Focus at Circuit de Catalunya, trying to re-familiarize myself with the car and with racing front-wheel-drive (something I haven't done since early April). Wednesday, July 6th - Season 2 Upgrade: Sport Ignition Price: $2,880.00 Effect: Power +9 hp Rating: C-402 (up 9 from C-393) -I don't see much need to work on the Focus' handling characteristics, so I go with power instead. I install a MSD capacitive-discharge coil pack, heat-range-optimized spark plugs, and grounded ignition wires to optimize the Focus' timing advance curve. Thursday, July 7th - Season 2 More laps at Circuit de Catalunya today, this time on the short School Circuit track. This isn't the best layout for front-wheel-drive cars, but I have no say in the matter. Friday, July 8th - Season 2 (Race Day) Event: Hot Hatch Road Test Race #1 (of 3): Circuit de Catalunya (Montmelo, Spain) - School Circuit First-Place Prize: $8,775.00 Laps: 4 Race Distance: 4.23 mi Starting Position: 3rd Launching is always tricky in high-powered front-wheel-drive cars, since the car "squats" under acceleration, moving weight to the back wheels, but I got a halfway decent start, and had the inside line on Taylor due to starting 3rd, which allowed me to emerge from the first turn in 2nd place. But Sasaki's all-wheel-drive allowed him to jump out to a decent lead right at the beginning of the race, and I was never able to catch up. With no real straightaways on the abbreviated track I was never able to take advantage of the one area I had Sasaki beat; power.  Taking Taylor on the first turn at Catalunya. Result: Prize: $7,605.00 XP Gained: 4,500 Hotlap: 50.148 (top 7% of 387,684 recorded times) Race Results: Code:
Event Standings: Code:
Saturday, July 9th - Season 2 We bounce back across the Atlantic today, back to New Hampshire. Sunday, July 10th - Season 2 Upgrade: Street Valves Price: $1,620.00 Effect: Power +4 hp Rating: C-406 (up 4 from C-402) -More power didn't do me any good at Catalunya, but it should help in the last two races in this event (Maple Valley and Twin Ring Motegi). I install a set of large-diameter stainless steel valves to improve the Focus' airflow. Monday, July 11th - Season 2 I spend the day turning laps at Maple Valley today. I feel like my lap times are pretty good, and I'm hoping the high-speed nature of this track will help me to overcome Sasaki's advantage in grip tomorrow. Tuesday, July 12th - Season 2 (Race Day) Event: Hot Hatch Road Test Race #2 (of 3): Maple Valley Raceway (Loudon, NH) - Short Circuit Reverse First-Place Prize: $7,995.00 Laps: 4 Race Distance: 4.64 mi Starting Position: 3rd Once again I was able to get a decent start at the drop of the green flag, and overtook Taylor for 2nd place before the first turn at the north end of the track. But again I did not have enough car to overtake Sasaki's damn all-wheel-drive Subaru. I would make up a little bit of time each lap on the back half of the track, but then on the left-hand sweeper that leads back to the front straightaway I would have to lift, allowing Sasaki to carry more speed on the front stretch and pull away again. A bit frustrating, to say the least.  As close as I was able to get to Sasaki (in red) all day. Result: Prize: $7,020.00 XP Gained: 4,100 Hotlap: 44.785 (top 5% of 446,304) Race Results: Code:
Event Standings: Code:
Wednesday, July 13th - Season 2 On the road again...just can't wait to get on the road again... Travel day today, as we head to Japan to finish off the event. Thursday, July 14th - Season 2 (Project Stacey) I'd just about given up on beating Sasaki at this point, so I decided to work on Stacey instead. Upgrade: Race Differential Price: $8,100.00 Effect: Differential 2-way Rating: B-465 (down 1 from B-466) -It took some doing, but I managed to get a working race differential onto the old girl, which will allow me to set limited slip rates on her rear wheels both under acceleration and deceleration. Hopefully this will help to alleviate the massive amounts of oversteer I'm getting from her. Friday, July 15th - Season 2 I spend the day running laps on the East Circuit at Twin Ring Motegi today, in a few different cars. First up is Stacey. I spend some time tweaking the differential settings and air pressure, and I'm able to run a clean lap at 1:38.166. However, I still have some work to do. By way of comparison, I borrow a Lexus IS F for a few laps (comparable to Stacey's current Performance Index and also rear-wheel-drive) and I run a 1:36.852. Later in the day I go back to the Focus and get it dialed in as well as I can, though I am not optimistic about my chances for a win. Saturday, July 16th - Season 2 (Race Day) Event: Hot Hatch Road Test Race #3 (of 3): Twin Ring Motegi (Motegi, Japan) - East Circuit First-Place Prize: $8,775.00 Laps: 2 Race Distance: 3.77 mi Starting Position: 3rd A little too much wheel spin on my part at the start meant Taylor stayed in front of me for a little bit, but the engine modifications I've made to my Focus paid off and I was still able to overtake him for 2nd before the sharp right-hand tunnel turn at the southwest corner of the track. Sasaki remained in the lead for all of the first lap, but I was definitely hanging with him, and made up considerable ground on the front straightaway as we started the 2nd and final lap. I was right up on his back bumper as we approached the 120-degree turn at the northwest corner, but his braking was perfect and I wasn't able to get a nose underneath. I stayed right with him, and was finally able to pull level as we approached the final hairpin at the east end of the track. I dove to the inside and ended up going deep into the turn. Upon review, if Sasaki had just backed off a little, he could have swung back underneath me and probable won, but instead he ended up getting knocked off the track altogether and I claimed victory! Taking the lead on the final turn at Motegi. Result: Prize: $8,775.00 XP Gained: 4,500 (2009 Ford Focus RS gained level 4) Hotlap: 1:38.045 (top 20% of 418,394 recorded times) Race Results: Code:
Event Result: Event Final Standings: Code:
Too little, too late as far as the final standings go, but it was still nice to prove I could beat Sasaki. My discount on Ford valves and displacement improvements has been upped to 20%.
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Current Games Diablo III (BattleTag: DataKing#1685) Allegiances: Chicago Bears - Detroit Red Wings - Kansas Jayhawks Awards: 2011 Golden Scribe - Other Sports Category (The Straight(away) and Narrow - A Forza Motorsport 3 Dynasty) |
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02-18-2010, 10:42 PM
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#90 |
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Pro Rookie
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Chicago
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Sunday, July 17th - Season 2
I'm approached by the folks at Vauxhall about participating in a corporate-sponsored event of theirs, and I readily agree. I've had a lot of success in the VX220 and become a bit of a fan of the car, so I figure I should do pretty well here. Event: Vauxhall Racing Club Rating Category: C-class Restrictions: Vauxhall cars only # of Races: 4 Total Event Prize: $47,190.00 Not the biggest purse around, but for some reason I seem to be getting the cold shoulder from the semi-pro ranks this year. So be it. I guess they figure I need to prove myself a little bit more. The Competition: Code:
Obviously I should be getting most of my competition from Rossi and Muller, who will also be running VX220's. But mine is already heavily modified and I am completely comfortable with it, which should give me the advantage. I spend the day traveling to Atlanta for the first leg of the event. Monday, July 18th & Tuesday, July 19th - Season 2 Upgrade: Race Front Anti-Roll Bars Price: $3,420.00 Effect: Body roll reduction Rating: C-423 (down 1 from C-424) Upgrade: Race Rear Anti-Roll Bars Price: $3,420.00 Effect: Body roll reduction Rating: C-423 (no change) -If I have one complaint about the VX220, its the fact that it does get a bit of body roll, most likely from the lightweight materials used to build it. So I sacrifice a few pounds and install hollow blade-type anti-roll bars with solid end-links and aluminum block mounts. There are also fully customizable, which will allow me to adjust the front and rear body stiffness for tuning purposes. Wednesday, July 20th - Season 2 I spend the day at Road Atlanta, getting the Vauxhall dialed in and the anti-sway bars set up properly. After some fiddling, I settle on a set-up that's relatively neutral in the back, but a bit softer than normal in the front. I've been here once before, but tomorrow we'll be running the abbreviated Club Circuit, rather than the full circuit I ran here before. Thursday, July 21st - Season 2 (Race Day) Event: Vauxhall Racing Club Race #1 (of 4): Road Atlanta (Braselton, GA) - Club Circuit  First-Place Prize: $11,700.00 Laps: 4 Race Distance: 7.08 mi Starting Position: 3rd The modifications I've made to my VX220 were obvious at the drop of the green flag, as I was easily able to pull to the inside and in front of both Muller and Rossi on the opening straightaway. To his credit, the mad Italian Rossi stayed with me very well through the esses, but I had a fantastic run through the straightaway kink as we headed back towards the grandstands, allowing me to leave the rest of the field in the dust. I did have a small problem back in the kink on lap 3, but by that point I had built up enough of a lead where I really didn't have anything to worry about.  Leading the pack into the straightaway chicanes at Road Atlanta.
