The Straight(away) and Narrow - A Forza Motorsport 3 Dynasty

[DataKing]

The Straight(away) and Narrow - A Forza Motorsport 3 Dynasty

February 22^nd

The day I got out of prison was the happiest day of my life. It wasn’t that I could finally get myself a decent meal and a cervesa; that was the third thing I did. It wasn’t that I could get properly laid again; that was the second thing that I did, and the medium-security Spanish prison I was in allowed conjugal visits.. Yay for liberal Europeans.

No, the reason it was the best day of my life is it meant I could drive. I actually paid the cab driver an extra five euros to let me drive into town from prison, because I couldn’t bear the thought of being a passenger. Not after 18 months of standing still. I sat down on one of those god-awful beaded carseat-covers and wrapped my hands around a steering wheel worn smooth with use. I fired her up, heard the engine putter to life as I touched the accelerator, and knew for the first time in a long time that I was indeed alive.

I can’t explain where this obsession of mine came from, but I’ve been infatuated with cars as long as I can remember. As far as I know neither one of my parents was a motor-head, not that they stuck around long enough for me to know for sure. All I know for certain is cars dominated my childhood. I pinched Hot Wheels from the local toy store every opportunity I could get. Most kids drew pictures of tits or guitars or who knows what in the margins of their notebooks in school. Mine were covered with cars. Maybe I was conceived in the back of one and it all went downhill from there. Who knows.

At 13 years old I had decided that the 16-year-old age requirement for a drivers’ license was complete crap, and started boosting cars. Nothing too serious, mind you. I actually had a pretty sweet set-up. A cousin of mine had a job valet parking cars at a fancy restaurant downtown. He’d slip me the keys to some old couples’ choice ride and I’d take it for a spin around the neighborhood. Naturally it didn’t take long for a 13-year-old kid behind the wheel to earn the attention of local law enforcement, and I got hauled into the station on more than one occasion. But nothing too serious ever came of it, and my cousin didn’t even lose his job because of me. Looking back on things now, I think he was screwing the manager (who also happened to be the owner’s daughter).

After high school I drifted around quite a bit, turning wrench here and there and generally looking for every opportunity I could find to drive fast. Eventually I found my way to Europe and began to earn a bit of a reputation as a wheelman. Need to get from Point A to Point B in a hurry? I was your guy. Hell, I didn’t even charge very much, so long what I would be driving was nice.

And then there was that day, that awful day outside of Seville. The day that changed my life forever, and all because of a woman…

But I don’t want to talk about that right now…

* * *

February 25^th

I sat, eyes closed, in an open-air café in Malaga, in the south of Spain, enjoying my freedom and the warmth of the sun on my face. When my sunlight suddenly disappeared, I opened my eyes to find a tall Spaniard looking down at me, blocking out the sun.

“You are Mister Tolliver, are you not?” he asked.

“I am. You are Ferdinand?” He nodded. “Join me, please.” We briefly shook hands as the man sat down at my table.

“You will excuse me if I cannot stay long. I am a very busy man, but I wish to meet the man who has looked after Paolo, and thank him.”

Paolo had been my cell-mate at Centro Penitenciario de Seville for the past year. He was a good enough guy, if a little high-strung.

“Paolo is my friend. I take care of my friends.”

“I am glad to hear this.” A hint of a smile graced the man’s lips. “My brother tells me you are a driver, yes? A wheel-man?”

“Those days are behind me, senor. I’ve learned my lesson and paid for my mistakes.”

“But you still wish to drive?” This seemed less like an accusation, and more like an honest question. But my suspicions obviously showed on my face. “Racing, Mister Tolliver. Legitimate racing. Are you interested?”

“Yes!” the word left my lips before I could even think. Ferdinand smiled wider, if only briefly.

“It is as Paolo wrote me. So much as mention a race and you can barely stay sitting! Hah! Now, look over there to your right. The one in gray.”

“Ford Fiesta Zetec S,” I said. “One-hundred eighteen horsepower. One-point-six liter engine. Sporty little thing, if a bit slow.” I turned back to look at Ferdinand and found him dangling a key in front of me.

“It is yours.”

I paused.

“You’re serious?”

“Be in Barcelona by Tuesday, and speak to this man when you arrive.” Ferdinand slid a card across the table to me as well. “All will be explained to you. Now if you will excuse me…” He stood and began to walk away.

“Why are you doing this?” I called after him.

He replied, without turning around. “We Spaniards take care of our friends as well.”

[DataKing]

Introduction

I’ve been itching to do a dynasty report for a while now, and I think I’ve finally found the game to do it with. I just picked up Forza Motorsport 3 and I’m really enjoying it so far. I played the heck out of Gran Turismo 3 on the Playstation 2 back in the day, and I’ve always enjoyed a good driving game. I thought it might be a good idea to try a dynasty report based on my driving career in Forza. There are three things I would like to accomplish with this:

1. Create a permanent record/document of my driving career and experiences with the game.
2. Include some narrative, in a few different formats (I’m thinking some general prose, first-person journal entries, and maybe some faux-newspaper clippings), to tell a bit of a story along the way.
3. Extend the lifespan of the game for myself. Updating this dynasty report will make for a nice break so life doesn’t become race-upgrade-race-buy new car-race-etc.
   

I’ll explain some things about the game as I move along, either because I feel they deserve explanation or in order to make some of the details you’ll find here make sense. I have no experience with the Forza Motorsport games prior to this, and I’ve been trying to keep my exposure to a minimum so things will continue to feel “new.”

I also intend for this to be a very colorful, picture-laden dynasty report. Forza Motorsport 3 is an absolutely gorgeous game, and the in-game photo tools are quite impressive for a console game. So expect to see a number of pictures along the way, both of the cars while idle as well as some in-race action. Maybe I’ll throw in some video clips along the way as well (I haven’t messed with the video capabilities yet, but I hear they’re pretty good).

And away we go…


Settings

Forza Motorsport has an interesting way of dealing with difficulty level. You can set the difficulty level of your competition to whatever you like, and you can also turn on/off a number of different driver assists. For example, you can turn on/off certain car functions/hardware like anti-lock braking and traction control. You can also turn on/off other things like damage, tire wear, as well as a display of the preferred line around a track (color-coded to indicate whether you should be accelerating, decelerating, or holding steady). The interesting thing about how Forza handles these is that each one affects your prize money from that race. The more of these assists you turn off, the higher your reward for that race. This works as a multiplier of the base prize money for that race. Here are the difficulty/assist settings I’ll be starting with:

Autobrake: Off (+10%)
Anti-Lock Brakes: Off (+15%)
Stability Control: Off (+5%)
Traction Control: Off (+10%)
Shifting: Manual (+10%)
Suggested Line: Off (+15%)
Opponent Difficulty: Hard (+15%)
Damage, Fuel, and Tire Wear: Simulation (+15%)

This sets my difficulty modifier to +95%, so whatever my base prize money would be, I receive an additional 95%.


House Rules

Like any good dynasty report, we need to establish some house rules as well. Here are mine (this list will no doubt change/grow as I get more experience with the game):

1. I must use a car in the class that is suggested for that event (F-class car for F-class events, C-class car for C-class events, etc.) Some events are actually restricted by the game, but most aren't. This will help to keep things competitive throughout my career.
   
2. Auction House (allows the purchase/sale of cars between drivers)
   1. No buying level reward cars off the Auction House. As you progress through the game, you are awarded different cars. Some people don’t want these cars, or have already purchased identical cars, so they turn around and sell them on the auction house for cheap. This house rule prevents me from paying next to nothing for a car that should cost me a lot more.
   2. No selling of level reward cars on the Auction House for less than their real value (garage value + parts value). Along with house role 2-1, this prevents me from selling cars in this way and perpetuating the problem.
3. Only one activity per calendar day (in-game). To represent the fact that there is more to life than just racing, I can only conduct one activity per in-game day. An activity is defined as the following:
   1. Race event (race day should be an all-day thing).
   2. Vehicle upgrade (I’m taking some liberties here, I know, but I’m hoping that it will all average out. Swapping out an air filter and spark plugs certainly wouldn’t take a full day, but a full engine swap could take a week or more).
   3. Vehicle purchase (we all know how car salesmen work, and how long this can take).
   4. One hour of on-track test driving (assuming here that car set-up, transportation to and from, dealing with track officials, etc would eat up the bulk of a day).
   5. Travel day (again, taking some liberties here and hoping things average out).
      1. Exception: During the championship portion of the season, I am allowed overnight travel for myself only. This means that if my current car is being transported as well, I cannot use this exception. This only applies until the conclusion of that season's championship.
         
4. I have to make an honest effort to “race clean.” Obviously this is more subjective than your normal house rule, but it’s difficult to place real limitations on myself here. I will make a genuine effort to race clean, but there are times when rough behavior is justified (i.e., someone else has been banging into me first, the last turn before the finish line, etc) and I don’t want to handcuff myself from a little “rubbing” when necessary/approved.
5. When a Season in Forza Motorsport 3 ends, I will continue to participate in racing events until the dynasty calendar reaches November. This will give me a reasonable amount of time for racing within a year, rather than skipping straight from April in one year to March of the next.
   

That’s all for now, though I’m sure I’ll be adding more as I go.

[DataKing]

Profile

Name: Maxwell Tolliver
Hometown: Chicago, IL
Current Date: June 3rd - Season 3

Percentage of Career Complete: 11.7%
Level: 37
Experience to Next Level: 58,110 XP
Distance Driven: 1,153 mi
Average Speed: 79.7 mph
Number of Victories: 144
Number of Podiums: 168
Number of Races: 188
Number of Cars in Garage: 59
Time Driven: 14 hours, 28 minutes
Top Speed: 182.6 mph

Finances

Garage Value: $14,406,000.00
Current Cash: $1,341,313.00

Earnings: $1,846,570.00
Bonuses: $625,795.00
Miscellaneous: $47,085.00

Cars Purchases: $746,828.00
Parts Purchases: $337,808.00
Vinyl/Design Purchases: $3,000.00
Repairs: $96,799

Available Cash: $411,730.00

[DataKing]

Garage

A separate thread has been created for this, and can be found here: Maxwell Tolliver's Garage

I suppose here is as good a place as any to explain what a couple of these things mean.

Rating is two parts, Class and Performance Index (P.I.)
Class: The general category of the vehicle with regards to it's performance. Class starts with F (the lowest), progresses up through A, then S (for Supercars) and R (for racing vehicles). Here is an example of some of the vehicles and the classes they fall into:

Class F: Ford Fiesta Zetec S
Class E: Honda Integra Type-R
Class D: Lexus IS350
Class C: BMW 135i Coupe
Class B: Ferrari California
Class A: Porsche 911 GT3 RS
Class S: Bugatti Veyron 16.4

Performance Index: An index of the overall performance level of the car (including power, handling, braking, etc). These fall into ranges which make up the Classes listed above. The breakdowns are as follows:

Class F: 100-200
Class E: 201-275
Class D: 276-350
Class C: 351-425
Class B: 426-500
Class A: 501-600
Class S: 601-700

Upgrades: A number of different things can be upgraded on cars, far too many things to go into here. Just know that most upgrades are available in three levels: street, sport, and race.

[DataKing]

Discounts
All discounts are 10% unless otherwise stated.

Air Filter (20%): Green Filter Italy (Alfa Romeo, FIAT, Lancia, Maserati)
Air Filter (20%): ITG UK (Jaguar, Lotus, TVR)
Anti-Roll Bars: Eibach (Aston Martin, Bentley, Lotus, TVR, Vauxhall)
Anti-Roll Bars (30%): Hotchkis (Chrysler, Dodge, Ford, Panoz, Saleen, Shelby)
Anti-Roll Bars: Tanabe (Acura, Honda, Hyundai, Infiniti, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Subaru
Anti-Roll Bars: Whiteline (Citroen, Peugeot, Renault, Saab, Volvo)
Brakes: AP Racing Japan (Infiniti, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Nissan)
Camshaft (20%): Alfa Romeo (Alfa Romeo)
Centrifugal Supercharger (20%): Paxton (Alfa Romeo, Dodge, FIAT, Ford, Shelby, Vauxhall)
Chassis Reinforcement & Roll Cage: OMP Japan (Acura, Honda, Hyundai, Infiniti, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Subaru)
Chassis Reinforcement & Roll Cage: Sparco Europe (Audi, Citroen, Opel, Peugeot, Porsche, Renault, Volkswagen)
Clutch: Exedy (Infiniti, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Subaru)
Clutch: Fidanza (BMW Motorsport, Jaguar, Land Rover, MINI, SEAT, Vauxhall)
Clutch: Sachs Germany (Audi, Mercedes-Benz, Opel, Porsche, Volkswagen)
Differentials (20%): Cusco (Hyundai, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Subaru)
Differentials: Eaton (Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Pontiac, Saturn)
Differentials (20%): Kaaz (Acura, Honda, Infiniti, Lexus, Nissan, Scion, Toyota)
Displacement: Alfa Romeo (Alfa Romeo)
Displacement: Audi Motorsport (Audi)
Displacement: BMW Motorsport (BMW)
Displacement (30%): Ford (Ford)
Displacement: GM Performance (Chevrolet)
Displacement: HPD (Honda)
Displacement: Mazdaspeed (Mazda)
Displacement (20%): Ralliart (Mitsubishi)
Displacement: Vauxhall (Vauxhall)
Driveline: Abarth (FIAT)
Driveline: Audi Motorsport (Audi)
Driveline (20%): BMW Motorsport (BMW)
Driveline (20%): Lotus (Lotus)
Driveline: Mazdaspeed (Mazda)
Driveline: Peugeot (Peugeot)
Driveline (20%): Ralliart (Mitsubishi)
Driveline: Range Rover Sport (Land Rover)
Driveline: Renault (Renault)
Driveline: Volvo (Volvo)
Exhaust (20%): Supersprint Exhaust (Audi, Opel, Porsche, SEAT, Volkswagen)
Flywheel: Toda (Acura, Honda, Hyundai, Infiniti, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Subaru)
Fuel System (20%): AEM (Acura, Honda, Lexus, Scion, Toyota)
Fuel System: Blitz (Hyundai, Infiniti, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Subaru)
Fuel System: Edelbrock (Cadillac, Chevrolet, Ford, Panoz, Saleen, Shelby)
Fuel System: Magneti Marelli Europe (Citroen, Peugeot, Renault)
Ignition: Bosch Europe (Koenigsegg, Saab, SEAT, Volvo)
Ignition: Champion (Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Pontiac, Saturn)
Ignition (30%): MSD (Chrysler, Dodge, Ford, Panoz, Saleen, Shelby)
Ignition (20%): NGK (Acura, Honda, Hyundai, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Subaru)
Intake Manifold & Throttle Body (20%): Alfa Romeo (Alfa Romeo)
Intake Manifold & Throttle Body (20%): BMW Motorsport (BMW)
Intake Manifold & Throttle Body (20%): Volkswagen (Volkswagen)
Intake Manifold & Throttle Body: JUN (Lexus, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Scion, Toyota)
Intake Manifold & Throttle Body: Volvo (Volvo)
Intercooler: Greddy (Citroen, Lexus, Mitsubishi, Peugeot, Renault, Scion, Subaru, Toyota)
Oil & Cooling (20%): ARE Germany (Audi, BMW, MINI, Porsche, Volkswagen)
Oil & Cooling (30%): Cosworth (Ford, Panoz, Saleen, Shelby)
Oil & Cooling (20%): HKS Cooling (Lexus, Mitsubishi, Scion, Subaru, Toyota)
Oil & Cooling: Setrab Europe (Citroen, Mercedes-Benz, Opel, Peugeot, Renault, SEAT)
Oil & Cooling: Volvo (Volvo)
Pistons & Compression: JE Pistons (Cadillac, Chevrolet, Dodge, Holden, Pontiac, Saturn)
Pistons & Compression: JE Pistons Japan (Acura, Honda, Hyunda, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Subaru)
Single Turbo: HKS Turbochargers (Acura, Honda, Hyundai, Mazda)
Single Turbo: HKS Turbos (Infiniti, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Subaru)
Twin-Screw Supercharger: Blitz DSC (Lexus, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Scion, Toyota)
Twin-Screw Supercharger: Eaton Europe (BMW, Mercedes-Benz, MINI)
Twin Turbo: HKS Turbochargers (Acura, Honda, Hyundai, Mazda)
Twin Turbo: HKS Turbos (Infiniti, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Subaru)
Valves (20%): Alfa Romeo (Alfa Romeo)
Valves: Audi Motorsport (Audi)
Valves (20%): BMW Motorsport (BMW)
Valves (30%): Ford (Ford)
Valves: GM Performance (Chevrolet)
Valves: HPD (Honda)
Valves: Mazdaspeed (Mazda)
Valves (20%): Ralliart (Mitsubishi)
Valves: Vauxhall (Vauxhall)

*Type: Company (Manufacturers)

[illinifan999]

I'll be following along!

[Tellistto]

I'll be along for the ride as well, good luck!

Tell

[DataKing]

Three-Door Challenge

March 1st

So I took a nice leisurely drive up Spain's Mediterranean coast, and it was time well spent indeed. The scenery was absolutely breathtaking in spots, and it helped me to wrap my head around a few things. Mostly around being free once more, and about how much I do love to drive, even if it's a little Ford Fiesta. It also gave me some time to get used to the car, which still feels a little odd since it's right-hand drive.

When I arrived in Barcelona I got in touch with Ferdinand's friend, Luis, and he gave me the low-down.

