Race play-by-play at Circuit de la Sarthe
250 miles at Circuit de la Sarthe
That's 35 laps around this 8 mile track. I entered this race (which is just a component of the 1000 miles! series) in my AC 427 Shelby Cobra. I wanted to get a feeling for driving it against other cars that I would encounter during the 1000 miles! championship, so I decided to start a race at Circuit de la Sarthe. This is the track where the Le Mans race is held.
The version raced in the 1000 miles! competition has no chicanes, so it is a very fast track. So fast that I really outclassed the rest of the field. The other cars were:
1) red Nissan Skyline '67
2) silver Fiat 500F '65
3) blue Toyota Sports 800 '65
4) black Mercedes 300 SL Coupe '54
5) beige Lotus Elan S1 '62
6) My AC 427 '63
Of all the cars in the race, only the Mercedes put up any kind of competition, and not really.
Lap 1: I start out by passing everyone.
Time: 4:57:251
Follower: 300SL -10:301 (he was in #2 during the whole race)
Lap 2: One of my best lap times
Time: 4:38:800
Follower: -31:132
Lap 3: I lap the Toyota. Poor guy.
Time: 4:43:749
Follower:-50:136
Lap 4: I don't get the precise time.
Follower: -55:561
Around here I decide on my pit strategy. I don't know what my opponents are doing, but looking at my fuel gauge and my tires, I'll need to pit every 5 or 6 laps. I decide to push and make it every 6 laps, since that will require one full pit stop less than if I did it every 5 laps. I decide that on laps 12 and 24, I will refuel.
Lap 5: I lap the Fiat and the Toyota
Time: 4:45:805
Follower: -1:06:151 (A full minute lead)
Lap 6: Unknown time, the pit stop obscures what I do.
Lap 7: I start the lap with my pit stop, tire change only.
Time: 5:17:104
Follower: -39 seconds
Lap 8: I lap the Toyota and the Skyline. What is that Toyota doing here?
Time: 4:44:675
Follower: -50 seconds
Lap 9: I lap the Lotus. That makes everyone except the Mercedes.
Time: 4:46:310
Follower: -1:03 (I no longer care about thousandths of a second)
Lap 10: Nothing interesting occurs. An average lap, performance-wise.
Time: 4:45:252
Follower: -1:20
Lap 11: A poor lap. I'm starting to need new shoes, and I'm still 2 laps out.
Time: 4:55:957
Follower: -1:20
Lap 12: I start to get control even without new tires.
Time: 4:48
Follower: -1:28
Lap 13: Start out the lap with new tires and a full tank of gas. I lap the Toyota again.
Time: 5:10:905
Follower: -1:18
Lap 14: Poor control rules the day during this lap.
Time: 4:59:684
Follower: -1:25
Lap 15: An average lap.
Time: 4:47:161
Follower: -1:45
Lap 16: I lap the Toyota (again) and the Fiat.
Time: 4:52:453
Follower: -2:15
Lap 17: I lap the Skyline. I enjoy lapping the Skyline, because it's the only red car on the track.
Time: 4:51:701
Follower: -2:25
Lap 18: I lap the Lotus and the Toyota once again.
Time: 4:50
Follower: 2:37
Lap 19: I pit stop for tires and go downstairs for a real-life break. The skyline pits, and I re-lap the Lotus.
Time: 5:10:208
Follower: -2:20
Lap 20: Another average, uneventful lap.
Time: 4:43:947
Follower: -2:30
Lap 21: I lap the Toyota (again) and the Fiat.
Time: 4:42:171
Follower: -2:50
Lap 22: Another uneventful lap.
Time: 4:44:468
Follower: -3:00
Lap 23: I lap the Skyline and... the Toyota. What is this guy doing here?
Time: 4:50:000
Follower: -3:20
Lap 24: Nothing interesting happens. Again. I'm pleased with my driving, given how bad my tires are.
Time: 4:48
Follower: -3:31
Lap 25: I stop for tires and fuel. I'm starting to get very sleepy here.