Result: Prize: $11,700.00 XP Gained: 6,000 (Driver gained Level 26) (2004 Vauxhall VX220 Turbo gained Level 5) Hotlap: 1:05.818 (top 35% of 223,832 recorded times) Race Results: Code:
Event Standings: Code:
Friday, July 22nd & Saturday, July 23rd - Season 2 No need for a dedicated travel day this time around, since race #2 is just down the road a bit at Sebring in Florida. Upgrade: Street Flywheel Price: $1,700.00 Effect: Weight -2 lbs. Rating: C-424 (up 1 from C-423) -I've still got a little bit of room for improvement on the VX220, so I install an ACT forged-steel flywheel, reducing weight and inertia and improving throttle response. Upgrade: Sport Driveline Price: $1,170.00 Effect: Weight -5.5 lbs. Rating: C-423 (up 1 from C-424) -An aluminum drive shaft decreases driveline inertia and overall weight by a few precious pounds. Sunday, July 23rd - Season 2 Track time today on the Club Circuit at Sebring International. I have the same problem that I've had on previous trips here; braking points. There are plenty of cones and other things to use as reference points here (despite the track itself being almost completely flat), but for some reason I still have trouble with consistent braking. Monday, July 24th - Season 2 (Race Day) Event: Vauxhall Racing Club Race #2 (of 4): Sebring International Raceway (Sebring, FL) - Club Circuit  First-Place Prize: $12,675.00 Laps: 4 Race Distance: 6.80 mi Starting Position: 3rd Another good jump off the line saw me pull level with Rossi as we headed into the first sharp right-hand turn. There we bumped a couple of times moving through the turn, but I emerged with the lead thanks to having the inside line, and I still held the lead (albeit a relatively small one) at the end of the first lap. I maintained that small lead through lap 2, but then ran into some braking issues on the bottom section of the "fishtail" near the end of lap 3 which allowed Rossi to catch up with me and very nearly overtake me for the lead. Then my braking problems chose to continue and I went way too hard into the first turn on the 4th and final lap. I went off into the grass and surrendered 1st and 2nd to Rossi and Muller, respectively. I got back up to the lead pack, then inadvertently bumped Rossi off into the grass on the "fin" at the north part of the track, moving into 2nd place. Shortly thereafter I managed an inside move on Muller in the tail section and forced my way back into the lead, which I was able to hold on to this time.  Playing catchup after a braking error at Sebring. Result: Prize: $12,675.00 XP Gained: 6,500 Hotlap: 1:16.749 (top 40% of 374,823 recorded times) Race Results: Code:
Event Standings: Code:
Tuesday, July 26th - Season 2 Travel day today. We head home to Barcelona for the next leg of the event. Wednesday, July 27th - Season 2 The VX220 has definitely served me well thus far, perhaps better than any other car in my garage. So today I decided to reward it with a nice, shiny new paint job. I contract with a local car detailer for a simple, clean-line design using some new, poly-chromatic paints (the type that change hue depending on the angle it catches the light). I'm pretty happy with the results:  The VX220's shiny new look. Thursday, July 28th - Season 2 I spend the day turning laps at the Iberian International Circuit outside Barcelona today. I'm actually used to running this track in the opposite direction, but this approach actually makes the double-apex turn at the east end of the track easier, since you start with the sharp angle of the turn to start with. By the end of the day I'm pretty comfortable and I'm running laps under the 1 minute mark. Friday, July 29th - Season 2 (Race Day) Event: Vauxhall Racing Club Event #3 (of 4): Iberian International Circuit (Montserrat, Spain) - Full Circuit  First-Place Prize: $10,725.00 Laps: 4 Race Distance: 5.96 mi Starting Position: 3rd Once again I was able to get the jump on Rossi and Muller at the line and had the lead before the first turn. I was still in the lead as we approached the double-apex turn at the east end of the track, where I figured the entire race would be won or lost. The first time through I took a wider angle than the others, allowing them to almost catch me in the turn itself but then allowing me to pull away onto the ensuing straightaway with more speed. This approach worked well, so I stuck with it and was never challenged for the lead.  Catching some air at Iberian International.
Result: Prize: $10,725.00 XP Gained: 5,500 Hotlap: 59.154 (top 3% of 222,070 recorded times) Race Results: Code:
Event Standings: Code:
I've locked up overall victory in the series, but that doesn't mean I'll be backing off one bit. I'm going for the sweep.
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Current Games Diablo III (BattleTag: DataKing#1685) Allegiances: Chicago Bears - Detroit Red Wings - Kansas Jayhawks Awards: 2011 Golden Scribe - Other Sports Category (The Straight(away) and Narrow - A Forza Motorsport 3 Dynasty) Last edited by DataKing : 02-19-2010 at 05:43 PM. |
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02-19-2010, 08:28 PM
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#91 |
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Pro Rookie
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Chicago
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Saturday, July 30th - Season 2
Travel day today. We're heading back to New England to finish off the event on Tuesday. Sunday, July 31st - Season 2 (Project Stacey) I'm pretty comfortable with the VX220 now, and I really don't need to be spending any more money on it. So I turn my attentions back to Stacey. Upgrade: Race Chassis Reinforcement and Roll Cage Price: $3,000.00 Effect: Weight +149 lbs. Rating: B-466 (up 1 from B-465) -I'm still trying to stiffen Stacey up and get more control over her power, so I seam-weld her chassis and install a roll cage. Monday, August 1st - Season 2 Had a busy day at the track today. I started with Stacey, testing out the reinforced chassis and trying to keep her rear end under control, especially on the long sweeper here (this is a good place to test that sort of thing). Unfortunately I still have the same problem. It seems like the back end keeps wanting to lead the car, and no matter how much fiddling I do I can't correct the problem. I'm starting to think that, without a modern independent rear suspension, there's just no way to control this much power unless you're pointed straight ahead. After giving up on Stacey I moved back to the Vauxhall, and had some pretty good laps going until I clipped the outside retaining wall on the front straightaway and damaged the right front suspension. Nothing too serious, but that ended my practice run and I spent the rest of the day getting the car ready for tomorrow. Tuesday, August 2nd - Season 2 (Race Day) Event: Vauxhall Racing Club Race #4 (of 4): Maple Valley Raceway (Loudon, NH) - Short Circuit Reverse First-Place Prize: $12,090.00 Laps: 6 Race Distance: 6.96 mi Starting Position: 3rd Once again I was able to fire off the line, splitting the gap between Rossi and Muller and taking the lead before the first turn. Muller got bumped off in those first turns by some of the bigger, heavier competition, leaving just Rossi and myself at the front. I maintained a short lead of just four or five car-lengths for the first lap, but was able to start stretching things out on the back-stretch of lap 2. I caught my front inside tire on the rumble strips at the north end of the track on lap 4, but that only allowed Rossi to close within about 8 lengths, and he never got closer than that.  Splitting the gap on the start at Maple Valley. Result: Prize: $12,090.00 XP Gained: 6,200 Hotlap: None Race Results: Code:
Event Result: Event Bonus: $12,100.00 Event Final Standings: Code:
After the podium ceremony I was presented with the following from the tuning experts at MINE's:  2002 Nissan MINE's R34 Skyline GT-R Skyline is an old name in Japanese automotive circles, going all the way back to 1957. MINE's is a Japanese tuning firm. They mostly do software upgrades, but they do hardware upgrades for a few select cars. They are best known for their work on the Nissan Skyline. On the R34, they've jacked up the engine to a whopping 621 horsepower in a car weighing in at under 3,200 lbs. This thing has the highest power-to-weight ratio of anything in my garage, by far. I've also gotten my grubby little hands on another car, but only temporarily. I've joined a group called the Pay-It-Forward Program. It's a bunch of racers who let other racers (like myself) borrow high-end, high-priced cars that they're not using at the moment. Author's note: This is a real in-game program that has been started by some of the excellent guys over at forzacentral.com. Props to KINGSBPD for setting this up. As a result, I've got this toy to play with for a little while:  1989 Ferrari F40 Competizione This is the competition-version of the Ferrari F40. 841 horsepower and weighing only 2,289 pounds, this thing is positively insane. I have no intention of actually racing it in the near future, but I'll be taking it with me and running it during my practice times, for grins and to help get accustomed to dedicated racing vehicles. I also now have a 10% discount direct from Vauxhall on engine displacement upgrades.