Everybody knows that auto racing is huge the world-over, and circuit racing is especially popular in Europe and Asia. It claims second-fiddle to oval racing back in the States, but circuit tracks have a pretty loyal following there as well. As it turns out, Ferdinand's pretty well-off, and has a pretty heavy investment in some of the smaller racing leagues out there. (Don't ask me what the hell Paolo was doing in prison for stealing DVD players if his brother's so well-to-do.)

So, in order for some of these smaller racing leagues to compete with the big boys, they offer longer entertainment, meaning a series of races at a track during a given day. Basically it works similar to a boxing card, where you've got a number of smaller names and lower-ranked contenders going at it first, in hopes of working the crowd into a frenzy before the big boys show up.

That's where I come in. I've been entered into their Testing League. Basically this is the lowest tier, a "trial" of sorts. They give us some short races to help warm up the crowds, lay a little rubber down when the track is "green," that sort of thing. It may sound like it sucks, but Luis explained to me the three big advantages for a guy like me.

1. There's a lot of money floating around these tracks on race days. I can make more in one day at the track than I could make in a week or more behind a counter somewhere.
2. All that money means sponsors and other corporate bigshots, and they're always on the lookout for talent. Here's a chance for me to show what I've got.
3. As Luis ever so gently put it, "What the fuck else you gonna do with your life, puta?"

Fortunately it's all a bit more organized than Luis makes it out to be. You sign up for one event at a time, which is a series of races at different tracks against the same set of drivers in the same set of cars. You get cash and prized based on how you do in each race, as well as additional prizes when the event itself is over. Each event is restricted in certain ways as well. Some are just restricted to a certain type of car (for example, one event might be strictly for front-wheel-drive, and another for rear-wheel-drive), while others may be restricted to a certain manufacturer or region (only American cars for example, or Asian, or European).

Here's my first event:

Event: Three-Door Challenge
Limitation: 3-Door Cars (hatchbacks) only
# of Races: 3
Total Event Prize: $11,560
Event Bonus Prize: $3,400

Here we go...

[DataKing]

Tuesday, March 2nd - Season 1 (Race Day)

Event: Three-Door Challenge
Race #1: Iberian International Circuit (Montserrat, Spain) - Mini Circuit



First-Place Prize: $4,250
Laps: 3
Race Distance: 2.04 mi
Starting Position: 8th (of 8)

Apparently I get stuck clear in the back in this event because I'm the new guy, and I was surprised by the amount of bumping that went on at the back of the pack in the beginning. But this track is so tiny (just a small portion of the full Iberian International Circuit) that there's not a lot of room to maneuver. Still, I manage to squirm my way into 3rd place by the middle of the second lap. But by then, with such a short race already half over I had my work cut out for me. On the third lap I manage to cut through the S-turn on the west portion of the track and take second place, but that's as good as I can manage.

Waving goodbye to a Ford Focus after cutting through the S-turn.

Result: 2nd place
Time: 02:03:37
Prize: $3,740
XP Gained: 1,500 XP

Nearly 4 grand? Not bad for a day's work. Looks like Luis was right.


Wednesday, March 3rd - Season 1

Upgrade: Street Oil and Cooling
Price: $200
Effect: Power +2 hp
Rating: F181 (from F176)

Flush with the cash I didn't blow at the strip club last night, I spend the day installing a Cosworth multi-core radiator with aluminum end tanks and an aftermarket highflow radiator fan. Nothing major here, but it should squeeze out a few extra horsepower.


Thursday, March 4th - Season 1 (Race Day)

Event: Three-Door Challenge
Race #2: Ladera Test Track (Montserrat, Spain) - Short Circuit



First-Place Prize: $4,420
Laps: 3
Race Distance: 2.31 mi
Starting Position: 8th (of 8)

Today was a complete disaster. Halfway through the first lap I get spun out by some damn spaniard in a Citroen and immediately lose track of the rest of the pack. Late in the second lap I'm finally able to see one of the other competitors again (some poor bastard trying to race in a Volkswagen Beetle) and I promptly smack into the back of him, giving myself some pretty severe body damage. The best I could manage to eek out was a 6th place embarrassment.

This is going to end badly.

Result: 6th place
Time: 02:35:02
Prize: $1,647
-Repairs: $273
XP Gained: 2,600 XP

I learned a valuable lesson today at least; don't trust any of these jokers to give you any room out there on the track. Apparently they have as little to lose as I do.

I was approached by someone from MSD (they make various ignition equipment for Chrysler, Dodge, Ford, Panoz, Saleen, and Shelby) who was at least entertained by my recklessness. He offered me a 10% discount on their ignition gear. Sweet.


Friday, March 5th - Season 1

Upgrade: Street Air Filter
Price: $700
Effect: Power +4 hp
Rating: F190 (from F181)

I spend the day fixing body panels on the Fiesta, as well as a K&N drop-in high-flow air filter. Maybe four extra ponies will get me out of trouble before I get into it next time.


Saturday, March 6th thru Thursday, March 11th - Season 1

We're idle for nearly a week, and I want to hang onto my meager bankroll, so I do my best to enjoy the scenery Spain has to offer (biological and otherwise).


Friday, March 12th - Season 1 (Race Day)

Event: Three-Door Challenge
Race #3: Camino Viejo de Montserrat (Montserrat, Spain) - Mini Circuit Reverse



First-Place Prize: $2,890
Laps: 3
Race Distance: 1.68 mi
Starting Position: 8th (of 8)

A relatively simple half-mile+ oval nets us a respectable finish, if an unspectacular one. I've got enough maneuverability and enough skill to power-slide my way through the wider portion of the oval, moving into 3rd position by the end of the 2nd lap. But these races aren't long enough for me to move all the way up to the front when starting dead last.

Pushing things to the edge in Montserrat.

Result: 3rd place
Time: 01:37:23
Prize: $2,210
XP Gained: 1,700 XP (attained Driver Level 1)

Event: Three-Door Challenge
Event Results: 3rd place
Event Prize: $2,500

There was a nice little podium ceremony after the race (probably just to make sure the damn thing won't collapse when the big-names use it later today), but taking 3rd place in the event and the $2,500 bonus were nice. Hopefully I've earned at least a little bit of respect around here, and will be placed further up in the field next time.

But imagine my surprise when, later in the day Luis took me out to the parking lot and handed me the keys to this:

A brand-spanking-new Fiat Abarth 500. Apparently I've impressed someone at Fiat.

[law90026]

Cool dynasty, good luck!

[bbgunn]

Nice.

[chesapeake]

I loved Forza 2 and have been looking forward to the new version. I'll be reading along here as well.

[DataKing]

Thanks for reading along everyone. More updates soon (tm).

Now if they'd just get Myforza.net working properly so I could show you all the kick-ass movie I just made.

[Izulde]

Awesome.

This makes me want to put Forza Motorsport 3 on my Christmas list.

Spain and beautiful cars... what more could you ask for?

[DataKing]

Saturday, March 13th - Season 1

Flush with my moderate amount of success so far, I go ahead and sign up for a second event:

Event: Front-Wheel-Drive Open
Limitation: Front-Wheel-Drive Cars Only
Rating Category: F-class
# of Races: 3
Total Event Prize: $11,220
Event Bonus Prize: $3,300

This one is restricted to front-wheel-drive cars only, which suits me just fine since that's all I have at my disposal at the moment. It's rated as an F-series competition, but I'm going to go ahead and enter with the FIAT. Technically it's an E-class vehicle, but only just barely (E207).


Monday, March 15th - Season 1

I figure if I'm going to race in the FIAT I'd better get accustomed to it, so I spent the day working the Short Circuit at Iberian International that we'll be running tomorrow. I manage to turn some pretty good lap times and decide against pursuing any upgrades just yet. I want to see how this thing does first.


Tuesday, March 16th - Season 1 (Race Day)

Event: Front-Wheel-Drive Open
Race #1: Iberian International Circuit (Montserrat, Spain) - Short Circuit



First-Place Prize: $3,910
Laps: 2
Race Distance: 2.28 mi
Starting Position: 8th (of 8)

A much different layout than I saw the last time I was here, and longer as well. I'm disappointed to learn that I'll be starting at the back of the pack yet again (I hope this isn't a trend through the entire game), but hope that the FIAT will give me the edge I need to win. And that's just what I manage to do. I'm able to weave my way into 5th early on against the poor end of the competition. A couple of moves on the inlet portion of the track (the east side) moves me up to 3rd. I then cut inside on the left-hander leading back to the finish line and I'm in the lead for the first time in my brief career. I get a little over-aggressive trying to keep my lead on the second lap (including a brief detour into the grass) but I'm able to hold on for my first victory!

Heading towards the lead for the first time.

Result: 1st place
Time: 01:59:07
Prize: $3,910
XP Gained: 2,300 XP

I head out on the town and celebrate my victory long into the morning hours.


Wednesday, March 17th - Season 1

With my head still pounding from last night's events, I head out to the track and turn a few laps at the Ladera Test Track.


Thursday, March 18th - Season 1 (Race Day)

Event: Front-Wheel-Drive Open
Race #2: Ladera Test Track (Montserrat, Spain) - Short Circuit Reverse



First-Place Prize: $4,420
Laps: 3
Race Distance: 2.31 mi
Starting Position: 8th (of 8)

You may recall that the last time we were here, I had a disappointing 6th-place finish after being spun in the first lap coming out of the chicanes. This is the same layout as before, but in the opposite direction, so approaching those chicanes will be difficult. Those same chicanes give me problems on the 1st lap, as I lose all of my momentum getting through them and lose contact with the lead pack. The entire 2nd lap is spent catching back up, and I do a much better job through the chicanes on the 3rd lap, passing two cars and moving into 3rd place. With time running out, I'm able to power around one car into second, then get a nose under the lead car going into the last right-hander before the finish line. We end up banging on each other as we approach the finish line. The result...

Needless to say, Mr. Red Car was pissed!

Result: 1st place
Time: 02:25:28
Prize: $4,420
Repairs: -$776
XP Gained: 2,600 XP
(FIAT Abarth 500 attains Level 1)
(Driver attains Level 2)

(This race was an absolute blast. I've got a video clip that shows the end of the race, and as soon as myforza.net gets their act together I'll see about retrieving and posting it.)

Apparently I'm starting to make a name for myself, and the crowd wasn't expecting such a dramatic finish from a bunch of no-name scrubs. Maybe a few of them even know my name now. Anyways, a representative from Abarth was waiting to congratulate me after the race. I now get a 10% discount on their driveline upgrades (they only do work on FIATs).

The much bigger prize came in the form of a new set of keys in an Alfa Romeo envelope. Ladies and gentlemen, may I present the newest addition to my stable:

The 2009 Alfa Romeo Brera Italia Independent

The Brera features much more power than I'm used to, with a 3.2-liter V6 engine that puts out 256 horsepower and 237 foot-pounds of torque, but it's much heavier than what I've been driving thus far as well, weighing in at nearly 3,600 pounds. The all-wheel-drive should help to keep it on the pavement while I get used to it. As much as I'd like nothing better than to dive head-first into this thing, I've got an event to win.


Friday, March 19th thru Sunday, March 21st - Season 1

I resist the urge to go tearing around a track in the new Alfa, and instead just try to relax and enjoy the fruits of my labor.


Monday, March 22nd - Season 1

With one more race to go and with a sizable lead in the standings, I want to leave nothing to chance so I spent the day with the FIAT at Camino Viejo de Montserrat. We've got the same layout as before, with a pretty basic oval track, but we'll be running in the opposite direction as last time.


Tuesday, March 23rd - Season 1 (Race Day)

Event: Front-Wheel-Drive Open
Race #3: Camino Viejo de Montserrat (Montserrat, Spain) - Mini Circuit



First-Place Prize: $2,890
Laps: 3
Race Distance: 2.68 mi
Starting Position: 8th (of 8)

Despite my concerns, this one almost turns into a non-event. Despite starting in the back, I'm able to shrug off a couple of bumps and weave my way through traffic in the first two turns, moving all the way up to 3rd. I nose-dive underneath the remaining competition going into three and four, and pull away from there. The other drivers remain nothing but occupants of my rear-view mirror for the rest of the race, and I bring home my first event win.

Working through traffic at the start of the race.

Result: 1st place
Time: 01:31:58
Prize: $2,890
XP Gained: 1,700 XP

Event: Front-Wheel-Drive Open
Event Results: 1st place
Event Prize: $6,600 (Double for three 1st-place finishes perhaps?)

[Eaglesfan27]

I started playing this game today and love it so far. Great style to your dynasty. I'll be following along.

Edit to add: I've been in the back every race so far as well. Hopefully, that changes at some point.

[DataKing]

XP Level Gains in Forza Motorsport 3

I realized that the XP and level gains in Forza Motorsport 3 may require some explanation for those following along at home. Every race you complete you gain XP (obviously) and this applies to your experience as a driver. The car you drive also gains XP and this XP applies only to that car. (It sounds a little weird, I know). So what do you gain from XP, you ask?

Driver Levels: Every time you gain a level as a driver, you're awarded with a new car. That's where the FIAT and the Alfa Romeo came from. This is a set list that is hard-coded into the game, and isn't randomized at all. So if you go out and pick it up tomorrow (or already own it), expect to receive the same cars I do. Along those same lines, there are already published lists out there on the interwebs detailing what cars you gain at what levels. I don't want to see them. Please...no spoilers. I want to be surprised at what comes my way. Thank you.

Car Levels: Each car gains levels as well. Not that the cars themselves improve in performance (that would just be weird), but what you receive are discounts from parts manufacturers for that type of car. That's why I've got a 10% discount with MSD on ignition gear and 10% with Abarth on driveline upgrades. I don't have any more details than that at this point, but if you follow along maybe we'll figure it out together.


House Rule Adjustment

That last event has made me re-think one of my house rules. I had originally said I would be able to exceed the rating of an event by 10% with the car I chose (using the FIAT at E207 in a F200-rated event, as an example). I'm removing this rule, and restricting myself to the exact rating of the event instead. Though it was fun, I had no business coming back and winning that second race the way that I did. So I'll be following the event ratings much more closely now (and frankly, I'm rather surprised the game itself doesn't limit you).

Edit: Glad to have you along Eagles.

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by DataKing

(and frankly, I'm rather surprised the game itself doesn't limit you).

It does limit you to the suggested class for some races. Others are open races and you are allowed to bring whatever you want, but I go with the suggested rating for those as well.

[bbgunn]

Are all the races in Montserrat?

[DataKing]

Originally Posted by bbgunn

Are all the races in Montserrat?

I was beginning to wonder the same thing myself.

No, they're not all in Montserrat. But a few of the tracks are there, and those are the tracks we've been at thus far. A few of the more famous tracks included in the game that you may have heard of:

Laguna Seca (and the dreaded corkscrew)
Nurburbring (sp?) in Germany
Twin Ring in Japan

[DataKing]

Wednesday, March 24th - Season 1

I've been invited to participate in the Class E World Championship, presumably due to my victory in the Front-Wheel-Drive Open event, and I have accepted. This event is restricted to E-class performance vehicles, so it sounds like it's time to get to work on the Alfa.

It is explained to me that World Championship events are a little different than regular events. For starters, the vehicles entered are restricted by performance class, as was discussed earlier. The races are longer than what we've seen so far, and they take place every other Sunday. This means that other events will be going on during the same time period, so I'll have to start watching my schedule more closely. Presumably this means my time is about to become a lot more precious, too.

First thing, though, is to get familiar with the Brera, so I take it out to the location of the first race; Circuit de Catalunya in nearby Barcelona. We'll be running the full Grand Prix Circuit of 2.89 miles...a much longer track than I've gotten used to. At the end of the day I'm running laps in the low 2:20's, with a best of 2:19:8, but I feel like I'm going to need more than that. In particular, there are some sharp turns that are giving me trouble due to the weight of the car. Let's see what we can do about that...


Thursday, March 25th - Season 1
Upgrade: Street Weight Reduction
Price: $800.00
Effect: Weight -91 lbs.
Rating: E238 (from E223)

I pull the spare time, tool kit, and a few other miscellaneous pieces out of the back, and also put in an OMP lightweight battery. Overall she sheds about 90 pounds, which should help with acceleration, braking, handling, etc.


Friday, March 26th - Season 1

Upgrade: Street Tire Compound
Price: $2,000.00
Effect: Grip +0.07
Rating: E258 (from E238)

I drop two grand on some nice street-level Pirelli tires for the Alfa. I'm thinking that these and the lighter weight should help out in the tricky areas of the track. Only two days until race day, so I'll try to get some more track time tomorrow.

[DataKing]

Saturday, March 27th - Season 1

I spend the day back on the track with the lighter, gripper Alfa Romeo and I am really liking the improvements. The upgrades have allowed me to shave just under two seconds off my average lap time, and I'm cautiously optimistic about the race on the morrow.


