LE MANS 24 HOURS: MEGAGUIDE by Wolf Feather/Jamie Stafford FEATHER7@IX.NETCOM.COM Initial Version Completed: October 3, 2002 FINAL VERSION Completed: October 15, 2002 ==================================== ==================================== ==================================== CONTENTS Spacing and Length Permissions Introduction Game Modes The Circuits Tips for Championships Championships And Set-Ups Time Trial Tips Time Trial Goal Times Time Trial Circuit-Specific Tips Tires General Tips Surviving an Endurance Race Le Mans 2000: Time Compression Le Mans 2000: Suggested Car Set-ups Le Mans 2000: General Tips Le Mans 2000: Circuit Overview Petit Le Mans: Time Compression Petit Le Mans: Suggested Car Set-ups Petit Le Mans: General Tips Petit Le Mans: Circuit Overview Strategy for Unlocking All Elements in Le Mans 24 Hours Team Information Audi Sport Team Joest Audi Sport UK BMW Motorsport Bonnet Didier Carsport Holland Chamberlain Engineering Corvette Racing Courage Competition Freisinger Motorsport GTC Competition Jaguar JMB Competition Joest Racing Johansson Matthews Racing Konrad Motorsport Kremer Racing La Filiere ELF Lancia Larbre Competition Mopar Team Oreca Multimatic Motorsports Newcastle Lister Storm Nissan Motorsports Panoz Motorsports Paul Belmondo Racing Pescarolo Sport Peugeot Talbot Sport Pilot Racing Riley & Scott Europe ROC Roock Racing Sauber SMG Team Augusta Racing Team Cadillac Team Dams Team Den Bla Team Goh Team Marcos Team Oreca Team Rafanelli Thomas Bscher Promotion TV Asahi Team Dragon Welter Gerard Details: Le Mans Details: Bugatti Details: Brno Details: Donington National Details: Donington Grand Prix Details: Catalunya National Details: Catalunya Grand Prix Details: Suzuka East Details: Suzuka West Details: Suzuka Grand Prix Details: Road Atlanta Details: Road Atlanta National Details: Reverse Courses Completely Subjective Section Unlocking Circuits (Spoilers!!!!!) Unlocking Cars (Spoilers!!!!!) Information on the Web (Le Mans 2000 and Petit Le Mans) Wish List Contact ==================================== SPACING AND LENGTH For optimum readability, this driving guide should be viewed/printed using a monowidth font, such as Courier. Check for appropriate font setting by making sure the numbers and letters below line up: 1234567890123456789012345678901234567890123456789012 ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz This guide is more than 130 pages long in the Macintosh version of Microsoft Word 98 using single-spaced Courier 12 font. ==================================== PERMISSIONS This guide may ONLY be posted on FeatherGuides, GameFAQs.com, PSXCodez.com, Cheatcc.com, Absolute-PlayStation.com, InsidePS2Games.com, RedCoupe, gamesover.com, CheatPlanet.com, The Cheat Empire, a2zweblinks.com, Gameguru, GameReactors.com, cheatingplanet.com, vgstrategies.com, CheatHeaven, IGN, hellzgate, Games Domain, RobsGaming.com, ps2fantasy.com, and neoseeker.com. Permission is granted to download and print one copy of this game guide for personal use. ==================================== ==================================== ==================================== INTRODUCTION This Le Mans 24 Hours: Megaguide comprises much of the information available in my several smaller guides, plus new information and a few corrections. This is THE guide readers should read/download/print to gain all the information possible for Le Mans 24 Hours. ==================================== ==================================== ==================================== GAME MODES Le Mans 24 Hours features five game modes: 1.) Quick Race allows you to immediately get started racing. Only four courses are initially available, however, more courses (including the three reverse-direction courses, all unlocked simultaneously) will be unlocked as you win races; see Unlocking Circuits (Spoilers!!!!!) below for details. However, when first playing Le Mans 24 Hours (or ANY racing game with a Time Trial, Free Run, or similar mode), it would be best to start with Time Trail instead to learn the many courses. 2.) Championship presents you with increasingly-difficult championship series; only the Rookie GT Championship is initially available, but winning each series unlocks the next series. However, the circuits listed in the game manual for each championship series are not necessarily the same circuits actually used in the game. 3.) Le Mans mode allows you to race for varying amounts of time in either Petit Le Mans (up to 10 hours at Road Atlanta) or Le Mans 2000 (up to 24 hours). Winning at each race length (measured in time) unlocks more cars; see Unlocking Cars (Spoilers!!!!!) below for details. 4.) Multiplayer allows for one-on-one competition. 5.) Time Trial is a great place to begin, allowing you to learn the courses on your own pace, with no other vehicles on the circuits with you to distract you. Once you learn the courses, this is where you can really work to improve your lap times. Beat the Goal Time for each course (normally two to four seconds slower than the Record Time for each course) to unlock a bonus car. Only four courses are initially available in Time Trial, but more will be opened as you win races in Quick Race mode; see Unlocking Circuits (Spoilers!!!!!) below for details. ==================================== THE CIRCUITS Here are the circuits available in Le Mans 24 Hours, along with brief descriptions (see the detailed driving instructions near the end of the guide for information on safely and quickly navigating each circuit): Le Mans The longest circuit of the game, Le Mans is quite challenging, especially when approaching the Pits and Front Straightaway. Keep an eye on the tire and fuel indicators; if you run out of fuel or sufficient traction on the back side of the circuit, you may as well just quit the race. Bugatti This is the permanent section of the Le Mans circuit. High speeds are not really effective here with all the technical corners. Brno If not for the many hills, this would be a really great circuit. As it is, great speeds can be achieved here, especially with a low-downforce set-up, but cornering can be somewhat difficult. This circuit would be EXCEPTIONALLY FUN with a motorcycle!!!!! Donington National Good speeds can be achieved at Donington, but there are several tight corners which will really challenge low-downforce cars. Donington Grand Prix Identical to Donington National, with the addition of a nasty chicane and two tight hairpins. Catalunya National A quick course, but the first turn (a hairpin) is sharp. Catalunya Grand Prix An excellent circuit with high speeds possible. This circuit will be quite familiar to those who have played F1-based games such as F1 Championship Season 2000. Suzuka East The Suzuka East circuit includes the famous figure-eight crossover. Good use of the draft can be very beneficial here. Suzuka West The S-curves can be quite dangerous, but they do provide excellent passing opportunities if you can brake deeper than the cars in front of you and/or have superior acceleration for corner exits. Suzuka Grand Prix This circuit will also be quite familiar to those who have played F1-based and motorcycle-based games. This is the most famous circuit in Japan, and perhaps in all of Asia. Road Atlanta National This course provides steep elevation changes, tempering significant straightaways with blind corners. Road Atlanta This course provides steep elevation changes, tempering significant straightaways with blind corners. This course has been offered in other racing games, so some players may already be rather familiar with the Road Atlanta circuit. There are also three official reverse courses: Reverse Brno, Reverse Donington National, and Reverse Donington Grand Prix. Of course, you can drive in reverse on any course at any time, but this is certainly NOT recommended, especially during a race!!!!! ==================================== TIPS FOR CHAMPIONSHIPS In a Championship series, if you can win all the initial races, you may be able to win the series overall even if you decide not to participate in one of the final races of the series; similarly, you may be able to skip a race at a circuit you do not particularly like (or, depending on your point of view, which does not particularly like you) and still be able to win the overall series if you can win at most or all of the remaining circuits. Unfortunately, Le Mans 24 Hours does not provide a Forfeit (or similar) option, so you are required to actually go out to the track; from here, press Start, select Quit, and confirm to cancel out of a race. For races with a standing start, DO NOT hold down the accelerator while you wait for the lights to change to green; this will not produce any benefits in Le Mans 24 Hours, and will actually put you far behind everyone else due to excessive wheelspin. Instead, keep off the accelerator, and try to time its application with the exact millisecond the lights turn green. This will reduce wheelspin due to excessive engine revs, thus applying all available power to the tires. On some circuits, if you use this strategy from a starting position at the very back of the grid, you can pass up to half of your competitors before reaching the first corner!!! To the extent possible, keep to the approved racing surfaces (pavement, concrete, rumble strips). Grass will slow you down greatly, and sand traps (a.k.a. 'kitty litter') will essentially bring you to an immediate halt. To pass, use the draft; this is especially effective in prototype cars. Or, if you feel a bit rowdy, ram or sideswipe the car in front of you (especially on or just before corner entry) to knock it out of your way and send it careening off-course. If you ram a car hard enough from behind, it is possible to send the other vehicle flipping end-over-end or into a continuous-roll accident; a 'good' place to do this is coming into the final chicane at Road Atlanta, sending cars into the barriers blocking any shortcutting of the chicane. If you do not choose to qualify, you will automatically start in last place; therefore, you have nothing to lose and A LOT to gain by qualifying. If you can qualify on Pole, that can mean up to twenty-three FEWER passes you will need to make as a race progresses. This may not be very significant in shorter races, but in the longer (Le Mans and Petit Le Mans) races, this could become a significant factor, especially in relation to Pit strategy. If you are in first place and begin lapping other cars, those cars one or more laps behind you will have blue indicators on the track map. Fortunately, should you run out of fuel, your race does not automatically come to an end like in some other racing games. Instead, you will simply start slowing, and will not be able to accelerate much unless you can convince gravity to help you - IF you are fortunate enough to be heading downhill. Therefore, always keep an eye on your fuel gauge and be constantly mindful of the on-screen information displays at the top-center of the screen. ==================================== CHAMPIONSHIPS AND SET-UPS Here are the eight Championships included in Le Mans 24 Hours, as well as suggested car set-ups for each race of each championship: Rookie GT (5 laps, GT class only, 11 competitors) Suzuka East (dusk) Downforce: Medium Fuel: Full Tires: Soft Gear Ratio: Acceleration Engine: Sprint Notes: Setting the Gear Ratio to Acceleration will help with the many S-curves. Donington National Downforce: Low Fuel: Full Tires: Soft Gear Ratio: Acceleration Engine: Sprint Notes: Take caution when cornering, especially for the chicane. Road Atlanta National (dusk) Downforce: Medium Fuel: Full Tires: Soft Gear Ratio: Acceleration Engine: Sprint Pro GT (5 laps, GT only, 11 competitors) Suzuka West (dusk) Downforce: Medium Fuel: Full Tires: Soft Gear Ratio: Acceleration Engine: Sprint Catalunya National (dusk) Downforce: Medium Fuel: Full Tires: Soft Gear Ratio: Acceleration Engine: Sprint Road Atlanta Downforce: Low Fuel: Full Tires: Soft Gear Ratio: Top Speed Engine: Sprint Notes: This set-up is great for the long stretches of the circuit. Extreme care must be taken with the S-curves and the chicane. GT Endurance (10 laps, GT only, 11 competitors) Donington Grand Prix Downforce: Low Fuel: Full Tires: Soft Gear Ratio: Acceleration Engine: Sprint Notes: Care is required in cornering, especially at the chicane. Bugatti Downforce: Medium Fuel: Full Tires: Soft Gear Ratio: Acceleration Engine: Sprint Open Prototype (10 laps, Open Prototype only, 13 competitors) Brno Downforce: Low Fuel: Full Tires: Soft Gear Ratio: Top Speed Engine: Sprint Notes: This is a very high-speed circuit, which makes cornering trickier than usual. Beware other cars in Turn 1, as some tend to go off-course here. Catalunya Grand Prix Downforce: Medium Fuel: Full Tires: Soft Gear Ratio: Balance Engine: Sprint Notes: Car set-up is tricky here; Pit Straight is so long that it requires a low-downforce/high-speed set-up, yet the rest of the circuit is rather technical, needing a high-downforce/low-speed set-up. Suzuka Grand Prix Downforce: Medium Fuel: Full Tires: Soft Gear Ratio: Acceleration Engine: Sprint Notes: Care is required in the initial S-curves and the chicane. Note that shortcutting the chicane is not possible due to the barriers. Closed Prototype (10 laps, Closed Prototype only, 10 competitors) Bugatti Downforce: Medium Fuel: Full Tires: Soft Gear Ratio: Acceleration Engine: Sprint Donington Grand Prix Downforce: Low Fuel: Full Tires: Soft Gear Ratio: Acceleration Engine: Sprint Notes: Extreme care is required in the chicane and the hairpins behind the main grandstands. Road Atlanta Downforce: Low Fuel: Full Tires: Soft Gear Ratio: Top Speed Engine: Sprint Notes: This set-up is great for the long stretches of the circuit. Extreme care must be taken with the S-curves and the chicane. Prototype Endurance (15 laps, Open or Closed Prototype, 10 competitors) Catalunya Grand Prix Downforce: Medium Fuel: Full Tires: Soft Gear Ratio: Balance Engine: Sprint Notes: Car set-up is tricky here; Pit Straight is so long that it requires a low-downforce/high-speed set-up, yet the rest of the circuit is rather technical, needing a high-downforce/low-speed set-up. Road Atlanta Downforce: Low Fuel: Full Tires: Soft Gear Ratio: Top Speed Engine: Sprint Notes: This set-up is great for the long stretches of the circuit. Extreme care must be taken with the S-curves and the chicane. Suzuka Grand Prix Downforce: Medium Fuel: Full Tires: Soft Gear Ratio: Acceleration Engine: Sprint Notes: Care is required in the initial S-curves and the chicane. Note that shortcutting the chicane is not possible due to the barriers. Super Endurance (10 laps, any car class, 14 competitors) Suzuka Grand Prix Downforce: Medium Fuel: Full Tires: Soft Gear Ratio: Acceleration Engine: Sprint Brno Downforce: Low Fuel: Full Tires: Soft Gear Ratio: Top Speed Engine: Sprint Catalunya Grand Prix Downforce: Medium Fuel: Full Tires: Soft Gear Ratio: Balance Engine: Sprint Bugatti Downforce: Medium Fuel: Full Tires: Soft Gear Ratio: Acceleration Engine: Sprint Notes: Donington Grand Prix Downforce: Low Fuel: Full Tires: Soft Gear Ratio: Acceleration Engine: Sprint Winter Challenge (15 laps, any car class, 14 competitors) Road Atlanta Downforce: Medium Fuel: Full Tires: Wet Gear Ratio: Top Speed Engine: Sprint Notes: This race takes place entirely in very wet conditions. The use of Top Speed for the Gear Ratio setting will help to reduce wheelspin as the car powers out of corners and also on the standing start. The initial S-curves can be very tricky due to the very wet conditions. Brno Downforce: Medium Fuel: Full Tires: Wet Gear Ratio: Top Speed Engine: Sprint Notes: This race takes place entirely in very wet conditions. The use of Top Speed for the Gear Ratio setting will help to reduce wheelspin as the car powers out of corners and also on the standing start. Suzuka Grand Prix Downforce: High Fuel: Full Tires: Wet Gear Ratio: Top Speed Engine: Sprint Notes: This race takes place entirely in very wet conditions. The use of Top Speed for the Gear Ratio setting will help to reduce wheelspin as the car powers out of corners and also on the standing start. The initial S-curves can be very tricky due to the very wet conditions, but cornering should be made easier by using a High setting for Downforce; however, this will seriously reduce top-end speed on the long ==================================== ==================================== ==================================== TIME TRIAL TIPS In Time Trial mode, you will always begin from a standing start. This means that it will not be possible to best the Goal Time on the initial lap. However, take this opportunity to practice a standing start with no other vehicles on the starting grid to distract you. Also, on this initial lap, brake VERY early and take corners VERY slowly to save the tires (see the next tip below); come up to full racing speed only in the final corner(s) of the circuit. While there are no tire wear indicators on the screen when in Time Trial mode, tire wear does indeed occur; this is