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Current Games Diablo III (BattleTag: DataKing#1685) Allegiances: Chicago Bears - Detroit Red Wings - Kansas Jayhawks Awards: 2011 Golden Scribe - Other Sports Category (The Straight(away) and Narrow - A Forza Motorsport 3 Dynasty) Last edited by DataKing : 02-19-2010 at 08:29 PM. |
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02-20-2010, 04:00 PM
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#92 |
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Pro Rookie
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Chicago
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Wednesday, August 3rd - Season 2
I've signed up for a quick set of sprint-style races back at the track park in Montserrat. Event: All-Wheel-Drive Open Rating Category: D-class Restrictions: All-wheel-drive vehicles only # of Races: 3 Total Event Prize: $12,670.00 Not much to be made here, but it'll help kill a couple of weeks. Today I head home to Barcelona and prepare. The competition: Code:
Thursday, August 4th - Season 2 Our first race will be on the short course at Iberian International, so I spend the day there testing. I need to decide between two cars for the coming event, since I like both and they both qualify: The 1997 Mitsubishi GTO and the supercharged 2003 Volkswagen Golf R32 (you may recall that I stuck a centrifiugal supercharger on this thing on a whim at Daytona last year). Overall the lap times end up being pretty similar, with the Golf having a small edge due to having a tighter gear ratio better suited for short-track driving, so that's the one I'll be driving. My best lap with the R32 was 48.240, and 48.488 in the GTO. For giggles I ran a few laps in the F40 as well, and pulled a 40.521 without breaking a sweat. Friday, August 5th & Saturday, August 6th - Season 2 The first race isn't until Sunday, so I spend a couple of days working on the Golf. Upgrade: Street Tire Compound Price: $2,000.00 Effect: Grip +0.03 Rating: D-347 (up 8 from D-339) -I drop two large on a set of Bridgestone street tires for improved grip. Upgrade: Street Brakes Price: $2,200.00 Effect: Efficiency +1% Rating: D-348 (up 1 from D-347) -I also install a set of AP Racing high-performance brake pads, high-boiling-point brake fluid, and braided stainless steel brake lines. Sunday, August 7th - Season 2 (Race Day) Event: All-Wheel-Drive Open Race #1 (of 3): Iberian International Circuit (Montserrat, Spain) - Short Circuit  First-Place Prize: $4,485.00 Laps: 2 Race Distance: 2.28 mi Starting Position: 3rd I had a decent jump at the drop of the green flag, briefly overtaking Takahashi for 2nd, but the first turn came up sooner than I expected. I ran the Golf off into the grass and was just barely able to hold off Weber's Golf for 3rd place. By the time we'd made the turn at the east end of the track and were heading back towards the start-finish line, I was right on Takahashi's tail and bumping him. But then I screwed up royally, overshooting the ensuing right-hander, bouncing off the retaining wall and into the sand. By the time I got back on the track I had fallen all the way to 5th place and was just barely ahead of Johansson's Alfa. Lap 2 saw me get close to Esposito's Audi in 4th place, but I did not have enough time for a pass before the race ended. That's the problem with these extra-short races. If you make a mistake, there's no time to recover.  This is what failure looks like.
Result: 5th place Prize: $2,145.00 Repairs: -$162.00 XP Gained: 2,300 Hotlap: 48.570 (top 23% of 100,932) Race Results: Code:
Event Standings: Code:
Monday, August 8th - Season 2 Upgrade: Street Flywheel Price: $1,500.00 Effect: Weight -2 lbs. Rating: D-349 (up 1 from D-348) -A Fidanza forged-steel flywheel will help to reduce the Golf's weight and inertia and improve throttle response. Tuesday, August 9th - Season 2 Next up is the nearby Ladera Test Track. I spend the day there getting the Golf dialed in, but I'm done trying to run the F40 on these tiny little abbreviated courses. It's completely ill-suited for that sort of thing and I spend what little time I do log in it just trying to keep it off the walls. Wednesday, August 10th - Season 2 (Race Day) Event: All-Wheel-Drive Open Race #2 (of 3): Ladera Test Track (Montserrat, Spain) - Short Circuit Reverse  First-Place Prize: $5,070.00 Laps: 3 Race Distance: 2.31 mi Starting Position: 3rd I got another good jump at the launch (a very easy thing to do with all-wheel-drive), and moved past Takahashi for 2nd as we entered the first turn. After that I was able to track down Rossi in the chicanes at the northwest corner of the course, and I was right on his back bumper as we made the last right-hander, but I was not able to make the pass. Knowing that I had little time to work with, I got my fender on his inside as we made the first turn on lap 2 and pushed him to the outside, forcing him to give up the lead. The rest of my laps were clean and I brought home the checkered flag.  Leaning in for the lead at Ladera. Result: Prize: $5,070.00 XP Gained: 2,600 Hotlap: 38.193 (top 20% of 97,543 recorded times) Race Results: Code:
Event Standings: Code:
Thursday, August 11th - Season 2 Upgrade: Street Driveline Price: $200.00 Effect: Weight -4 lbs. Rating: D-350 (up 1 from D-349) -An alloy-steel driveshaft will decrease the Golf's driveline inertia and overall weight. Friday, August 12th - Season 2 Practice laps today at the glorified half-mile-oval that is the mini circuit at Camino Viejo de Montserrat. I haven't been here for a while, and I had forgotten the relative high speeds you can carry here, despite it being such a small track. Saturday, August 13th - Season 2 (Race Day) Event: All-Wheel-Drive Open Race #3 (of 3): Camino Viejo de Montserrat (Montserrat, Spain) - Mini Circuit  First-Place Prize: $3,315.00 Laps: 3 Race Distance: 1.68 mi Starting Position: 3rd I got what I thought was another good jump at the drop of the green flag, and tried to split the gap between Takahashi and Rossi as we entered the first turn at the east end of the track. However, Takahashi clipped me on the inside with his front fender, and I was just able to avoid spinning out and across the track. As it was, this bunched up the pack behind us and allowed Rossi to jump out to an early lead. Evans was having a good run in his Volvo, and overtook me for 2nd place at the west end on lap 2, but I was able to take the position back on the inside as we crossed the line to start the 3rd and final lap. But I was never even able to get close to challenging Rossi for the lead. Good racing action for 2nd place at Camino Viejo. Result: Prize: $2,925.00 XP Gained: 1,700 Hotlap: 27.063 (top 63% of 119,357 recorded times) Race Results: Code:
Event Result: Event Final Standings: Code:
My mistake in the 1st race was just too much to overcome.