Sunday, March 28th - Season 1 (Race Day)

Event: Class E World Championship
Limitation: Class E Vehicles only
# of Races: 3
Total Event Prize: $40,630
Event Bonus Prize: $11,950

Race #1: Circuit de Catalunya (Barcelona, Spain) - Grand Prix Circuit



First-Place Prize: $14,620
Laps: 3
Race Distance: 8.68 mi
Starting Position: 8th (of 8)

We start at the back of the pack yet again, but simply overpower a portion of the field right off the line and we're in 5th by the end of the first straight-away. Heading into the first set of turns we're having trouble with a Mazda Miata and a Pontiac Solstice, though. They're alot lighter and more maneuverable than we are. I cut inside the Miata on the first hairpin turn, passing him for 4th. I then bumped an RSX out of my way (completely by accident) and overpowered the smaller Miata to move into 2nd. I once again cut inside on the 2nd hairpin of the lap, and I'm able to power away from a Ford Focus to take the lead at the tail end of the first lap. From there I'm able to cruise to the victory, which I was rather surprised at. I expected more of a fight, especially since I was too aggressive in the hairpins throughout the last two laps. The all-wheel-drive on the Alfa really came in handy in those situations, allowing me to keep my lead.

Crossing the finish line at Circuit de Catalunya.

Result: 1st place
Time: 07:13:13
Prize: $14,620
Bonus Prize: $8,600
XP Gained: 8,600 XP
(Driver gained Level 3)
(Alfa Romeo Brera Italia Independent gained levels 1 and 2)

All sorts of accolades and prizes came my way after the race, not the least of which was an invitation to one of the after-event parties. Everybody loves a winner I guess.

I've now got a standing 10% discount with Alfa Romeo's in-house intake manifold and throttle-body shop, as well as Green Filter Italy, who do air filters for Alfa Romeo, FIAT, Lancia, and Maserati (not that I'll be getting my hands on one of those anytime soon).

Another ride comes our way as well...

The 2009 Volkswagen Scirocco GT.

The Volkswagen Scirocco GT boasts a 2-liter engine that puts out 197 horsepower and 207 foot-pounds of torque. Nothing earth-shattering here, and it's a right-hand drive which I'm not particularly fond of. But hell, it's a free car. Hop on board the Tolliver bandwagon rich people...there's room for everybody.

[Tellistto]

Nice going, making some decent progress here. Used to love racing games when I could see better. Nowadays it's just not something I can do with any hope of not wrecking. Heh.

Tell

[DataKing]

I found some additional stats / attributes in the game for my cars, so you gear-heads may want to go back to the Garage and take a look.

[DataKing]

The victory in the first leg of the Class E World Championship has elevated me above the "Testing" rank, and I am now considered an honest-to-goodness Amateur driver. This should mean stiffer competition, but a fatter paycheck as well.

After taking a look at what's available, I decide to stick with the F-class races for the time being. No need to be hasty and get myself in too far over my head.

Event: Super Mini Road Test
Limitation: Sub Compact cars only
Rating Category: F-class
# of Races: 3
Total Event Prize: $19,550.00
Event Bonus Prize: $5,750.00


Monday, March 29th - Season 1

So long, Spain. And so long Europe, for that matter. We're off to The Land of the Rising Sun for the first leg in the Super Mini Road Test. Before I leave, Ferdinand calls and asks that I leave the Alfa behind. He says he has a little surprise in store for me. Far be it from me to say no to my mysterious benefactor.


Tuesday, March 30th - Season 1

I haven't been satisfied with the performance of the Ford Fiesta up to this point, and I toy with the idea of buying something better, but decide against it. Instead I spend the day getting accustomed to the West Circuit track at Twin Ring Motegi, which looks like a one-mile rectangle with a bite taken out of it. By the end of the day I'm turning laps in under 50 seconds, which should make me competitive.


Wednesday, March 31st - Season 1 (Race Day)

Event: Super Mini Road Test
Race #1: Twin Ring Motegi (Motegi, Japan) - West Circuit



First-Place Prize: $6,800.00
Laps: 4
Race Distance: 4.40 mi.
(Assume my starting place is 8th from here on out, unless I say otherwise. )

The lower end of the competition remains no problem at all for me, and I easily work my way up to 5th place after getting through the first (more narrow) end of the track. An inside move heading into "the notch" forces an opposing car to go wide, and I'm up to 4th at the end of the first lap. I'm able to get a good run heading out of the narrow end and into the back straightaway, drag-racing my way into 3rd, then slipping to the inside again in the notch and moving up to 2nd. I'm trailing a Renault Twingo (which seems to be the car to beat in these F-class races), and he's got a little more power than I do, but I'm braking later and give him a little tap heading into the notch on lap 3, just to let him know I'm there. On the 4th and final lap, I get another good run heading onto the back stretch and carry enough momentum to just barely pass the Renault heading into the notch. I get a little excited coming out of the last turn and take things a little wide, but I'm able to hold off the Renault for the win.

Beating the Renault into "the notch" on the last lap.

Result: 1st place
Time: 3:27:748
Prize: $6,800.00
Repairs: -$249.00
XP Gained: 4,000
(Ford Fiesta Zetec S gained Level 2)

A nifty little win, if I do say so myself, and I've now got a 10% discount on Oil and Cooling upgrades from Cosworth, who do work for Ford, Panoz, Saleen, and Shelby.


Thursday, April 1st - Season 1

Hello Japan, goodbye Japan. We're off again, this time back "home" to the States. I guess I'd better get used to this sort of thing, if I want to become a big-time famous race car driver.

We land in New England, and I'm disturbed to learn that the race is tomorrow. I'll be flying blind, so to speak, with no chance for track time before the race. This ought to be interesting...


Friday, April 2nd - Season 1 (Race Day)

Event: Super Mini Road Test
Race #2: Maple Valley Raceway (Loudon, NH) - Short Circuit Reverse



First-Place Prize: $6,970.00
Laps: 4
Race Distance: 4.64 mi.

Not unexpectedly, this race was a complete disaster. I wanted to just lay back early on and get a feel for the track, but that just didn't happen. Before I even knew what was happening I had power-slid into 4th on the first big left-hander. Things seemed to be going OK as I crossed the start-finish line, but with no one to follow closely I completely misjudged the first left-hand turn on the 2nd lap and smacked the retaining wall hard, dropping me back to 7th. I got back up to 6th, but found myself blocked in by a Japanese driver named Watanabe, who then proceeded to spin me out in the right-hand curve on lap 3. I did manage to keep it off the wall this time (only just), but fell all the way to the back of the pack, and that's where I stayed.

Keeping the Fiesta off the wall (this time) was the only highlight of the day.

Result: 8th place
Time: 4:02:275
Prize: 865.00
Repairs: -$82.00 (I guess the local body work guys took pity on me)
XP Gained: 4,100

The lesson learned today? Know your tracks, and hang back for a lap or two (no matter how painful that may be) if you do have to go into a track cold.


Saturday, April 3rd - Season 1

It's too bad the league doesn't offer frequent-flyer miles. We're all back on planes again today, heading back to Spain for the last leg of the event. I'm so jet-lagged, I don't know which way is up.


Sunday, April 4th - Season 1

I've finally got a couple of days to spare, so I decide it's time to make some tweaks to the Fiesta.

Upgrade: Street Weight Reduction
Price: $500.00
Effect: Weight -33 lbs.
Rating: F196 (from F190)

Similar to what I did on the Alfa, I get rid of some extra weight and install a Recaro light-weight battery. Lighter = better when you're racing, no doubt.


Monday, April 5th - Season 1

Upgrade: Street Clutch
Price: $600.00
Effect: Shift Time -0.05s
Rating: F197 (from F196)

I climb underneath today and drop in a better clutch disc and plate. I'm actually pretty anxious to see what sort of effect this has, as it barely touches the car's Performance Index.


Tuesday, April 6th - Season 1

We're back at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona, which is rapidly becoming a favorite track of mine. I like this one because it offers a little bit of everything...some gentle turns, a couple of sharp hairpins, and a few spots where you really need to feather the throttle in order to make good time (my throttle-work is something I've always been quite proud of). But we'll be running on a different, shorter layout and I want to check the Fiesta with the new improvements.

I'm really happy with the results, especially the new clutch kit. Shifting feels much cleaner and more responsive now. That's definitely an upgrade I'm going to have to consider for other cars.


Wednesday, April 7th - Season 1 (Race Day)

Event: Super Mini Road Test
Race #3: Circuit de Catalunya (Barcelona, Spain) - School Circuit



First-Place Prize: $5,780.00
Laps: 3
Race Distance: 3.17 mi.

Things go pretty well at the start, but after working my way up to 6th place I'm held up again by my old friend Watanabe. I'm always willing to return a favor, of course, so I promptly bump him out of my way on a right-hand turn and work my way up to 3rd place by the end of the first lap. Most of the second lap is spent catching up to the leaders, who had built up a little cushion while I worked my way through traffic. I power into 2nd place just before the start of the final lap, and I'm right behind the leader heading into the last, sweeping right-hander before the finish line. I swing a little wide and keep him pinned to the inside of the track, allowing me to carry more momentum out of the turn and across the finish line. My margin of victory is an eighth of a second.

Leading a pack into the hairpin on lap 1.

Result: 1st place
Time: 2:56:212
Prize: $5,780.00
XP Gained: 3,400
(Ford Fiesta Zetec S gained Level 3)

Event: Super Mini Road Test
Event Results: 2nd place
Event Prize: $5,060.00

Unfortunately that dead-last result at Maple Valley was just too much to overcome, despite victories in the other two races.

I've now got a 10% discount on Hotchkis roll-bars, for Chrysler, Dodge, Ford, Panoz, Saleen, and Shelby.


Next Up: Off to California for the 2nd leg of the Class E World Championship. And we find out exactly what sort of surprise Ferdinand has in store for us.

[DataKing]

Thursday, April 8th - Season 1

We're back in the air today, traveling back to the states. Specifically, we're headed for the southwest desert and Sedona Raceway Park in Arizona.

When I arrive, I find that Ferdinand has already sent the Alfa Romeo ahead. Or rather, at least I think it's my Alfa. Somebody told him that I'm a Star Wars fan, and he had a custom paintjob done.

Ladies and gentlemen, may I present the Jedimobile:

She'll make point-five past light speed.

(For anybody with Forza that wants to pick up this paint scheme, look for PsyKoMunKy in the storefront. It's free.)

Have I mentioned how much I love the nose design on Alfa Romeo's? That's sexy as hell.

Friday, April 9th - Season 1

Upgrade: Street Clutch
Price: $1,000.00
Effect: Shift Time -0.05s
Rating: E260 (from E258)

I like the clutch upgrade on the Fiesta so much I decide to do the same thing on the Alfa. The new Tilton clutch costs about twice as much as the Clutch Masters one did, but if I get a similar improvement I'll still consider it money well spent.


Saturday, April 10th - Season 1

The Full Circuit at Sedona is a pretty funky track, and deserves some special consideration here.



You start out at the north end of the track on a conventional super-speedway oval, but after completing the first two corners of the oval, you swoop up inside the oval, then back down and through a straightaway tunnel that runs under the grandstands, heading south. You emerge back into daylight in a road course section that eventually drops you onto a drag strip (the southeast portion of the track). You then double-back on yourself, head back north through another tunnel, and curl around back onto the oval where you go through turns 3 and 4 and then down the final straightaway. So basically you're running a speedway race, a road-course race, and a drag-race all in the same circuit. I spend the day familiarizing myself with the track and by the end of the day I'm turning laps in under three minutes with a best of 2:56:077.


Sunday, April 11th - Season 1 (Race Day)

Event: Class E World Championship
Race #2: Sedona Raceway Park (Sedona, Arizona) - Full Circuit

First-Place Prize: $11,560.00
Laps: 2
Race Distance: 8.26 mi.

The horsepower I've got in the Jedimobile gets me up to 5th place by the time I've completed turn two on the oval. I take the inside line on the transition into the first tunnel and manage to power my way up to 3rd as we emerge from the back of the grandstands and head onto the road course. I work my way up to 2nd on the road course and I'm making up time on the leader, but I push things a little too far on the right-hand turn into the tunnel that heads back north towards the oval. The back end snaps around and I bounce off the wall a couple of times, and I fall to the back of the pack by the time I get back up to speed. I get back to full speed on the oval and make my way back up to 6th before the transition, where I'm carrying a lot of speed. I'm desperate to make up time so I'm taking a calculated risk and power-sliding all over the track. A slide to the outside heading into the tunnel means I tear my way back up to 3rd heading onto the road course. I spend most of the road course riding the back bumper of the Pontiac Solstice in 2nd, and he eventually lets me past (intentional or otherwise I can't tell). After the drag strip and the double-back, I get a nose underneath the leader as we head into the turn that caused me so much trouble the last time around. I'm able to edge past as we get into the tunnel, then really floor it back on the oval on my way to a nice come-from-behind victory.

The Force is strong with this one.

Result: 1st place
Time: 6:11:455
Prize: $11,560.00
Bonus Prize: $6,800
XP Gained: 6,800
(Driver gained Level 4)

Our little post-race celebration is capped off when I'm awarded another car:

A mint-condition 2003 Renault Sport Clio V6.

The Sport Clio boasts a 2.9-liter 6-cylinder engine that puts of 251 horsepower at 7,100 RPM, and it has the highest power:weight ratio of any car I've got yet because it weighs in at only 3,000 pounds. But there are two really big changes for me here; first, the engine is middle-placement, which shifts a lot of the car's weight further back than I'm accustomed to. Second, she's rear-wheel-drive as well. Both of these should mean better performance, but it's also going to mean this car will be a handful until I get used to it.

Up Next: I don't waste any time running the Clio through its paces.

[DataKing]

Monday, April 12th - Season 1

I accept an invitation to participate in the amateur French Elite Invitational. It is an event restricted to cars of French manufacture, so I'll need to get used to the Sport Clio in a hurry.

Event: French Elite Invitational
Limitation: French manufacture cars only
Rating Category: D-class
# of Races: 3
Total Event Prize: $20,400.00
Event Bonus Prize: $6,000.00

The first race is tomorrow at Maple Valley Raceway, so I head up the coast and get in some track time in the Renault. It is immediately apparent that driving this thing is going to be significantly different than anything else I've driven lately. With 60% of the weight in the back, the car has a bit of understeer that I'll have to get used to.


Tuesday, April 13th - Season 1 (Race Day)

Event: French Elite Invitational
Race #1: Maple Valley Raceway (Loudon, NH) - Short Circuit Reverse



First-Place Prize: $6,970.00
Laps: 4
Race Distance: 4.64 mi.

You may recall that on my first visit to Maple Valley I had a miserable day, getting spun out and ending up in dead last (my only 8th place finish thus far). Today's end result was better, but some of the issues I have with this track remain.

I also need to make a note of the competition in this event. While this is rated as a D350 event, only two cars other than my own are D-class vehicles, one of which is another Sport Clio V6. The other five competitors are running E- or F-class vehicles, and should pose very little threat.

With a lot more power under the hood than those E- and F-class vehicles, I jump right out to 3rd place at the end of the first straightaway, but fall back to fourth after nearly spinning myself out on the sharp left-hand turn there. The power in the back of the Sport Clio allows me to work my way back up into 3rd on the long, sweeping left-hander that leads to the straightaway at the end of the lap. On the second lap I'm able to overtake 2nd place, but as I'm battling with the other Sport Clio for 1st place, the guy I just passed spins me out in almost the exact same place as I was spun my last time here. I end up facing the wrong direction and I'm all the way back in 8th by the time I get back up to speed again. I work my way back up to 5th against the slower competition on the 3rd lap, then move into 4th at the beginning of the final lap by taking the hairpin a little on the wide side. I keep my momentum pretty well through the back end of the track, and pass the 3rd and 2nd place cars on the outside on the sweeping left-hander, but I don't have enough time to run down the leader.

Getting spun out for the second consecutive time at Maple Valley.

Result: 2nd place
Time: 3:44.837
Prize: $6,120.00
Repairs: -$1,342.00
XP Gained: 4,100
(2003 Renault Sport Clio V6 gained Level 1)

I suspect that there may be something wrong with my line, since I got spun out for the 2nd straight time in almost the exact same place. I'm going to have to pay more attention to the oppositions' lines when we come back here.

Renault has granted me a 10% discount at their in-house Driveline shop.


Wednesday, April 14th - Season 1

Travel day today. We're on our way across the Pacific as we'll be racing in Japan on Friday.


Thursday, April 15th - Season 1

We're at a new track this time, the Tsukuba Circuit about 30 miles northeast of Tokyo. Tsukuba is a tight, relatively short circuit (full distance only 1.27 miles) that boasts three distinct hairpin turns and is used often for motorcycle racing as well as the four-wheel variety.

Working on the track today has illustrated one of the biggest differences between a front-heavy car like the Alfa and a rear-heavy car like the Clio. On tight turns I've gotten in the habit of putting my inside front tire all the way down on the rumble strip, which is fine and dandy since, with the power going to the front tires, that's where my grip is originating. But during practice today with the Clio I did a similar manuever a number of times and ended up spinning out. Hitting those rumble strips with the front tires is completely ruining my forward bite, and with all the power coming from the back end the rear of the car is whipping right around. I'm going to have to be a lot more careful with the inside corners, especially the three nasty hairpins here at Tsukuba.


Friday, April 16th - Season 1 (Race Day)

Event: French Elite Invitational
Race #2: Tsukuba Circuit (Tsukuba, Japan) - Full Circuit



First-Place Prize: $7,140.00
Laps: 3
Race Distance: 3.81 mi.