especially noticeable if using soft tires (you should be using soft tires anyhow, as they provide the best traction, which you will definitely need to better the Goal Times). Once you have completed about six to eight laps, the tires will no longer be of benefit to you, and will likely be a detriment to you; since any trip to Pit Lane is drive-through only with no servicing permitted, you will be forced to quit Time Trial mode and return to gain fresh tires (and more fuel). The Goal Time for most circuits is set so low that ANY off- course excursion will almost automatically put you out of contention for besting the Goal Time in that lap. In this case, get back on the pavement as quickly as possible, and drive slowly (like on the first lap) to save the tires, coming up to full racing speed only at the final corner(s) of the circuit in anticipation of your next 'hot lap.' For all attempts at besting the Goal Time for a course, make sure to use as little fuel as the CPU will allow (approximately 30% to start a Time Trial run); this will reduce the weight of the fuel, thereby reducing the weight of the car and improving handling, accelerating, and braking. If you think fuel weight is not an issue, consider this: One gallon of water equals approximately eight poundsS and one gallon of fuel will NOT get you very far, especially not at Le Mans!!!!! You will likely need to experiment with the car settings to see which gives you the best chance at besting the Goal Time for each circuit. I find that setting the Gear Box to Acceleration, the Engine to Sprint, and Downforce to Low is a good starting set-up from which to work; be sure to adjust for personal preference and driving style. Dry conditions and Soft Tires are the best combination to provide excellent grip of the pavement, resulting in faster lap times. Also, set the Number of Laps to Continuous, as this will allow you to keep going as long as your fuel holds out - this is really just a means to keep from reloading a venue if the Goal Time cannot be bested within a set number of laps. ==================================== TIME TRIAL GOAL TIMES In Time Trial mode, besting the posted Goal Times earns you a new car, except at the three reverse courses. Here are the posted Goal Times (including listed Goal Times for the reverse courses), listed alphabetically for player convenience: Brno 1:45.000 Bugatti 1:34.000 Catalunya Grand Prix 1:34.000 Catalunya National 1:01.000 Donington Grand Prix 1:21.000 Donington National 1:00.000 Le Mans 3:34.000 Reverse Brno 1:48.000 Reverse Donington Grand Prix 1:23.000 Reverse Donington National 1:02.000 Road Atlanta 1:09.000 Road Atlanta National 0:46.000 Suzuka East 0:40.000* Suzuka Grand Prix 1:07.000 Suzuka West 1:01.000 * The Goal Time for Suzuka East is the same as the default Record Time. ==================================== TIME TRIAL CIRCUIT-SPECIFIC TIPS This section presents specific tips for besting the posted Goal Time for each venue. The circuits are listed here alphabetically. Note that unless specified, I was able to beat the posted Goal Time for each circuit using Nissan Motorsports' Nissan R390 (Closed Prototype class, car #32; an identical car with the same team is identified as car #30, and both are won from the Open Prototype Championship) using absolute minimum starting fuel, lowest possible downforce, sprint engine, automatic transmission, top-speed gearbox, and soft tires. Brno - Hold 120MPH in Turn 1. This will definitely require a car with excellent handling. - Many turns are essentially over-glorified chicanes. Brake well entering the first corner, then power out of the first corner and completely through the second turn. Bugatti - Stay off the rumble strips at Dunlop Chicane, as the car will almost certainly bounce, likely sending one or more wheels into the sand and definitely causing the car to slow. - Keep off the grass and sand at hairpins. - Treat the final two corners as a single wide right-hand hairpin, but beware the sand and rumble strips. Catalunya Grand Prix - Keep tight to the apexes, especially through Turns 1 and 2. - Judicious use of rumble strips in final two corners key to gaining excellent top-end speed on Pit Straight. Catalunya National - Intimate familiarity with the circuit is required due to the dusk setting, creating long shadows to obscure much of the circuit. - Distance markers for Turn 1 are in 50-meter increments, NOT the 100-meter increments used at most venues. This can be a potential cause for overshooting the corner for those who do not remember this point. - Judicious use of rumble strips in final two corners key to gaining excellent top-end speed on Pit Straight. Donnington Grand Prix * Medium downforce used to best the Goal Time for Donnington Grand Prix. - Stay off the rumble strips, as they are generally too short in length to adequately keep cars out of the grass and sand. - Treat Turn 8 (the sweeping J-turn) as a wide hairpin. This will inherently create a single braking zone, allowing more time for use of the accelerator, and thus achieving faster speed along the ensuing straightaway toward the giant Dunlop Tire. - Remember that the Grand Prix course has a left-right chicane following the giant Dunlop Tire. - Keep a TIGHT apex on hairpins; swinging wide will both sacrifice time and increase change of sliding out into the grass and sand. However, extreme care must be taken to NOT shortcut the hairpins, especially the final hairpin. - Excellent handling is required to power out of the final hairpin and still keep the car on the pavement. Donnington National * Medium downforce used to obliterate the Goal Time AND the Lap Record for Donnington National. - Stay off the rumble strips, as they are generally too short in length to adequately keep cars out of the grass and sand. - Treat Turn 8 (the sweeping J-turn) as a wide hairpin. This will inherently create a single braking zone, allowing more time for use of the accelerator, and thus achieving faster speed along the ensuing straightaway toward the giant Dunlop Tire. - Remember that the Grand Prix course has a TIGHT right-left chicane following the giant Dunlop Tire. - Excellent handling is required to power out of the final chicane and still keep the car on the pavement. Le Mans - This is by far the most difficult Time Trial in the game. Plenty of patience is required here. - Stay off the rumble strips at Dunlop Chicane, as the car will almost certainly bounce, likely sending one or more wheels into the sand and definitely causing the car to slow. - Keep off the grass and sand at chicanes. - Try to keep above 90MPH at Motorola Chicane, and above 70MPH at Michelin Chicane. - Treat Mulsanne Hump and Mulsanne Curve as one hairpin. It helps to slightly shortcut Mulsanne Curve in this maneuver. - Try to keep off the rumble strips at Indianapolis and Arnage, as the car is likely to bounce, thus costing time. - Once you leave the public roads, it may help to VERY QUICKLY tap the brakes in each of the corners, just long enough so that the taillights barely illuminate. This should slow the car just enough to make handling easier to help keep the car on the narrow pavement. - Judicious shortcutting of the curves in White House is key to good lap times. Try to find the right angle to cut across each of the two chicanes while keeping at least three of the wheels on the rumble strips and pavement in the process. Power out of the final chicane and HOPE that you can beat the posted Goal Time. Reverse Brno - See Brno Reverse Donnington Grand Prix - See Donnington Grand Prix Reverse Donnington National - See Donnington National Road Atlanta - Brake slightly before Turn 1, then stagger the throttle throughout the corner to keep from losing too much speed. This should help to keep the car from sliding off the pavement when cornering. - Turn 8: Keep about 105MPH with a tight line at the apex. - Turns 9 and 10 (the top of the circuit): Brake early and hard, but DO NOT shortcut or drift off-course into the sand and the grass. Due to the barrier on the right side of the pavement, these are semi-blind corners, so flawless knowledge of the circuit here is required. - Chicane: Brake HARD early, shortcutting the first corner of the chicane and powering the accelerator to Turn 1. Road Atlanta National - Brake slightly before Turn 1, then stagger the throttle throughout the corner to keep from losing too much speed. This should help to keep the car from sliding off the pavement when cornering. - Turn 8: Approach from the left, braking only slightly while hitting the apex. Hold a tight line to the right side of the pavement until the straightaway. - Chicane: Brake HARD early, shortcutting the first corner of the chicane and powering the accelerator to Turn 1. Suzuka East * Medium downforce and Gearbox set to Acceleration used to best the Goal Time for Suzuka East. - Keep tight to the apexes in the S-curves. - Approach the final hairpin from hard left; drift to hard right for exit. Suzuka Grand Prix * Medium downforce used to best the Goal Time for Suzuka Grand Prix. - Keep tight to the apexes, especially through S-curves and Chicane. The medium downforce set-up will certainly help with the S-curves and Chicane, although overall top-end speed will be sacrificed on the straightaways. Suzuka West * Medium downforce used to best the Goal Time for Suzuka West. - Strong familiarity with the circuit is required, as the dusk setting and the bright lights make some corners somewhat difficult to see. ==================================== ==================================== ==================================== TIRES A very important issue in tire selection actually involves horsepower. The chosen tires need to have some measure of durability, or else you will be stopping in Pit Lane to change tires extremely often. In other words, do not allow the car's horsepower to overdrive the tires' ability to function properly. In the event that the chosen tires wear out too much, cornering at any respectable speed will be virtually impossible, instead causing a nearly-uncontrollable slide into a barrier or into another vehicle. Strong acceleration will likely cause the vehicle to spin. A good driver will not let this happen very often; an expert driver will NEVER let this happen. Always keep an eye on your tire indicators, and plan ahead. If possible, choose tires which will last as least as long as your fuel load. When the tire indicators are green, the tires provide you with the best possible grip for that set of tires. The amount of time the tire indicators remain in the green color range depends on your driving style, the amount of time off- course (in the grass or sand) or banging the barriers (or other cars), and the selection of tire compound. As the tire indicators switch to yellow, you need to start taking better care of your tires. You will likely experience slides when cornering. One of the best ways to reduce the durability of the tires is to corner at high speeds. The manual for Gran Turismo 3 gives an excellent, detailed, highly-technical description of what occurs with the tires when cornering. In short, cornering at high speeds causes a high percentage of the tire to be used for speed, and a low percentage to be used for the actual cornering. To combat this and thus extend the durability of the tires, try to brake in a STRAIGHT line before reaching a turn, thus reducing overall speed, resulting in a lower percentage of the tires to be used for speed and a greater percentage instead used for cornering. Note that if the percentage of the tires used for speed is too high compared to the percentage used for cornering, the car will slide and/or spin. ==================================== GENERAL TIPS For those not accustomed to racing games, Time Trial mode is by far the best place to start. This will allow you to try out cars in all three race categories, and also to learn the many courses without the distraction of other cars on the circuit with you; note that only four courses are initially available in Time Trial mode until other tracks are opened in Quick Race mode. Only really adept racing gamers (especially those who mostly play simulations) will be able to jump into a race on an unknown/unseen course and still perform fairly well. For races with a standing start, DO NOT hold down the accelerator while you wait for the lights to change to green; this will not produce any benefits in Le Mans 24 Hours, and will actually put you far behind everyone else. Instead, keep off the accelerator, and try to time its application with the exact millisecond the lights turn green. This will reduce wheelspin due to excessive engine revs, thus applying all available power to the tires. On some circuits, if you use this strategy from a starting position at the very back of the grid, you can pass up to half of your competitors before reaching the first corner!!! To the extent possible, keep to the approved racing surfaces (pavement, concrete, rumble strips). Grass will slow you down greatly, and sand traps (a.k.a. 'kitty litter') will essentially bring you to an immediate halt. To pass, use the draft; this is especially effective in prototype cars. Or, if you feel a bit rowdy, ram or sideswipe the car in front of you (especially on or just before corner entry) to knock it out of your way and send it careening off-course. If you ram a car hard enough from behind, it is possible to send the other vehicle flipping end-over-end or into a continuous-roll accident; a 'good' place to do this is coming into the final chicane at Road Atlanta (full circuit). If you do not choose to qualify, you will automatically start in last place; therefore, you have nothing to lose and A LOT to gain by qualifying. If you can qualify on Pole, that can mean up to twenty-three FEWER passes you will need to make as a race progresses. This may not be very significant in shorter races, but in the longer (Le Mans and Petit Le Mans) races, this could become a significant factor, especially in relation to Pit strategy. If you are in first place and begin lapping other cars, those cars one or more laps behind you will have blue indicators on the track map. Fortunately, should you run out of fuel, your race does not automatically come to an end like in some other racing games. Instead, you will simply start slowing, and will not be able to accelerate unless you can convince gravity to help you - IF you are fortunate enough to be heading downhill. Therefore, always keep an eye on your fuel gauge and be constantly mindful of the on-screen information displays at the top-center of the screen. In a Championship series, if you can win all the initial races, you may be able to win the series overall even if you decide not to participate in one of the final races of the series; similarly, you may be able to skip a race at a circuit you do not particularly like (or, depending on your point of view, which does not particularly like you) and still be able to win the overall series if you can win at most or all of the remaining circuits. Unfortunately, Le Mans 24 Hours does not provide a Forfeit (or similar) option, so you are required to actually go out to the track; here, press Start, select Quit, and confirm. If your goal is to unlock every possible car in the game, keep checking back to Progress (first select Options at the Main Menu). Use the left and right directional buttons to page through the various modes. Locked cars are silhouetted, while unlocked cars are shown in full color. Note that not all game modes provide the chance to unlock cars. ==================================== ==================================== ==================================== SURVIVING AN ENDURANCE RACE While most of the races in Le Mans 24 Hours are relatively short by racing standards, some races are extremely long (especially the full Le Mans or Petit Le Mans races, at twenty-four and ten hours, respectively). Even the 'short' 100-minute Petit Le Mans race is relatively survivable. However, the longer races require even more focus and concentration. Fatigue really begins to set in, especially for those not habituated to playing full-length races in non- endurance racing games such as F1 2001. While Le Mans 24 Hours allows for progress in longer races to be saved when in Pit Lane, you really lose the 'flow' of a given race if you save your progress and shut off the console after one stint in the car, making such a start-and-stop 'method' of racing quite a fragmented, arguably 'postmodern' method of racing. For those who prefer to race for multiple stints at a time, here are some tips to help you keep your concentration and focus: 1.) Make sure you are well-rested and have plenty of time for driving multiple consecutive stints. To give you a benchmark, I average about forty-five minutes per stint at Le Mans (240 minutes) using full fuel and hard tires in a Closed Prototype vehicle. For the Petit Le Mans, I generally race a Closed Prototype car with fifty-percent fuel and soft tires, for thirty to forty minutes per stint. 