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Current Games Diablo III (BattleTag: DataKing#1685) Allegiances: Chicago Bears - Detroit Red Wings - Kansas Jayhawks Awards: 2011 Golden Scribe - Other Sports Category (The Straight(away) and Narrow - A Forza Motorsport 3 Dynasty) |
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02-21-2010, 11:29 PM
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#93 |
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Pro Rookie
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Chicago
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Sunday, August 14th, Season 2
The big leagues have finally come calling. I've been invited to my first professional circuit event. We may not be racing high-end cars, but this is still a top level of competition and a chance to make some serious money. Event: MX-5 Miata Trophy Rating Category: F-class Restrictions: Stock MX-5 Miata only # of Races: 6 Total Event Prize: $140,400.00 This is a different sort of event than anything I've participated in before, because everyone will be driving identical, stock MX-5 Miatas and absolutely no modifications are allowed. This should present quite a challenge, since victory will have nothing to do with the car and everything to do with driver skill. I'm intrigued to see how I match up. I don't own a Miata yet, so I spend the day shopping and find this one in good condition for $6,000.00  1994 Mazda MX-5 Miata The competition: Code:
Monday, August 15th - Season 2 Travel day today. The Miata Trophy event will start on Thursday in Japan. Tuesday, August 16th - Season 2 (Project Stacey) Upgrade: Race Weight Reduction Price: $4,100.00 Effect: Weight -619 lbs. Rating: A-526 (up 60 from B-466) -In my continued effort to keep Stacey under control, I put her on a serious diet. I remove everything that is not necessary, including bumper beams, interior, all carpeting, strip and acid-dip the chassis, and install a Cobra racing seat and harness. Wednesday, August 17th - Season 2 I spend the day running laps at Twin Ring Motegi, where the first race will be held tomorrow. I start with a few laps in the F40, and the car manages to turn laps here in under 2 minutes in it's sleep. It's still a handful to control though, but I feel as though I'm getting more used to how twitchy the cars at that level can be. After that, it's back to reality and a bunch of laps in the Miata. I'm paying special attention to my lines through the turns here, since there are a number of straightaways on this track and the turns leading into them are going to decide whether I win or lose. Thursday, August 18th - Season 2 (Race Day) Event: MX-5 Miata Trophy Race #1 (of 6): Twin Ring Motegi (Motegi, Japan) - Full Circuit First-Place Prize: $23,400.00 Laps: 4 Race Distance: 11.93 mi Starting Position: 8th I was disappointed to learn that I would be starting at the back of the pack, but there was little I could do about that except grin and bear it. Lap 1: I got a decent jump at the drop of the green flag and managed to split the gap between Kato and Kim for 6th place before the first turn, but heading into the turn Watanabe (on the outside) tried to close down too far and bumped me, nearly causing me to lose control, but I saved it. Watanabe started moving up after that, but I was soon on his tail and passed Yoshida on the inside of turn 2 for 5th. I tried passing Watanabe for 4th before turn 3 and managed to do so, but drove the Miata too deep into the corner, and came out back in 6th behind Kim. I retook 5th in turn 6 (despite being bumped by Kim and again having to save the car), but by that point Watanabe and the rest of the top 4 had pulled away from me a little bit and I was still on 5th place at the start of lap 2. Lap 2: I finally got up on Watanabe's back bumper as we entered the 120-degree turn 3, and there I gave him a little taste of his own medicine, getting a fender underneath him and bumping him out of the way for 4th place. I was close to Takahashi and Sato, and when the two decided to race side-by-side down the southeast straightaway I was able to get into the mix, moving past Takahashi and into 3rd on the southwest right-hander. Lap 3: I had a really good, smooth run through the first turn, which gave me enough momentum on the ensuing straightaway to move past Sato and into 2nd place. I then set about the task of reeling in Sasaki, who had worked his way out to about a 20-car-length lead. I steadily made up ground over the course of the lap, and had about cut Sasaki's lead in half by the time we started the 4th and final lap. Lap 4: Good runs on my part through turns 2 and 3 cut deeper into Sasaki's lead, and by the time we came off of the hairpin at the east end of the track I was within just a couple of lengths, but I could not close the gap on the straightaway. With only the last chicane remaining to make a move, I did the only thing I could, running hard into it and forcing my fender underneath Sasaki. Apparently he was not prepared for the resulting contact, because he backed off and I was able to shoot forward for a last-second victory! Yes, I'm an asshole. Result: Prize: $23,400.00 XP Gained: 12,000 (Driver gained Level 27) (1994 Mazda MX-5 Miata gained Levels 1 & 2) Hotlap: 2:31.472 (top 61% of 22,463 recorded times) - don't expect much in the way of hotlap times during this event, since I'm driving a stock car. Race Results: Code:
Event Standings: Code:
Friday, August 19th - Season 2 Travel day. The next race in the event is at Sebring in Florida. Saturday, August 20th - Season 2 One of the things I've been meaning to do is start preparing a car for the Class B World Championship, which I have been told I can expect an invitation to next year. With the success I've had with the Vauxhall VX220, I've decided that I like the ultra-lights so I'm going to stick with that and get the Lotus Exige Cup 240 ready for competition. And now is the perfect time to do that, since I've got some spare time during this event and there's no point in making any sort of modifications to the Miata. Upgrade: Race Rear Anti-Roll Bars Price: $3,780.00 Effect: Body roll reduction Rating: B-457 (no change) -The Lotus already comes with race-spec front anti-roll bars, so I complete the package with Eibach hollow blade-type anti-roll bars with solid end-links and aluminum block mounts in the rear. Sunday, August 21st - Season 2 Track time today at Sebring International. I start out with the F40 which really shines here, especially on the straightaways. I've still got a little trouble with my braking points here, but I'm still able to turn sub-2 minute laps. That's pretty fast, folks. After driving that thing, running the Miata around here is a piece of cake, and the car has such good handling characteristics compared to its speed, I feel that my braking and cornering is much more under control than my last visit here. Monday, August 22nd - Season 2 (Race Day) Event: MX-5 Miata Trophy Race #2 (of 6): Sebring International Raceway (Sebring, FL) - Full Circuit First-Place Prize: $25,350.00 Laps: 4 Race Distance: 14.80 mi Starting Position: 8th I had an absolutely brilliant launch to start the race, with just a hint of tire-squeal, and shot up the middle of the pack, all the way into 2nd place before entering turn 1. Sasaki was only a few lengths in front of me for the bulk of lap 1, but I didn't press the matter just yet. I had plenty of time to work with, and wanted to let the tires get heated up before trying anything fancy. Sasaki was moving fast, though, and it took me all the way until the Tower turn before I found an opening. There I was able to get my nose underneath him on the inside of the turn and forced my way into the lead. Sasaki and the rest of the pack were hot on my heals, but I had a really good run through the Sunset Bend at the end of the lap that gave me some breathing room. From there I was able to cruise to victory.  Firing up through the middle of the pack at Sebring. Result: Prize: $25,350.00 XP Gained: 13,000 (1994 Mazda MX-5 Miata gained Level 3) Hotlap: 2:47.507 (top 20% of 11,514 recorded times) Race Results: Code:
Event Standings: Code:
Tuesday, August 23rd - Season 2 Travel day today. We head up the east coast to the Big Apple. Wednesday, August 24th - Season 2 Some more work on the Lotus today. I'm taking a different approach with this car than I have with others thus far, though. The first thing I'm doing here is making all of the necessary modifications to make the car fully tune-able. Once that is done, I'll be able to tune it for each individual track, and I'll use whatever Performance Index points I have left to make power improvements. Upgrade: Race Springs & Dampers Price: $10,600.00 Effect: Ride Height -0.56 in Rating: B-458 (up 1 from B-457) -I install KW low-friction coilover racing shocks with remote reservoirs, and replace the bushings with adjustable helm joints and steel bearings. Thursday, August 25th - Season 2 We're back in New York City, and fortunately the race organizers for this weekend (there are events all three days) have convinced the city officials to make the track available for testing today as well. So I spend the day turning a bunch of laps here. It's the same circuit that we ran before (north through Times Square to Columbus Circle, east along the south end of Central Park, then back south through the Square and back around again), but this time there are no artificial chicanes in the way, so tomorrow is mostly going to be about raw speed and good clean exits onto the straightaways. It doesn't take much to get the Miata dialed in for tomorrow's race, since there are only a few turns to concern ourselves with. Columbus circle is going to be the one really tricky spot, since it's basically a 270-degree turn and you carry a lot of speed going into it. For giggles I turn a bunch of laps in the F40 as well, and let me tell you going 180 mph (I'm not exaggerating) through Times Square is fun! The F40 is really beginning to grow on me. It's tricky to control in the turns, but I'm getting used to it and when you get a straightaway to work with, the acceleration is truly exhilarating. Friday, August 26th - Season 2 (Race Day) Event: MX-5 Miata Trophy Race #3 (of 6): New York Circuit (New York, NY) - Old Circuit Reverse First-Place Prize: $19,500.00 Laps: 7 Race Distance: 12.67 mi Starting Position: 8th My launch was absolute junk this time around, and I didn't get anywhere near enough power to the rear wheels, but just a short way down the track a number of drivers started checking up. I can only assume someone tapped their brakes for some reason and caused an accordian-effect. Whatever the reason, I was able to slip to the inside as we headed towards Columbus Circle and all the way up to 2nd place. Then as we made the sharp right-hand turn to start heading south, Sasaki lifted slightly and I did not, swinging the Miata all the way out to the wall but avoiding contact. The extra momentum allowed me to swing back to the inside of Sasaki and into the lead. The rest of the race was surprisingly easy, as I did nothing but add to my lead. I don't know what sort of line everybody else was running, but they were obviously being too passive.  Heading south from Central Park. Result: Prize: $19,500.00 XP Gained: 10,000 (1994 MAzda MX-5 Miata gained Level 4) Hotlap: 1:17.138 (top 36% of 53,714 recorded times) Race Results: Code:
