Hello all,

I know there are a lot of people out there that are interested in doing some GT5 driving so:

I'm inviting everyone over to take "shifts" driving the 24hrs of Le Mans at my house.

No GT5 experience necessary! Just the willingness to compete a driving shift in a 24hr event and have fun!

I'm to the point in GT5 where the next race I need to complete is the 24hrs of Le Mans. In the game it's an actual 24 hour race, that can not be fast forwarded or driven by the computer. It needs to be driven by actual people. The game can be paused, but when it's paused, so is the timer. So it needs to be run for 24hrs.

The game will simulate a real 24hrs day, with random weather (it always rains at Le Mans) and night driving.

I haven't decided on the car yet, but I want something that will be highly competitive, easy to drive and has headlights (it will get dark).
I'm thinking the Mazda 787B Race Car '91 or the Peugeot 908 HDi FAP. However other cars I'm considering are the R10 TDI Race Car '06, Corvette ZR1 (C6) RM '09 and GT by Citroën Concept '08.
Whatever car I pick, it will be fast and it will be fun!

2hr shifts, but shorter ones can be arranged.

Many drivers make for lots of fun! Feel free to pick more than one time slot. We will do driver changes during the pitstop nearest to the hour.

I have a full race cockpit that is fully adjustable. It's seat is from a Dodge Neon ACR (thank's Brian) so you know it'll be comfortable. I've done the 4hrs of Nürburgring twice in the seat without any issues. (I'll try and post a pic up later)

So think of this as a social event with the chance to take part in the 24hrs of Le Mans!

Any questions please let me know.

_________________
"The future is already here — it's just not very evenly distributed."-William Gibson
1989 Van Diemen - Formula 2000 Continental

Ok I've had a number of emails regarding this so here's the FAQ:

-Yes this is a social event
-2hrs isn't that long a time to be driving, it'll fly by
-Yes you can bring a beer to drink before/after your stint (I'd prefer if you were not drunk while trying to drive +200mph down the Mulsane straight, also keep in mind you'll need to be sober to drive home)
-The car will have a manual transmission, and the driving line will be on.
-There are couches available to those that want to crash the night, or nap in between shifts.
-If you come over to socialize you will be expected to drive a shift.

_________________
"The future is already here — it's just not very evenly distributed."-William Gibson
1989 Van Diemen - Formula 2000 Continental

I would love to participate.......so count me in......I am just weary about my condition which has improved alot, however there are bad days still.

Any weekend you choose.

I will keep you posted.

_________________
2008 Toyota Prius (Currently 180,000km)
2002 BMW M3 (Currently 197,000km, was 96,300km Jan of 2009)
2006 Toyota Prius (R.I.P 2011, 182,000 km)
1990 Beretta GTZ (R.I.P 2009, 396,000 km)
2000 Grand Cherokee (Sold 2006, 105,000 km)
1990 Laser RS (R.I.P 1989 Halloween day, 2,500 km)

I'd had a good email response to this.
I think tomorrow night will work for most people.

7pm Friday - 7pm Saturday


So far I have 6 people who have committed to driving at least one (if not more) stints.

Anyone else interested?

Partridge Brothers?
Jarvis?
Gord & Daph?
Pearce Brothers?


If we can get a 2nd TV we can watch F1 quali live at 3am?
I'll be rooting for (and drinking) Red Bull!

_________________
"The future is already here — it's just not very evenly distributed."-William Gibson
1989 Van Diemen - Formula 2000 Continental

Special thanks to Varga who is bringing a TV over so we can watch quali @ 3am.

I did some testing last night:

Mazda 787B Race Car '91 - Fastest car in the dry, impossible to control in the wet.

Peugeot 908 HDi FAP - It's easy to pull 2-4 seconds on the field per lap, however you need to pit at lap 8 for tires (they will not last another lap).

R10 TDI Race Car '06 - Even though it has less torque than the 908 it comes on very quickly and is too easy to oversteer out of the corners.

Corvette ZR1 (C6) RM '09 - Too heavy.

GT by Citroën Concept '08 - Way too heavy, and only has 1 gear.

Zonda F - Too slow on the straights with downforce, but downforce is needed for stability in braking. Feels kinda heavy through the turns when compared to the 787B, 908 and R10.

For those that suggested using the Formula GT or one of the Ferrari F1 cars (F2007, F2010) they'd be impossible to drive at night (no head lights).

_________________
"The future is already here — it's just not very evenly distributed."-William Gibson
1989 Van Diemen - Formula 2000 Continental

V12 LMR has been a very easy car to drive fast. Don't know how the tire and fuel consumption will be over a stint, but it is a breeze to drive.

Yea you're right the V12 is quick and pretty easy to drive.
The Minolta is almost as fast but is really easy to drive.
I was aiming for a premium car in case people wanted to try the cockpit view however it doesn't have to be.

After reading on GTP this morning I'm going to test the Minolta, GT-ONE and R8 when I get home tonight. Those seem to be the top 3 cars for the race.

_________________
"The future is already here — it's just not very evenly distributed."-William Gibson
1989 Van Diemen - Formula 2000 Continental

We've settled on the 908 as the car for the 24hrs of Le Mans.

Thanks to Brian Gay and Varga for doing testing today.

We've pushed the start time back to 8pm and are minutes away from the start.

_________________
"The future is already here — it's just not very evenly distributed."-William Gibson
1989 Van Diemen - Formula 2000 Continental

I'll be there around 1:30am. I'll get a couple of hours of sleep before. Any door in particular at your house I should go to?

See you later.

_________________
2013 BMW 128I - 2 DS

Got a schedule of who's driving when?