2.) Make sure you are as comfortable as possible. Real-world race drivers often have specifically-molded seat cushions to help in this endeavor. While such specialized equipment is far too expensive to be used when playing console racing games, the concept is the same: Make sure you are in a comfortable chair, with appropriate cushions if necessary. If you like to have a footrest, make sure it is in place before beginning a race. 3.) While Le Mans 24 Hours does include music, it can quite easily become too repetitive to help you keep your concentration. If you have a stereo or radio separate from the sound system of your console and television, put on other music, perhaps a favorite CD (Lords of Acid, anyone???????). 4.) Adjust for real-world lighting before beginning a race. This is especially important for those - like myself - who have the console and television placed directly in front of a window due to the configuration of a small apartment or dorm room. Adjust the blinds or curtains to your liking so that any light coming in will not bother your eyes, especially when racing through the nighttime portion of races. Also, turn off or move lights whose shine reflects off the television screen. 5.) Have a drink handy. To be more realistic in relation to actual race drivers, only make use of the drink while in Pit Lane, thus simulating a driver receiving a small water bottle while the team handles car servicing. Or, simply have the drink next to you on a table so that you can quickly reach it for a quick sip down a straightaway; this would more or less simulate the in-helmet drink system used by some real-world race-drivers. (Of course, you could always 'cheat' and simply pause the game whenever you need a quick drink.) Note that drinks with high caffeine content (such as Jolt, sold in select markets in the States) may not be a good choice; if you run out of the drink well before the end of a stint, or long before you finish your planned multiple stints, you could experience a rather severe caffeine crash, which will adversely affect your driving performance and your concentration. 6.) Real-world drivers generally do not get a chance to eat during the race, except perhaps while the car is in Pit Lane for fuels and tires. A small plate or bowl of small snack foods might be useful. Small candies, crackers, cheeses, etc., may be good choices. If you are on a diet, first consult with your doctor or nutritionist for some good snack food possibilities. 7.) If you often download images, sounds, movies, etc., from the Internet and have a computer close to the console, set the computer to download a massive number of files before starting the game. Occasionally (preferably when alone on a long straightaway), glance over at the computer to check on the progress of the download. This will subconsciously keep your mind occupied on more than simply racing, thus forcing yourself to remain focused via extra effort. (And if you want to download a flood of Sailor Moon images from Usenet, this will save time, as you are obviously not using the computer personally while you race!!!) 8.) Avoid racing at times of the day (or night) when your body naturally tends to shut down. This applies to life in general, including choosing times between three-hour grad classes!!!!! 9.) Try to internalize the basics of racing before beginning an endurance race. If you can instinctively handle a J-turn, for example, the mechanics of safely navigating the corner will require less concentration. Perhaps the best possible means to learn the basics of racing with 'hands-on' experience is to complete ALL the license tests of any game in the Gran Turismo series; I particularly suggest the license tests in Gran Turismo 2. 10.) Simulate an actual Le Mans or Petit Le Mans race, without pausing or saving the game to continue later. Gather together several friends, and take turns doing the driving, changing drivers only at the Pit Stops as in an actual endurance race. Of course, this will give you an advantage over real-world endurance race drivers: They do not generally get to have good (or boring) conversations with friends while driving. 11.) If your car is lightning-fast compared to the other vehicles in the race, then after the first or second stint, always use 50% fuel. This should also allow you to use soft tires (if in dry conditions), as soft tires will generally begin to really wear out after about half of a fuel tank has been depleted (even faster if you have had many off-course excursions). This method will obviously have you sitting in Pit Lane more often, but that will give you more short breaks to catch your breath and let your adrenaline simmer for a moment. 12.) If playing with randomized weather, always be prepared to stop in Pit Lane to change tires. I have been able to run a number of laps successfully at Le Mans with soft tires when I should have been using intermediate tires, but my lap times were slower than if I had been using intermediate tires. Also, note that it takes approximately thirty minutes for the pavement to dry off after a long, hard, soaking rain, so this may well play into your choice of tires in a long endurance race. 13.) EVERY time you come to Pit Lane, SAVE YOUR PROGRESS!!!!! You never know when some fool will drive into a nearby telephone pole and cut off your electricity. ==================================== LE MANS 2000: TIME COMPRESSION Players can compete in Le Mans 2000 at four different time increments: 10 minutes, 24 minutes, 240 minutes, and the full 24-hour race. At each time increment, the race begins at 4PM on Saturday and ends at 4PM on Sunday, including the appropriate transition from daylight to darkness to daylight. Except for the full 24-hour race, this means that time must be compressed. For those interested, the time compression works in this manner (if my math is correct): Interval: 10 minutes 24 minutes 240 minutes 24 hours 1 second = 14 min 24 sec 1 minute 6 seconds 1 second 1 minute = 2 hr 24 min 1 hour 6 minutes 1 minute 1 hour = N/A N/A 6 hours 1 hour ==================================== LE MANS 2000: SUGGESTED CAR SET-UPS Le Mans 24 Hours provides only two car classes for Le Mans 2000: Open Prototype and GT. A suggested car set-up is provided for each car class. These suggestions are for dry- conditions racing; wet-conditions racing requires Wet or Intermediate Tires, and a raise in downforce if needed to suit your personal driving style. First, however, an explanation of the set-up options is needed. Explanations Fuel: Lower fuel loads will provide a faster overall top speed initially due to the lesser overall weight of the car. Conversely, a higher fuel load will slow the car initially while allowing the car to stay on the circuit for a longer period of time. Unfortunately, it is impossible to adjust initial fuel load for the races :-( In a four-hour race at Le Mans, a typical lap will consume approximately 8% of the fuel; a 24-hour race will have approximately 4% fuel consumption per lap. Downforce: Low downforce provides a faster top-end speed while making cornering more difficult. High downforce gives easier cornering while lowering overall top-end speed. Tires: Soft Tires provide the most grip of the pavement, but wear out faster than other tires, resulting in more trips to Pit Lane to change tires. Hard Tires provide the least grip of the dry-conditions tires while lasting the longest, resulting in fewer trips to Pit Lane. Should the track become damp or wet, 'slick' (Soft and Hard) tires quickly become useless. Wet Tires are for very wet conditions, when your car emits a 'rooster tail' of spray at high speeds. If it has been raining or has just started to rain and there is no 'rooster tail' behind your car, Intermediate Tires are a good choice; however, do not waste the time changing to and from Intermediate Tires unless your opinion of the clouds is that Intermediate Tires will be needed for more than one or two laps. Gear Ratio: An Acceleration setting will provide maximum acceleration for the car; at Le Mans, this would really only be useful in the final fifth of the circuit. Top Speed provides slower acceleration, but the car's top-end speed will be much higher. Balance is the 'middle ground' setting. Engine: A Sprint Engine will help boost your car through the field in shorter races, and can be useful in the 10-minute, 24-minute, and 4-hour Le Mans race. However, for the full 24-hour race, only an Endurance Engine will provide the long-lasting power required to finish the race. Balance is a 'middle ground' position, and is also a good choice for the 4-hour race at Le Mans. Open Prototype Class Fuel: 50% Downforce: Low Tires: Soft Gear Ratio: Top Speed Engine: Sprint for the 4-hour race; Endurance for the full 24-hour race Notes: Prototype cars are inherently faster than GT cars. The suggested settings will help to quickly pass the Open Prototype cars as well, especially when taking on only a 50% fuel load. The low downforce setting will provide excellent top-end speed on the lengthy Hunaudieres Straight (Parts I, II, and III) and the long 'straightaway' between Mulsanne Curve and Indianapolis Curve, but the chicanes and the Indianapolis-Arnage complex will be rather tricky, especially in wet conditions. The 50% initial fuel load fits well with Soft Tires, as Soft Tires will start giving out about the time you will need to return to Pit Lane to refuel anyhow. GT Class Fuel: 80% Downforce: Low Tires: Hard Gear Ratio: Top Speed Engine: Sprint for the 4-hour race; Endurance for the full 24-hour race Notes: In general, see the notes for the Open Prototype Class, above. However, I find that GT cars have better handling with more fuel, thus making the car a bit heavier. Hard Tires will then allow the car to stay on the circuit longer, as the car will begin with a heavier fuel load; however, Hard Tires provide the least amount of grip, so more care must be given early in a run, especially when cornering. Note #1: It is not impossible for a GT Class car to win a full Le Mans 2000 race outright, beating even all the Open Prototype Class cars. This will depend upon the settings selected for a GT Class car, pit strategy, and the game parameters (in terms of driving aids and AI Skill). Note #2: Both Open Prototype and GT Class cars tend to fishtail; this is especially significant in GT Class vehicles. As such, heavier fuel loads tend to reduce the fishtail effect. Unless extreme care is afforded the tires, the rear tires will wear out faster, which can itself aid the fishtailing effect. Be especially wary of fishtailing when running over rumble strips while turning (and when cornering at fast speeds, especially in wet conditions). ==================================== LE MANS 2000: GENERAL TIPS After driving all night long (especially in the full 24-hour race), the transition to daylight driving (especially under clear skies) can result in poor visibility of cars far ahead of you until your eyes adjust. Be wary of your closing rate on slower, 'unseen' cars far ahead, as you can suddenly find your front bumper banging the rear end of another vehicle. Lights are used for nighttime driving and other poor visibility conditions (primarily constant rain). While the lights are great in poor visibility conditions, do not allow yourself to become too reliant upon them. Once clear visibility returns, the lights are turned off (approximately 6:30AM in the full 24-hour race if rain is not present). ALWAYS keep an eye on your fuel usage. If you run out of fuel somewhat early in a lap, you may not make it back to Pit Lane without placing yourself just right to be bumped from behind or making use of a downhill slope to help gain speed. Tire selection is extremely important at Le Mans because of the immense length of the circuit; if your tires wear out in the early portion of the circuit, you may well find yourself sliding around in corners later in the lap. Many of the turns at Le Mans can be taken at full throttle; however, the slower, tighter corners - especially the Indianapolis-Arnage complex and the final double-chicane at White House - can be absolutely brutal on tires, especially if cornering at a too- high speed for the condition of the tires. For more specific tips on tire usage, please read the full Le Mans 24 Hours Game Guide, and/or also look at my Gran Turismo 3: Tires Guide. To pass, use the draft; this is especially effective in prototype cars. The Le Mans circuit has numerous long straightaways and sections with gentle, full-throttle curves, providing plenty of opportunity to make use of a competitor's draft. On the wide public roads, CPU-controlled cars almost always straddle the center line, so this is a great place to be to make use of another car's draft as you approach. If you do not choose to qualify, you will automatically start in last place; therefore, you have nothing to lose and A LOT to gain by qualifying. If you can qualify on Pole, that can mean twenty-three FEWER passes you will need to make as a race progresses. In the longer (4-hour and 24-hour) Le Mans races, this could become a significant factor, especially in relation to Pit strategy. If you are in first place and begin lapping other cars, those cars one or more laps behind you will have blue indicators on the track map. If at all possible, do not go to Pit Lane with a pack of competitors. If there is another car directly in front of you, the CPU will slow you to a near halt while that car slots into its Pit Stall. Similarly, once your Pit Stop has been completed, if there are any cars passing your position, the CPU will hold you there until they ALL pass, even if it appears that there is plenty of room for you to slot into the line of cars. ==================================== LE MANS 2000: CIRCUIT OVERVIEW The Le Mans circuit has seen numerous changes throughout its vast and storied history (detailed at some of the Web sites in the Information on the Web section). The 2000 configuration (used in Le Mans 24 Hours) is 8.454 miles in length; as such, the circuit has numerous long straightaways and sections with gentle, full-throttle curves. A small part of the circuit shares pavement with the permanent Bugatti circuit (also part of the game), while much of the Le Mans circuit makes use of local public roads. The potential irony of racing at this circuit is that approximately fifty seconds into a lap, racers will pass an Elf gas station on the right; if a car is low on fuel, this is simply a nasty reminder that there is still at least three minutes remaining in the lap before finding Pit Lane :-( In clear daylight, this circuit is a beauty. Much of the circuit is surrounded very closely by tall trees, which - depending on the position of the sun and the portion of the circuit you may be in at a particular moment - can produce some rather long shadows across the circuit, potentially obscuring a view of the cars (especially darker-colored vehicles) or the pavement ahead. Fortunately, most of the tight corners have wide recovery areas lined with grass and/or sand. During a star-filled night, the Le Mans circuit can be a massive beast compared to the beauty of the sky above. While four of the corners and the immediate entrance to Pit Lane are marked by bright red lights which can be seen at a long distance (which is not true to reality), the tightest corners of the circuit are NOT lit in the same manner; the taillights of any cars ahead will certainly help to mark the corners, but intimate familiarity is required to successfully navigate these tight, unmarked corners. However, the bright red lights can also obscure your view of cars ahead, as competitors' taillights often 'disappear' into the bright red corner indicators on approach. In a rainstorm, whether during the day or at night, the circuit can quickly turn into a sheet of ice. The trick in wet conditions is to expertly regulate the use of both the brakes and the accelerator, especially in the Indianapolis- Arnage complex and the double-chicane at White House. Just as important is pit strategy to change to/from Wet or Intermediate Tires; therefore, if playing with Weather set to Random, always keep an eye on the sky, especially at the eastern and western ends of the circuit, to better anticipate how the weather may change. ==================================== ==================================== ==================================== PETIT LE MANS: TIME COMPRESSION Players can compete in the Petit Le Mans at four different time increments: 10 minutes, 30 minutes, 100 minutes, and the full ten-hour race. At each time increment, the race begins at 12:30PM and ends at 10:30PM, including the appropriate transition from daylight to darkness. Except for the full ten-hour race, this means that time must be compressed. For those interested, the time compression works in this manner (if my math is correct): Time Interval: 10 minutes 30 minutes 100 minutes 10 hours 1 second = 1 minute 20 seconds 6 seconds 1 second 1 minute = 1 hour 20 minutes 6 minutes 1 minute 1 hour = N/A N/A 6 hours 1 hour ==================================== PETIT LE MANS: SUGGESTED CAR