Event Standings: Code:
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Current Games Diablo III (BattleTag: DataKing#1685) Allegiances: Chicago Bears - Detroit Red Wings - Kansas Jayhawks Awards: 2011 Golden Scribe - Other Sports Category (The Straight(away) and Narrow - A Forza Motorsport 3 Dynasty) Last edited by DataKing : 02-24-2010 at 11:46 PM. |
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02-24-2010, 11:43 PM
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#94 |
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Pro Rookie
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Chicago
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Saturday, August 27th & Sunday, August 28th - Season 2
No need for a travel day today, since race #4 will be just up the road a little bit at Maple Valley, so I spend two days working on the Lotus. Upgrade: Race Transmission Price: $10,600.00 Effect: Shift Time -0.11s Rating: B-470 (up 12 from B-458) -I rip out the Lotus' transmission guts and put in a 6-speed sequential racing gearbox with shot-peened straight-cut gears, dog-engagement, and interchangeable ratios. This is going to let me set up my gear ratios however I want them, with the possibility of changing them significantly from one track to the next (shorter gears on tracks with lots of speed changes, and much longer gears for top speed on tracks with a lot of straightaways). Upgrade: Race Brakes Price: $12,700.00 Effect: Efficiency +2% Rating: B-471 (up 1 from B-470) -I install a set of Ferodo full-floating carbon-ceramic brake rotors, matched aluminum monobloc calipers, race-spec composition brake pads, and dual master cylinders. Monday, August 29th - Season 2 I spend the day turning laps at Maple Valley today. Obviously I've been here plenty of times, but always on the abbreviated Short Circuit. Tomorrow will be my first time on the Full Circuit, and I have to say I like it. It retains the same high-speed characteristics that the shorter version has, just a lot more of it. I start the day in the F40, and I have to admit this was fun! The car absolutely screams around this place, and the wonderful sounds the Ferrari engine makes are even better then they bounce back at you off of the surrounding foliage. My best lap is a 1:25.281. The Miata is obviously a lot slower than that, but it is also much easier to control. For the vast majority of the track my foot is on the floor, and brakes are only necessary in a few spots. Tomorrow is going to be all about momentum. My best lap is a 1:54.810. (Note: Practice laps don't count as hot laps.) Tuesday, August 30th - Season 2 (Race Day) Event: MX-5 Miata Trophy Race #4 (of 6): Maple Valley Raceway (Loudon, NH) - Full Circuit Reverse  First-Place Prize: $23,400.00 Laps: 5 Race Distance: 15.00 mi Starting Position: 8th I got a pretty good jump off the line again this time, and quickly shot up the middle of the pack into 4th place before ducking to the inside of Takahashi and Yoshida for 2nd. I made up most of the remaining ground between myself and Sasaki on the uphill climb after the first turn, catching and passing him for the lead on the 2nd turn. Sasaki and Yoshida remained close for a little while, but by the end of the 1st lap I had built up a healthy cushion and I had no problems the rest of the way.  Leading the pack through a sweeping turn at Maple Valley. Result: Prize: $23,400.00 XP Gained: 12,000 (Driver gained Level 28) Hotlap: 1:54.691 (top 23% of 65,849 recorded times) Race Results: Code:
Event Standings: Code:
Wednesday, August 31st - Season 2 Travel day today. We head back down the east coast and will finish off the event on two tracks in the American southeast. First stop is Atlanta. Thursday, September 1st - Season 2 Upgrade: Race Front Bumper Price: $3,000.00 Effect: Adjustable front downforce Rating: B-471 (no change) -I install a height-adjustable front racing splitter on the Lotus. This will allow me to adjust front downforce on the car. Friday, September 2nd - Season 2 I spend the day running laps on the full circuit at Road Atlanta. I probably ended up spending too much of my day running those laps in the F40, but it was just too much fun to stop, especially with the long straightaways. After I'd had my fun I ran enough laps in the Miata to get comfortable. Saturday, September 3rd - Season 2 (Race Day) Event: MX-5 Miata Trophy Race #5 (of 6): Roat Atlanta (Braselton, GA) - Full Circuit  First-Place Prize: $25,350.00 Laps: 6 Race Distance: 15.24 mi Starting Position: 8th I didn't get as good a jump at the beginning this time around, but still managed to work my way up into 4th place as we came through turn 1 and into the esses (turns 2 thru 4). I was still in 4th place as we barreled down the straightaway back to the north, when disaster struck in the chicanes (turn 10). Yoshida and Takahashi were busy slugging it out for 2nd place and went into the turn side-by-side, badly overbraking for the turn. I was right on their tail and slammed Yoshida pretty hard, knocking him into Takahashi. The three of us tangled all the way through the chicanes, but it slowed us down to the point where it allowed Sasaki to gain a big lead on the rest of us, and permitted the second pack to catch up. When we crossed the line to start lap 2 I was still in 4th place. I bumped with Sato and passed him for 3rd place just before turn 6, but lost the spot right back to him after bumping with Yoshida in turn 7 and losing my momentum down the straightaway. Things got worse when we hit the chicanes a 2nd time, and it was completely my own fault. I overdrove the Miata into the turn, trying to re-pass Sato, and ended up spinning out completely. By the time I got back up to speed I had fallen all the way back to 7th and had completely lost contact with the front-runners. I even suffered the indignity of falling into dead last behind Kim in turn 1 of lap 3, but quickly moved back past him in the esses. I managed to pass Watanabe between turns 6 and 7 as well, but that was all I could manage by way of recovery.  Charlie Foxtrot comes to Road Atlanta. Result: 6th place Prize: $9,360.00 Repairs: -$785.00 XP Gained: 13,000 Hotlap: 1:51.907 (top 88% of 35,185 recorded times - yuck) Race Results: Code:
Event Standings: Code:
My chances for a sweep have obvious been dashed, but I'm still in good shape as far as the overall event is concerned. A 4th place finish is all I need on Wednesday to guarantee victory. Sunday, September 4th and Monday, September 5th A quick trip down the coast to Daytona is in order, but there's still enough time left in the day to make some additional upgrades to the Lotus. Upgrade: Race Rear Wing Price: $2,500.00 Effect: Adjustable rear downforce Rating: B-469 (down 2 from B-471) -An adjustable rear wing will allow me to tune the rear downforce as needed. Upgrade: Race Differential Price: $8,500.00 Effect: Differential 2-way Rating: B-469 (no change) -A race-spec two-way limited slip differential by Quaife will allow me to adjust the Lotus' slip under both acceleration and deceleration. Tuesday, September 6th - Season 2 We're in Daytona for the last race in the event, but we'll be racing in a different configuration than the ones I've seen before. Whereas the normal Club Circuit features just one trip through portions of the Daytona infield, the Full Circuit we'll be running tomorrow weaves back and forth through the infield a couple of times. Fortunately the turns aren't that severe, and a number of them just involve low islands and rumble strips that can be run over safely if needed. Still, I spend a good amount of time getting comfortable with the Miata here. And that's all I do. I leave the F40 packed away. I don't want any distractions right now. Wednesday, September 7th - Season 2 (Race Day) Event: MX-5 Miata Trophy Race #6 (of 6): Daytona International Speedway (Daytona Beach, FL) - Full Circuit Reverse  First-Place Prize: $23,400.00 Laps: 5 Race Distance: 13.90 mi Starting Position: 8th I didn't get a very good jump as the green flag dropped this time, but did at least manage to weave my way into 5th place before we entered the first turn in the speedway section of the track. As we rolled through the turn I held the Miata pretty close to the bottom of the banking, taking the shorter way around as most everybody else drifted up the track a bit, allowing me to move all the way up to 2nd. Yoshida made a good, aggressive move on the tricky transition from speedway to infield, nudging me slightly and forcing me back to 3rd. But I was able to outbrake him into the turn at the end of the ensuing infield straightaway and jumped back into 2nd place. I spent the rest of the first lap just keeping Sasaki's red Miata within striking distance, and finally caught him as we worked our way through the infield on lap 2. He was doing a good job of blocking me, but I saw an opportunity and took it. I jumped the island at the point of the "arrowhead," held my line and emerged in front of him (a decent bit of driving on my part, if I do say so myself). And once I got out in front I did what I usually do once I get there...run away from the competition.  Packed tightly together in the transition from speedway to infield at Daytona. Result: Prize: $23,400.00 XP Gained: 12,000 (1994 Mazda MX-5 Miata gained Level 5) Hotlap: 1:58.052 (top 17% of 13,453 recorded times) Race Results: Code:
Event Result: Event Final Standings: Code:
No sweep unfortunately (and therefore no event bonus), but another trophy for the trophy case is always welcome. Author's Note: I've got the video clip from Twin Ring Motegi uploaded and embedded in the previous post.
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Current Games Diablo III (BattleTag: DataKing#1685) Allegiances: Chicago Bears - Detroit Red Wings - Kansas Jayhawks Awards: 2011 Golden Scribe - Other Sports Category (The Straight(away) and Narrow - A Forza Motorsport 3 Dynasty) Last edited by DataKing : 02-24-2010 at 11:47 PM. |
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02-26-2010, 12:17 AM
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#95 |
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Pro Rookie
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Chicago
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Wednesday, September 7th - Season 2 (cont'd)
After the brief podium ceremony on Wednesday, two more cars found their way into my permanent care. And trust me when I say that these cars are a lot better than Mazda Miatas:  2006 Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano The Ferrari 599 is Ferrari's premiere grand tourer currently, debuting in 2006. The massive V12 engine cranks out 612 horsepower, and it is well-known for it's MagneRide suspension that is both comfortable as well as tight when it needs to be around a track. This may have just replaced the California as my preferred road car during the winter months.