I'm in 5th place heading into the hairpin at the end of the initial straightaway, but after that I'm held up by a slower driver in an old Renault 5 Turbo. It takes until the last hairpin of the lap (at the far east end off the track) before I'm finally able to duck inside the Turbo for 4th place. Once we're on the long straightaway the power the Clio has really begins to show itself, and I pass another Renault on the outside of the sweeping right-hander just before the start-finish line. Unfortunately I end up clipping the inside rumble strip on the 1st hairpin of the second lap (exactly what I've been trying not to do) and spin myself out partially, dropping back to 4th place. I have to re-pass the Turbo all over again (although he gives me less trouble this time), and I'm back in 2nd place halfway down the long straightaway and making up ground on the leader. The first hairpin goes quite a bit better for me than the leader this time around, and I'm able to pass him before the 2nd hairpin. From there I'm able to coast to a win and into a tie with the other Sport Clio for first in the event standings.

Passing through the iconic Dunlop at Tsukuba Circuit.

Result: 1st place
Time: 3:38.482
Prize: $7,140.00
XP Gained: 4,200
(2003 Renault Sport Clio V6 gained Level 2)

A nice win despite the problem I'm having upsetting the precarious balance on this car. Also, I've now got a 10% discount with Magneti Marelli Europe fuel systems. They do work on Citroen, Peugeot, and Renault.


Saturday, April 17th - Season 1

We head back to the States today. Specifically, we're headed for Florida. Our next track is Sebring International Raceway, about 80 miles due south of Orlando.


Sunday, April 18th - Season 1

Sebring International Raceway is one of the oldest race tracks in North America, and has been in operation since 1950. It actually occupies part of an active airport that services south-central Florida. The Short Circuit that we'll be running tomorrow runs through a few of the airport's runways, but starts and ends on a very rough section that is actually made up of sealed concrete slabs. Needless to say, this doesn't make for a very smooth ride, and your suspension is in for a nasty surprise when you come off the last runway and head for the finish line. I spend the day getting used to the track and generally having my tailbone abused by the concrete slabs. It's an interesting track but frankly, I don't like it.


Monday, April 19th - Season 1 (Race Day)

Event: French Elite Invitational
Race #3: Sebring International Raceway (Sebring, FL) - Short Circuit



First-Place Prize: $6,290.00
Laps: 2
Race Distance: 4.00 mi.

It doesn't take long for the trouble to start at Sebring. I'm running in 5th heading into the hairpin turn (actually a transition onto airport tarmac) when the driver of the Peugeot 206 right in front of me hits his brakes way too early. I rear-end the guy hard enough to tear his back bumper clean off, and I'm fortunate that I don't end up with fiberglass rattling around in my engine compartment somewhere. I'm still trailing the Peugeot when he completely screws up the little hump-turn at the east end of the track (which is actually deceptively sharp), and I'm up to 3rd place. I take the last turn on the track (where you transition back to those hellish concrete slabs) wider than the opposition and I'm able to slide into 2nd place, right on the leader's bumper. I nose-dive to the inside on the first left-hand turn on the second lap, take the lead, and never look back.

Traffic jam in South Florida.

Result: 1st place
Time: 3:14.654
Prize: $6,290.00
Repairs: -$906.00
XP Gained: 3,700

Event: French Elite Invitational
Event Result: 1st place
Event Prize: $6,000.00

Overall I'm pleased, though a couple of the races proved a bit rougher than I'd like.


Tuesday, April 20th - Season 1

A travel day, as we head to the United Kingdom for the last leg of the Class E World Championship this weekend. I've got a few days to kill and I want to make some upgrades to the Clio, and I figure parts will be easier to come by for a Renault in Europe.


Wednesday, April 21st thru Friday, April 23rd - Season 1

Upgrade: Street Oil and Cooling
Price: $400.00
Effect: Power +2 hp
Rating: D314 (from D312)
-A Setrab radiator and highflow fan let me squeeze a couple extra ponies.

Upgrade: Street Weight Reduction
Price: $700.00
Effect: Weight -70 lbs.
Rating: D323 (from D314)
-I remove the unnecessaries and drop in a lightweight Racetech battery.

Upgrade: Street Clutch
Price: $900.00
Effect: Shift Time -0.04s
Rating: D326 (from D323)
-I'm becoming a big fan of ClutchMasters.


Up Next: The third and final leg of the Class E World Championship.

[DataKing]

Good news. The guys over at forzamotorsport.net finally got their act together, so now I can retrieve and post video clips from my races. I won't overdo it, but I do want to post the tense moments and good racing action when it occurs.

Here is the clip I mentioned earlier in this dynasty, my photo-finish win at Ladera on March 18th. Enjoy.




Also, one additional note. I just finished the Class E World Championship (details in my next post), and now the game wants to move me forward to Season 2, as in...next year. It's nice finally having money and all, but a ten-month layoff seems a little extreme. Now, I still have the option to participate in additional events (that I qualify for) without the game calendar moving, so that's what I'm going to do. I'm going to set my own calendar, but instead of just giving myself as much time as I want between races, from here on out races will take place every five days. I'll run that schedule until the end of October (Formula One runs through November 1st or so every year).

Of course, questions and comments are always welcome. If there's something else you'd like to see, or if you've got any questions about Forza, feel free.

[DataKing]

Saturday, April 24th - Season 1

We're in England now, and we'll be racing at the Silverstone Grand Prix Circuit. For those of you who may not know, Silverstone is a rather famous racing circuit in Europe. Build on the site of a World War II bomber base, it is home to a Formula One race and the British Grand Prix, and is generally regarded as "The Home of British Motor Racing."

I climb back in the saddle of the JediMobile and lay some rubber down on the track to get used to it. It's pretty much what you would expect from a Grand Prix circuit; lots of bendy parts with a couple of nice straightaways mixed in, and a couple of downright nasty sharp turns, but nothing I would consider a true hairpin. Trouble spots to watch are a very sharp left-hand turn (near impossible to take at more than 40 mph) at the southwest corner of the track, and the wicked S-shaped section in the northwest corner just before the start-finish line.


Sunday, April 25th - Season 1 (Race Day)

Event: Class E World Championship
Race #3: Silverstone Racing Circuit (Northamptonshire, England) - Grand Prix Circuit



First-Place Prize: $14,450.00
Laps: 3
Race Distance: 9.57 mi. (This is my longest race to date)

Here are the standings leading into today's race. I've got a comfortable 6-point lead coming in, but still have to finish in 3rd or better to guarantee an overall event championship.

1st place (20 pts) - Tolliver (USA) (2009 Alfa Romeo Brera Italia Independent)
2nd place (14 pts) - Davis (USA) (2006 Ford Focus ST)
3rd place (8 pts) - Brown (USA) (2002 Acura RSX Type-S)
4th place (7 pts) - Taylor (USA) (2006 Pontiac Solstice)
5th place (6 pts) - Yoshida (JPN) (2007 Mazda MX-5 Roadster Coupe)
6th place (5 pts) - Esposito (ITA) (2008 Saab 9-3 Turbo X)
7th place (4 pts) - Johansson (SWE) (Peugeot 207 RC)
8th place (0 pts) - Spiers (ENG) (2010 FIAT Abarth 500 esseesse)

Points are awarded as follows (1st thru 8th place): 10 - 7 - 5 - 4 - 3 - 2 - 1 - 0.

I don't quite have the horsepower advantage with this group that I did in the Clio, but I still manage to pass Spiers and Johansson off the line and I'm in 6th heading into the first turn. Esposito falls by the wayside as the track wiggles it's way south, and then I'm able to pass Brown on the ensuing straightaway to move into 4th place. I'm able to hold the ensuing right-hand turn at around 80 mph, which gives me enough momentum to pass Taylor in his Solstice for 3rd. I know the upcoming left-hand turn is a trouble spot, but I'm able to stick my nose in a little deeper than the others and I drive out of the turn in the lead (though I get bumped a couple of times from behind on exit and am only just able to keep the Alfa under control). With no more traffic in front of me, the rest of the race is smooth sailing. Davis is able to hang with me for the rest of the first lap in his Focus ST, but I'm able to pull away once we get to the straightaways.

Leading the pack at Silverstone.

Result: 1st place
Time: 7:17.445
Prize: $14,450.00
XP Gained: 7,500
(Driver gained Level 5)
(2009 Alfa Romeo Brera Italia Independent gained Level 3)

Event: Class E World Championship
Result: 1st place
Event Prize: $8,500.00
Bonus Prize: $23,900.00 (for finishing 1st in all 3 races)

Sure, this is still the lower tiers and I may still be warm-up material for the big names, but I'm still pretty pleased. I've won my first major trophy, my bank accounts are sitting at just shy of $150,000.00, and I'm starting to get some looks of recognition and nods of encouragement in the pits. That's quite a change from prison food and communal showers, let me tell you.

Luis brings a couple of corporate suit-types by later in the day before the big names take the track. The first is from Alfa Romeo, and he tells me he's pleased to see an Alfa do well in the hands of a skilled driver. I now have a discount with their in-shop Camshaft and Valves group.

The second is obviously an American (funny how we stand out, ain't it). The guy tells me that he hopes I've got some loyalty to "American ingenuity," whatever that means. I swallow back some smart-ass comments and play nice, and am rewarded:

The 2009 Ford Focus RS

Funny this guy is talking to me about "American Ingenuity," then hands me the keys to a Ford Focus Rally Sport manufactured in the U.K. But I'm not one to punch a gift-horse in the mouth.

The car itself is pretty sweet, actually. It's another front-engine, front-wheel-drive hatchback, but it's got a turbocharged straight-5 engine that'll crank out 300 horsepower and a limited slip-diff to help cut down on the torque-steer. I'm looking forward to seeing what she can do on a track.

[DataKing]

Monday, April 26th - Season 1

I've signed up for the Asian Open, which (oddly enough) will take place entirely in Spain. So today is a travel day as we head back to Barcelona.

Event: Asian Open
Limitation: Asian Manufacturers only
Rating Category: F-class
# of Races: 3
Total Event Prize: $11,220.00


Tuesday, April 27th - Season 1

You may notice a small problem...I don't own any Asian manufacturer cars yet, so it's time to go shopping. After doing some research, I'm able to find a 1995 Honda CR-X Del Sol SiR in good condition for $4,000.00. Here she is (pictures were taken after some later body modifications):

Front view.


Rear view.

I've always had an appreciation for VTEC engines, and the Del Sol has a pretty good one, squeezing 170 horsepower out of a little 1.6-liter engine without the benefit of a turbocharger. She rides a little high for my liking, though, and the suspension is...bouncy. We'll see what that means on the racetrack.


Wednesday, April 28th - Season 1

Upgrade: Street Weight Reduction
Price: $600.00
Effect: Weight -47 lbs.
Rating: F-194 (from F-187)
-The first thing I do to the Del Sol is put it on a diet and swap out the battery with a lightweight Bride replacement.


Thursday, April 29th - Season 1

I get some track time today at the Iberian International Circuit in order to get a feel for the new car. The Del Sol is a bit lacking off the line, but does pretty well once she gets up to speed. It's peppy, but the handling gets a little touchy when you start jostling the thing back and forth. I think the skinny tires have a bit to do with that, but there's nothing I can do about those without moving the car up to E-class, so we'll have to find other ways to make it hug the road better.


Friday, April 30th - Season 1 (Race Day)

Event: Asian Open
Race #1: Iberian International Circuit (Montserrat, Spain) - Mini Circuit Reverse



First-Place Prize: $4,250.00
Laps: 3
Race Distance: 2.04 mi.
Starting Position: 7th (What do you know! We finally get to start somewhere other than dead last!)

Here is the opposition that we will face in the Asian Open:

Sasaki (JPN) (2003 Hyundai Tuscani Elisa)
Takahashi (JPN) (2008 Toyota Yaris S)
Yoshida (JPN) (2005 Mazda Axela Sport 23S)
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)

I have a poor launch when they drop the green flag to start the race, and I'm stuck in 7th as we weave through the first set of bends down the east end of the track. I take the big right-hander at the end of the track a little wider than most, and power my way into 5th. I'm then able to slip past Sato in the chicanes on the west end of the track and I'm up to 4th and moving up quick. An inside move on Yoshida on the first turn of the 2nd lap and I'm up to 3rd. Sato is the next to fall as I slip past him heading into the big right-hander. From there I'm able to run down the leader, Sasaki in his Tuscani, and put the pass on him coming out of the chicanes. From there I'm able to hold him off for the win.

Powering into second at Iberian International.

Result: 1st place
Time: 2:08.760
Prize: $4,250.00
XP Gained: 2,500

A good win, despite my earlier troubles on these micro-tracks. They're so short that you just can't hang back for long and still have a chance to catch the leaders...you have to be aggressive from the get-go.


Saturday, May 1st thru Monday, May 3rd - Season 1

Upgrade: Street Front Bumper
Price: $600.00
Effect: Aero
Rating: F-195 (from F-194)

Upgrade: Street Rear Bumper
Price: $600.00
Effect: Aero
Rating: F-195 (no change)

Upgrade: Street Rear Wing
Price: $500.00
Effect: Aero
Rating: F-195 (no change)

I'm not happy with the way the Del Sol handled in that first race, but I don't have much wiggle-room to work with as far as the Performance Index goes. So I decide to try an aero package and see if that helps with the downforce the car is generating. Plus, it looks cool too.


Tuesday, May 4th - Season 1

Track time today at Camino Viejo de Montserrat. The Del Sol does feel a little bit more under control through the turns now, and I've got to think the aero package has something to do with that.


Wednesday, May 5th - Season 1 (Race Day)

Event: Asian Open
Race #2: Camino Viejo de Montserrat (Montserrat, Spain) - Short Circuit



First-Place Prize: $3,740.00
Laps: 2
Race Distance: 2.16 mi.
Starting Position: 7th

I get off to a better start this time around, and I'm up to 5th place heading into the hairpin turn at the southern end of the track. As we head back up the east side, however, I'm being held up by Sato in his Mazda, but I'm finally able to get inside of him on a left-hand turn and take over 4th place. Coming back around to the straightaway at the start-finish line I pass Yoshida on the outside for 3rd and Takahashi shortly thereafter for 2nd. But I'm carrying a little too much speed and nearly lose control on the right-hand turn to start lap #2. It takes me a little while to track down Sasaki but I eventually do just that. He squeezes down to the inside on the next-to-last left-hander on the lap, and I end up bumping him out of the way to take the lead. From there I'm just barely able to hold him off...it seems that his Tuscani and my Del Sol have nearly identical power output.

Chasing down the leader in his Tuscani.

Result: 1st place
Time: 2:04.479
Prize: $3,740.00
Repairs: -$159.00
XP Gained: 2,200
(1995 Honda CR-X Del Sol SiR gained Level 1)

I did apologize to Sasaki after the race. I was trying to slip down the inside when I passed him, but my intention was not to bump him off. He seemed to take it all in stride, but I couldn't tell if he's planning anything in the way of payback or not. We shall see.

I now have a 10% discount on NGK ignition gear. They make after-market parts for a lot of the Asian manufacturers (Acura, Honda, Hyundai, Mazda, Mitsubishi, and Subaru).


Thursday, May 6th thru Saturday, May 8th - Season 1

Upgrade: Street Hood
Price: $500.00
Effect: Weight -5 lbs.
Rating: F-196 (from F-195)

Upgrade: Street Clutch
Price: $700.00
Effect: Shift Time -0.05s
Rating: F-198 (from F-196)

Upgrade: Street Side Skirts
Price: $500.00
Effect: Drag -1%
Rating: F-198 (no change)

I continue to look for improvements I can make on the Del Sol while bumping up against the Performance Index limit of 200 for F-class vehicles. A new hood by Kaminari saves a few pounds of weight up front, and a pair of side skirts from Wings West will help to cut down on drag. I also go ahead and make the improvement to the clutch that I've had so much success with on other cars.


Sunday, May 9th - Season 1

Track time at Ladera Test Track today. I can feel some small improvement based on the upgrades I've made, but I'm not sure how much help they're going to be. The circuit we're running tomorrow is so short and tight that I'll probably need to be more aggressive than usual.


Monday, May 10th - Season 1 (Race Day)

Event: Asian Open
Race #3: Ladera Test Track (Montserrat, Spain) - Mini Circuit



First-Place Prize: $3,230.00
Laps: 3
Race Distance: 1.68 mi.
Starting Position: 7th

Another slow launch with the Del Sol off the line leads me to believe I'm doing something wrong on the throttle from a standing start, but I'll have to address that later. After the first two turns I manage to work my way up to 6th, but after that I'm held up by Watanabe who stubbornly refuses to get out of my line. I'm finally able to slip underneath him and the 4th place car on the two turns back at the east end of the track, and I swing wide on the final turn and power part Yoshida for 3rd as we cross the start-finish line to begin the final lap. The east end of the track proves to be the place to pass yet again, as I repeat the same aggressive inside line and slip all the way up to first in front of Sasaki, who I once again have to hold off the rest of the way for the victory.

Working through traffic at Ladera.

Result: 1st place
Time: 1:46.264
Prize: $3,230.00
Repairs: -$61.00
XP Gained: 1,900

Event: Asian Open
Event Result: 1st place
Event Bonus: $3,300.00

[DataKing]

Next up is another Testing-level event, the Rear-Wheel-Drive Open

Event: Rear-Wheel-Drive Open
Limitation: Rear-Wheel-Drive cars only
Rating Category: D-class
# of Races: 3
Total Event Prize: $11,220.00

I'll be driving the Sport Clio in this event, since it fits the criteria so nicely. However, I feel some upgrades are necessary as we're going to have some stiff competition:

Sasaki (JPN) (2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe)
Taylor (USA) (2004 Pontiac GTO)
Evans (UK) (2009 Renault Sport Clio V6)
Sato (JPN) (2004 Mazda RX-8 Mazdaspeed)
Miller (USA) (2005 Ford Mustang GT)
Anderson (USA) (2006 Pontiac Solstice)
Kim (KOR) (2007 Mazda MX-5 Roadster Coupe)

Tuesday, May 11th thru Thursday, May 13th - Season 1

Upgrade: Street Driveline
Price: $540.00
Effect: Weight -2.3 lbs.
Rating: D-326 (no change)
-I swap out the driveshaft for one made of alloy-steel in order to decrease driveline inertia and overall weight.