SET-UPS Le Mans 24 Hours provides three car classes for Petit Le Mans: Open Prototype, Closed prototype, and GT. A suggested car set-up is provided for GT class cars, and both Open and Closed Prototype class cars combined (as I find very little difference between Closed prototype and Open Prototype cars in terms of handling). These suggestions are for dry- conditions racing; wet-conditions racing requires Wet Tires, and a raise in downforce if needed to suit your personal driving style. First, however, an explanation of the set-up options is needed. Explanations Fuel: Lower fuel loads will provide a faster overall top speed initially due to the lesser overall weight of the car. Conversely, a higher fuel load will slow the car initially while allowing the car to stay on the circuit for a longer period of time. Unfortunately, it is impossible to adjust initial fuel load for the races :-( In a four-hour race at Petit Le Mans, each lap will consume approximately four percent of the fuel load; each lap in a full ten-hour race requires two percent of fuel. Downforce: Low downforce provides a faster top-end speed while making cornering more difficult. High downforce gives easier cornering while lowering overall top-end speed. Tires: Soft Tires provide the most grip of the pavement, but wear out faster than other tires, resulting in more trips to Pit Lane to change tires. Hard Tires provide the least grip of the dry-conditions tires while lasting the longest, resulting in fewer trips to Pit Lane. Should the track become damp or wet, 'slick' (Soft and Hard) tires quickly become useless. Wet Tires are for very wet conditions, when your car emits a 'rooster tail' of spray at high speeds. If it has been raining or has just started to rain and there is no 'rooster tail' behind your car, Intermediate Tires are a good choice; however, do not waste the time changing to and from Intermediate Tires unless your opinion of the clouds is that Intermediate Tires will be needed for more than one or two laps. Gear Ratio: An Acceleration setting will provide maximum acceleration for the car. Top Speed provides slower acceleration, but the car's top-end speed will be much higher. Balance is the 'middle ground' setting. Engine: A Sprint Engine will help boost your car through the field in shorter races, and can be useful in the 10-minute, 30-minute, and 100-minute Petit Le Mans race. However, for the full 10-hour race, only an Endurance Engine will provide the long-lasting power required to finish the race. Balance is a 'middle ground' position, and is also a good choice for the 100-minute race at Petit Le Mans. Open Prototype Class AND Closed Prototype Class Fuel: 50% Downforce: Low Tires: Soft Gear Ratio: Top Speed Engine: Sprint for the 100-minute race; Endurance for the full 10-hour race Notes: Prototype cars are inherently faster than GT cars. The suggested settings will help to quickly pass the Prototype cars as well, especially when taking on only a 50% fuel load. The low downforce setting will provide excellent top-end speed through the S curves, and down the 'back side' of the circuit toward the chicane. The 50% initial fuel load fits well with Soft Tires, as Soft Tires will start giving out about the time you will need to return to Pit Lane to refuel anyhow. GT Class Fuel: 80% Downforce: Low Tires: Hard Gear Ratio: Top Speed Engine: Sprint for the 100-minute race; Endurance for the full 10-hour race Notes: In general, see the notes for the Prototype Class, above. However, I find that GT cars have better handling with more fuel, thus making the car a bit heavier and the back end less likely to slide around on cornering at high speeds. Hard Tires will then allow the car to stay on the circuit longer, as the car will begin with a heavier fuel load; however, Hard Tires provide the least amount of grip, so more care must be given, especially when cornering. Note #1: It is not impossible for a GT Class car to win a full Petit Le Mans race outright, beating even all the Open Prototype Class AND Closed Prototype Class cars. This will depend upon the settings selected for a GT Class car, pit strategy, and the game parameters (in terms of driving aids and AI Skill). Note #2: Cars in all classes do tend to fishtail; this is especially significant in GT Class vehicles. As such, heavier fuel loads tend to reduce the fishtail effect. Unless extreme care is afforded the tires, the rear tires will wear out faster, which can itself aid the fishtailing effect. Be especially wary of fishtailing when running over rumble strips while turning (and when cornering at fast speeds, especially in wet conditions). ==================================== PETIT LE MANS: GENERAL TIPS ALWAYS keep an eye on your fuel usage. If you run out of fuel somewhat early in a lap, you may not make it back to Pit Lane without placing yourself just right to be bumped from behind or making use of a downhill slope to help gain speed. Pit Lane is at the lowest elevation on the circuit, which keeps climbing uphill all the way to the Pit Lane (not used for Petit Le Mans) on the opposite end of the circuit. Petit Le Mans features both full-throttle straightaways and S-Curves tempered with tight technical corners and slopes. As such, tire wear is a critical issue, especially in wet conditions - poor tire grip means sliding off the pavement in tight corners or driving too fast through the S-Curves for the tires to adequately grip the pavement. For more specific tips on tire usage, please read the full Le Mans 24 Hours Game Guide, and/or also look at my Gran Turismo 3: Tires Guide. To pass, use the draft; this is especially effective in Open Prototype and Closed Prototype cars. The best place to draft other cars is along the 'back stretch' of the circuit, from the alternate Pit Lane (not used in Petit Le Mans) to the chicane. If you do not choose to qualify, you will automatically start in last place; therefore, you have nothing to lose and A LOT to gain by qualifying. If you can qualify on Pole, that can mean twenty-three FEWER passes you will need to make as a race progresses. In the longer (100-minute and 10-hour) Petit Le Mans races, this could become a significant factor, especially in relation to Pit strategy. If you are in first place and begin lapping other cars, those cars one or more laps behind you will have blue indicators on the track map. If at all possible, do not go to Pit Lane with a pack of competitors. If there is another car directly in front of you, the CPU will slow you to a near halt while that car slots into its Pit Stall. Similarly, once your Pit Stop has been completed, if there are any cars passing your position, the CPU will hold you there until they ALL pass, even if it appears that there is plenty of room for you to slot into the line of cars. The CPU-controlled cars can and DO make mistakes. In their battles against each other for position, they often trade paint, and sometimes even run each other off the track. The most common area for this latter is the top of the circuit, between Turns 9 and 10; this is especially important to remember at night, when visibility can be tricky. ==================================== PETIT LE MANS: CIRCUIT OVERVIEW The full Road Atlanta circuit combines long fast segments with technical corners and slopes. Part of the mystique of the circuit is its construction; similar to A1-Ring in Austria, Pit Straight is the lowest elevation of the circuit, with the beginning and end of the circuit both on steep slopes. The first twenty seconds of a hot lap are spent in a forested area; the rest of the lap features rather open space to the inside of the circuit, providing plenty of natural light on a cloudless day or a moonlit night. However, the forested section can also produce some nasty shadows, making the nearly-blind corners even more difficult to spot if there is no traffic just ahead. In a rainstorm, whether during the day or at night, the circuit can quickly turn into a sheet of ice. The trick in wet conditions is to expertly regulate the use of both the brakes and the accelerator, especially on the steep slopes. Just as important is pit strategy to change to/from Wet or Intermediate Tires; therefore, if playing with Weather set to Random, always keep an eye on the sky, especially at the upper and lower ends of the circuit, to better anticipate how the weather may change. ==================================== ==================================== ==================================== STRATEGY FOR UNLOCKING ALL ELEMENTS IN LE MANS 24 HOURS First, circuits and cars are unlocked by simply winning races; the CPU does not care whether this is done on Easy, Intermediate, or Hard difficulty. Therefore, those wishing to unlock the many elements as quickly as possible will likely wish to use Easy difficulty; after all, it would be a real shame to spend twenty-four hours in the full Le Mans 2000 race and end up losing by less than a lap on Hard difficulty :-( As with all other games, the first thing a player should do is to go to the Options menu and make sure controls and game settings are to the player's liking. Note here that of the race-related settings, only Quick Race settings cannot be changed before entering a race in Quick Race Mode, so it is important to make sure these settings are to the player's liking (note that the default race length is three laps). While in Options, take note of Progress. This section gives a quick visual reference as to which races/events have been completed, and - except for Quick Race Mode, which only unlocks circuits - also shows which cars have been unlocked. Once ready to begin racing, the player needs to first sweep through Quick Race Mode - again, the settings for Quick Race Mode can ONLY be adjusted in the Options menu. Only four circuits (Le Mans, Suzuka East, Donington National, and Road Atlanta National) are initially available; winning at each of these circuits will unlock another circuit, winning at the unlocked circuits will unlock more circuits, etc. Finally, once the player has won at least one race at all twelve circuits in Quick Race Mode, the three reverse circuits will open; this is essentially optional, as there are no bonus cars to be unlocked at the reverse circuits in Time Trial Mode. Note that players will be racing against nineteen competitors in Quick Race Mode. While Quick Race Mode only unlocks circuits, it is important in he overall scheme of the game, as Time Trial Mode only allows players to race at the four initially-available circuits plus those unlocked in Quick Race Mode. However, the few initially-available cars simply CANNOT be used to best the posted goal times in Time Trial Mode (thus unlocking new cars), so once Quick Race Mode has been completed, players need to progress to Championship Mode. Championship Mode consists of several points-based series (Rookie GT, Pro GT, GT Enduro, Open Prototype, Closed Prototype, Prototype Enduro, Super Enduro, and Winter Challenge). Winning each championship depends upon having the most points at the end of each championship. Unfortunately, should a player wish to skip a race in a championship, the only way to do this is to actually enter the race, then cancel out (and confirm) just as the race begins. The championships themselves begin with fairly few races with just a few laps each, but then add more and more races of longer and longer length, with the final championship (Winter Challenge) adding the nuisance of constant rain; however, those who can drive well and still maintain a fast speed in wet conditions will note just how much the CPU-controlled cars slow down in wet conditions. Note that the medium- and long-length championship races will each require at least one trip to Pit Lane to refuel and (likely) to change tires, although double-stinting the tires (i.e., changing the tires after every other Pit Stop) may be possible for really good drivers. Winning each championship unlocks another car. These unlocked cars are all better than the initially-available cars in some respect, but GT cars are still slower than Open Prototype and Closed Prototype vehicles. Once a player has unlocked several prototype cars, they should be viable enough to unlock more cars in Time Trial Mode (which, again, depends upon the initially-available circuits and those circuits previously unlocked in Quick Race Mode). The trick is finding the right car with the right set-up and the right racing line for an entire hot lap around the chosen circuit. While Time Trial Mode does not show the tire indicators (which theoretically means that tire wear is not an issue), this mode DOES include tire wear - which is quite noticeable for those using Soft Tires and running for more than about six laps. As more and more cars are unlocked in Time Trial Mode, the player will gain greater familiarity with the various circuits. If there are any championships to be completed, the time spent in Time Trial Mode will be greatly beneficial; also, the player will have access to more and better cars to use in completing Championship Mode. The final set of races to complete is in Le Mans Mode. Here, the player can participate in Le Mans 2000 or Petit Le Mans. There are four time intervals for races at each circuit (remember the Petit Le Mans is held at the full Road Atlanta circuit). With the many cars unlocked previously in the game, players should be able to either blow away the competition (especially if using Easy difficulty) or at least be very competitive for race wins. Winning each event at each time interval unlocks one more car; winning Le Mans 2000 at the full 24-hour time interval unlocks TWO cars. Note that those cars unlocked by winning at the four time intervals in Le Mans 2000 can ONLY be used in Le Mans Mode. If the player still has Challenges to win or cars to unlock in Time Trial Mode, the cars won at the 10-hour and 24-hour time intervals in Le Mans Mode should help nicely :-) Total minimum game completion time estimate: SIXTY HOURS. ==================================== ==================================== ==================================== TEAM INFORMATION This section will present each team alphabetically, the car(s) for each team, and some team information. In some cases, teams use multiple cars of the same model; these are differentiated by racing number in the game (but are not listed here. Audi Sport Team Joest Cars - Audi R8 Web Site - http://www.audi.com/com/en/experience/ motorsport/background/team_joest/team_joest.jsp Joest Racing was founded in 1978. Since , Reinhold Joest's team has won a large number of important titles and races - among them seven Le Mans 24 Hour triumphs in 1984, 1985, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2001 and 2002. Since Audi races the R8, Joest Racing is preparing the cars. Based at Ingolstadt and Neckarsulm, Audi Sport is responsible for the ongoing development of the Infineon Audi R8, Joest Racing in Germany's region "Odenwald" for the racing. Both partners contribute knowledge and their experience in all areas. "We can only be strong together", knows Team Director Reinhold Joest, who has already guided his team to seven Le Mans victories. Prior to that Joest had climbed the Le Mans podium also as a driver. When Audi looked for a suitable team to run the Le Mans 24 Hour race, Joest Racing was first choice. Right from the start, Joest was involved in the project of the Infineon Audi R8. The joint successes at Le Mans and at the races of the American Le Mans Series (ALMS) are the product of perfect team work. Audi Sport UK Cars - Audi A8C Web Site - http://www.audi.com/com/en/experience/ motorsport/background/audi_sport/audi_sport.jsp Audi Sport can look back on a long-standing tradition in motorsport, with experience in almost every type of racing. No matter where the team from Ingolstadt has competed, it has been amongst the winners. Around 100 people are employed by Audi Sport in Ingolstadt and Neckarsulm. Here, under the leadership of Dr Wolfgang Ullrich, the Infineon Audi R8 was also developed. Following Audi Sport tradition, everything is developed in-house: from chassis to the 610 hp V8 twin-turbo power units. Success at Audi Sport is not by chance, rather it is the result of immense experience - in cooperation with reliable partners. BMW Motorsport Cars - BMW V12 LMR Web Site - http://www.bmw-motorsport.com/session: ca6p8ku1w1/ms/en/index.html In 1954, BMW continued its motorsport activities with as much enthusiasm and success as ever. Alex Von Falkenhausen, BMW engine chief of the time and friend of German motorsport legend Hans Joachim Stuck still competes in races. Firstly with the BMW 507 V8 sportscar and more recently with the BMW 700. Soon afterwards, a whole armada of BMW 700s would be competing with great success in different motorsport categories. Even at the age of 60, Hans Stuck continued his career in the 700 and won the 1960 German hillclimb championship. Then the mid-range BMW was launched, first as the BMW 1500 and later as the 1800 and 2000. Von Falkenhausen had wanted to enter touring car racing for a long