 2006 Lamborghini Miura Concept The original Miura was produced by Lamborghini from 1966 to 1972, and is credited for landing the company squarely in the company of Ferrari, Porsche, and other high-performance manufacturers. This was one of a few concept cars produced in 2006 as a celebration of the 40th anniversary of the original Miura. More of a showpiece than anything else, it boasts the same massive V12 that is the heart of the Murcielago LP640 and my Reventon.
After winning 5 of 6 events, the folks at Mazda were pretty happy with me as well. I now have the following discounts:
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Current Games Diablo III (BattleTag: DataKing#1685) Allegiances: Chicago Bears - Detroit Red Wings - Kansas Jayhawks Awards: 2011 Golden Scribe - Other Sports Category (The Straight(away) and Narrow - A Forza Motorsport 3 Dynasty) |
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02-26-2010, 02:07 PM
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#96 |
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Pro Rookie
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Chicago
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Just a quick note regarding my finances. I've found that the life I'm leading is a rather expensive one, which probably has not been adequately reflected up to this point. I haven't discussed all of the expenses I have been incurring. The frequent transportation for both myself and my vehicles (shipping something as heavy as a car and tools via air is an expensive proposition), and upkeep on some of these is no small matter either. You don't want to know what I spend just on tires, racing fuel, and track fees for practice time either.
Add to this the cost of renovating my warehouse back in Barcelona, and my considerable nightlife expenses, and you've got a hell of a tab to pay. I'm a up-and-coming bigshot race car driver, so you can be damn sure I'm living the part. I'm not ashamed to say that I spend a lot of money on "wine, women, and song." Add it all up, and I figure I'm spending about half of my base earnings (not counting bonuses) on overhead and expenses. Not that I'm complaining, mind you. Far from it. I just want you all to understand where it all goes.I'm also beginning to dabble in car auctions as well, during my off hours. A lot of these are handled via the internet and/or secure brokers. I haven't actually purchased anything this way yet, but I've got my eyes on a few pieces of machinery that I am looking to procure: 2010 Porsche Boxster S 2008 BMW Z4 M Coupe 2009 Lotus 2-Eleven Hopefully you'll see me add these to my collection soon. Author's Notes:
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Current Games Diablo III (BattleTag: DataKing#1685) Allegiances: Chicago Bears - Detroit Red Wings - Kansas Jayhawks Awards: 2011 Golden Scribe - Other Sports Category (The Straight(away) and Narrow - A Forza Motorsport 3 Dynasty) |
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02-26-2010, 02:22 PM
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#97 |
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Pro Rookie
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Chicago
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Can anyone recommend a good, easy to use, free web hosting site? The spoiler tag limit is really starting to cramp my style in my Garage post, so I'm thinking of assembling a simple little web page as a means of displaying all of my cars. I won't be doing anything too fancy here, probably just a simple FrontPage website. So where should I go to house the thing, folks? Suggestions?
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Current Games Diablo III (BattleTag: DataKing#1685) Allegiances: Chicago Bears - Detroit Red Wings - Kansas Jayhawks Awards: 2011 Golden Scribe - Other Sports Category (The Straight(away) and Narrow - A Forza Motorsport 3 Dynasty) |
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03-01-2010, 10:06 PM
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#98 |
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Pro Rookie
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Chicago
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Thursday, September 8th - Season 2
Travel day, as I head to Sedona, Arizona for something a little bit different. Friday, September 9th - Season 2 (Time Trial) I've been asked to start participating in time trials, and I've agreed. These are more for fun than anything else, and to see how I stack up against the rest of the racing world out there. It's simple, really. You show up at the track and strap into a car that is identical to what everybody else is driving. Then you turn laps to your heart's content, trying to record the single fastest lap time that you can. I've heard that the people that organize these sometimes send out cash rewards and other such things occasionally as well, but I'm doing it more for the fun than anything else. Author's Note: In Forza there are a number of constant Time Trials that you can do, but I'm more interested in the weekly ones. These run from Friday to Thursday, and there are actually rewards for those that record the very fastest laptimes. There are also random "participation" rewards as well, in the way of in-game cash. So I figured I'd start running these as well. I am, however, limiting myself to approximately 30 minutes of lap time for each one. I want this to be a little side activity that I'll go ahead and work into this dynasty report, but not a major time-sink. I'll post a screenshot as well as my lap time and a few comments for each one, then I'll report back the following week on how I ended up comparing with everyone else. Trial: Toy Soldier TT VIP Only Car: 2009 Ford #1 TeamVodafone FG Falcon Track: Sedona Raceway Park Club Circuit Best Lap: 1:09.339  Tearing things up in the Vodafone Ford at Sedona. The Ford Falcon race car is a bit more car than I'm accustomed to, and it showed today. It took a decent amount of time before I could even turn consistent, clean laps without spinning the rear tires excessively. This thing is basically a toned-down NASCAR car with 630 horsepower, and my lack of practice at this level showed. Still, towards the end of the day it felt like I was getting better, and all of the wheel time I can manage in cars like this will do nothing but help me down the line. Saturday, September 10th - Season 2 Another travel day. I head to Florida to participate in another Time Trial. Sunday, September 11th - Season 2 (Time Trial) Trial: Caddie on Sebring Car: 2009 Cadillac CTS-V Track: Sebring International Raceway Club Circuit Best Lap: 1:12.369  Few of the old folks in attendance recognized this as a Cadillac. The CTS-V is not your father's Cadillac. They've turned this thing into a bit of a beast, intent upon competing with the likes of the BMW M5 and the Lexus IS-F in the performance saloon category. That means 556 horsepower in a car that weighs well over 4,000 pounds, which made for some tricky driving today. You may recall that Sebring is a place where I have difficulty with my brake points anyway, and today was no exception. I don't feel that today went especially well, but I'm hoping that my time at least ends up being respectable. Monday, September 12th thru Wednesday, September 14th - Season 2 The next event is just up the coast a bit at Road Atlanta. We're back in the depths of the Amateur competition level again, which means short races, but at least we'll be racing some proper sports cars this time around. Event: Coupe Road Test 3 Rating Category: A-class Restriction: Coupe body style only # of Races: 3 Total Event Prize: $25,740.00 The competition: Code:
Needless to say this is some pretty stiff competition. I decide to go with my own Audi R8, partly due to familiarity and partly due to the fact that the drivetrain is wide open, so all-wheel-drive should give me an advantage off the line. Upgrade: Sport Tire Compound Price: $5,000.00 Effect: Grip +0.07 Rating: A-596 (up 10 from A-586) -I invest five thousand in a set of Pirelli street-legal soft compound tires for better grip. Upgrade: Race Differential Price: $7,100.00 Effect: Differential 2-way Rating: A-595 (down 1 from A-596) -A Torsen race-spec two-way limited slip racing differential will let me set my slip ratios to whatever I am comfortable with. Upgrade: Sport Exhaust Price: $5,360.00 Effect: Power +6 hp Rating: A-600 (up 5 from A-595) -Hopefully I have plenty of grip now, so I go with a power upgrade here. Superspring stainless steel headers & down-pipes, a high-flow catalytic converter, and large-diameter flow-optimized cat-back exhaust should help squeeze a few extra ponies out of the R8's big V10. I realize that I'm spending more here on parts than I'll be making, but I've been meaning to make some improvements to the R8 anyway. So I figured, why not? Thursday, September 15th - Season 2 I spend the day turning laps at Road Atlanta, trying to get the R8 dialed in, and it took me a lot longer than it usually does. For some reason the R8 just felt like a completely different animal than what I remember, and it took quite a bit to get it broken in. The biggest culprit was the differential. The settings were way off to begin, resulting in massive understeer, and it took some time to get it to a spot where I was comfortable with it. Friday, September 16th - Season 2 (Race Day) Event: Coupe Road Test 3 Race #1 (of 3): Road Atlanta (Braselton, GA) - Club Circuit First-Place Prize: $8,775.00 Laps: 3 Race Distance: 5.31 mi Starting Position: 3rd I got off to a blistering start with the drop of the green flag, absolutely shooting past Davis' Vette and Muller's R8 and into the lead before the first turn. An aggressive line through the "esses" stretched out my lead a little bit, but the brakes badly underperformed heading into the straightaway kink, resulting in me going off track. I was able to get back on in short order, but surrendered the lead to Muller before I could get back up to speed. But my aggressive line through the esses served me well again on lap 2, allowing me to retake the lead. After that the brakes performed better now that the tires had heated up, and I was able to cruise to victory.  Forcing the issue in the "esses" at Road Atlanta. Result: Prize: $8,775.00 XP Gained: 4,500 Hotlap: 59.630 (top 30% of 295,650 recorded times) Race Results: Code:
Event Standings: Code:
Saturday, September 17th - Season 2 Travel day today. We head across the pond to England for the next leg. Sunday, September 18th - Season 2 With no more room to maneuver with regards to the R8, and since I'm back where the car was born, I spend some time working on the Lotus. Upgrade: Sport Exhaust Price: $5,700.00 Effect: Power +18 hp Rating: B-496 (up 27 from B-469) -I run an exhaust setup on the Lotus similar to what I just put on the R8. The advantage here over some other power upgrades is that this equipment shaves off a few precious pounds of weight as well. Monday, September 19th - Season 2 I spend the day running laps at Silverstone Racing Circuit today, first in the Lotus. I must admit, I really like the way this thing drives now. With all the chassis and handling modifications I've made, it absolutely feels like it's on rails when it's at speed. My only concern now is speed itself. Can it go fast enough not to lose everything I gain in the corners when it's on a track with long straightaways? Someday we'll find out, I'm sure. After that I turn some laps in the R8 as well, enough to get it comfortable here. Tuesday, September 20th - Season 2 (Race Day) Event: Coupe Road Test 3 Race #2 (of 3): Silverstone Racing Circuit (Northamptonshire, England) - National Circuit  First-Place Prize: $8,190.00 Laps: 3 Race Distance: 4.92 mi Starting Position: 3rd I got another good jump this time around, making a bold move past Davis and Muller on the outside and into the lead before the first turn. But things all went horrible wrong at the south end of the track. I'm not sure if I just broke too late, if the brakes were just too cold or what, but I shot off the end of the track badly and deep into the sand trap at the end. When I got back on the track and up to speed I was all the way back in 7th place, only ahead of Jones' Viper. I managed an inside move on Johansson's Lamborghini on the sharp left-hand turn at the west end of the track, then slipped to the inside of Weber's Merc for 5th. Esposito's Lambo was next on my list, but I was trying too hard and overshot the first turn of lap 2 badly, dumping me back in dead last and well back of everyone else. I did manage to overtake Jones on the last straightaway of lap 3 in order to save a tiny bit of pride, but that was all I could manage.  Stopping off for tea and crumpets at Silverstone. Result: 7th place Prize: $2,145.00 Repairs: $255.00 XP Gained: 4,200 (Driver gained Level 29) (2010 Audi R8 5.2 FSI quattro gained Level 4) Hotlap: 1:00.258 (top 58% of 218,939 recorded times) Race Results: Code:
Event Standings: Code:
Wednesday, September 21st - Season 2 Travel day today. We head back to the Sunshine state to finish off the event. Thursday, September 22nd - Season 2 I manage to squeeze one more little tidbit onto the Audi and still keep it legal for A-class competition. Upgrade: Street Driveline Price: $540.00 Effect: Weight -4.3 lbs. Rating: A-600 (no change) -I install an alloy-steel driveshaft on the Audi R8. Friday, September 23rd - Season 2 Practice time today on the Club Circuit Reverse at Daytona. And today was all about the Audi. I leave the Lotus packed away, as I want no distractions after the disaster at Silverstone. Saturday, September 24th - Season 2 (Race Day) Event: Coupe Road Test 3 Race #3 (of 3): Daytona International Speedway (Daytona Beach, FL) - Club Circuit Reverse First-Place Prize: $8,775.00 Laps: 3 Race Distance: 5.82 mi Starting Position: 3rd A long straightaway like the one here at Daytona is exactly what I wanted to see to start the race, allowing me to use my launch advantage off the line and turn it into a healthy lead even before the first turn. I learned during practice that a steeper approach from further up the banking is necessary at these speeds for the infield transition, and that's exactly what I did here. I had no trouble at all stretching things out into a comfortable victory, as things got a little chippy behind me between Davis and Muller, allowing me an easy run to the checkered flag.  Out to a big lead at Daytona. Result: Prize: $8,775.00 XP Gained: 4,500 Hotlap: 1:00.117 (top 1% of 309,230 recorded times) - My first time in the top percentile, #1,644 overallRace Results: Code:
Event Result: Tied - Event Final Standings: Code:
Muller's unexpected 4th place finish means we end up sharing the top spot on the podium. He didn't look very happy about it, but I counted my blessings considering how badly I screwed up back at Silverstone.
__________________
Current Games Diablo III (BattleTag: DataKing#1685) Allegiances: Chicago Bears - Detroit Red Wings - Kansas Jayhawks Awards: 2011 Golden Scribe - Other Sports Category (The Straight(away) and Narrow - A Forza Motorsport 3 Dynasty) |
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03-06-2010, 05:49 PM
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#99 |
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Pro Rookie
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Chicago
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Sunday, September 25th - Season 2
First up, I've received my recent time trial results. I can't say that I'm terribly pleased, but neither one of these track/car setups played to my strong suits: Time Trial: Toy Soldier TT VIP Only Position: #1,968 Total Entries: 3,603 Percentile: 54% Time Trial: Caddie on Sebring Position: #1,942 Total Entries: 4,402 Percentile: 44% Next, I've been invited to participate in my second professional event, again racing in low-end F-class cars. Given the schedule, it looks like this will just about close out the season. Event: Class F World Tour Rating Category: F-class Restrictions: None # of Races: 6 Total Event Prize: $163,800.00 Definitely some good money to be had. The Competition: Code:
Calling this a 'World Tour' is a bit of a misnomer, as five of the six races will take place in the United States, but there you go. Today I arrange for transportation to the southwest desert where the event will kick off. Monday, September 26th - Season 2 I spend the day on the Club Circuit at Sedona Raceway Park, determining what I'm going to use for the event. I've always loved Alfa Romeos, the look of them, so I arrange to borrow and drive an Alfa Mito around the track, then compare my lap times with my Del Sol. I like the feel of the Mito and it's handling is pretty crisp for a low-end car, but it just can't compare with the Del Sol after all the modifications I've made to it, so we'll be running with that. I make a mental note though to add the Mito to my wish list. Tuesday, September 27th & Wednesday, September 28th - Season 2 With the season winding down and with the Lotus pretty much ready to go for next season, I take a couple of days off and relax. Thursday, September 29th - Season 2 (Race Day) Event: Class F World Tour Race #1 (of 6): Sedona Raceway Park (Sedona, AZ) - Club Circuit First-Place Prize: $27,300.00 Laps: 8 Race Distance: 16.16 mi Starting Position: 3rd Launching in a front-wheel-drive vehicle from a dead-stop is a tricky proposition, but I got off to a good one this time, moving past Rossi's Renault and into 2nd place behind Muller's Volkswagen (the only one in this event with all-wheel-drive) on the opening straightaway. I was still trailing Muller at the end of the first lap, but he wasn't running away from me either. As we worked our way down the back stretch I was able to keep my foot planted firmly on the floor, while Muller apparently lifted to get through some of the turns there, allowing me to move past him on the inside and into the lead. After that, while I had a couple of small hiccups along the way, I was never seriously challenged, and took home the checkered flag to start the event.  Making the pass on Muller at Sedona. Result: Prize: $27,300.00 XP Gained: 14,000 (1995 Honda CR-X Del Sol SiR gained Level 5) Hotlap: 1:25.467 (top 8% of 74,898 recorded times) Race Results: Code:
Event Standings: Code:
Friday, September 30th - Season 2 Travel day today. We head to the northeast U.S. for the next two races. Saturday, October 1st - Season 2 Idle. Sunday, October 2nd - Season 2 Track time today at Maple Valley. I like the Full Circuit Reverse course we'll be running tomorrow. It's a high-speed affair and with a lower-power car like the CR-X, I spend most of my time around the track with my foot on the floor. Monday, October 3rd - Season 2 (Race Day) Event: Class F World Tour Race #2 (of 6): Maple Valley Raceway (Loudon, NH) - Full Circuit Reverse First-Place Prize: $29,250.00 Laps: 6 Race Distance: 18.00 mi Starting Position: 3rd I got off to a similar good start at the drop of the green flag today, moving into 2nd place past Rossi before the 1st turn. After that turn, as the track climbs a hill as we move to the northwest, the Del Sol's power advantage over Muller's Vora kicked in, and I was able to pass him on the straight for the lead. He remained right on my back bumper as we moved through the downhill, left-hand sweeper at the northwest corner of the track, but I was able to gain a little separation once we reached the bottom of the hill. At the end of the first lap, coming off of the last sweeper, I got a little too aggressive with the accelerator and slid the Del Sol into the outside retaining wall, but was able to hold onto my lead. That loss in momentum allowed Muller to catch up however, and he very nearly passed me at the base of the northwest hill, but I was able to hold him off. After that I was able to finish the race without incident and take home the checkered flag.  Even the CR-X gets a little air at Maple Valley. Result: Prize: $29,250.00 Repairs: -$723.00 XP Gained: 15,000 (Driver gained Level 30) Hotlap: 1:54.565 (top 22% of 68,646 recorded times) Race Results: Code:
Event Standings: Code:
Tuesday, October 4th - Season 2 No travel necessary today, since the next race is in New York. I take the day off and enjoy the sights and sounds the Big Apple has to offer. Wednesday, October 5th - Season 2 Practice time today in downtown New York, back on the Old Circuit Reverse (the one that excludes the artificial chicanes and barriers). I've had good success here before, and hopefully tomorrow will be no exception. Columbus Circle and the turn south from Central Park will be the keys. Thursday, October 6th - Season 2 (Race Day) Event: Class F World Tour Race #3 (of 6): New York Circuit (New York, NY) - Old Circuit Reverse First-Place Prize: $25,350.00 Laps: 9 Race Distance: 16.28 mi Starting Position: 2nd  It was nice to finally get to start a race on the front row, and I took advantage, moving ahead of Rossi for the lead shortly after the drop of the green flag. Things bunched up a little bit as we made our way around Columbus Circle, but I got a good run on the turn south from the park, carrying more momentum onto the southbound straightaway and opening up a little bit of a lead. The rest of the race was a piece of cake as I ran away from the competition and was never even challenged for the lead.  Christopher Columbus surveys the race in New York. Result:
Prize: $25,350.00 XP Gained: 13,000 Hotlap: 1:15.070 (top 7% of 56,388 recorded times) Race Results: Code:
Event Standings: Code:
__________________
Current Games Diablo III (BattleTag: DataKing#1685) Allegiances: Chicago Bears - Detroit Red Wings - Kansas Jayhawks Awards: 2011 Golden Scribe - Other Sports Category (The Straight(away) and Narrow - A Forza Motorsport 3 Dynasty) |
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03-06-2010, 10:41 PM
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#100 |
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Pro Rookie
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Chicago
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Friday, October 7th - Season 2
Travel day today, as we head to a new location. Wonderful Wisconsin. Come smell our dairy air. Saturday, October 8th - Season 2 Idle. I chill out visiting some old haunts in Milwaukee. Sunday, October 9th - Season 2 I'll be racing tomorrow at Road America for the first time as a professional, but in a way this place is like coming home. It's about halfway between Milwaukee and Green Bay, in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. So growing up in Chicago, I used to come up here all the time for track days as a teenager. And it really is a great track, one of my favorites. It's a high-speed place with a number of long straightaways. Corner exits are the key here. A clean exit means more momentum on the straightaways and therefore fast lap times. Monday, October 10th - Season 2 (Race Day) Event: Class F World Tour Race #4 (of 6): Road America (Elkhart Lake, WI) - Full Circuit  First-Place Prize: $25,350.00 Laps: 4 Race Distance: 16.19 mi Starting Position: 2nd I didn't get off to the best jump this time around, briefly falling back into 3rd place, but starting out on a long straightaway allowed the CR-X' superior horsepower to come into play, and I was in the lead before the first turn. The rest of the pack was hot on my heels though, with Muller very close to my back bumper for most of the first lap. But a good exit on my part on turn 14 gave me a lot of momentum on the home straightaway and I was able to work my way out to a small lead. I wasn't able to run away after that, and Muller stayed close enough to keep things interesting, but my comfort with the place really showed, preventing me from making any mistakes that could have cost me the race.  Heading into the Carousel at Road America. Result: Prize: $25,350.00 XP Gained: 13,000 Hotlap: 2:45.829 (top 10% of 55,820 recorded times) Race Results: Code:
Event Standings: Code:
Tuesday, October 11th - Season 2 Travel day today. We stay domestic, heading to Sebring, Florida. Wednesday, October 12th - Season 2 Idle. Thursday, October 13th - Season 2 Practice time today on the short circuit at Sebring International. I decide to ship the Lotus here as well. I figure it can't hurt to get more accustomed to it and do some tuning as well. And with the rough patches and a couple of sharp turns to contend with here, it's a good spot to tweak the toe and differential settings, which is what I do. Once I'm done with that, I run enough laps to get comfortable with the CR-X as well for tomorrow's race. My best lap in the CR-X is a 1:32.019 (I managed a 1:21.492 in the Lotus). Friday, October 14th - Season 2 (Race Day) Event: Class F World Tour Race #5 (of 6): Sebring International Raceway (Sebring, FL) - Short Circuit First-Place Prize: $29,250.00 Laps: 8 Race Distance: 16.00 mi Starting Position: 2nd A good, solid launch this time got me well past Rossi and into 1st place before the first left-hand turn. Rossi and especially Muller kept things close for the first couple of laps, but I was running smooth and without error and did not give them an opening. Eventually I worked my way out to a nice little lead and stayed there, due largely to good runs on the long south straightaway. I did make a small mistake on the very last turn of the race, going wide and bouncing the CR-X off of the tire barrier there, but I was too far out in the lead for that to end up making a difference.  Leading the pack through some tight turns early at Sebring. Result: Prize: $29,250.00 XP Gained: 15,000 (Driver gained Level 31) Hotlap: 1:31.867 (top 14% of 67,543 recorded times) Race Results: Code:
Event Standings: Code:
Saturday, October 15th - Season 2 We're finally back outside the U.S. to conclude the Class F "World" tour. We'll be finishing the event up with a race in England at Silverstone on Tuesday. Sunday, October 16th - Season 2 Running the Lotus at Sebring got me thinking that there is still at least a little room for improvement on the ultra-light, while still keeping it legal for B-class events. Upgrade: Street Flywheel Price: $1,900.00 Effect: Weight -2 lbs. Rating: B-498 (up 2 from B-496) -Acceleration and throttle response are never a bad thing, so I install an ACT forged-steel flywheel on the Lotus. Monday, October 17th - Season 2 Practice laps today at Silverstone. Tomorrow we'll be running on the International Circuit here, which I've never run before. And I'm glad I had plenty of time to practice, because it's tricky. The southeast portion of the track, with a pair of right-handers that lead to a straightaway could be important, but the southwest hairpin will definitely come into play. You have to go all the way down to first gear to make the turn with speed, and first gear isn't something you use in racing very often except at the very start of the race. This spot will definitely be a place to be careful tomorrow. As I did at Sebring, I start the day tuning the Lotus, in particular working on the spring stiffness and ride height. Lowering the car just enough to avoid bottoming out really helps with the handling and makes a noticeable improvement. After that it's back to the CR-X until I get comfortable, paying special attention to the previously mentioned hairpin. Tuesday, October 18th - Season 2 (Race Day) Event: Class F World Tour Race #6 (of 6): Silverstone Racing Circuit (Northamptonshire, England) - International Circuit  First-Place Prize: $27,300.00 Laps: 7 Race Distance: 15.75 mi Starting Position: 2nd Another pretty good launch saw me jump into the lead at the get-go. But at the southeast corner of the track, Rossi took a line to the inside line of mine, briefly overtaking me for the lead before I was able to re-pass him. Looking in my rear-view mirror while this was going on, it looked like everyone else was running a similar inside line as well, so I decided to try that the second time around. It took a couple of laps before I was able to get the line figured out, but once I did I was able to use it to good effect, maintaining a small interval over Rossi and the others. I was never able to run away from the next pack in the field, and Rossi made a good run on me on the last lap, but I had enough to hold him off and complete the sweep!  Battling with Rossi for the early lead at Silverstone. Result: Prize: $27,300.00 XP Gained: 14,000 Hotlap: 1:44.650 (top 31% of 60,036 recorded times) Race Results: Code:
Event Result: Event Bonus: $42,000.00 Event Final Standings: Code:
It seems like ages since I'd swept an event, and it felt really good to do so. Of course, the bonus cash helps quite a bit too. I can think of few better ways to close out the racing season than a finish like this.
__________________
Current Games Diablo III (BattleTag: DataKing#1685) Allegiances: Chicago Bears - Detroit Red Wings - Kansas Jayhawks Awards: 2011 Golden Scribe - Other Sports Category (The Straight(away) and Narrow - A Forza Motorsport 3 Dynasty) |
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