Upgrade: Street Fuel System
Price: $1,890.00
Effect: Power +6 hp
Rating: D-333 (up 7 from D-326)
-I take advantage of my discount with Magneti Marelli Europe and have them reprogram the ECU to improve the Clio's fueling.

Upgrade: Street Air Filter
Price: $1,100.00
Effect: Power +3 hp
Rating: D-338 (up 5 from D-333)
-I drop in a high-flow air filter from Green Cotton to squeeze out a few extra ponies.


Friday, May 14th - Season 1

Some track time back at Iberian International Circuit to get a feel for the Clio again.


Saturday, May 15th - Season 1 (Race Day)

Event: Rear-Wheel-Drive Open
Race #1: Iberian International Circuit (Montserrat, Spain) - Short Circuit



First-Place Prize: $3,910.00
Laps: 2
Race Distance: 2.28 mi.
Starting Position: 7th

I get off to a good start, but I'm pinched off by Miller's Mustang in the first turn. I'm able to swing around him and Sato's MX-8 on the straightaway and I've worked my way up to 4th. I then slip inside Evans' Clio in the two right-handers at the tail end of the track and I'm up to 3rd after the first lap. I hold my position on the second lap until I get back around to the right-handers again, where I perform what has to be my best pass to date. Video is attached. Yes, I killed a bunch of innocent orange cones, and yes, I used a little more grass than I would have liked, but that was still one hell of a pass. Passing Sasaki for 1st place and the victory was almost an an anti-climax.



Result: 1st place
Time: 1:50.187
Prize: $3,910.00
XP Gained: 2,300


Sunday, May 16th thru Tuesday, May 18th - Season 1

Upgrades: Street Ignition
Price: $1,500.00
Effect: Power +5 hp
Rating: D-343 (up 5 from D-338)
-I swap out the ignition wires for Magneti Marelli silicon-insulated ones, as well as a set of high-performance plugs.

Upgrade: Rear Tire Width
Price: $2,500.00
Effect: Improved handling and braking
Rating: D-347 (up 4 from D-343)

Upgrade: Front Tire Width
Price: $1,600.00
Effect: Improved handling and braking
Rating: D-350 (up 3 from D-347)
- I bump the rear wheels up to 255/40R18s and the fronts up to 215/40R18 in an effort to get more rubber on the road and therefore improve handling.


Wednesday, May 19th - Season 1

Track time at Ladera Test Track.


Thursday, May 20th - Season 1

Event: Rear-Wheel-Drive Open
Race #2: Ladera Test Track (Montserrat, Spain) - Short Circuit Reverse



First-Place Prize: $4,420.00
Laps: 3
Race Distance: 2.31 mi.
Starting Position: 7th

There's some bumping and jostling off the line this time around, but I manage to work my way through and up to 4th place by the end of the first straightaway. From there I slip inside of Evans' Clio for 3rd place as we approach the difficult chicanes at the northwest corner of the track. I get through those chicanes OK this time around, and make an inside move to pass Taylor's GTO for 2nd place just before the end of the lap. After that, though, things get more difficult. I'm late on the brakes heading into the chicanes on lap 2 and end up smacking the wall. Then on the third and final lap I have more problems with the rumble strips trying to spin the Clio out from under me as I try to cut corners and make up time. I end up finishing second, but never really getting close to Sasaki who wins.

Working through the chicanes at Ladera.

Result: 2nd place
Time: 2:09.718
Prize: $3,910.00
XP Gained: 2,600
(2003 Renault Sport Clio V6 gained Level 3)

I now have a 10% discount with Sparco Europe, who do after-market chassis reinforcements and roll cages for Audi, Citroen, Opel, Peugeot, Porsche, Renault, and Volkswagen.

Friday, May 21st thru Sunday, May 23rd - Season 1

I try to find some ways to improve the handling on the Clip without doing anything else to the Performance Rating (which is at the limit for a D-class vehicle).

Upgrade: Sport Front Anti-Roll Bars
Price: $1,500.00
Effect: Stability
Rating: D-350 (no change)

Upgrade: Sport Rear Anti-Roll Bars
Price: $1,500.00
Effect: Stability
Rating: D-350 (no change)
-Whiteline hollow sport anti-roll bars with solid links and polyurethane bushings add a few pounds of weight, but should help with the amount of body roll I'm experiencing through the corners.

Upgrade: Street Side Skirts
Price: $500.00
Effect: Drag -1%
Rating: D-350 (no change)
-A pair of Ibherdesign side skirts should help cut down on drag a little bit.


Monday, May 24th - Season 1

Track time on the small oval at Camino Viejo de Montserrat.


Tuesday, May 25th - Season 1

Event: Front-Wheel-Drive Open
Race #3: Camino Viejo de Montserrat (Montserrat, Spain) - Mini Circuit



First-Place Prize: $2,890.00
Laps: 3
Race Distance: 1.68 mi.
Starting Position: 7th

I found out today whether or not Sasaki had any plans for vengeance after what happened on the track a few weeks ago. This half-mile oval is very tight, and I was blocked right off the line by Miller's Mustang and Anderson's Solstice. I was finally able to move past Anderson into 6th by going to the outside on the back stretch, and an inside move on Miller in turn 2 of the 2nd lap moved me up to 5th. However, as I rounded onto the front stretch at the beginning of the final lap, I was once again blocked, this time by Sato's RX-8 and Sasaki's Genesis. I was surprised to see Sasaki this far back in the pack, and he proved his intentions by taking me clean off the track on turn one, through the grass and into the wall. We got back on the track, but I was seeing red at that point and purposely slammed Sasaki in turn three as we both limped towards the finish line.

Sasaki takes me clean off the track in retribution for the events of May 5th.

Result: 8th place
Time: 1:46.468
Prize: $374.00
Repairs: -$132.00
XP Gained: 1,700

Before we could get to each other in person, Sasaki and I were pulled into the trailer by league officials and told in no uncertain terms that this sort of behavior would not be permitted. We were both eliminated from contention in the Rear-Wheel-Drive Open immediately (not that either of us would have won anyway) and were given instructions to avoid one another from here on out. We both nodded our understanding to the officials, but Sasaki would not make eye contact with me and showed no display of emotion throughout.

I took some time after the race to cool down and relax. I can't let myself get caught up in things like I did today. It's one thing if someone takes me off the track like Sasaki did today, and that sort of thing is actually pretty unavoidable at some point on these tight tracks and short races. But I'm upset at myself for retaliating the way that I did. Considering where I was just a few months ago, I've got a really good thing going here and can't allow my temper to jeopardize that.

[DataKing]

One small adjustment I'm making to this dynasty. It feels like five days is a bit too much time between races, so I went back and took a look at how often the game itself was scheduling races. It averaged out to just under four days per race, so that's what I'll be going with from here on out...one race every four days instead of five.

[Emiliano]

Literally loving this! I gotta get this game ASAP.

[DataKing]

Glad you're enjoying it Emiliano. If/when you pick up the game, feel free to ask if you've got any questions.

[DataKing]

Wednesday, May 26th - Season 1

In addition to the regular sort of racing events we've already seen, there are also some that are manufacturer-sponsored events. They're either based around a single manufacturer, or a competition between two similar vehicles from different manufacturers. For example, I've accepted an invitation to participate in the following:

Event: Civic vs. Golf
Limitation: Only Civic and Golf model family cars
Rating Category: D-class
# of Races: 4
Total Event Prize: $37,570.00

This is a D-class event that is restricted to vehicles in the Honda Civic and Volkswagen Golf families. Since I don't own a vehicle in either family, it's time to do some shopping. After some research and test-drives, I settle on the following for $18,000.00:

2003 Volkswagen Golf R32

It may look like a box on wheels, but I like what the Golf R32 offers underneath. For starters it's all-wheel-drive, and the Alfa Romeo made me a fan of AWD. It's also got decent power for this class; 241 horsepower and 236 pound-feet of torque from a 3.2-liter, 6-cylinder engine. That's pretty good power for a D-class, and a lot of that power finds it's way to the pavement. Now if only it wasn't so plain-looking.


Thursday, May 27th - Season 1

Travel day today, as we pack and head back to Japan.


Friday, May 28th - Season 1

Track time today with the new wheels as we return to Tsukuba Circuit, northeast of Tokyo. As you may recall I've had quite a bit of success here before. I'm looking forward to more success, as the extra traction offered by the all-wheel-drive on the Golf should help on this three-hairpin course.


Saturday, May 29th - Season 1

Event: Civic vs. Golf
Race #1: Tsukuba Circuit (Tsukuba, Japan) - Full Circuit



First-Place Prize: $9,520.00
Laps: 4
Race Distance: 5.08 mi.
Starting Position: 7th

Here is the competition I'll be facing in the Civic vs. Golf event:

Rossi (ITA) (2003 Volkswagen Golf R32) (copycat)
Takahashi (JPN) (2004 Honda Mugen Civic Type-R)
Yoshida (JPN) (2007 Honda Civic Type-R)
Weber (GER) (2010 Volkswagen Golf GTI Mk 6)
Esposito (ITA) (2010 Volkswagen Golf GTI Mk 6)
Kato (JPN) (2004 Honda Civic Type-R)
Kim (KOR) (2006 Honda Civic Si Coupe)

I knew the Golf was going to have pretty good power compared to the competition here, but I was surprised when the thing took off like a rocket ship off the line. Apparently the all-wheel-drive on this thing is great for launching as well as control. I sliced through the middle of the pack on the opening straightaway and was already in 3rd place as the first hairpin approached. A simple inside move on Takahashi moved me into second coming out of the turn and I began running down Rossi in his red Golf. I caught up to him at the east end of the track and took the 3rd hairpin a little wider than he did. That allowed me to carry a little more momentum onto the straightaway, where I passed him and never looked back. This one wasn't even a contest as I cruised to an easy victory.

Taking the lead on the south straightaway at Tsukuba.

Result:
Time: 4:33.630
Prize: $9,520.00
XP Gained: 5,600
(Driver gained Level 6)
(2003 Volkswagen Golf R32 gained Level 1)


Sunday, May 30th - Season 1

Travel day as we head back to Loudon, New Hampshire to visit one of my favorite tracks, Maple Valley Raceway


Monday, May 31st - Season 1

The Golf is pretty damn good as it is, if that first race is any indication. But that doesn't mean there aren't some cheap ways to make it better.

Upgrade: Street Weight Reduction
Price: $700.00
Effect: Weight -77 lbs.
Rating: D-314 (up 10 from D-304)
-I put the Golf on a diet and drop in a Sparco lightweight battery.


Up Next: The ugly little Volkswagen continues to prove it's value.

[DataKing]

Tuesday, June 1st - Season 1

Track time today at Maple Valley Raceway, where we'll be running the same Short Circuit Reverse we've run every other trip I've taken here. It's not a complicated track, and the Golf handles great here. Now if I can just avoid getting spun out this time around...


Wednesday, June 2nd - Season 1 (Race Day)

Event: Civic vs. Golf
Race #2 (of 4): Maple Valley Raceway (Loudon, NH) - Short Circuit Reverse



First-Place Prize: $8,670.00
Laps: 5
Race Distance: 5.80 mi.
Starting Position: 7th

The Golf was overpowering on launch again, allowing me to shoot up the middle of the competition and claim 2nd place before the first turn. When I got there I was a little fast and had to carry the hairpin a little wide, but no harm done. Coming around the tail end of the first lap I carried a little more momentum onto the front stretch. This allowed me to pass Rossi's Golf as we crossed the start-finish line. From there I had no issues and was able to pull away to a 4.8 second margin of victory.

Pulling away and staying clear of the pack this time around at Maple Valley.

Result:
Time: 4:05.025
Prize: $8,670.00
XP Gained: 5,100
(2003 Volkswagen Golf R32 gained Level 2)


Thursday, June 3rd - Season 1

We're staying in the United States for the rest of this event, but that doesn't mean we're not logging some serious miles. Today is a travel day as we head out to Sedona, Arizona.


Friday, June 4th - Season 1

Upgrade: Street Oil and Cooling
Price: $360.00
Effect: Power +2 hp
Rating: D-317 (up 3 from D-314)
-I drop in an ARE Germany radiator and fan to help squeeze out a little more power.


Saturday, June 5th - Season 1

I log some laps today at Sedona Raceway Park. We've been here before, but this time we're running the Club Circuit, which is the same as what we ran here before but without the speedway section or the connecting tunnels that run under the grandstands. Overall the track doesn't pose too many problems, but there's a little hump-turn as you're heading back towards the start-finish line that keeps giving me trouble for some reason. If you miss the turn, you end up in some soft-pack sand that really kills your momentum. I'm going to need to be careful there tomorrow.


Sunday, June 6th - Season 1 (Race Day)

Event: Civic vs. Golf
Race #3 (of 4): Sedona Raceway Park (Sedona, AZ) - Club Circuit



First-Place Prize: $9,180.00
Laps: 3
Race Distance: 6.06 mi
Starting Position: 7th

I didn't get off to as good a launch this time around, but still managed to work my way up to 3rd as we approached the first turn. Takahashi had inside position on me there, however, so I had to wait until the back straight (where the tunnel connections usually are) to blast past him for 2nd place. I caught up to Rossi in the bendy parts on the west end of the track, but some pretty aggressive blocking maneuvers there by him kept me at bay. Trouble arose when we hit the "hump" turn I mentioned earlier, though, as Rossi checked up a lot more there than I was expecting. I ended up bumping him and knocking my Golf loose. Takahashi reclaimed 3rd from me as I was fishtailing and dropping gears, trying to regain control. On the second lap the tunnel straight was Takahashi's undoing again this time. Shortly thereafter I was able to downshift rather than decelerate on a gentle bend and shoot past Rossi for first, where I stayed for the rest of the race.

Struggling to regain control after bumping Rossi at Sedona.

Result:
Time: 4:28.285
Prize: $9,180.00
XP Gained: 5,400
(2003 Volkswagen Golf R32 gained Level 3)



Monday, June 7th - Season 1

Today was a travel day, but not unlike any other. I may not be a big fan of oval-racing, but I'm still an American gear-head, and that makes today's destination special all the same. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to DAYTONA!


Tuesday, June 8th - Season 1

I'm itching to get out on the track, but unfortunately some typical Florida wet weather makes that impossible today. But I do know that the club circuit we'll be running here is pretty fast as far as circuits go, with a portion of the course actually being up on the famous banked oval. Knowing that, and knowing that I want to make an impression my first time here, I decide to have a little fun with the Golf...

Upgrade: Centrifugal Supercharger
Price: $2,600.00
Effect: Power +31 hp
Rating: D-339 (up 22 from D-317)
-I can't resist the urge to go a little nuts with the firepower since we're in Daytona, so I install a VF Engineering centrifugal supercharger in the Golf. This thing is going to fly...now it's just a matter of whether or not I can control it.


Wednesday, June 9th - Season 1

The weather dries up for us later in the day, and I'm able to drop some rubber on the track as the sun goes down. It's an interesting course, actually. We spend part of our time weaving through the infield on some turns that, while not being particularly sharp, are tricky because they are completely flat (it is, first and foremost, an infield after all). Then you make a pretty rough transition onto the oval and run a portion of that before starting all over again. The trickiest part is actually the transition from the front straightaway back to the infield, because at that point you're carrying a lot of speed. I can't wait for tomorrow.

Author's Note: The game calls this place "Sunset Peninsula Raceway" but I've looked at the maps and track layout. Trust me...this is Daytona. They probably just can't call it that due to licensing issues.


Thursday, June 10th - Season 1

Event: Civic vs. Golf
Race #4 (of 4): Sunset Peninsula Raceway (Daytona, FL) - Club Circuit



First-Place Prize: $10,200.00
Laps: 4
Race Distance: 7.76 mi
Starting Position: 7th

I only need a 6th place finish or better to assure myself a 1st-overall in the Civic vs. Golf event, but I don't care. This is Daytona, and I'm going for broke. I get a good launch this time and split the middle of the pack, shooting up to 2nd place before the first turn. A jostle with Rossi and his Golf a little bit through the east end of the track, and end up going a little wide coming onto the back stretch, but I'm able to duck to the inside of him on the left-hander that leads to the oval. Coming around onto the front straightaway, I can't resist glancing down at the speedometer (something I don't usually do during races). The whine of the supercharger is damn near intoxicating as I watch the speedo pass 140 mph. But I nearly have a disaster on my hands as I pass the start-finish line, as I end up carrying too much speed with me down onto the infield. The Golf just keeps sliding around on me, and I'm barely able to keep it off the inside retaining wall. People told me after the race that it was a nice save, but it still dropped me to 4th. I rear-end Yoshida's Civic getting back up to speed, then shortly pass him for 3rd. I'm then able to catch up to the other two again at the tail end of the back-stretch (thank goodness I installed that supercharger). I shoot past Takahashi on the outside for 2nd place, then blast past Rossi in the middle of the speedway turn. I'm able to control my emotions and back things down a little earlier the rest of the way, and cruise to victory.