time, and this car was perfectly suited to his plans. At this point there was no separate motorsport department at BMW, so the racing engines were developed in the same department as the production engines. This allowed von Falkenhausen to personally push the development programme forward. The project proved to be another BMW motorsport success story. Hubert Hahne won he 1964 German Circuit Championship in a BMW 1800ti, while two years later Josef Schnitzer took his BMW 2000ti to the German Touring Car crown. "Our activities of those days were far away from the meticulously organised motorsport programme of today", explains former BMW racing engine director Paul Rosche. "In those days we carried out lots of experiments, working mainly using the principle of 'trial and error'. There was a motorsport budget at BMW, but we worked like real privateers." In between, engine designer Ludwig Apfelbeck is determined to construct a four-valve engine for BMW. Supported by Rosche he gained authorisation to design a 500cc single cylinder engine. "This engine already produced 57bhp," Rosche remembers. "This meant 114bhp per litre, while our 1800 didn't produce more than 90bhp per litre." Von Falkenhausen was convinced by the concept and instructed his engine specialists to build a two-litre version for hillclimbs and a 1.6-litre version for Formula 2. With the BMW Brabham BT 7, he set up several world records with the aid of a four-valve Apfelbeck engine. The BMW Monti sportscar was used for hillclimbs. In the following decades BMW was massively successful with normally aspirated two and four valve engines in touring car racing and Formula 2. At the same time, BMW was entering a new era - the turbo era. In 1968 Dieter Quester won the European Touring Car Championship in a BMW 2002, but the competition was getting stronger and stronger. In a bid to keep BMW at\ the top, Alex von Falkenhausen instructed his team of engine experts to build a turbocharged engine for the 1969 season. "We had never worked on turbo engines before," Paul Rosche recalls. "This was a brand new experience for us. So we took a turbocharger and installed it on one of our production engines." Three months, many experiments and many exploded engines later, the first turbocharged BMW touring car made its debut at Snetterton in England. This first race ended with an early retirement, but the turbo principle proved its worth during the course of the season and Quester duly delivered another European Touring Car title, this time in a BMW 2002 turbo. It would be 1978 before the BMW turbo concept could achieve more success. The German Racing Championship regulations were opened up to allow turbo engines, albeit restricted to 1.42 litres. Harald Ertl's BMW 320 Turbo still produced a massive 550bhp however, and took the championship in its very first year. It was this engine that made BMW first think about Formula 1. The normally-aspirated three litre Cosworth engines that dominated F1 at the time produced just 500bhp. In 1980 this idea became a serious project. A contract was signed with Brabham, the team supplied BMW with a test car and the development was intensified. "We were travelling week-by-week from one track to the next", Rosche says. "We had plenty of power right from the start. But the driveability and the reaction of the engine had to be improved." Again BMW would pioneer the use of new technology during the F1 test programme, using telemetry to improve motorsport performance for the first time. At this point electronic memory had not been created, so the reams of data were printed out on paper. Only when a clever electronic engineer developed the first electronic data store were mountains of paper made a thing of the past. Another innovation duly followed. Electronic engine management was designed to cure the engine of its bad habits and warn of impending problems. "A turbo engine being run on poor fuel, or with too much turbo pressure will soon start to struggle, and then it won't survive much longer," explains Rosche. The first analogue control unit was an instant improvement over the existing technology, but the real breakthrough came when electronics company Bosch supplied BMW with a digital unit in 1981. The turbocharged BMW F1 engine was finally ready to race at the start of 1982. There were still plenty of problems hampering the project however, and its future was put into question when reigning champion Nelson Piquet's Brabham BMW failed to qualify for the US Grand Prix in Detroit. At the next grand prix in Montreal, Brabham designer Gordon Murray wanted to abandon the turbo project. A compromise was found: Piquet would continue with the BMW turbo but his team-mate Riccardo Patrese would use the normally-aspirated Cosworth. But the BMW was plagued by a misfire throughout Friday and Saturday. Bernie Ecclestone, then the boss of Brabham, demanded that Piquet's car was also fitted with the Cosworth. BMW race director Dieter St appert reacted in uncompromising style, threatening to cancel the whole project if Ecclestone carried out his threat. Ecclestone gave in, but during the Sunday warm-up Piquet's engine continued to misfire. "So we checked the engine, changed the complete electronics, and won the race," recalls Rosche. "But we never really found out what had gone wrong before and why it worked during the race." At the end of the turbo era, there was a group at BMW that wanted to keep on racing in Formula 1. The group was headed by Paul Rosche and a member of the board, Dr Wolfgang Reitzle. The F1 department was reduced, but a group of 20 men called the 'E-90-Team' got the permission to design a V12 engine conforming to the new 3.5-litre regulations. Although it gave permission for the group to carry out the work, the board still did not show great interest, and the engine was used as a test-bed for new developments. The next major racing engine project was the BMW M3, which was to race in series such as the German Touring Car Championship (DTM). This project proved to be a huge success. The car won championships around the world and collected more than 50 titles. At the end of 1992 BMW developed the BMW 320i for the new class two Super Touring regulations. The car won 29 championship titles around the world. The 12-cylinder engine for the McLaren F1 sportscar was also developed under the supervision of Paul Rosche. This engine proved extraordinarily successful. It had such reliability that most of the McLaren F1 GTRs entered in the FIA GT Championship only needed a single engine change during a complete season. "At the beginning, we had planned to use our production V12 with a four valve head," said Rosche. "But during the course of the development it became a complete new engine, only the distance of the cylinders stayed the same. This engine wasn't supposed to be a race engine, that's why it had to stand tough reliability tests in the development phase. The power of the engine was heavily reduced by an air restrictor. Without the air restrictor, the engine would have produced some 800bhp for sure. But then it wouldn't have been able to survive so long." At the same time the Motorsport GmbH became the M GmbH, which did not do much with the motorsport activities of BMW. M GmbH was occupied with developing the sports production models of BMW. Then in 1995, a new motorsport company was founded - Motorsport Limited. Paul Rosche, then the managing director of the M GmbH, got the task of running the new company. Two years later, a new BMW Formula 1 project was launched. "This meant that I had to solve three different tasks at the same time," said Rosche. "The formation of Motorsport Ltd, the design of a new F1 engine and the employment of the new personnel that we needed." Rosche did almost all the interviews himself and nearly all the staff he employed were signed from other BMW departments. Only 20 of the new Motorsport Ltd employees were from outside the marque, and these newcomers all brought with them fresh F1 experience and knowledge. Rather than entering a full works team and designing both the car and engine in-house, BMW opted to become an engine partner with the WilliamsF1 team. The new engine first hit the track in 1999 and made its race debut at the start of 2000. The goal for the first year was simply to finish races and gather information. Despite these cautious objectives, the new BMW WilliamsF1 Team finished on the podium in its first race - one of the most successful debuts made by a manufacturer in grand prix history. By the end of the season, the team had clinched third place in the constructors' championship. Bonnet Didier Cars - Debora LMP2000-BMW Web Site - Unable to find information online Carsport Holland Cars - Chrysler Viper GTS-R Web Site - http://www.hezemans.nl/GT2001/NL/index.htm Unfortunately, this site is entirely in Dutch... a language I cannot read :-( Chamberlain Engineering Cars - Chrysler Viper GTS-R Web Site - http://www.chamberlain.cc/history.htm Hugh Chamberlain, a former policeman in the UK, spent six years working for the Radial motor component manufacturing company before forming Chamberlain Engineering in 1972. The company concentrated on repairing and servicing commercial engines and raced a Jaguar XK120 for fun. Later Hugh bought a Cooper-Jaguar, then a Mallock U2 Mk6, which he raced until 1982. As a result of the Clubman's racing, Chamberlain Engineering, as the team was known until 1999, initially began preparing racecars for young men in the UK like Will Hoy, Creighton Brown and Nick Adams each of whom went on to successful careers in motorsport. But Hugh found it increasingly difficult to both compete and run a race team and so concentrated his efforts on running the team. Since 1985 the team has competed in a number of endurance formulas, winning 2 World Championships, the C2 class Le Mans 24 hour race and nine National Championships. Since 1999, Jack Cunningham has been Chief Executive, and with the Team under new ownership and with a new management team in place Hugh Chamberlain subsequently left the company. The Team's management and technical expertise has been strengthened considerably with new appointments being made at all levels. The Team has prospered as a result, participating successfully in major international endurance events around the world. The Team were runners-up in the 1999 FIA GT Championship, the first non-manufacturer Team at Daytona in 2000 and, in 2001, were selected to test and race the MG EX257 cars at Le Mans and other events on behalf of the manufacturer for two seasons. With the organisation now having been involved in motor racing for over 25 years, it is acknowledged as one of the world's most experienced sports car and GT racing teams. Corvette Racing Cars - Chevrolet Corvette C5-R Web Site - http://www.corvetteracing.net/race_history/ race_history_set.htm Corvette Racing's latest addition to its stable, the Corvette C5-R, continues a decade long tradition of exciting Corvette road racers. Under the guiding hand of engineering genius Zora Arkus-Duntov, Chevrolet first thrust its sports car into competition in 1956. In 1960 a trio of Corvettes was brought to Le Mans by team owner Brigs Cunningham. With a remarkable demonstration of endurance and speed, the #3 car, driven by John Fitch and Bob Grossman, finished eighth overall, well ahead of many of the finest sports and all-out racing cars of the era. The third-generation Corvette, introduced in 1968, continued the winning ways of its predecessors. In fact, Corvettes were totally dominant in the late 60's and 70's, winning sixteen SCCA national A-and B-Production titles and finishing as high as third overall at both Daytona and Sebring. In the Late 70's and early 80's Corvettes went Trans-Am racing and though the competition was formidable, Corvettes continued to finish in front. In addition to racing in production classes as it had done for decades, a more exotic Corvette-based car took to the track in the late 80's. The incredible IMSA GTP Corvettes reached speeds well in excess of 200 mph by virtue of their 1200 horsepower, turbocharged Chevrolet engines and thrilled fans from coast to coast. In the early 90's Corvettes were again provided an opportunity to race against and defeat some of the world's most sophisticated and most expensive cars in the Bridgestone Potenza Super Car Series. Corvette once again set new marks for speed and durability. For 2001 Chevrolet introduced the new ZO6, a production vehicle with 385-hp and 385-ft.lbs. of torque that's ready for the racetrack. Based on the former hardtop model already the lightest, stiffest and quickest corvette- it is a car aimed directly at the diehard performance enthusiasts at the upper end of the high-performance market. Courage Competition Cars - Courage C 52 Web Site - http://www.sportscarchampionship.com/cgi-bin entrantsdetails.cgi?category=teams&ID Courage+Competition Between 1982 et 2001, Courage has left his mark on the history of the Le Mans 24 Hours, with notably : - The record number of entries by a French car maker (47) - Two winner stands: 3rd in 1987, 2nd in 1995. His cars have crossed the finish line twenty-two times, thirteen times ranked in the top ten. An overview of the team's racing highlights: 1982 The first Courage-Ford Cosworth entered in Le Mans. 1985 First year with a Porsche engine. 1987 First winner's stand in Le Mans (3rd place of C 20 Porsche). 1989 Le Mans : win in the C2 category, after 20 years of British supremacy. Entry in the Protoype Sport Championship 1990 Entry in the Protoype Sport Championship 1991 Entry in the Protoype Sport Championship 1992 Entry in the Daytona 24 Hours. Le Mans : 6th place. 1994 Le Mans : pole position and 7th place. 1995 Courage officially represents Porsche in Le Mans, and registers his best result to date : 2nd (1er in prototype). 1996 Entry in the Daytona 24 Hours. Le Mans : 7th Start of customer program. 1997 Entry in the ISRS championship. 2 pole positions and 1 win.Le Mans : 4th (2nd prototype). 1998 Nissan partnership (engines) 1999 Le Mans : 3 Courage chassis on the starting line and 3 at the finish : 6th 8th (only Nissan mechanics to finish), and 9th . 2000 Le Mans : 4th place of a Courage Peugeot (Pescarolo Sport) 2001 3 Courage chassis entered in Le Mans (2 Pescarolo Sport, 1 SMG). Pescarolo-Sport wins at Estoril and Magny-Cours, 2nd place in Nürburgring ( FIA championship). 2002 FIA Sportscar Championship and Le Mans 24 Hours. Freisinger Motorsport Cars - Porsche 911 GT2 Web Site - http://www.superracingweekends.com/ fiagtmg2002/Teams/FreisingerMotorsport.htm 1993 2nd in the Nürburgring 24 Hours 1994 BPR GT Series; 2nd at Paul Ricard 1995 Le Mans with Porsche 993 biturbo, 19th 1996 BPR GT Series 1997 FIA GT Championship 1998 GTR series, 2 wins. GT2 class winner at Petit Le Mans. 1999 2nd at 12 Hours of Sebring; winner of the Suzuka 1000km; 3rd and 1st Porsche in FIA GT Championships, including 3rd at Monza 2000 4th in FIA GT Championship Teams Classification: winner at the Lausitzring, 2nd at Monza. 2nd in ELMS at Silverstone and 1000km Suzuka 2001 3rd overall at Rolex 24 Daytona. 