Time: 5:13:148
Follower: -3:03
Lap 26: I lap the Fiat and... the Toyota.
Time: 4:48:937
Follower: -3:27
Lap 27: I just can't seem to close in on that best lap time from lap 2!
Time: 4:42:733
Follower: -3:38
Lap 28: I'm getting very tired. I decide to stand up, wash my face, and sit bolt upright for a while, rather than reclining. I lap the Lotus, and the Toyota makes a pitstop.
Time: 4:40:838
Follower: -3:51:545
Lap 29: I lap the poor toyota again, and my nemesis in the Mercedes pits. I also get a new best lap time!
Time: 4:38:607
Follower: -4:17
Lap 30: I lap everyone. Well, I lap the Fiat, the Skyline, and the Mercedes.
Time: 4:42:00
Follower: -1 lap (and he never gets better)
Lap 31: I get tires, and re-lap the Skyline from my pitstop. Oh, and the Toyota.
Time: 5:13:919
Lap 32: I don't lap anyone, and drive pretty badly.
Time: 4:44:017
Lap 33: I'm almost there, and I start to drive a little better.
Time: 4:40:632
Lap 34: I lap the Toyota for the last time.
Time: 4:42:015
Lap 35: I lap the Fiat and Elan, and pull out a new best-time for my final lap!
Time: 4:32:686
Total time in race: 2:49:39:296
Money Earned: 150,000 (1st place trophy)
Total number of cars lapped: 28
Times lapping the Toyota: 13
Lead at the end: a full lap ahead of the Mercedes
The best part of the whole race is that I now know how to drive this beast that is the AC427 Shelby Cobra. I'm not extremely good at driving it yet-- I had to dumb it down quite a bit by setting the transmission way below it's theoretical maximum. I could have easily gotten quite a bit more top speed out of the car, but it would probably have made it much less stable.
I also now know the Circuit course (unchicaned) pretty well, and should be able to drive it no matter what car I'm in.
That's 35 laps around this 8 mile track. I entered this race (which is just a component of the 1000 miles! series) in my AC 427 Shelby Cobra. I wanted to get a feeling for driving it against other cars that I would encounter during the 1000 miles! championship, so I decided to start a race at Circuit de la Sarthe. This is the track where the Le Mans race is held.
The version raced in the 1000 miles! competition has no chicanes, so it is a very fast track. So fast that I really outclassed the rest of the field. The other cars were:
1) red Nissan Skyline '67
2) silver Fiat 500F '65
3) blue Toyota Sports 800 '65
4) black Mercedes 300 SL Coupe '54
5) beige Lotus Elan S1 '62
6) My AC 427 '63
Of all the cars in the race, only the Mercedes put up any kind of competition, and not really.
Lap 1: I start out by passing everyone.
Time: 4:57:251
Follower: 300SL -10:301 (he was in #2 during the whole race)
Lap 2: One of my best lap times
Time: 4:38:800
Follower: -31:132
Lap 3: I lap the Toyota. Poor guy.
Time: 4:43:749
Follower:-50:136
Lap 4: I don't get the precise time.
Follower: -55:561
Around here I decide on my pit strategy. I don't know what my opponents are doing, but looking at my fuel gauge and my tires, I'll need to pit every 5 or 6 laps. I decide to push and make it every 6 laps, since that will require one full pit stop less than if I did it every 5 laps. I decide that on laps 12 and 24, I will refuel.
Lap 5: I lap the Fiat and the Toyota
Time: 4:45:805
Follower: -1:06:151 (A full minute lead)
Lap 6: Unknown time, the pit stop obscures what I do.
Lap 7: I start the lap with my pit stop, tire change only.
Time: 5:17:104
Follower: -39 seconds
Lap 8: I lap the Toyota and the Skyline. What is that Toyota doing here?
Time: 4:44:675
Follower: -50 seconds
Lap 9: I lap the Lotus. That makes everyone except the Mercedes.