Narrowly averting disaster at Daytona.

Result:
Time: 5:06.499
Prize: $10,200.00
Repairs: -$499.00
XP Gained: 6,000
(Driver gained Level 7)

Event: Civic vs. Golf
Event Result: 1st place (40 pts)
Event Bonus: $11,050.00

Turns out I'd raised a few more eyebrows in the last couple of weeks, and there were some additional prizes waiting for me later that day.

Discounts:
-Volkswagen's in-house Intake Manifold & Throttle Body Shop are now offering me a 10% discount.
-ARE Germany have offered me a 10% discount on their oil and cooling after-market equipment, which is used by Audi, BMW, MINI, Porsche, and Volkswagen
-I'm also on Supersprint Exhaust's good-list now. They do after-market exhausts for Audi, Opel, Porsche, SEAT, and Volkswagen.

And now for the fun stuff. My dominating performance during the event earned me an event bonus of over eleven grand. Then a nice English gentleman from Vauxhall handed me the keys to this little monster:

2004 Vauxhall VX220 Turbo

The Vauxhall VX220 turbo is officially an Ultra-Light, weighing in at under one ton (2,050 lbs), but manages 197 horsepower out of it's mid-placement 2.0-liter turbocharged engine. This makes for a relatively high power:weight ratio which I am intrigued by.

But the real prize came later in the day, when a representative from Ford showed up and handed me the keys to this...(and before you ask, yes, I did nearly wet myself):

2007 Ford Shelby GT500

Hubba hubba!

For those of you who may not know about Carroll Shelby and his famous muscle-cars, this one requires a little explanation. Carroll Shelby was the designer of some of the most iconic muscle cars from the 1960's, in particular the original Shelby Cobras (think Eleanor from Gone in 60 seconds). In 2006, Ford lured Carroll Shelby back to help build cars again, and this was the result.

The Ford Shelby GT500 is much heavier than any other car I own, weighing in at just under 3,900 pounds, but generates 500 horsepower from it's 5.4-liter, 8-cylinder twin-screw supercharged engine. This is a true modern-day muscle-car.

Today was one of the bigger races of the year for the professional circuit drivers as well, so there was a heck of an after-party later that night. Overall, today was what you call "a good day."

[DataKing]

Friday, June 11th - Season 1

The manufacturer event was nice, but there don't appear to be any more of those going on right now, or at least none that are interested in having me compete. So it's back to an amateur level competition for the time being:

Event: Inline 4 Showcase
Limitation: Only inline 4-cylinder engines
Rating Category: D-class
# of Races: 3
Total Event Prize: $19,380.00

The competition:

Rossi (ITA) (2006 Vauxhall Astra VXR)
Muller (GER) (2009 Volkswagen Scirocco GT)
Evans (UK) (2010 Volkswagen Golf GTI Mk6)
Sato (JPN) (2000 Honda Integra Type-R)
Watanabe (JPN) (2004 Honda Civic Type-R)
Johansson (SWE) (2009 Vauxhall Corsa VXR)
Kim (KOR) (1994 Nissan Silvia K's)

Instead of buying a new car for this event, I decide to go with a car I already own that meets the criteria: the 2009 Volkswagen Scirocco GT I received after race one of the Class E World Championship.

The event starts at nearby Sebring International Raceway, so no need to worry about travel. Instead I spend the next couple of days getting the Scirocco ready to race.

Upgrade: Street Weight Reduction
Price: $700.00
Effect: Weight -64 lbs.
Rating: D-292 (up 9 from D-283)
-I put the Scirocco on a diet and drop in a Sparco lightweight battery.


Saturday, June 12th - Season 1

Upgrade: Street Oil and Cooling
Price: $270.00
Effect: Power +3 hp
Rating: D-296 (up 4 from D-292)
-Multi-core radiator and fan from ARE Germany.


Sunday, June 13th - Season 1

I get the Scirocco out on the track today at Sebring International, where we'll be running on the Club Circuit (the portion of the track I did not see my first time here). It's much more of a conventional, tight, flat road course (that also happens to be shaped like a fish). The Scirocco seems to handle well enough through it, but it remains to be seen how it does in traffic.


Monday, June 14th - Season 1 (Race Day)

Event: Inline 4 Showcase
Race #1 (of 3): Sebring International Raceway (Sebring, FL) - Club Circuit



First-Place Prize: $5,440.00
Laps: 2
Race Distance: 3.40 mi
Starting Position: 7th

I got off to a pretty poor launch (the Scirocco isn't anywhere near as good off the line as the Golf is) so I'm stuck in the back, bumping with Johansson's Vauxhall during the first few turns on the tight track. Once I get past Johansson I have a little breathing room and end up making an inside move on a downshift turn, passing Watanabe's Civic for 5th place. Evans' Golf and Sato's Integra end up bumping on the ensuing sharp right-hand turn, and I slip to the inside of them both and gradually work my way up into 3rd. I take the next left-hand bender a little wider than most (in a move I'm becoming more and more fond of), which allows me to come off the bend with more momentum than the competition. I'm able to use that momentum to carry myself past Muller's Scirocco and Rossi's Vauxhall for 1st place, and there I stay.

Working through traffic at Sebring.

Result:
Time: 2:55.593
Prize: $5,440.00
XP Gained: 3,200


Tuesday, June 15th - Season 1

Travel day today, as the last two races of this event will be held in Japan.


Wednesday, June 16th - Season 1

Upgrade: Street Clutch
Price: $900.00
Effect: Shift Time -0.04s
Rating: D-298 (up 2 from D-296)
-Shifting felt a little rough at Sebring, so I make one of my standard upgrades to the Scirocco and drop in improved Sachs clutch disc and plate.


Thursday, June 17th - Season 1

We're back at one of my favorite tracks; Tsukuba Circuit outside of Tokyo. I've really got a good feel for this place, and it doesn't take me very long to get the Scirocco dialed in. I'm pretty pleased, as I've got it running lap times less than a second off the pace I was setting in the Golf here last month.


Friday, June 18th - Season 1 (Race Day)

Event: Inline 4 Showcase
Race #2 (of 3): Tsukuba Circuit (Tsukuba, Japan) - Full Circuit



First-Place Prize: $7,140.00
Laps: 3
Race Distance: 3.81 mi
Starting Position: 7th

I get off to a much better launch as they drop the green flag this time, and I'm up to 5th and on the inside of Sato's Integra on the first hairpin. I'm able to pass coming off the turn, and get next to Evans' Golf. Evans bumps me heading into the second hairpin at a very inopportune moment, but I'm just barely able to save it and keep my 3rd place position through the pin. I manage an inside move on Muller's Scirocco for 2nd, and end up trailing Rossi's Astra on the southern straightaway. I'm not able to gain any ground on him here, however, as it looks like he's got a little more firepower than I do. I stay on his tail as we approach the sweeping right-hander that ends the first lap. When he taps his breaks to decelerate for the turn, I allow the Scirocco to drift to the inside of him, then use a downshift to hold on through the turn and emerge in 1st place. After that, with clean air in front of me I'm able to pull away from Rossi a little bit, but not much. Still, it's enough to bring home another win.


Saving my own bacon heading into the 2nd hairpin at Tsukuba.

Result:
Time: 3:30.224
Prize: $7,140.00
XP Gained: 4,200
(2009 Volkswagen Scirocco GT gained Level 1)


Saturday, June 19th and Sunday, June 20th - Season 1

It seems like the Scirocco is good enough to win in this event as it is, so I resist the urge to spend money on unnecessary modifications and instead spend a couple of days away from the track, enjoying the sites and sounds that Japan has to offer.


Monday, June 21st - Season 1

The last race for this event is on the West Circuit at Twin Ring Motegi, somewhere we haven't been since late March. It takes a little bit of time getting the Scirocco dialed in here, especially through the notch turn at the southeast corner of the track, but nothing too bad.


Tuesday, June 22nd - Season 1

Event: Inline 4 Showcase
Race #3 (of 3): Twin Ring Motegi (Motegi, Japan) - West Circuit



First-Place Prize: $6,800.00
Laps: 4
Race Distance: 4.40 mi.
Starting Position: 7th

A pretty average launch this time has me stuck in 6th on the outside of Sato's Integra through the first two turns and onto the back stretch. There I'm able to take advantage of the Scirocco's power and pass Sato for 5th, and I then cut inside of Watanabe's Civic for 4th heading into the notch. But coming back out onto the front stretch I'm blocked again, this time by Evans' Golf and Muller's Scirocco. I'm stuck waiting behind those two until the back stretch, where I'm finally able to power past Evans, then duck inside of Muller in the notch to claim 2nd. I then beat Rossi in a drag-race down the front stretch for 1st, where I remain for the last two laps of the race.

Waiting for an opening at Motegi.

Result:
Time: 3:19.209
Prize: $6,800.00
XP Gained: 4,000
(2009 Volkswagen Scirocco GT gained Level 2)

Event: Inline 4 Showcase
Event Result: 1st place (30 pts)
Event Bonus: $5,700.00

Nothing much in the way of bonuses this time around (since I didn't gain a driver level), but I did get nearly six grand extra for finishing in 1st place in all three races. Also, my discounts with Volkswagen (for intake manifold & throttle body) and ARE Germany (for oil and cooling) are now up to 20%.

[DataKing]

Question...does anyone know if there's a limit to the number of spoiler tags you can have within a single post? I'm starting to have problems with the Garage post near the beginning of the thread.

[DataKing]

Rules Change

After my recent string of success, and the fact that I really feel I'm out-performing what my cars should be doing compared to the competition, I'm bumping the opponent difficulty up from medium to hard. This will raise the settings bonus amount from +70% to +80%. Let's hope I don't regret this.

[DataKing]

Wednesday, June 23rd - Season 1

I'm contacted about participating in an event sponsored by Ford Motor Company, and I quickly agree. I liked the payouts I saw in the Civic vs. Golf manufacturer event. I'm also warned, however, that the level of competition is about to get stiffer as well. Excellent.

Event: Focus Track Days
Limitation: Ford Focus vehicles only.
Rating Category: C-class
# of Races: 4
Total Event Prize: $39,600.00

This is an event sponsored by Ford and restricted solely to Ford Focus-based vehicles. As you may recall, I already have a 2009 Ford Focus RS (received after the Class E World Championship was concluded), so I'll be racing that.

The rest of the field:

Davis (USA) (2009 Ford Focus RS)
Taylor (USA) (2009 Ford Focus RS)
Williams (USA) (2006 Ford Focus ST)
Brown (USA) (2006 Ford Focus ST)
Miller (USA) (2003 Ford SVT Focus)
Anderson (USA) (2003 Ford SVT Focus)
Jones (USA) (2003 Ford SVT Focus)

We're still "dark match" talent at this point, but being billed as "the brightest young American drivers cutting their teeth." I'm not sure I believe all that but hey, if it helps sell a few more tickets then I'm all for it.

The first race is back in Montserrat, so we're traveling to Europe today.


Thursday, June 24th - Season 1

Time to start making adjustments to the '09 Focus and hopefully give myself an edge.

Upgrade: Street Weight Reduction
Price: $900.00
Effect: Weight -76 lbs.
Rating: C-364 (up to from C-354)
-Pretty standard fare here, as I strip out the non-essentials and drop in a Recaro lightweight battery.


Friday, June 25th - Season 1

I log some track time today at the Ladera Test Track in Montserrat. We've been here a few times before, but this is the first time I'll be running the entire 1.21 mile circuit.


Saturday, June 26th - Season 1 (Race Day)

Event: Focus Track Days
Race #1 (of 4): Ladera Test Track (Montserrat, Spain) - Full Circuit



First-Place Prize: $9,360.00
Laps: 4
Race Distance: 4.84 mi.
Starting Position: 7th

I have a solid launch off the line in the '09 Focus, and I'm up to 5th heading into the 1st turn, after which I'm able to slip past Brown for 4th along the curving front stretch. I hold my own through the mini-hairpin and the long, sweeping left-hander at the west end of the track, then push past Williams for 3rd just before the last left-hander on the first lap. Most of the second lap is a good one, but despite that I'm able to make up very little ground on the 1st and 2nd place cars (both of which are also '09s). Trying to make up ground, I screw up and go into the last turn of the lap way too hot, smacking the outside wall hard and damaging my engine as well as the front end of the car. At this point the race just turns into a fight for survival, and I spend the entire 3rd lap just trying to hold off the 4th and 5th place cars of Williams and Brown. Williams is finally able to work his way underneath me on the first turn of the 4th and final lap, pushing me to the outside and allowing himself and Brown to move ahead of me. From there I'm able to hang with them, but can't get enough out of my damaged engine to pass.

Hard into the wall at Ladera.

Result: 5th place
Time: 4.08:541
Prize: $4,680.00
Repairs: $1,044.00 (ouch)
XP Gained: 5,200
(2009 Ford Focus RS gained Level 1)

Event Standings:

1st place: Davis (10 pts)
2nd place: Taylor (7 pts)
3rd place: Williams (5 pts)
4th place: Brown (4 pts)
5th place: Tolliver (3 pts)
6th place: Miller (2 pts)
7th place: Anderson (1 pt)
8th place: Jones (0 pt)

Sunday, June 27th - Season 1

Travel day today as we head back to Japan.


Monday, June 28th - Season 1

Upgrade: Street Camshaft
Price: $2,500.00
Effect: Power +21 hp
Rating: C-384 (up 20 from C-364)

Even when I had a healthy engine at Ladera I wasn't making up much ground on the leaders, so I take a big swing at the Focus and drop $2,500.00 on a new Comp Cams camshaft. Hopefully the boost in firepower will give me what I need to catch up to the leaders in future races.


Tuesday, June 29th - Season 1

We're back at one of my favorite tracks, Tsukuba Circuit near Tokyo, but this time we're at the Short Circuit, which eliminates the 3rd hairpin and most of the south straightaway. This is the first time I've run this track configuration here, so it takes a little getting used to.

I've also decided to start looking into other little car changes/tunes to try to gain an advantage. Most of those options aren't available until you've made some pretty expensive upgrades, but I do start messing with my tire pressures a little bit. After running a bunch of laps, I settle on 29 PSI in the front tires (down 1 PSI from standard) and 29.5 PSI in the back (down 0.5 PSI from standard). A track like Tsukuba, especially in this shorter configuration, means a greater need for handling and less time running flat-out, so the softer tire pressures should help overall.


Wednesday, June 30th - Season 1 (Race Day)

Event: Focus Track Days
Race #2 (of 4): Tsukuba Circuit (Tsukuba, Japan) - Short Circuit



First-Place Prize: $9,720.00
Laps: 5
Race Distance: 4.85 mi.
Starting Position: 7th

My launch isn't as good this time around, but I still manage to power my way up to 5th by the time we hit the first hairpin. After the 2nd pin I manage to pass Brown to the outside of the sweeping right-hander at the east end of the track for 4th. I get a pretty good run down the straightaway and slip to the inside of Williams for 3rd when we hit the first hairpin again, but I give the position right back by going into the 2nd hairpin too hot and scraping the outside wall. Williams falls into my clutches once again on the first hairpin of lap 3, but that's as far as I'm able to advance. I'm guilty again of driving too hard to try to catch up to the leaders, and actually end up losing ground. But at least this time I keep the car relatively clean and earn a spot on the podium.

Trading paint with Williams at Tsukuba.

Result:
Time: 4:17.023
Prize: $7,200.00
Repairs: -$132.00
XP Gained: 5,400
(Driver gained Level 8)
(2009 Ford Focus RS gained Level 2)

Event Standings:

1st place: Davis (20 pts)
2nd place: Taylor (14 pts)
3rd place: Williams (9 pts)
4th place: Tolliver (8 pts)
5th place: Brown (7 pts)
6th place: Miller (4 pts)
7th place: Anderson (2 pts)
8th place: Jones (0 pt)

[DataKing]

Thursday, July 1st - Season 1

Travel day today. We head to jolly old England.


Friday, July 2nd - Season 1

The extra power from the new camshaft is nice and all, but my grip was an absolute disaster at Tsukuba. These stock tires just aren't going to cut it. I should really know better than to mess with anything but the tires first. They're the only means by which your car contacts the road surface. If your tires are shite, your driving is going to be shite as well.

Upgrade: Street Tire Compound
Price: $2,000.00
Effect: Grip +0.03
Rating: C-392 (up 8 from C-384)
-I drop two large on a supply of street racing tires from Goodyear.


Saturday, July 3rd - Season 1

We'll be racing at Silverstone tomorrow, but an abbreviated version compared to what I ran the first time I was here when we concluded the Class E World Championship. I spend a frustrating afternoon on the track. I'm decent through most of the track, but the tricky turns at the west end have me in fits and I just can't seem to find a line that works well. When my lap times actually start to go up, I call it a day. No sense in abusing myself and the Focus any more than I already have.


Sunday, July 4th - Season 1 (Race Day)

Event: Focus Track Days
Race #3 (of 4): Silverstone Racing Circuit (Northamptonshire, England) - National Circuit



First-Place Prize: $10,080.00
Laps: 4
Race Distance: 6.56 mi
Starting Position: 7th
The irony of a bunch of Americans racing in England on the 4th of July is not lost on us Yanks, and apparently is wasn't lost on some of the crowd either, as there was a smattering of good-natured "boo's" during driver introductions and a few more signs than we're used to seeing. But it was all in good fun.