2nd, 24 Hours of Le Mans, LM GT; 3rd, FIA GT Championship, N-GT Classification - second at Spa, Austria, Nürburgring and Zolder GTC Competition Cars - LMGTP Web Site - http://www.gtc-mirage.com/NewFiles/intro.html Upon the request of the Ferrari Factory, Grand Touring Cars, Inc. (GTC, Inc.) was first incorporated in Chicago, Illinois in 1972, by Harley E. Cluxton III, who became the youngest exclusive Authorized Ferrari Dealer in the United States. It relocated to Phoenix, Arizona in 1973, and the dealership has been in Scottsdale, Arizona ever since. GTC, Inc. was awarded the Lamborghini importership for the Western United States from 1973 through 1977. In late 1975 John Wyer, the guru of LeMans (with World Championships for Aston Martin, Porsche, Ford, and Mirage) approached Mr. Cluxton as to whether he would be interested in purchasing his Mirage Team from the Gulf Oil Corporation in Pittsburgh. Mr. Cluxton had competed against John while he was racing for Ferrari and had struck up a close friendship with both John and his drivers. Mr. Cluxton purchased the Mirage Team from Gulf in early 1976. By June of 1976, he had become a team owner, hired John as a consultant, retired from driving, hired drivers, found the sponsorship and achieved team finishes of 2nd and 5th behind the factory 936 Porsche! Mr. Cluxton directed the extremely successful GTC-Mirage two-car team from 1976-1982 in the F.I.A. World Sportscar Championship. In 1982, Mario and Michael Andretti, sixth on the grid out of 58 cars, the only American owned, American manufactured and American driven Group C car was excluded 20 minutes before the start of the race for a 2 centimeter infraction. The Mirage team has not been back to Le Mans since. But that is not to say GTC has been dormant in the world racing arena. Quite the opposite. GTC developed and manufactured 2.65 c.i. turbo charged Indy motors for Renault. We continue to represent, unabated from 1978, Formula 1 drivers, CART drivers and selected Sportscar drivers in sponsorship, legal and management matters. We have and continue to provide these services to major Formula 1 teams, CART teams, manufactures and Fortune 500 corporations. Jaguar Cars - Jaguar XJR9 LM Web Site - http://www.jaguar-racing.com/ Jaguar Racing extends a long and distinguished motorsport tradition with its entry into the 2002 Formula One World Championship. The company has been involved in motorsport since it was founded in 1922. Seven times it has won the world's toughest endurance race at Le Mans, been World Sports Car Champions three times and in 1956 won both Le Mans and the Monte Carlo Rally in the same year. The roll call of drivers who have raced Jaguars during the past 50 years reads like a Who's Who of motorsport. In the Fifties, Mike Hawthorn, Paul Frere, Duncan Hamilton and Stirling Moss were regulars with the Jaguar team. Jackie Stewart (and brother Jimmy), Sir Jack Brabham, Briggs Cuningham and Graham Hill all drove Jaguars during successful racing careers. In more recent times, Martin Brundle, Tom Walkinshaw, Derek Warwick, Patrick Tambay, John Watson, Eddie Cheever and Jan Lammers all drove for Jaguar. The lessons learned on the race tracks will benefit the Company's customers around the world as Jaguar prepares to expand its model range. This will extend the appeal of the marque to new sectors of the premium car market. JMB Competition Cars - LMP Web Site - http://www.superracingweekends.com/ FIAGTmg/Teams/JMBCompetition.htm 1997 FIAGT Championship and 24 Hours of Le Mans with a Porsche 911 GT1 1998 winner of the Sports Racing World Cup with Emmanuel Collard and Vincenzo Sospiri, in a Ferrari 333 SP, and the 24 Hours of Le Mans 1999 winner of the Sports Racing World Cup with Emmanuel Collard and Vincenzo Sospiri, in a Ferrari 333 SP, and the 24 Hours of Le Mans 2000 Winner of the Sports Racing World Cup with David Terrien and Christian Pescatori, in a Ferrari 333 SP; selected rounds of the FIA GT Championship with two Ferrari Modena 360s; 2nd in the N-GT category of the 6 Hours of Vallelunga with a Ferrari Modena 360 2001 FIA N-GT Champions, 5 wins; Champion of the FFSA category in the FFSA French GT Championship; winner of the N-GT category of the Vallelunga 6 Hours with a Ferrari Modena 360 Joest Racing Cars - LMP Web Site - http://www.joest-racing.de/ Reinhold Joest's eyes are gleaming when he reports from the 24 hours of Le Mans. "For me, Le Mans is the biggest challenge existing in motorsports." He knows what he is talking about: Scarcely anybody knows the perfidies of the French classic long-distance race as well as him. Joest has experienced the race as driver and as a team owner. The numerous victories are the results of meticulous preparations. "Everyone asks for the mystery of Joest Racing", says Reinhold Joest. "But there is no mystery. Everything that counts are perfect preparations, ideal manpower planning and the right strategy. The basic requirement is a steady car. The team has to work perfectly, the drivers must not make mistakes." In the years 1996 and 1997 everything worked right in the Joest Racing team: With an open Porsche sports car prototype, the Joest team managed to take the checkered flag twice in a row. Thus being the second 1-2 victory after the years 1984 and 1985 - at this time with the Porsche 956. The team's strength is based on a long-lasting experience. The bulk of the crew, which attended the group C-Porsche cars in the 80ies, is still on board. "The core crew is the same", proudly says Reinhold Joest, who is looking back on over 20 years as a race driver. "For this reason the important know-how and many rules of thumb get stuck in the team. Johansson Matthews Racing Cars - Reynard 2KQ-Judd Web Site - Unable to find information online Konrad Motorsport Cars - GT2 Lola B2K10-Ford Porsche 911 GT2 Web Site - http://www.konradmotorsport.com/ Konrad Motorsport was founded by Franz Konrad in 1976 and is now based in Verl, Germany, where Konrad and his engineers, mechanics, and administrative staffs oversee the production of high-class racecars, including Porsche, Lamborghini, Lola, and Saleen which are prepared for numerous racing series. Kremer Racing Cars - LMP Web Site - http://www.kremer-racing.net/ 2000 - Participant at the European Le Mans Series and the Sportsracing Worldcup with the Lola B98/K2000 , Winner of the last World-Cup-Race in Kyalami with Gary Formato and Ralf Kelleners 1999 - Participant at the International Sports Racing Series (ISRS), 30 years Le Mans with the Lola B98/10 with Roush-Ford-Power 1998 - 2nd Sportsprototype in Le Mans (12.th overall) Participant at the ISRS with the K8 Sypder 1997 - Overall-Winner of the 1000km Monza with the Kremer Spyder K8. Participant at the FIA-GT-Championship with Porsche GT1 and GT2 1996 - Participant at the 24h Le Mans & the BPR-Series, Winner of the 4h of Le Mans, international GT-Race of Shah Alam & the Oldtimer Grand Prix at the Nürburgring 1995 - Winner of the 24h of Daytona with the Kreme Porsche Spyder K8 (Jürgen Lässig, Christophe Bouchut, Giovanni Lavaggi & Marco Werner), Porsche- Works supported participation at the 24h Le Mans (K8) : 6th overall. Participant at the BPR Championship with Porsche 911 GT2 1994 - Kremer Racing is Honda-Worksteam, Vice-Champion in the ADAC-GT-Cup, 25 years of Kremer Racing in Le Mans: 3 Honda NSX GT in the team & at the finish line! Additional 6.th overall with Kremer Porsche Spyder K8 1993 - Interserie-Champion with Giovanni Lavaggi, Interserie Vice Champion with Thomas Saldana, both on Kremer Porsche K7 1992 - Interserie-Champion with Manuel Reuter on Kremer Porsche Spider K7, Vice-Champion in the Porsche Cup 1991 - Best Porsche-team in the Group C Sportscar Championship 1990 - Winner of Porsche-Cup & Interserie Champion with Bernd Schneider, 6.th in the Group C Championship\ 1989 - 2.nd in Porsche-Cup and in Interserie, 3.rd in Japanese Endurance-championship, 8.th in the Group C Championship 1988 - 3.rd in Porsche-Cup and Interserie, 3.rd in Japanese Endurance-championship, 8.th in the Group C Championship, Mario and Michael Andretti are Kremer-Racing Team-pilots 1987 - Winner of Porsche Cup with Volker Weidler, 6.th in the Group C Championship, 5th. in Super-Cup, 4.th in Interserie, 7th in All Japan Sportscar Championship 1986 - Participation at the Group C Sportscar World Championship, Supercup & Interserie 1985 - Winner of 1000km in Monza (Group C) and 200 Meiles of Norisring 1984 - Winner of the 200 Meiles of Norisring with Manfred Winkelhock 1983 - With Alan Jones, Mario Andretti and Keke Rosberg 3 former F1-Champions as Kremer-Team-drivers. Mario and Mike Andretti, & Phillipe Alliot gain a 3rd overall at Le Mans 1982 - Vice-Champion in the german Racecar-Championship 1981 - Winner of Porsche-Cup with Bob Wollek, Vice Champion and best Porsche in the german Racecar Championship 1980 - A customer- Kremer Porsche 935 K3 winns IMSA championship and Porsche Cup 1979 - Overall-Winner of the 24 hours of Le Mans with Kremer Porsche K3 and Klaus Ludwig, Bill & Don Whittington, Winner of the german Racecar Championship and Porsche-Cup with Klaus Ludwig 1978 - Winner of Porsche-Cup with Bob Wollek, Krremer helps Porsche to win World Championship for makes, Group 5 -class winner in Le Mans with Porsche 935 and the drivers Jim Busby, Rick Knoop and Chris Cord. 1977 - Winner of Porsche-Cups with Bob Wollek, Vice Champion of german Racesportchampionship, Group 4 class-win in Le Mans with Porsche 934 and Bob Wollek, Phillipe Gurdjian and "Steve" 1976 - Winner of Porsche Cup with Bob Wollek, best Porsche-team of german Racesportchampionship 1975 - Best Porsche-team of german Racesportchampionship 1974 - Winner of Porsche-Cup and GT-Europe-championship with John Fitzpatrick 1973 - Winner of Porsche-Cup and GT-Europe-championship with Clemens Schickendanz 1972 - Winner of Porsche-Cup and GT-Europe-championship with John Fitzpatrick 1971 - Winner of Porsche-Cup with Erwin Kremer, winner in 5. International 1000km-Races 1970 - GT-Winner in the 3000ccm-class with Erwin Kremer and Nicolas Koob on Porsche 911S at the 24h of Le Mans 1969 - Helped to win the GT-Worldcup for Porsche 1968 - Winner of Europe-Touringcar-championship with Erwin Kremer on Porsche La Filiere ELF Cars - Courage C 36 Web Site - Unable to find information online Lancia Car: Lancia LC2 Web Site - http://www.lancia.com/ History section not currently online Larbre Competition Cars - GT2 Web Site - http://www.larbre-competition.com/ Founded in 1998 by Jack Leconte, Leconte was able to create and develop the Larbre Competition team even while overseeing his own transport and logistic company. In 2000, Leconte decided to devote himself full-time to auto racing to secure the position of the team as a major player in motorsport. Mopar Team Oreca Cars - Reynard 2KQ-Mopar Web Site - http://www.orecaracing.com/ No history available on this French-language site Multimatic Motorsports Cars - Lola B2K40-Nissan Web Site - http://www.multimatic.com/ Multimatic Motorsports has enjoyed significant success since its inception in 1992. Two Canadian national championships, strong debuts in all new endeavours and a continuous string of podium finishes has established Multimatic Motorsports as a leading North American racing organization. Scott Maxwell is the team's lead driver and brings a wealth of motor racing experience, in a wide range of classes and formulae, to the organization. Scott was part of the group that conceived Multimatic Motorsports and he continues to play a prominent role in the planning and organization of the team. He is also a key member of Multimatic's ride and handling development organization that offers services to the global automotive industry. Newcastle Lister Storm Cars - Lister Storm GTL Web Site - http://www.listerstorm.com/ The first Lister sports racer was designed in 1954 by Brian Lister,and the cars competed against Jaguar D-types and Aston Martins throughout the 1950's. The '54 season initially featured a Lister MG, which scored five wins and eight second places in the hands of Archie Scott-Brown. This was followed in June of that year by the Lister Bristol, which won its class in the supporting race to the British Grand Prix ahead of the works Jaguars and Aston Martins. A further 13 victories were recorded that year. Scott-Brown went on to dominate the British sports-racing car season in 1957, winning 11 out of 14 races in total and the prestigious British Empire Trophy Race, aboard a Lister Jaguar. Just to underline its place in the history books, Archie's Lister Jaguar also notched up many lap records on his successful rampage. As a result of this success Brian Lister attracted customer orders for an improved 1958 version of the car, which conformed to international regulations; this car was to be known as the 'Knobbly' Lister-Jaguar (a Centenary Edition of this car was built to celebrate 100 years of the Lister company in a joint venture between Brian and current Lister helmsman, Laurence Pearce, in 1990).More success followed with Stirling Moss winning the support race for the British Grand Prix and Lister Chevrolets dominating the American sportscar scene. This year also marked the debut of Lister Jaguar at Le Mans, where two cars competed in the French classic and one placed 15th. Lister Jaguar returned to Le Mans a year later, again with a two car squad. Glory was not to come their way, however, as both cars retired with engine problems. The lead car showed that the British racing combination had unfinished business at Le Mans, however, as it was running in fourth place at the time of its retirement. From 1959 until the early 1980's, Lister Cars retired from competitive racing. However, the name was revived following the involvement of engineer Laurence Pearce and a new car was designed to take part in a series of races for Jaguar sports cars known as the Lister Challenge. During this decade Laurence, in association with Brian Lister, was responsible for the rebirth of the company as a producer of performance road cars. This then led to the design in 1991 of an all-new supercar, as opposed to the Jaguar conversions that had previously been produced under the Lister name; the Storm. With the Storm road car being launched in 1993, Laurence and Lister then had the perfect machine to rekindle the works Lister Cars racing team of the 1950's. The emergence of GT racing as the world's top sportscar arena over the past few years had provided ideal timing for a Lister Storm GT1 contender to return to the international competition stage. Now Lister has the experience of three Le Mans 24 Hours, three Daytona 24 Hours, selected races in the 1996 BPR International GT Series where the car always ran in a podium position, the 1997 and 1998 BRDC Privilege Insurance GT Championships (finishing second in the GT1 Championship in 1998), the American SportsCar racing series and the FIA Global GT Championship. In 1999 the Storm won both classes of the Privilege Insurance GT Championships with Julian Bailey and Jamie Campbell-Walter in the GT1 car and David Warnock in the GT2 car. Julian Bailey and Jamie Campbell-Walter also won the Royal Automobile Club Tourist Trophy and the Oulton Park Gold Cup. Julian and Jamie won seven out of the eleven British rounds, David Warnock won all six races entered in the Lister Storm GT2. The Storm GT2 also competed in four rounds of the FIA Championship achieving 2 pole positions and one 2nd position on the grid, finishing 2nd at Donington, 3rd at Zolder and 4th at Hockenheim. Thorkilld Thyrring won the Danish Grand Prix in a Lister Storm and Peter Hardman and Nicolaus Springer came 2nd in the final two races of the Spanish GT Championship. Nissan Motorsports Cars - Nissan R390, Nissan R391 Web Site - http://www.nismo.co.jp/ Unfortunately, this site is entirely in Japanese... a language I cannot read :-( Panoz Motorsports Cars - Panoz Esperante GTR Panoz LMP Spyder Panoz LMP-1 Panoz LMP07 Web Site - http://www.panozmotorsports.com/ 1997 Formed by entrepreneurial businessman, Donald E Panoz, and based in Braselton, Georgia alongside the Road Atlanta track. Four Panoz GTR-1 cars were designed and developed for the company by Reynard Motorsport's special projects division, RSVP. One was run in the Professional Sports Car Series by Panoz, and three were represented in the FIA GT Championship by two teams - the French DAMS and British DPR teams. The front-engined cars with the rumbling 6.0 liter Ford V8 engines attracted a great deal of attention. Victory at Road Atlanta in the team's second ever race, 2nd place overall in the Manufacturers' points standings in the US PRSCC. First time at the Le Mans 24 Hour race - retired due to mechanical failure after 17 hours while running in the top ten. 1998 Two GTR-1s entered in the two leading US sports car series and one in the FIA GT Championship, run by DAMS. Multiple class victories and winners of the Team and Drivers Championship titles in the Professional Sports Car series. At the pre-qualifying sessions for the Le Mans 24 Hours, an electric-hybrid version of the GTR-1 - the Panoz Q9 - was entered. Unfortunately the car was not among those to line up on the grid for the race itself. First running of the 10-hour Petit Le Mans event at Road Atlanta. Q9 was entered with the two factory GTR 1s and finished 2nd in the GT1 class - the first electric hybrid vehicle to race in an international event. 1999 The Panoz LMP-1 Roadster S, new open-cockpit cars, run in the American Le Mans Series - a new racing series founded by Don Panoz using ACO (Le Mans) regulations. Victories at Mosport Park, Portland and the Petit Le Mans races. Winners of the Teams and Manufacturers' Championship titles, David Brabham and Eric Bernard 2nd in Drivers' points standings. 2000 Using an evolution version of the LMP-1 Roadster S, the team continue in the American Le Mans Series powered by Elan Power 6L8 engines, built and prepared by Panoz's own engine company, Elan Power Products. Panoz chassis have also been sold as customer cars for entry at the Le Mans 24 Hour race and the Sportsracing World Cup Series. Victory at the Nurburgring in Germany, 3rd place in the Teams and Manufacturers Championships. 