The Nurburgring Diary: Volume XIV
ciscrack
Posted 6/9/2006 6:47:54 PM
message detail I know it was you. I just didn't want to give away who my
secret santa was. Great car.
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but I wanna be breastfed by Princess Leia, playa
photobucket.com/albums/a282/ciscrack/?sc=1
Von
Posted 6/9/2006 6:53:26 PM
message detail The Burburgring Diary is kind of like a good cancer. It
might get cut down, but you can't get rid of it...
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Tiny subaru versus gigantic german deathring!-Amarynceus
RanBinRai
Posted 6/9/2006 7:04:55 PM
message detail Burburgring Diary ??
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www.youtube.com/watch?v=FOD2eFIeA88 Radical SR8 @ Nurburgring
MrPinstripes
Posted 6/10/2006 6:02:17 AM
message detail I still have my Viper from Viper, as well as my copy of the
Spyder I tuned for my gift. I'd (much) sooner get rid of my black F1 than
either of those two cars; they have memories attached to them that I'd
like to remember.
Vol XIV already seems to be doing better than Vol XIII ("...a very unlucky
number; you, Mr. Baggins, will make it fourteen."). Here's hoping our
"good cancer" stops going into remission.
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Pics- photobucket.com/albums/a346/MrPinstripes
oldguy1957
Posted 6/10/2006 7:37:43 AM
message detail Welcome, all, to volume 14 (is it a sin to write it as
normal people do, as opposed to roman numerals?). Hopefully, it won't be
the last. Personally, I believe that, with GT5 at least 6 months
(considering the last release, I would be inclined to believe it will be
at least a year) away, there will be time for a few, in not several more
volumes.
I've finally given up on my M5 N2 runs. The best I managed was a 7'53.8,
which was far from a clean run, but I at least succeeded in avoiding any
crashes that slowed my speed considerably in a fast area. Some grass
mowing and armco scraping definitely WAS involved, though. I can certainly
see where a 7'44, or whatever it was, from Amar would be possible. I
believe I could do it, myself, if I could ever put in a totally clean lap.
Sub-7'40's? I suppose that is possible for someone like Amar or Flibutz or
Mr. P, but not for a mortal like myself.
I've come to the conclusion that, driving extremely powerful German sedans
on the "gigantic german deathring" at very high speeds on tires that
resemble cookies is probably not a good idea unless you are in the final
moments of a terminal illness, and want to go out with a flare. While some
cars are fun and challenging to run on N's, the M5 is just painfully
frustrating. My attempts brought back nightmares of M34. But even the SLR
on S's was more predictable than the M5 on N's.
But enough of that. I've noticed that it has been left off the list of
WR's the fact that it was me who chose the Spyker. Even though the
reaction to the car was "mixed", at best, I'm rather proud of that choice,
and strongly recommend it to any new-comers who are going through the list
of previous WR's. If for no other reason, just to experience what happens
when engineers decide to pack a really powerful engine into a really
lightweight car, mostly for the purpose of making it eligible for
"production car" racing classes. It's not a car for making a
"balls-to-the-walls" run at the fastest time the car can possibly achieve.
But for a relatively conservative "let's see how badly I can scare myself
and still survive" run, in can be great fun.
Anyway, welcome again, all, to volume fourteen. I'll dust off my Carlton
and give that a run sometime this weekend. I'm hoping to talk my rich
son-in-law/boss into going to the local circle-track with me tonight. He
doesn't yet know it, but I'll be trying to convince him that sponsoring
even a beater-class car (with me driving) would be a good way to advertise
his businesses. At the very least, I'd be getting him to rub elbows with
some "common" people. He spends far too much time in expensive restaurants
with millionaires, and needs to be reminded how 90% of Americans live, and
where the heart of American (for good or bad) truly beats.
But that's a whole other subject that should probably be left at that for
now. Cheers.
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A.K.A. Don Papa
RanBinRai
Posted 6/10/2006 2:35:49 PM
message detail Hey oldguy that's funny you mentioned the Spyker. I'd taken
it out to the 'Ring a few days ago, and fell in love with it (and
forgiving it of it's strange design), although I only did 2 laps. I
couldn't keep it on the road, but I don't recall crashing into any armcos,
with life-ending impact anyways. Then again, I didn't run it on Sports
tires either. I suppose I should work my way down instead of always going
straight to the simulation settings.
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www.youtube.com/watch?v=FOD2eFIeA88 Radical SR8 @ Nurburgring
MrPinstripes
Posted 6/10/2006 2:54:16 PM
message detail I'll see if I can get some time in for the Carlton; it's
been ages since I played GT, and I'm starting to feel a bit weird being a
regular on a message board for a game I haven't played in several months
(but I'd miss you guys if I left... *sniff*).
Oldguy- I'd be willing to bet you'd whoop my ass now. Rolling stones
gather no moss and all that jazz.