I didn't get off to a very good start off the line, but still managed to power my way past the old '03 Focus' and into 5th before the first turn. At the southern end of the track I had to swing a little wide around the turn there in order to avoid rear-ending Williams. That held me up a little bit, but I was still able to muscle my way past him and Brown and into 3rd by the end of the back-stretch. I now found myself in a familiar position, having to make up ground on the top two. I wasn't able to make much progress on lap 2, but lap 3 was a good one and I finally found Taylor's back bumper at the end of the back stretch. I managed to slip to the inside of him on the first part of the turn, but in retrospect this was exactly the wrong approach to take. Before I knew it I found myself on the outside and forced wide as the turn bent sharply back around to the right and back towards the starting line. I got the car pretty badly out of shape through the rest of the turn and never really recovered.

Flat-out on the back stretch at Silverstone.

Result:
Time: 4:39.487
Prize: $7,560.00
XP Gained: 5,600
(2009 Ford Focus RS gained Level 3)

Event Standings:

1st place: Davis (30 pts)
2nd place: Taylor (21 pts)
T-3rd place: Tolliver (13 pts)
T-3rd place: Williams (13 pts)
5th place: Brown (10 pts)
6th place: Miller (6 pts)
7th place: Anderson (3 pts)
8th place: Jones (0 pts)

I'm getting a little frustrated with my inability to beat Davis or Taylor, and things aren't likely to get any better. We're heading to a track that I've never even seen before.


Monday, July 5th - Season 1

Travel day today as we head to Italy. Specifically we're in Mugello, in the north of Italy about 30 miles south of Bologna.


Tuesday, July 6th - Season 1

I had a bit of a revelation on the flight over from England. Some of the best successes I've had with passing has been braking later than my opponents heading into turns. Get a nose underneath them, brake just a tick later, and all of a sudden you're on the inside and you've got all the leverage. So...

Upgrade: Street Brakes
Price: $2,700.00
Effect: Efficiency +1%
Rating: C-393 (up 1 from C-392)
-I replace the stock Ford brakes with a set of Wilwood high-performance brake pads and braided stainless-steel brake lines, along with high-boiling-point brake fluid.


Wednesday, July 7th - Season 1

At first blush I didn't like the track at Mugello. We're in the foothills of the Alps, so you're dealing with some pretty severe elevation changes here. You start out on a nice long straightaway, which is cool enough, but then as you turn around and head back you climb a pretty severe slope, then you're dealing with some smaller elevation changes at the same time as you're zigging and zagging your way back to the south. Then on the next-to-last turn of the track (the right-hander where you end up straight west) it feels like your car almost falls out from underneath you the drop-off is so steep.

But I found that, after running a dozen laps or so, the place was really starting to grow on me. You have to use some pretty careful throttle control as you work your way down the back-side of the track, but with the elevation changes and pseudo-banking that results, the turns end up feeling more...I don't know...I guess organic is the right word. They just seem natural.

I actually cut my track time a little shorter than I did before, because I felt like I was starting to overdo it at Silverstone. Let tomorrow bring what may.


Thursday, July 8th - Season 1

Event: Focus Track Days
Race #4 (of 4): Mugello Autodromo Internazionale (Mugello, Italy) - Club Circuit



First-Place Prize: $10,440.00
Laps: 4
Race Distance: 7.16 mi.
Starting Position: 7th

The superior horsepower on my turbocharged engine kicked in on the opening straightaway, and I managed to weave my way all the way up to 3rd place before the first hard right-hand turn. On the eastern, upper part of the track I managed a pretty good pass on Taylor for 2nd place, the highest I had been so far in this event. However, on the hard right-hander at the end of the straightaway on lap 2 I was carrying too much speed and barely kept to the track, allowing Taylor to slip back inside me and drop me to 3rd place. I decided it was time to take advantage of the new brakes, so the last right-hand turn on the back-stretch I stuck my nose to the inside and hit the brakes a little later. We bumped on the turn, but I kept the Focus under control and moved back into 2nd place. Most of lap 3 was spent catching up to Davis, who had built up a small lead while Davis and I were jockeying for position, but I managed to catch up to him at the end of the back-stretch and pulled the same move I had on Taylor the lap before. Again, we bumped, but Davis seemed more willing to back off, and I found myself in the lead! I kept a good, solid line throughout the 4th and final lap and won.


Making the pass for 2nd at Mugello.

Result:
Time: 4:41.789
Prize: $10,440.00
XP Gained: 5,800

Final Event Standings:

1st place: Davis (37 pts)
2nd place: Taylor (26 pts)
3rd place: Tolliver (23 pts)
4th place: Williams (16 pts)
5th place: Brown (14 pts)
6th place: Miller (8 pts)
7th place: Anderson (4 pts)
8th place: Jones (0 pts)

Not exactly the overall placement I was hoping for, but I guess I'll take it. And the win itself at Mugello was really satisfying. Aside from the Class E World Championship, I think this was the victory I have enjoyed the most thus far.

After the race, Luis (he's always hanging around...) presented me with a note, from my mysterious benefactor:

Senor Maxwell Tolliver,

I am most pleased with your progress over these past few months, and I am happy to see that my brother's trust was not misplaced. You have begun to make a name for yourself, but I hope that you will remember who your true friends are when the time comes.
In the meantime, please accept this as a token of my appreciation for your driving skill. After all, a gentleman's estate is not complete until it contains a fine Italian sports car.

-Ferdinand.

My jaw nearly hit the floor when I saw what was waiting for me...

2008 Maserati GranTurismo

The Maserati GranTurismo isn't quite on the level of Lamborghini or Ferrari, but it's still a $90,000 car! Who the hell is Ferdinand, anyway?


The following discounts have been bumped to 20% as well:
MSD Ignitions (Chrysler, Dodge, Ford, Panoz, Saleen, Shelby)
Cosworth Oil & Cooling (Ford, Panoz, Saleen, Shelby)
Hotchkis Anti-Roll Bars (Chrysler, Dodge, Ford, Panoz, Saleen, Shelby)

[DataKing]

Friday, July 9th - Season 1

It would appear to be the season for manufacturer events. I've agreed to participate in another one, this time focusing on cars that originate in Sweden.

Event: Sweden Club
Limitation: Cars manufactured in Sweden only.
Rating Category: D-class
# of Races: 4
Total Event Prize: $39,960.00

I'll be honest, I've agreed to do this for the money and that's all. While Swedish women are certainly capable of elevating my heart rate, Swedish cars? Not so much. My options are basically limited to Volvo and Saab, and after a little investigation I decide on the following, which I'm able to acquire for $16,000.00

The 2004 Volvo S60 R

The Volvo S60 R is a four-door sedan (which the rest of the world stubbornly call a saloon). It boasts all-wheel-drive, and a turbocharged 2.5-liter engine that generates 304 horsepower and 297 pound-feet of torque at relatively low RPMs. And as I suspected, it's thoroughly boring to drive. Oh well.

Here is the competition I'll be facing:

Rossi (ITA) (2004 Volvo S60 R)
Muller (GER) (2004 Volvo S60 R)
Evans (UK) (2009 Volvo C30 R-Design)
Weber (GER) (2008 Saab 9-3 Turbo X)
Esposito (ITA) (2008 Saab 9-3 Turbo X)
Johansson (SWE) (2002 Saab 9-3 Aero)
Spiers (UK) (2002 Saab 9-3 Aero)

Note: One further tweak to my scheduling efforts...I'm giving myself five days instead of the usual four between events to give myself a little extra time to prepare.


Saturday, July 10th - Season 1

Travel day today, as we stay near the Mediterranean and head back to Spain.


Sunday, July 11th - Season 1

The new Volvo already has street-level improved brakes, so the first order of business is getting some more grip.

Upgrade: Street Tire Compound
Price: $2,000.00
Effect: Grip +0.06
Rating: D-334 (up 18 from D-316)
-I spend two grand on a supply of street-racing Pirelli tires.


Monday, July 12th - Season 1

I turn some laps today on the School Circuit at Circuit de Catalunya. It's been a while since I was here last (way back in April) so it takes some getting re-acquainted with the track as well as the new car. The all-wheel-drive on the Volvo is nice, but I'm naturally apprehensive since I know I'll have to work my way up from the back of the field yet again.


Tuesday, July 13th - Season 1 (Race Day)

Event: Sweden Club
Race #1 (of 4): Circuit de Catalunya (Barcelona, Spain) - School Circuit



First-Place Prize: $10,080.00
Laps: 5
Race Distance: 5.29 mi.
Starting Position: 7th

I didn't have much runway to move up at the start, but still managed to work my way inside of Weber for 5th on the first turn. In a hurry to move up towards the front, I bumped Esposito on the next hairpin and moved into 4th. Evans' C30 held me up on the long, sweeping right-hander at the end of the lap, but I was finally able to slip by him to the inside heading into turn 1 on lap 2. The rest of the race, however, was an exercise in frustration, however, as I was never able to make up much ground on Rossi and Muller...they had just driven off to too large a lead at the beginning of the race, and neither made any mistakes that would have allowed me to catch up.

Falling behind early at Catalunya.

Result:
Time: 4:23.995
Prize: $7,560.00
Repairs: -$186.00
XP Gained: 5,600
(Driver gained Level 9)
(2004 Volvo S60 R gained Level 1)

Event Standings:

1st Place: Rossi (10 pts)
2nd Place: Muller (7 pts)
3rd Place: Tolliver (5 pts)
4th Place: Evans (4 pts)
5th Place: Esposito (3 pts)
6th Place: Weber (2 pts)
7th Place: Johansson (1 pt)
8th Place: Spiers (0 pt)

Wednesday, July 14th - Season 1

Travel day today. We're heading to the northeastern US, returning to a place I've had my fair share of heartbreak...Maple Valley Raceway.


Thursday, July 15th - Season 1

I need to do something to coax a little more speed out of the Volvo, but my options are limited, since most of the engine upgrades available to me would push the Performance Rating over the 350 maximum for D-class cars. And most of the decent options that would keep me under 350 involve spending more money than I am prepared to on this car (most involve upgrades to the turbo).

Upgrade: Street Weight Reduction
Price: $800.00
Effect: Weight -90 lbs.
Rating: D-344 (up to from D-334)
-So I put the Volvo on a diet and give it a lightweight Sparco battery.


Friday, July 16th - Season 1

We're running the same Short Circuit I've run on my past trips to this track tomorrow, but this time it will be in the opposite direction. That takes some getting used to, but at least the Volvo does feel a little more nimble now that she's dropped a few pounds.


Saturday, July 17th - Season 1 (Race Day)

Event: Sweden Club
Race #2 (of 4): Maple Valley Raceway (Loudon, NH) - Short Circuit



First-Place Prize: $10,980.00
Laps: 6
Race Distance: 6.96 mi.
Starting Position: 7th

I got off to a great start this time when they dropped the green flag, and shot clear up to 3rd place before the 1st turn. I dropped to the inside of the track on that long, right-hand bend, keeping my car to the inside of Muller and eventually passing him for 2nd as we came off the bend and onto the back section of the track. But I wasn't making up much time on Rossi the rest of the way around or on the 2nd lap. So I tried a more aggressive line on the back-bend on lap 3 and that really seemed to close the gap. I intended to try the exact same thing on the 4th lap, thinking I could finally pass him, but I royally screwed up the maneuver. I ended up shooting out too wide and onto the grass, then to compound matters I missed a gear while downshifting to get back onto the track. The RPMs spiked andl combined with the turbo on the car, resulted in pretty serious engine damage. Before I knew it I was trailing smoke and Muller was re-passing me on the front stretch. I tried to hold my position, but the damage to the Volvo's engine was just too great. Evans muscled past me on the front stretch heading to the last lap, and Esposito passed me for 4th just a few feet short of the finish line.

Tracking down the evil Rossi (just moments before wrecking my engine).

Result: 5th place
Time: 4:58.717
Prize: $5,580.00
Repairs: -$765.00
XP Gained: 6,100
(2004 Volvo S60 R gained Level 2)

Event Standings:

1st place: Rossi (20 pts)
2nd place: Muller (14 pts)
3rd place: Evans (9 pts)
4th place: Tolliver (8 pts)
5th place: Esposito (7 pts)
6th place: Weber (4 pts)
7th place: Johansson (2 pts)
8th place: Spiers (0 pts)

Obviously I'm not happy with the results here, but I have no one to blame but myself. I had a golden opportunity for a win here, and instead shredded my engine and finished 5th due to my own error. Live and learn I suppose.

[DataKing]

Sunday, July 18th - Season 1

We head back to Spain for the remainder of the Sweden Club event.


Monday, July 19th - Season 1

I had a car that was capable of winning at Maple Valley, and I don't have much more room for improvements if I'm going to keep it a D-class vehicle.

Upgrade: Sport Oil and Cooling
Price: $800.00
Effect: Power +4 hp
Rating: D-348 (up 4 from D-344)
-I drop $800.00 on a remote-mount oil filter and cooler from Volvo, as well as baffled oil pickups. I figure I might as well try to squeeze a few extra ponies out of this thing however I can.


Tuesday, July 20th - Season 1

Tomorrow is the first time I'll be running the full circuit at Camino Viejo de Montserrat, and I have to say it's a completely different animal than the half-mile pseudo-oval that I've run here in the past. There are some high-speed bends and a wicked hairpin to contend with this time around.


Wednesday, July 21st - Season 1 (Race Day)

Event: Sweden Club
Race #3 (of 4): Camino Viejo de Montserrat (Montserrat, Spain) - Full Circuit



First-Place Prize: $9,000.00
Laps: 3
Race Distance: 5.40 mi.
Starting Position: 7th

I got off to a good start at the drop of the green flag, working my way straight up to 5th place. But I was forced off and onto the grass shortly thereafter as the track narrows considerably. Trying to make up some time before Weber (in 4th place) got too far ahead, I got on the accelerator too early in the hairpin at the southwest end of the track. This caused me to bounce off the wall, and as I was struggling to regain control of the Volvo, Johansson clipped my right rear fender and sent me into the wall yet again. I eventually came to a rest facing the wrong way on the track. The good news is that the Volvo had only sustained (significant) body damage. The bad news is that I was now at a dead stop and well behind the rest of the pack. My chances to win the race were completely shot. I was pissed, obviously, but kept my anger under control and decided to see how many spots I could make up. By the back-stretch of the 2nd lap I'd caught up with the first of my opposition, and picked off Johansson there for 7th place. Spiers fell shortly thereafter, as I was able to slip to the inside of his Saab heading into the last turn on lap 2. I was also able to track down and pass Esposito to the outside of the back stretch on lap 3, but that's all the ground I was able to recover.

Mayhem coming out of the hairpin at Camino Viejo de Montserrat.

Result: 5th place
Time: 4:12.886
Prize: $4,500.00
Repairs: -$741.00
XP Gained: 5,000
(2004 Volvo S60 R gained Level 3)

Event Standings:

1st place: Rossi (30 pts)
2nd place: Muller (21 pts)
3rd place: Evans (14 pts)
4th place: Tolliver (11 pts)
5th place: Esposito (9 pts)
6th place: Weber (8 pts)
7th place: Johansson (2 pts)
8th place: Spiers (1 pt)

Thursday, July 22nd & Friday, July 23rd - Season 1

Upgrade: Street Clutch
Price: $1,000.00
Effect: Shift Time: -0.05s
Rating: D-350 (up 2 from D-348)
-I use the last little bit of wiggle room I've got in the D-category to install an improved Centerforce clutch and clutch plate.

Upgrade: Street Driveline
Price: $450.00
Effect: Weight -4.3 lbs.
Rating: D-350 (no change)
-I install a Volvo alloy-steel driveshaft to help decrease driveline intertia and overall weight. There's not much else to be done at this point.


Saturday, July 24th - Season 1

I turn some laps at Iberian International Circuit today. Another track where I've raced before, but with a different, longer configuration. This one is pretty straight forward with some rather square corners, except for a double-apex turn at the far east end of the track. That's the first turn we'll hit in this configuration, and could cause some problems tomorrow.


Sunday, July 25th - Season 1 (Race Day)

Event: Sweden Club
Race #4 (of 4): Iberian International Circuit (Montserrat, Spain) - Full Circuit Reverse



First-Place Prize: $9,900.00
Laps: 4
Race Distance: 5.96 mi.
Starting Position: 7th

I got off to a solid launch this time around, and worked my way all the way up to 3rd before the double-apex turn. The rest of the lap was spent tracking down Rossi and Muller, and I really made up quite a bit of ground on the western portion of the track (which includes a pretty steep decline). At the end of that section, heading into the last turn, I used an aggressive dive to get a nose in under Muller. Eight wheels turn better than four, and I was able to force him wide (but not off the track) and found myself in 2nd. Lap 2 was spent running down Rossi, which I managed to do before the last turn, but he did a good job of closing off the last corner and I had to bide my time. I did that, and as we approached the same turn on lap 3 I found my opening. I ducked to the inside and, similar to the maneuver I pulled on Muller, forced my way into the lead. That lead I nearly lost on the double-apex on the last turn, but Rossi didn't take a very good line either and had to concentrate on holding Muller off for 2nd place.

Taking advantage of the inside position at Iberian International.