2001 Introduction at the beginning of the year of the all new Panoz LMP 07 prototype powered by the Panoz V8 4 liter engine. After six months of technical troubles and unreliability, the decision was taken after the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June to re-introduce the 2000 LMP-1 Roadster. Since that time, the team took two victories, plus a 2nd and 3rd placing. Paul Belmondo Racing Cars - Chrysler Viper GTS-R Web Site - http://www.paul-belmondo-racing.com/ Web site currently under reconstruction Pescarolo Sport Cars - Courage C 52-Peugeot Web Site - http://www.pescarolo.com/ Web site does not contain historical information on the team Peugeot Talbot Sport Cars - Peugeot 905 Web Site - http://www.peugeot-avenue.com/ A generalist manufacturer, Peugeot has always been involved in motor racing and has for the last fifteen years or so demonstrated the importance of high level sport for its image. Crowned World Rally Champion twice, in 1985 and 1986, with the 205 Turbo 16, the Lion trademark dominated long distance rallying from 1987 to 1990. Turning to the motor racing circuits, Peugeot won the Le Mans 24 hours in 1992 and 1993, and was crowned World Champion in the 1992 Sports Car championships with the 905. Entering F1 in 1993 as an engine manufacturer, Peugeot partnered McLaren, Jordan then Prost Grand Prix. Supplying an engine considered to be one of the best in F1, Peugeot did not however obtain the results it had hoped for and withdrew from F1 in 2000, directing its efforts to running the totally new 206 WRC in the World Rally Championship, with which it scooped the dual crown of World Champion Constructor and Driver in 2000, its first full year of competition. Pilot Racing Cars - LMP Web Site - http://www.pilotrc.ee/ Unfortunately, this site is entirely in a Scandinavian language I cannot read :-( Riley & Scott Europe Cars - Riley & Scott MKIII S2 Web Site - http://www.rileyscott.com/ Riley & Scott was founded in May 1990 with a contract for a single Trans-Am chassis. Today, more than seventy-five complete racing cars have been delivered to loyal customers. It began with George Robinson, a Texas-based businessman/driver who bought the first Mk I Trans-am chassis, and also bought the first Hunter (the Mk II), and a Mk III and a Mk III C, to earn a place in the customer Hall of Fame. General Motors began its long involvement with R&S by purchasing Mk I chassis nos. 2, 3 and 5. In its first season, the Mk I began its domination with the first of three successive championships. Scott Sharp won in 1991 and 1993; Jack Baldwin won in 1992. Between 1991 and 1997, 40 of the Mk I chassis were built and sold, and the company was established as a brand in major professional road racing. R&S began racing as a company in 1996. Before that, the company supported its customers in Trans-Am and World Sports Car, but did not race its own products. That changed when GM tapped R&S to introduce its Aurora 4.0 L engine to World Sports Car competition. In 1995, the R&S MK III began a hugely successful run that continues today. The first customer was Dyson Racing, which used Ford power. In February 1996, R&S and Doyle Racing debuted for GM at the "Rolex 24 at Daytona" in spectacular fashion. Drivers Wayne Taylor, Jim Pace and Scott Sharp brought home Mk III chassis no. 004 first in the closest race ever at Daytona. After 24 hours, Wayne brought the car home less than one minute in front of a Ferrari 333 SP driven by Max Papis. At the 1996 Twelve Hours of Sebring a month later, the team steamrollered to its second straight endurance classic win. Wayne Taylor, Jim Pace, and endurance maestro Eric van de Poele combined for the win. Competing against the Ferraris and a number of customer Mk IIIs, the factory effort won again at Texas World Speedway on May 5th. After a third-place at Watkins Glen, the team flew to France for the 24 hours of Lemans with high hopes. These were brought to earth by a gearbox failure in the 14th hour. The team returned to the US and won again that year at Sears Point. Wayne Taylor finished 1996 as the IMSA World Champion sports car driver. Between the Dyson team and the factory effort, R&S Mk IIIs won 7 of the 10 races for the championship. In 1997, the factory effort returned as a two-car team. Peruvian ace Eduardo Dibos had purchased chassis no. 006, and R&S ran that car and the Doyle Racing entry. The season was a disappointment however, as the Aurora motors that had been so reliable the year before suddenly began to experience mechanical failures. At Daytona, the defending champion had a three-lap lead at 3 a.m. when the motor self destructed (the Dibos car finished third in the race, which was won by Dyson Racing's Mk III). In the eleven-round championship, the team's best finish was a second at Pikes Peak International Raceway in September. As the success of the Mk I attracted attention, other opportunities arose. Long-time sports car team owner Rob Dyson asked R&S to improve his Spice/Ferrari WSC car in 1994. The experience gave him the confidence to order two of the Mk III WSC prototypes Bob Riley was ready to design. Ready because WSC was the perfect opportunity for the company. Created as a reaction to the collapse of the IMSA GTP class when manufacturers (Nissan, Toyota, Jaguar) determined GTP no longer met their marketing goals, WSC was designed to make prototype sports car competition affordable for "privateer" entrants like Dyson Racing. The car debuted in the Rolex 24 at Daytona in February 1995. After DNFs at Daytona and Sebring, it began a string of successes against the Ferrari 333 SP and other rivals that continues even today. From round 3 of the IMSA championship at Road Atlanta to the season finale at New Orleans, a Dyson Mk III won 5 of the 8 races and finished on the podium in every race. Following the factory team's win at Daytona in 1996, the Dyson team won the race in 1997, and followed that with a second at Sebring. The Dyson team won four of the eight rounds of the IMSA series and the team and driver's championship (Butch Leitzinger) that year. In 1998, six Mk IIIs took the green at Daytona, but the Ferrari 333SP scored its first and only 24 hour win in that event. Jim Matthews, Intersport, Transatlantic Racing, Support Net Racing, and BMW Team Rafanelli all competed in various events in Mk IIIs that year. The BMW Team Rafanelli entry won its first event, at Laguna Seca in October. Despite the increased competition, the Dyson Team remained dominant, winning the Team and Driver's Championships (Butch Leitzinger, again) in the USRRC Can-Am series. A WSC series known as the ISRS (International Sports Racing Series) began in 1998, and grew into the FIA Sports Car Championship by 2001. Bill Riley had established Riley & Scott Europe in 1998 to service the growing number of customers in that series. As many as four R&S Mk IIIs started ISRS events that year, fielded by Solution F, Target 24, and BMW Team Rafanelli. After the Rafanelli car secured the Mk III's first European pole in the 5th of eight rounds, the Solution F car, piloted by Gary Formato and Jerome Pollicand, won the final race of the year at Kylami in South Africa. In August 1997, the company introduced its first IRL chassis, the Mk V. Two of the cars raced in the final IRL event of 1997 at Las Vegas, driven by owner/driver Stan Wattles and Mike Shank for Neinhouse Racing. The winner of that event was Eliseo Salazar, who even then was in negotiations with R&S to race the Mk V in a factory effort in 1998. That team was sponsored by Reebok. R&S brought the shoe giant to the IRL in the League's first non-automotive primary sponsorship. The season reached its zenith on the morning of Pole Day, May 15, 1998. After a promising week of practice for the Memorial Day classic, Salazar was 5th quickest in the morning warm-up, with a realistic chance for the pole later that day. The afternoon brought disaster. Eliseo crashed hard in turn one on the first lap of what should have been a four lap qualifying run. Not seriously injured, Salazar returned to the track for practice in the backup car just hours later. But the damage was done, and the team's backup qualified weakly on Bump Day. At 5:43 PM that day, Billy Roe bumped Salazar from the field and the season was effectively over. At Dover in July, Salazar was severely injured in a practice crash. He recovered well and is still a force in the IRL today. After Reebok, the team found support from Brant Motorsports. The Brants were West Virginia-based aviation and real estate entrepreneurs with a background as NASCAR sponsors. They bought the team cars and motors after the 1998 season in preparation for the 1999 campaign. 1999 was more successful, in that driver Raul Boesel qualified for and finished 12th in the Indy 500 that year. When GM ended the Aurora program in 1997, two others were in the works. The Corvette C-5R began testing in 1998 and first raced at Daytona in 1999. Those cars were built by and have been raced very successfully by Pratt & Miller Engineering. However, R&S played a role in the development of the car and throughout its first season on the track. Bill Riley managed a hand-picked crew from R&S to race one of the two cars at Daytona, Sebring, and Petit Lemans that year. R&S was already building the first Cadillac Northstar LMP prototype in 1999. That car first tested in September 1999 and debuted at Daytona in February of 2000. After exhibiting typical teething issues at Daytona, the cars struggled for results against the dominant Audis at Sebring and Lemans. In its fifth appearance in the Rolex 24 at Daytona, the Mk III reached a high water mark. Eight cars, with a total of thirty drivers, took the green. Two new teams, TRV Motorsport and Hybrid R&D, entered the race. At the checker, Dyson Racing's chassis 002 took the win, driven by Andy Wallace, Elliot Forbes-Robinson, and team owner Rob Dyson. American sports car racing remained splintered that year. The American Lemans Series and the USRRC both staged championships again. For the first and only time, one driver, Dyson's Elliot Forbes-Robinson, won both. The Dyson team also won the USRRC championship. Sebring in 1999 also set a record for Mk III participation. Eleven chassis started the race, which marked the debut of Robinson Racing as well as new entries from Nygmatech, Autoexe, and the Whittington Brothers. After 12 hours, Dyson's chassis 002 was second to the winning BMW by the closest margin in the long history of that race. Team Rafanelli also won that year, at Road Atlanta with drivers Eric van de Poele and Mimo Schiattarella. This time, the car was powered by a Judd engine. In Europe, four chassis competed regularly in the ISRS. Nicola Larini in the Target 24 Judd-powered posted the best finish, a second, after winning the pole at Pergusa. Three R&S also started at Lemans that year, but all retired early with motor problems. When GM ended the Aurora program in 1997, two others were in the works. The Corvette C-5R began testing in 1998 and first raced at Daytona in 1999. Those cars were built by and have been raced very successfully by Pratt & Miller Engineering. However, R&S played a role in the development of the car and throughout its first season on the track. Bill Riley managed a hand-picked crew from R&S to race one of the two cars at Daytona, Sebring, and Petit Lemans that year. R&S was already building the first Cadillac Northstar LMP prototype in 1999. That car first tested in September 1999 and debuted at Daytona in February of 2000. After exhibiting typical teething issues at Daytona, the cars struggled for results against the dominant Audis at Sebring and Lemans. R&S and GM parted ways at the end of the year. Riley & Scott produced the Mk VIII IRL racing car in 1999 and 2000. The first customer, Hemelgarn Racing, had finished 3d in the IRL championship in 1999 (the team, with driver Buddy Lazier, won the Indianapolis 500 in 1996). Other Mk VII customers included Walker Racing (for driver Sarah Fisher) and Team Cheever (1998 Indy 500 winner Eddie Cheever). At the opening race of the 2000 championship at Orlando, Buddy and Eddie were running 1-2 with 5 laps remaining. An historic debut was spoiled by backmarkers, as Robby Buhl expertly used traffic to pass both R&S cars. That misfortune was righted at the next race in Phoenix. After an unsatisfying qualifying effort, Hemelgarn elected to withdraw its primary car and start Buddy in the backup R&S from the very back of the grid. Buddy carved his way through the field to win the race, the first and only time an IRL driver has gone "worst to first". Although Buddy went on to win the championship, the R&S proved insufficiently developed for the Speedway. The teams shelved their R&S chassis, qualified for the 500 in other cars, and R&S was once more out of the IRL. The story of sports car racing in the last two years is simple - Audi. Audi's commitment, F1-level budgets, and the results that they have achieved have all been chronicled elsewhere. Among privateers, however, the Mk III has persisted and continued to win. 2000 brought the inaugural season of the Grand American Road Racing Association, founded on principles of lower-cost, more-equal competition. Dyson Racing (6) and Robinson Racing (1) each won Grand Am races in 2000. Dyson was team champion, and James Weaver was driver champion. Grand Am also established a manufacturer's championship, which was won by Riley & Scott. In 2001, the Mk III remained a vital part of the Grand Am series. Seven of the chassis were on the grid at Daytona, including chassis 001, an amazing six years after it first competed in that event. Although motor woes again dropped the cars from the overall podium at Daytona, they continued to dominate in the series. Dyson Racing won the team championship, and James Weaver and Butch Leitzinger won five races and finished first and second in the driver's championship. Riley & Scott won the manufacturer's championship over Lola and Ferrari. Heading into 2002, there is no doubt that Grand Am races will once again feature Riley & Scott Mk IIIs at the front of the grid and on the podium - joined this time by younger siblings. In both Grand Am and ALMS, the new Mk IIIC, which Dyson debuted at Sebring in 2001, will compete for race wins and championships. This site will chronicle the story of the Jim Matthews Racing/ Riley & Scott partnership as the factory returns to prototype racing in 2002. After the completion of our work with GM, longtime customers saw an opportunity to engage R&S in new projects. A new Mk III, the Series C, was designed and production began on cars for Dyson Racing and Robinson Racing. Tom Gloy, who had purchased one of the first R&S Mk I chassis, asked the company to design and build a new car for that series. The car was ready in July and competed in the last three rounds of the championship, beginning at Mid-Ohio in August. Bill Riley accompanied the Tom Gloy Racing team to each event. At Mid-Ohio, Tony Ave drove the new car as an "extra" TGR entry. Tony qualified third and was running top five when the gearbox broke. Defending Series champion Brian Simo drove the car for the first time in the next race at Laguna Seca. Brian's qualifying time was disallowed on a technicality, and he was forced to start in the rear of the grid. Brian cut through the field of 24 cars to finish second to Justin Bell. The car had proven its superiority. At the season closer in the streets of Houston, Brian again finished second to Justin Bell. ROC Cars - Reynard 2KQ-Volkswagen Web Site - Unable to find information online Roock Racing Cars - GT2 Web Site - http://www.roockusa.com/ Founded in 1984, the ROOCK Sportsystem family business focuses entirely on Porsche. The Leverkusen, Germany (just outside of Cologne) based company specializes in racing, developing unique high quality products and performance tuning programs for several Porsche models. In 1999, ROOCK Sportsystem moved its operations to Braselton, Georgia (just outside of Atlanta) to form ROOCK North America, LLC. ROOCK Motorsport is Europe's most successful Porsche customer racing team, with five Championship titles in less than seven years and victories at 24 Hours of Le Mans and the Daytona 24 Hours. Our passion for racing is the main reason the company is conveniently located at the Road Atlanta race course. ROOCK has worldwide sales and distribution facilities in North America, Europe and Japan. It all began in 1990 when ROOCK Racing was approached by a customer to maintain his club racing Porsche. At the end of the season, the customer's car finished fifth in the championship and Michael and Fabian were hooked on racing. Not only were they passionate about the competitiveness, but they also has a vision for a future business opportunity. Fabian ROOCK intensified his links to motor racing. After each step on the ladder of success and victory, ROOCK Racing set out for new challenges and made it clear that ROOCK was a hungry new team with a great racing future ahead with victories at Le Mans 24 Hours, Daytona 24 Hours, and FIA GT World Championships. In mid-1999, ROOCK ventured to step over to the United States to campaign in the Le Mans Series. Sauber Cars - Sauber C9 Web Site - http://www.sauber.ch/ At first sight, the small town of Hinwil in the Zurich Highlands is probably not the place you would expect to find a highly developed Formula One centre, equipped to the finest technical detail. But appearances are deceptive: It is only a few steps from the workshop, in which the now 58-year-old Peter Sauber started his company in 1970, that the high-tech cars, which have been competing in the Formula One World Championship since 1993, are built. The development of high technologies and their function under race pressure within the field of motor racing has always fascinated Peter Sauber. While back then three of his current competitors were already active in Formula