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Pics- photobucket.com/albums/a346/MrPinstripes
fastesttruck
Posted 6/10/2006 2:56:41 PM
message detail i would like to race a few laps aournd the ring but its
just to long for me
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GT4 on the quest to have every racecar in every color
IN SKYNYRD WE TRUST-1995 TOUR gamefaqs9forever:)*sign666 the devil
oldguy1957
Posted 6/10/2006 6:31:08 PM
message detail fastesttruck, take the time to learn the track, and I
promise you that you won't be sorry. Every one of us were at that point at
one time. I remember when the thought of trying to learn the Ring seemed
mind-boggling. But now, like all of us Ringers, I could easily travel
around the entire track in my mind. Every corner. Every bump. It becomes
very addictive when you learn it.
Well, I made my runs with the Carlton, but unfortunately, the only one I
have has a stage one weight reduction. Other than that, I think I have it
back to original condition. I must have used it when I was a-spec farming.
The first thing one notices in the Carlton is the patented controllable,
predictable, Lotus oversteer. Less than in some, but still impressive
considering the size of the car compared to all the others. The additional
power, compared to the other models, makes sure you don't forget that you
are, indeed, driving a Lotus!
I managed to turn a clean lap on about my fourth or fifth try at a 7'51.5.
That, as I said earlier, is with a stage one weight reduction. I thought
of adding ballast to replace the lost weight, but the distribution would
be screwed up anyway, so I just left it off. I've looked at three weeks
worth of used cars, but haven't seen it show up in a used car showroom
again yet. If I run across one before the week is over, I'll jump in it
and make another run to get an accurate time.
RanBinRai, I'm glad to see that I'm not the only one that enjoys the
Spyker! Try it on S2's. It's quite the adventure!!
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A.K.A. Don Papa
MrPinstripes
Posted 6/10/2006 6:37:32 PM
message detail It felt a bit weird settling into my "GT4 Position" again;
I was sitting too low on the couch, too far to the left (I like to
simulate a "driver's side" in GT4, while GT Legends provides one for you),
and my pedals were too close to center. The whole thing felt sorta like
hanging out with an ex that you're still in love with, from the moment the
DFP did its "dance" to the moment I held the Reset button down to shut off
the PS2.
My perspective on driving has changed a bit since I last played GT4; GT
Legends has hammered home the importance of correct downshifting technique
(so much so that I'm working on my double-clutch downshifting in my own
car now), a much more cautious approach to throttle and (especially) brake
application, and has completely broken me of the habit of left-foot
braking (the driver for the DFP will either register gas or brake input,
but not both at once).
I dug through my garage and (luckily) found a Carlton that I suspect had
only been occupied to force a game save. I've never been very fond of the
car's appearance, but it's more in the realm of "unassuming" than "ugly".
Most of you regulars had complimented the Carlton at least once (some of
you much more than that), so I was confident that it'd be a decent ride.
I performed my usual pre-drive ritual (which also felt sort of strange;
the "dink" sound of a GT cursor moving is unmistakeable, and carries a
surprising amount of weight), buying N2 tires and a rigidity refresher,
changing the oil and washing the car, then setting the driving aids to 0,
adding my weight in ballast, and saving the game. With the Carlton, I also
made a stop to pick up new wheels (Yokohama 019), as the stock ones are
sort of ugly.
Deep breath... Left two spaces (even though I only needed to go one)...
(X)... Hold right... Left two spaces... (X)... (X)...
Out of the blackness of the loading screen, The 'Ring opened up before me.
I'd forgotten how beautiful it is. There is a shareware version of it for
GT Legends, but (to be honest) it's fairly inaccurate and ugly, and will
just never hold the same "wow" as GT4's version. The feedback from the car
felt weak and watered down, but the visuals were so overwhelming that I
didn't really care. Corner after corner went by, and I started to get the
feeling like I was coming home. It might not be the most exciting or
interesting place to be, but it's far and away the most comfortable.
My first lap was extra-cautious, most of it spent trying to remember how
to drive in GT4. Happily, I had no major offs (one tire tasted grass at
Metzgesfeld) and came away clean... at 8'35. With a ~4.5 P/W ratio, the
Carlton should be able to push 8'00 on N2 tires; seems I'm not quite the
speed demon I was six months ago.
The second lap I tried what I'll call a "cautious push" strategy; I was
still driving like the car was real and I'd die if I crashed it, but I
pushed just enough harder to gain some time. Most of the critical corner
exits saw me fighting for a clean exit, though I was never in danger of
losing control. I consistently gained time on my previous lap, though I
lost a few tenths coming out of Galgenkopf (my only time loss over the
whole track). I crossed the line at 8'24.7.
The third lap I tried to push harder (what I'll call a "stupid mistake"
strategy) and lost my car to the right-hand-side armco just before
Aremburg. I never did know when to stop pushing.
I still suspect the Carlton would be able to get near to (if not past)
8'00, but I doubt if I'll be the one to do it. It may not be as refined as
the M3, but I'd bet it's as fast.
Later, all.
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