_________________
2005 Forester XT (Daily/B2Tuned), 2000 Subaru Impreza 2.5RS P4WD Class Rally Car, 2006 WRX RallyCross Car (Sponsors: Rally-Tech, Great North Performance, ISI Automotive)
Check out: Rally East, The Ledwidge Lookoff Rally

Lap 1, made a good start, was 3rd place by the start of the Mulsane straight.
Passed the Bentley Speed 8 for first place before the end of the straight.

45 seconds ahead at the beginning of lap 10, but should have pitted for tires.

Entered the pits at the end of lap 10 in 6th place.

DJ took over for his driving stint. He holds onto 6th place by the end of the 11th lap, 1min 38secs behind the leader.

_________________
"The future is already here — it's just not very evenly distributed."-William Gibson
1989 Van Diemen - Formula 2000 Continental

No set schedule really...
Varga & DJ are here now.
Varga is heading out soon but will be back sometime around midnight.
Brian Gay is supposed to be on his way over now, and will leave around midnight but be back tomorrow morning or afternoon.
Scott Harrod is due here sometime around midnight.
Bill asked for the 6am - 8am shift.

_________________
"The future is already here — it's just not very evenly distributed."-William Gibson
1989 Van Diemen - Formula 2000 Continental

Start of lap 15, DJ is 2:15 behind the leader, he lost some time trying to pass a Viper being lapped.

He finally passes the Viper by out braking him into the first chicane in on the Mulsane.

However a mistake after Indianapolis section cost him a place.

Varga took over starting lap 16, 2:28 behind the leader.

Varga had to pit at lap 17 for new tires.

At the end of lap 18 we are in 9th position 3:18mins behind the leader.
But we still have 22hrs 45mins to go.

_________________
"The future is already here — it's just not very evenly distributed."-William Gibson
1989 Van Diemen - Formula 2000 Continental

Jason...check Varga's meds to see if he has enough to last the night.

Hmmm...see if he has any to share!

u need a twitter feed #24hrso'lemans

_________________
2005 Forester XT (Daily/B2Tuned), 2000 Subaru Impreza 2.5RS P4WD Class Rally Car, 2006 WRX RallyCross Car (Sponsors: Rally-Tech, Great North Performance, ISI Automotive)
Check out: Rally East, The Ledwidge Lookoff Rally

At the end of lap 20, Varga is in 6th position 2:45 behind the leader.

_________________
"The future is already here — it's just not very evenly distributed."-William Gibson
1989 Van Diemen - Formula 2000 Continental

So you're getting 9-10 laps on tires. Whats the fuel range looking like?

I'm hopefully gonna be over tomorrow. Way too tired tonite.

End of lap 22, now up to 5th and only 2:18 behind the leader.

Tires are getting 9-10 laps.
Fuel isn't the issue, we're using about 10L per lap, the tank is 100L.

Here's a pic of Varga
<a href="http://twitpic.com/4lbcc6" title="Share photos on twitter with Twitpic"><img src="http://twitpic.com/show/thumb/4lbcc6.jpg" width="150" height="150" alt="Share photos on twitter with Twitpic"></a>

_________________
"The future is already here — it's just not very evenly distributed."-William Gibson
1989 Van Diemen - Formula 2000 Continental

He said he just started a new bottle tonight for this event!

_________________
"The future is already here — it's just not very evenly distributed."-William Gibson
1989 Van Diemen - Formula 2000 Continental

http://twitter.com/merlinrpm

_________________
"The future is already here — it's just not very evenly distributed."-William Gibson
1989 Van Diemen - Formula 2000 Continental

Are the leaders pitting at about the same frequency? What tires are you running on?

End of lap 24, 4th place 1:44 behind.

Avg lap times are 3:29

_________________
"The future is already here — it's just not very evenly distributed."-William Gibson
1989 Van Diemen - Formula 2000 Continental

Leaders are pitting ever 9-11 laps.
We are running on Racing Soft.

_________________
"The future is already here — it's just not very evenly distributed."-William Gibson
1989 Van Diemen - Formula 2000 Continental

Pitted for fresh tires at the end of lap 26 in 4th place, 1:44 behind the leader.
Came out in 6th place and 2:47 behind the leader.

_________________
"The future is already here — it's just not very evenly distributed."-William Gibson
1989 Van Diemen - Formula 2000 Continental

Brian Gay just arrived.

Varga is starting lap 30 in 6th 1:31 behind and closing.

_________________
"The future is already here — it's just not very evenly distributed."-William Gibson
1989 Van Diemen - Formula 2000 Continental

Ended lap 30 in 4th place 1:18 behind.

Varga is doing a very good job managing the tires.
Clear blue sky right now.

_________________
"The future is already here — it's just not very evenly distributed."-William Gibson
1989 Van Diemen - Formula 2000 Continental

End of lap 33 in 3rd place 46 seconds behind the leader.

_________________
"The future is already here — it's just not very evenly distributed."-William Gibson
1989 Van Diemen - Formula 2000 Continental

Kevin & Brian Partridge just arrived.
They said they can't stay long.

_________________
"The future is already here — it's just not very evenly distributed."-William Gibson
1989 Van Diemen - Formula 2000 Continental

End of lap 35, in 2nd place 31 seconds behind the leader, but we needed to pit for fuel and tires.

_________________
"The future is already here — it's just not very evenly distributed."-William Gibson
1989 Van Diemen - Formula 2000 Continental

Brian takes over and is in 3rd place 1:38 behind at the end of lap 36.

_________________
"The future is already here — it's just not very evenly distributed."-William Gibson
1989 Van Diemen - Formula 2000 Continental