Result:
Time: 4:17.899
Prize: $9,900.00
XP Gained: 5,500

Final Event Standings:

1st place: Rossi (37 pts)
2nd place: Muller (26 pts)
3rd place: Tolliver (21 pts)
4th place: Evans (18 pts)
T-5th place: Weber (11 pts)
T-5th place: Esposito (11 pts)
7th place: Johansson (3 pts)
8th place: Spiers (1 pt)

I managed to squeeze out another third-place event finish. I spent some time after the race thinking and analyzing things. I'm certainly capable of winning at this level...this race and the one at Mugello on the 8th are proof of that. But some times I end up in too big a hole by the time I'm able to clear the slower traffic. When that happens I press, and sometimes things get even worse. So, after some consideration I decide there's two things I really want to focus on:

1. Stay aggressive at the start. I simply can't afford to fall that far behind early in races. Looking back, there was nothing wrong with my approach at Camino Viejo, I just messed up in the execution. I have to continue to press at the start of races, and results like that be damned.
2. Be more consistent. When I do find myself in a spot where I can chase down the leaders, I have to be more consistent in my driving. If the opportunity is there for a pass, be aggressive and take it. But don't go hog-wild and end up blowing an engine.
   

While I was busy mulling things over later in the day and trying to put on a happy face, something happened that gave me that happy face for real. As I've already seen, company men for the various manufacturers are always looking to make a good impression and maybe earn some sway with us drivers. This time, it was a fresh-faced young lady from Chevrolet who presented me with the following (she turned quite pale and left in a hurry when I offered to take her for a spin around the track ):

The 2010 Chevrolet Camaro SS

More modern American muscle along the lines of the new Shelby, the Camaro cranks out 422 horsepower and 408 pound-feet of torque from it's 8-cylinder, 6.2-liter engine. It weight about the same as the Shelby, which means it has a lower power-weight ratio, but after tooling around a little bit I like the handling and overall balance of the Camaro a little bit better.

I also earn discounts from the following:

• Volvo's in-house Driveline, Intake Manifold & Throttle Body, Oil & Cooling shops.
• Bosch Europe's Ignition team. They do after-market work for Koenigsegg (can't wait to get my hands on one of these), Saab, SEAT, and Volvo.
  

[DataKing]

Monday, July 26th - Season 1

I've got another manufacturer event lined up. This one is sponsored by French car manufacturer Peugeot.

Event: Peugeot Racing Club
Limitation: Cars manufactured by Peugeot only
Rating Category: E-class
# of Races: 4
Total Event Prize: $37,080.00

Obviously I don't own a Peugeot yet, so it's time to go shopping. As it turns out, my options are pretty limited. I settle on the following for $15,000.00:

The 2004 Peugeot 206 RC

The 2004 Peugeot 206 RC actually has a bit more power than it's more recent brother, the 207, which is why I went with it. It's a 2400-lb hatchback that squeezes 174 horsepower out of it's little 2.0-liter, 4-cylinder engine.

The list of the competition will show you how slim my options really were:

Rossi (ITA) (2004 Peugeot 206 RC)
Muller (GER) (2004 Peugeot 206 RC)
Evans (UK) (2004 Peugeot 206 RC)
Weber (GER) (2007 Peugeot 207 RC)
Esposito (ITA) (2007 Peugeot 207 RC)
Johansson (SWE) (2007 Peugeot 207 RC)
Spiers (UK) (2007 Peugeot 207 RC)

Like I said...options were limited.


Tuesday, July 27th - Season 1

We travel to Italy today.


Wednesday, July 28th - Season 1

There's really next to nothing I can do for the Peugeot to improve it, because it's already right at the 275 Performance Index limit for a class-E vehicle. But still, every little bit helps I suppose.

Upgrade: Sport Front Anti-Roll Bars
Price: $1,400.00
Effect: Stability
Rating: E-275 (no change)
-In the past I've found hatchbacks can be a bit "wobbly" moving through the bends, so hopefully some Whiteline anti-roll bars in the front will help alleviate that.


Thursday, July 29th - Season 1

I turn some laps today at Mugello Autodromo Internazionale, where I managed a victory in my only other appearance. I've got a pretty good feel for this place, but won't know for sure until I line up against the competition tomorrow.


Friday, July 30th - Season 1 (Race Day)

Event: Peugeot Racing Club
Race #1 (of 4): Mugello Autodromo Internazionale (Mugello, Italy) - Club Circuit



First-Place Prize: $10,440.00
Laps: 4
Race Distance: 7.16 mi
Starting Position: 7th

Mugello opens up on a straightaway, so I was able to force my way past the slower 207s and into 4th place before the first turn. I stayed within striking distance of the top three as we weaved our way through the back stretch, but I was blocked by Muller as I tried to use my favorite overtake spot on the downhill turn at the southern end of the track. Muller wasn't as successful the 2nd time around, however, and I was able to bump my way past him and into 3rd near the end of lap 2. On lap 3 I tried Evans in the same place, but had no luck as he was able to hold his line and beat me onto the front straightaway. Running out of time, I got a little more aggressive along the back stretch and managed to slip past Evans for 2nd, but carried too much speed through the turns as we approached my favorite downhill turn. I ended up bouncing off the track and into the sand a little bit, and Evans immediately overtook me for 2nd place. And without the proper amount of speed, I was a sitting duck for Muller, who bumped me off into the grass on the very last turn of the race and passed me, leaving me with a very pedestrian 4th place finish.

Trying to pass Muller on the downhill turn at Mugello.

Result: 4th place
Time: 4:56.400
Prize: $6,480.00
Repairs: -$264.00
XP Gained: 5,800
(Driver gained level 10)
(2004 Peugeot 206 RC gained level 1)

Event Standings:
1st place: Rossi (10 pts)
2nd place: Evans (7 pts)
3rd place: Muller (5 pts)
4th place: Tolliver (4 pts)
5th place: Weber (3 pts)
6th place: Esposito (2 pts)
7th place: Spiers (1 pt)
8th place: Johansson (0 pt)

Saturday, July 31st - Season 1

Upgrade: Sport Rear Anti-Roll Bars
Price: $1,400.00
Effect: Stability
Rating: E-275 (no change)
-In the interest of balance, I install Whiteline anti-roll bars in the rear of the Peugeot as well.


Sunday, August 1st - Season 1

I've got a little extra time to burn here. Our next race is in Italy as well, along the Amalfi coast, so no need to spend a day traveling, but I'm also at a loss for improvements to make to the Peugeot as well. So I decide it's time to make some basic improvements to some of my other vehicles that I haven't actually raced yet. I'll do this sort of thing as the opportunity presents itself, to help develop a stable of race-ready vehicles.

Vehicle: 2010 Chevrolet Camaro SS
Upgrade: Street Tire Compound
Price: $2,000.00
Effect: Grip: +0.03
Rating: D-436 (up 10 from B-436)
-I drop two large on a supply of Goodyear street tires for the Camaro.


Monday, August 2nd - Season 1

I get some track time today at a place that is completely new to me, Amalfi Coast. It is located along the western coast of Italy, about 20 miles southeast of Napoli, and the track is like nothing else I've experienced. It's a Grand Prix style track, so it works its way through city streets. That by itself is no big deal, but this one works it's way through the small coastline town of Amalfi and part of the track consists of streets made of flattened stone. This makes for an extremely tight track and one which, as you can imagine, puts a bit of strain on one's suspension and one's nerves.


Tuesday, August 3rd - Season 1 (Race Day)

Event: Peugeot Racing Club
Race #2 (of 4): Amalfi Coast (Amalfi, Italy) - Full Circuit Reverse



First-Place Prize: $8,820.00
Laps: 3
Race Distance: 3.45 mi
Starting Position: 6th

I spun the tires too much at the start and dropped back to 7th before I knew it, but managed to slip past Johansson and back into 6th place along the front-side bends of this peculiar track. Shortly thereafter I came up on Esposito, but really had to bang my way past him (see video) in order to not fall behind the leaders any more than I already had. On the back half of the first lap I got through quite well, carrying alot of speed. That speed allowed me to slip inside Weber and nudge him out of the way for 4th place right at the start of lap 2. This track offered very little room to maneuver, so I had to resort to another hard knock on Evans to get him out of my way and into 3rd place at the start of lap 3, but that was as far up the field as I could get. Once again, dealing with traffic early in the race cost me any real shot at a win.


Tight racing along the Amalfi coast.

Result:
Time: 3:36.139
Prize: $6,660.00
Repairs: -$970.00
XP Gained: 4,900
(2004 Peugeot 206 RC gained level 2)

Event Standings:
1st place: Rossi (20 pts)
2nd place: Muller (12 pts)
3rd place: Evans (11 pts)
4th place: Tolliver (9 pts)
5th place: Weber (6 pts)
6th place: Esposito (4 pts)
7th place: Spiers (2 pts)
8th place: Johansson (0 pt)

Wednesday, August 4th - Season 1

Travel day today, as we head back to Barcelona.


Thursday, August 5th - Season 1

Vehicle: 2010 Chevrolet Camaro SS
Upgrade: Street Weight Reduction
Price: $900.00
Effect: Weight -101 lbs.
Rating: B-456 (up 10 from B-446)
-I strip out a bunch of useless junk from the Camaro and drop in a Cobra lightweight battery.

Friday, August 6th - Season 1

Track time today. I turn some laps on the School Circuit at Circuit de Catalunya. This place is beginning to feel familiar.

[DataKing]

Saturday, August 7th - Season 1 (Race Day)

Event: Peugeot Racing Club
Race #3 (of 4): Circuit de Catalunya (Barcelona, Spain) - School Circuit



First-Place Prize: $10,080.00
Laps: 5
Race Distance: 5.29 mi
Starting Position: 6th

I had an average launch this time around, but wasn't able to make up much ground early on as I found myself pretty well blocked by Weber and Esposito. An inside line and a little tactical bumping got me past those two and into 4th on the left-hand hairpin, but it was all I could do to maintain that position through the rest of lap 1. I finally managed to track down Evans at the start of lap 3 and passed him to the inside of the first turn, but in doing so I carried too much speed, going wide coming out of the turn and falling back to 4th. The last half of the race was an exercise in futility, as I didn't have the firepower to make up much ground and the leaders didn't make any mistakes for me to take advantage of.

Close quarters coming out of the hairpin at Circuit de Catalunya.

Result: 4th place
Time: 4:30.764
Prize: $6,300.00
XP Gained: 5,600
(200 Peugeot 206 RC gained level 3)

Event Standings:

1st place: Rossi (30 pts)
2nd place: Muller (19 pts)
3rd place: Evans (16 pts)
4th place: Tolliver (13 pts)
5th place: Weber (8 pts)
6th place: Esposito (7 pts)
7th place: Spiers (3 pts)
8th place: Johansson (0 pt)

Sunday, August 8th - Season 1

Travel day today. We head to the southeast United States for a new venue.


Monday, August 9th - Season 1

Vehicle: 2010 Chevrolet Camaro SS
Upgrade: Street Clutch
Price: $1,200.00
Effect: Shift Time -0.05s
Rating: B-459 (up 3 from B-456)
-I keep working on the Camaro, hoping to be able to use it sometime soon. I've been turning a few laps with it at various tracks during this event, and the shifting feels a little heavy. So I drop in an new Centerforce clutch disc and plate.


Tuesday, August 10th - Season 1

I mentioned a new track. Road Atlanta in Braselton, Georgia. Road Atlanta is a 2.54 mile, 12-turn road course used for all sorts of events, including both professional and amateur car events, motorcycle racing, as well as racing and driving schools and corporate events. It is best known for its famous "esses," (the wiggly bit of track between turns 3 and 5), and turn 12, a diving downhill turn as you head for the start-finish line.

After running some laps, I get a pretty good feel for the "esses" and turn 12, but I'm having the most difficulty in turn 10. You're carrying a lot of speed out of a long straightaway here, and it's difficult to judge where you need to start decelerating to make the turn properly without losing too much speed as you climb the hill towards turn 12.


Wednesday, August 11th - Season 1 (Race Day)

Event: Peugeot Racing Club
Race #4 (of 4): Road Atlanta (Braselton, GA) - Full Circuit



First-Place Prize: $7,740.00
Laps: 2
Race Distance: 5.08 mi.
Starting Position: 6th

I got off to what felt like a poor launch, but was still able to power my way into 4th heading into turn 1. Unfortunately I bumped Muller's back bumper in the middle of the turn and got loose. I managed to keep the Peugeot on the track, but fell all the way back to 7th in the process. This presented a problem heading into the "esses," as it meant I had to deal with slower traffic in a difficult part of the track. While I was able to deal with them and emerged in 5th, "dealing" with them cost me my front bumper and what little aero the car had was ruined. I was able to get my nose underneath Weber in turn 7 and emerged in 4th place, but I was now behind by a football field and my aerodynamics were shot. I never even sniffed the leaders and had to settle for another off-the-podium result.

I didn't really want that front bumper anyways.

Result: 4th place
Time: 3:42.057
Prize: $4,860.00
Repairs: -$467.00
XP Gained: 4,300

Final Event Standings:

1st place: Rossi (40 pts)
2nd place: Muller (24 pts)
3rd place: Evans (23 pts)
4th place: Tolliver (17 pts)
5th place: Weber (11 pts)
6th place: Esposito (8 pts)
7th place: Spiers (3 pts)
8th place: Johansson (2 pts)

The issues that I've been having since bumping up the difficulty level were only exaggerated by this event, primarily because I had virtually no room to improve the Peugeot and therefore give me an edge to make up for having to deal with traffic at the start of every race. I'm going to have to do something to address that.

In the meantime, despite my middling finishes I still appear to be turning a few heads. I have earned the following discounts:

1. A 10% discount with Peugeot's in-house Driveline shop.
2. A 10% discount with Whiteline. They do Anti-Roll Bars for Citroen, Peugeot, Renault, Saab, and Volvo.
3. A 10% discount with Setrab Europe, who does Oil & Cooling for Citroen, Mercedes-Benz, Opel, Peugeot, Renault, and SEAT.

A new set of wheels also finds its way into my stable, and I am certainly not one to complain:

2006 Lotus Exige Cup 240

The Lotus Exige Cup 240 is an ultra-light, weighing in at a svelt 2,050 lbs. Despite it's light weight, it generates 243 horsepower from a 1.8-liter, 4-cylinder engine. And oh-by-the-way, that engine has a twin-screw supercharger sitting on top of it, not entirely unlike the massive supercharger on the Shelby 500. This one looks like it could be fun.

[DataKing]

Rules Change

I'm having difficulty finding settings that give me a good challenge level right now. If I set the AI difficulty to Medium, I blow them out of the water unless I really screw things up. But with the AI difficulty set to Hard, my poor starting position is such a handicap that, unless I've upgraded my car significantly, I don't stand a chance of catching the leaders.

I've done some reading, and I now know how the game handles starting position. The first thing it does is seed starting positions based on the Performance Index of your car. So if your Performance Index is tops, you start at the front of the pack. Then why haven't I been starting up front, you ask? Because Forza Motorsport 3 limits your starting position, based on your driver level. You have a base maximum starting position of 8th (last place), plus 1 starting position for every 5 driver levels. Currently I'm at driver level 10, which means I can only start as high as 6th. When I get up to driver level 15, I can start 5th. At driver level 20, 4th place and so on, until you can start all the way at the front of the pack once you hit driver level 35. Needless to say, this is a long way off.

So in the meantime, I've decided to try something else to hopefully level the playing field a little bit and keep things fun rather than frustrating. I'm turning on Traction Control and Stability Control on my cars, at least for the time being. This will knock my winnings bonus down to +65% from +80%, but I have to do something or I'm going to chuck the game out of frustration, and I don't want to do that.

So we'll see how things go for a little while with the new settings.

[chesapeake]

I'm still reading and enjoying this, DK.

I know just what you are saying about finding the right competitive balance in this game. FM3, and racing games in general, gets very frustrating if you never win and feel lame if they are too easy. If you keep tweaking the variables, I think you'll find the right balance for you.

FYI, each successive season you play is longer than the last and the standard number of races for most circuits increases from 3 to 4. For narrative purposes, you may want to move ahead to season 2 now that you've built up experience.

[DataKing]

Thanks Chesapeake. I played a bit more last night, and I'm going to need to make some additional tweaks. Traction and Stability control just aren't giving me enough of an edge to keep competitive at this level. To be honest, I'm getting a little annoyed with how badly I'm getting my but kicked. I've always been pretty good at driving games, but the Hard difficulty level on Forza makes me feel like I'm trying to beat a bunch of robots that never make mistakes and always drive the perfect line. I may need to go back down to Medium difficulty and find some other ways to handicap myself. Maybe turning off ABS will help.

[chesapeake]

I treat the game more as a contact sport than you do. That can give you a bit of an edge.

When you switch the AI up to hard, I think the expectation is that you will tune your car in addition to upgrading it. I am way too lazy to do that, so I leave the AI on medium and revel in the victories.

[DataKing]

Chesapeake's comments got me thinking about my settings, and as a result I'm going to be tweaking them yet again.

For starters, while I'm not opposed to tuning my car in addition to upgrading it, the problem there arises from the fact that you have to make modifications to your car before you can tune it. Those modifications would, in a number of instances, raise the Performance Index and therefore causes a conflict with another of my house rules, which is to stay within the same Rating Category as the other cars I am competing against.

I also realized that I was probably a bit pre-mature in moving up to the Hard A.I. difficulty level while I was still using one of the biggest driving assists the game offers, Anti-Lock Brakes. While ABS is certainly standard on most production vehicles now, a lot of professional and semi-professional racing circuits actually forbid them (as well as TCS and others).

So, with that being said, I'm moving back to the Medium A.I. difficulty level, but I'm turning off all of the driving assists. Note that the first race in the upcoming post was run with against the Hard A.I. difficulty level, however.