Time: 4:46:310
Follower: -1:03 (I no longer care about thousandths of a second)
Lap 10: Nothing interesting occurs. An average lap, performance-wise.
Time: 4:45:252
Follower: -1:20
Lap 11: A poor lap. I'm starting to need new shoes, and I'm still 2 laps out.
Time: 4:55:957
Follower: -1:20
Lap 12: I start to get control even without new tires.
Time: 4:48
Follower: -1:28
Lap 13: Start out the lap with new tires and a full tank of gas. I lap the Toyota again.
Time: 5:10:905
Follower: -1:18
Lap 14: Poor control rules the day during this lap.
Time: 4:59:684
Follower: -1:25
Lap 15: An average lap.
Time: 4:47:161
Follower: -1:45
Lap 16: I lap the Toyota (again) and the Fiat.
Time: 4:52:453
Follower: -2:15
Lap 17: I lap the Skyline. I enjoy lapping the Skyline, because it's the only red car on the track.
Time: 4:51:701
Follower: -2:25
Lap 18: I lap the Lotus and the Toyota once again.
Time: 4:50
Follower: 2:37
Lap 19: I pit stop for tires and go downstairs for a real-life break. The skyline pits, and I re-lap the Lotus.
Time: 5:10:208
Follower: -2:20
Lap 20: Another average, uneventful lap.
Time: 4:43:947
Follower: -2:30
Lap 21: I lap the Toyota (again) and the Fiat.
Time: 4:42:171
Follower: -2:50
Lap 22: Another uneventful lap.
Time: 4:44:468
Follower: -3:00
Lap 23: I lap the Skyline and... the Toyota. What is this guy doing here?
Time: 4:50:000
Follower: -3:20
Lap 24: Nothing interesting happens. Again. I'm pleased with my driving, given how bad my tires are.
Time: 4:48
Follower: -3:31
Lap 25: I stop for tires and fuel. I'm starting to get very sleepy here.
Time: 5:13:148
Follower: -3:03
Lap 26: I lap the Fiat and... the Toyota.
Time: 4:48:937
Follower: -3:27
Lap 27: I just can't seem to close in on that best lap time from lap 2!
Time: 4:42:733
Follower: -3:38
Lap 28: I'm getting very tired. I decide to stand up, wash my face, and sit bolt upright for a while, rather than reclining. I lap the Lotus, and the Toyota makes a pitstop.
Time: 4:40:838
Follower: -3:51:545
Lap 29: I lap the poor toyota again, and my nemesis in the Mercedes pits. I also get a new best lap time!
Time: 4:38:607
Follower: -4:17
Lap 30: I lap everyone. Well, I lap the Fiat, the Skyline, and the Mercedes.
Time: 4:42:00
Follower: -1 lap (and he never gets better)
Lap 31: I get tires, and re-lap the Skyline from my pitstop. Oh, and the Toyota.
Time: 5:13:919
Lap 32: I don't lap anyone, and drive pretty badly.
Time: 4:44:017
Lap 33: I'm almost there, and I start to drive a little better.
Time: 4:40:632
Lap 34: I lap the Toyota for the last time.
Time: 4:42:015
Lap 35: I lap the Fiat and Elan, and pull out a new best-time for my final lap!
Time: 4:32:686
Total time in race: 2:49:39:296
Money Earned: 150,000 (1st place trophy)
Total number of cars lapped: 28
Times lapping the Toyota: 13
Lead at the end: a full lap ahead of the Mercedes
The best part of the whole race is that I now know how to drive this beast that is the AC427 Shelby Cobra. I'm not extremely good at driving it yet-- I had to dumb it down quite a bit by setting the transmission way below it's theoretical maximum. I could have easily gotten quite a bit more top speed out of the car, but it would probably have made it much less stable.
I also now know the Circuit course (unchicaned) pretty well, and should be able to drive it no matter what car I'm in.
posted by Russell at 9:27 AM
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