One, Peter Sauber started off quite modestly by comparison with the sporting variation of the legendary Volkswagen Beetle. SMG Cars - Courage C 60-Judd Web Site - Unable to find information online Team Augusta Racing Cars - GT2 Web Site - Unable to find information online Team Cadillac Cars - Cadillac N LMP Web Site - http://www.cadillaceurope.com/ The new racing season is here and the Cadillac Team is excellently prepared for toughest competition in the ALMS on the race tracks of America and of course, Le Mans. Since the end of last season the team worked hard on the second generation Cadillac LMP 02. It was designed under the direction of GM Racing engineers by Nigel Stroud. Herb Fishel, executive director of GM racing comments: "Very seldom in racing can you talk about a program in its third year and say that you have an all-new race car, but that is exactly the case with the Cadillac LMP 02. The Cadillac LMP 02 marks a new beginning for Team Cadillac with a state-of-the-art race car." Two teams of three international endurance racing stars, each with Le Mans experience, have been named to drive the brand-new Cadillac Northstar LMPs in 2002. Team Cadillac is backed for the third straight year by a distinguished list of supporters, including: ACDelco, Bose HiFi systems, Compuware, GMAC Financial Services, Michelin, Mobil 1, Northstar System, Tehama and On Star. American Wayne Taylor, Italian Max Angelelli and Frenchman Christophe Tinseau will drive Cadillac Northstar LMP No. 5. Finnish JJ Lehto will join Frenchmen Eric Bernard and Emmanuel Collard in the No. 6 Cadillac Northstar LMP. As final preparation for the start of the season the team will run a 26-day test schedule which includes several 24 hour endurance tests. And on March 16th, the team and all six drivers will give the Cadillac Northstar LMP 02 its race debut. Team Dams Cars - Cadillac N LMP Web Site - http://www.dams.fr/ The DAMS Formula 3000 and GT motor racing Team was the creation of Jean-Paul Driot, in 1998. Prior to this Jean Paul was a business partner with formula one driver Rene Amoux. At the start of the team very first season DAMS established that they were a top team with Eric Comas driving the DAMS Lola, equalling the points with Jean Alesi. With Comas and Alesi on equal points the Championship went to Jean Alesi because he had more wins. The next year the DAMS Team went on to become International Formula 3000 Champions with Eric Comas in only the teams third year. Today in 1998, DAMS obtained 3 World Championship Crowns in Formula 3000 with Comas, Olivier Panis, and Bouillon, and has a total of 20 wins. Also 8 of DAMS drivers have made the very difficult step up to the Formula One Championship. After the success of the Formula 3000 Racing Team DAMS commenced on a design and feasibility study to enter Formula One Grand Prix Racing. This project was the first engineering partnership between DAMS and Reynard Racing Cars. Unfortunately the project was stopped after two years because of lack of sponsorship in France. The next large step in the creation of DAMS was at the end of 1996 when Jean-Paul DRIOT signed a contract with Don PANOZ to run his Panoz GTI car for the next two years in the 171A World GTI Championship, and Le Mans. This is also a joint project with Reynard Racing Cars. After having made the big manufacturers tremble with the impressionable Panoz in the FIA-GT World Championships, DAMS Team took on a new challenge in 1999 with an open prototype. Having never worked on this particular kind of car, the technical team drew on its GT experience to give their drivers a very competitive LOLA T98/10 complete with JUDD motor. In his first run at the Monza Sport Prototype World Cup race, Eric BERNARD took the pole position and was quickly imitated by fellow team-mate, Jean-Marc GOUNON, one month later at Spa. The unreliability of this very young car eventually deprived DAMS of 2 assured victories at the end of races which were dominated mostly by DAMS. Race after race innovations and continuous development strengthened the reliability of the car and in the second half of the season DAMS took 4 victories, which did not go unnoticed by the world's first automobile constructor, General Motors, at the dawn of the 2000 season.... For 2 years, DAMS has joined General Motors Le Mans Sports Car program and runs the Cadillac LMP at Le Mans, FIA World Cup and American Le Mans Series. In 2000 the 2 Cadillac - DAMS Northstar LMP ran in 10 races including the 24 Hours of Le Mans where the car of BERNARD/COLLARD/MONTAGNY held the 4th place until 3 hours before race finish when suspension broke. The Executive Management of General Motors who was impressed by the performances and the professionalism of the Team designated DAMS as the Cadillac Factory Team for Le Mans 2001. After making a great improvement of 5 seconds in qualifying (compared to 2000 qualifying time), DAMS kept GM aim of being in the fastest Teams, inside of the top 5, until the last hour of the race when the clutch broke. Team Den Bla Cars - Panoz LMP-1 Web Site - http://www.team.den-blaa-avis.dk/ Team Den Blaa Avis Ltd. was established before the 1997 season with the aim of placing Denmark on the map in the world of motorsports. It is Denmarks first truly professional racing team, and has managed to establish itself at the top of European motor racing in only four years. Together with Danish driver Jason Watt, the team succeded in winning two prestigius Formula 3000 races; Spa in 1997 and Imola in 1998, and in 1999, the team, now in the colours of partner Petrobras, took a fantastic 1-2 win at Hockenheim and finished third in the Teams Competition. This association continued in 2000 with even greater succes, as Brazilian Bruno Junqueira won the Championship in convincing style. In the year 2000 Team Den Blaa Avis also entered sportscar racing with two Panoz Roadsters in the classic Le Mans event. It was another highpoint for Team Den Blaa Avis Ltd., and is seen as a step in the teams efforts to consolidate itself in the highly-charged world of international motor racing The team has already proved that it posses the nessecery people, financial and techical means to succeed. Team Goh Cars - Chrysler Viper GTS-R Web Site - http://www.teamgoh.com/ Unfortunately, this site is entirely in Japanese... a language I cannot read :-( Team Marcos Cars - Marcos Mantara LM600 Web Site - http://www.marcosracingusa.com/ Marcos Racing International brings style, speed and success to any racetrack. The stylish Marcos Mantis Plus draws a crowd in every paddock with its sleek, daring design. The 400 horsepower car is powered by a Ford 4.6 litre V8 engine, making the Mantis Plus a fierce competitor on the track. The Marcos Mantis Plus is based on Marcos Cars' Mantis road car. With over 40 years of sports car development and production to support them, Marcos Racing has what it takes to build a successful racecar. The Mantis Plus is a more competitive model of the car that raced in Europe's Mantis Challenge. Marcos Racing has more than proven itself both in Europe and the United States, winning numerous championships and proving that Marcos can pose a formidable challenge to other popular manufacturers, including Porsche, BMW and Ferrari. In 2000, Marcos Racing won the British GT, Spanish GT championships and the Suzuka 1000K race in Japan. They continued their success the following season, beginning with a trip over to the United States to compete in one of the world's most famous endurance race the ROLEX 24 at Daytona. At the 2001 Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona, the two-car team of Marcos Racing finished fourth and fifth in the competitive GTS class. For the first several hours of the race, the team even challenged the overall race-winning Corvette team. The 2001 season was also a development year for Marcos Racing. A new version of the Marcos Mantara LM600 EVO was developed with the Marcos Mantis Plus GT in hopes of dominating both production classes in 2002. The Marcos Mantis Plus will find a new home with the Grand-American Road Racing Series in 2002. The car will compete in the challenging GT class. With such a successful history of racing, the Marcos Mantis Plus is sure to be a popular car with fans and racers alike in 2002. Fans in the United States will be delighted to see a car as exotic as the Mantis Plus at road courses that are famous for attracting the best sports cars in the world. Team Oreca Cars - Chrysler Viper GTS-R Chrysler Viper GTS-RT Web Site - http://www.orecaracing.com/ No history available on this French-language site Team Rafanelli Cars - Lola B2K10-Judd Web Site - http://www.teamrafanelli.com/ The team was created in 1987 as Team Bigazzi; its name was changed in 1998. Major events: - 1992: Won 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps - 1994: Won 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps - 1995: Won 24 Hours of Nurburgring - 1996: Won 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps Won BPR GT Series - 1997: Won Brasilia 1000 Miles Race Won MACAU Guja Grand Prix - 2000: Started on Pole Position at 24 Hours of Spa- Francorchamps Thomas Bscher Promotion Cars - BMW V12 LM Web Site - Unable to find information online TV Asahi Team Dragon Cars - Panoz LMP-1 Web Site - Unable to find information online Welter Gerard Cars - WR LMP-Peugeot Web Site - Unable to find information online ==================================== ==================================== ==================================== DETAILS: LE MANS This is the longest circuit of the gameS and quite likely the reason players buy or rent this game!!! It is IMPERATIVE to learn this circuit flawlessly during daylight conditions, as visibility is unbelievably poor at night and in wet-weather conditions (although better than in the old Test Drive: Le Mans). The trick to successfully completing Time Trial here (and thus unlocking a car) is to find the best possible combination of small car size with strong acceleration and high top-end speed; however, you must begin Time Trial with at least 40% fuel, so you will certainly need to make a number of laps to reduce your fuel load - along with absolutely BETTER-THAN-FLAWLESS DRIVING - to even have a HOPE of besting the Goal Time of 3:34.000. SPECIAL NOTE 1: After driving all night long (especially in the full 24-hour race), the transition to daylight driving (especially under clear skies) can result in poor visibility of cars far ahead of you until your eyes adjust. Be wary of your closing rate on slower, 'unseen' cars far ahead, as you can suddenly find your front bumper banging the rear end of another vehicle. SPECIAL NOTE 2: Lights are used for nighttime driving and other poor visibility conditions (primarily constant rain). While the lights are great in poor visibility conditions, do not allow yourself to become too reliant upon them. Once clear visibility returns, the lights are turned off (approximately 6:30AM in the full 24-hour race). Turn 1 (Dunlop Curve): This is a rather nice right-hand fade which can be taken flat-out. However, it may be a good idea to begin braking for Dunlop Chicane when exiting Dunlop Curve. An elevation change begins here. Turns 2-4 (Dunlop Chicane): Given the continual upward slope through Dunlop Chicane, it is extremely easy to slip off the pavement on either side of the circuitS and both sides are filled with plenty of kitty litter. Braking well before entering the Dunlop Chicane is of UTMOST importance as the corners of the chicane are rather tight. At the beginning of a race, all the traffic can make this segment even more treacherous than it would be normally. Straightaway: The significant hill crests as you pass underneath the big Dunlop tire. Turns 5-6 (Red Mound S): This left-right chicane begins just after passing the Ferris Wheel on the left side of the course, and is a good reference point to use in picking your braking zone; note that the Bugatti circuit turns to the right here. The barriers are rather close to the pavement on both sides through the chicane, so any off-pavement excursions will result in sliding along the rails; this is especially important in case you carry too much speed through this chicane. Turns 7-9 (Red Mound Curve): This is a set of three right- hand semi-corners which can usually be taken flat-out, unless you find yourself encumbered by traffic. However, keep a tight line to the apex of each of the three semi-corners, or you may find yourself with a few wheels in the sand and grass on the outside of the course. The outside of the final corner is actually paved (where the Le Mans circuit joins public roads come together), so this can be used as a good swing-out area if necessary, and can also be used to pass a small group of cars on the inside of the corner; beware the outside barrier here as you will be likely be carrying A LOT of speed. Straightaway (Hunaudieres Straight - Part I): This is the longest straightaway of the circuit, and very good top-end speeds can be achieved here, especially if you were able to blast your way through Red Mound Curve without even tapping the brakes. However, there is no room for error if you get involved in a three-abreast situation, as the barriers come almost directly up to the pavement. During the day, look for the distance-to-corner markers or else you will miss Motorola Chicane (flashing red lights alert you to the chicane at night and in poor-visibility conditions). Turns 10-12 (Motorola Chicane): This is the same chicane format as the Dunlop Chicane (right-left-right), but wider and without the hill. Beware the barriers. In poor- visibility conditions, the first corner of the chicane is easily identifiable by the red lights; during the day, however, the chicane is very difficult to see from a distance, so be sure to look for the distance-to-corner markers. Straightaway (Hunaudieres Straight - Part II): Very good top- end speeds can be achieved here. However, there is no room for error if you get involved in a three-abreast situation, as the barriers come almost directly up to the pavement. During the day, look for the distance-to-corner markers or else you will miss Michelin Chicane (flashing red lights alert you to the chicane at night). Turns 13-15 (Michelin Chicane): This is exactly like the Motorola Chicane, but is a left-right-left combination with a tighter initial turn. In poor-visibility conditions, the first corner of the chicane is easily identifiable by the red lights; during the day, however, the chicane is very difficult to see from a distance, so be sure to look for the distance-to-corner markers. Straightaway (Hunaudieres Straight - Part III): Yet another long straightaway, but with a small fade to the right almost one-third of the way along its length. After clearing the small rise (similar to a bridge over a small country stream, about two-thirds of the way along the straightaway), look for the distance-to-corner markers for Mulsanne Curve. Mulsanne: If you can carry enough speed and have sufficient tire grip, you can essentially treat both Mulsanne Hump and Mulsanne Curve as one long double-apex corner by riding up on the inside rumble strip of Mulsanne Curve. Mulsanne Hump and Mulsanne Curve together essentially form a 135-degree (double-apex) megacorner. It is very easy to go too wide exiting this megacorner, and CPU-controlled cars often will find themselves in the sand trap, so keep watch for such activity as you round Mulsanne Curve. Turn 16 (Mulsanne Hump): The distance-to-corner markers actually are for the following right-hand turn, but no one can afford to miss Mulsanne Hump, whose apex is almost exactly in line with the 100m marker and bounded on the left by a nasty barrier. Turn 17 (Mulsanne Curve): The distance-to-corner markers are actually for THIS corner. This is a ninety-degree corner requiring moderate braking and a solid, clean racing line to keep out of the sand trap. Straightaway: This straightaway has three fades to the right along its length. At the apex of the third fade, begin braking for the Indianapolis Curve. Turn 18 (Indianapolis Curve): This left-hand ninety-degree corner can easily be missed, so use plenty of braking beginning at the apex of the third fade along the previous straightaway. Do not cut this corner too sharp or you will likely bang the barrier on the inside of the turn. Turn 19 (Arnage Curve): After a very brief straightaway, this is a right-hand right-angle corner. The trick here is to NOT come up to full speed following the Indianapolis Curve, thus saving your brakes a little (which is extremely importance in endurance races). Do not cut this corner too sharp or you will likely bang the barrier on the inside of the turn. If you go wide, say 'Bonjour' (daytime) or 'Bonsoir' (evening/nighttime) to the outside barrier. Likewise, if you carry too much speed over the inside rumble strip, countersteer immediately to avoid a spin (and that still may not help). Straightaway: This 'straightaway' has four fades (left-right- left-right). After the fourth fade, get ready for the fast- approaching Porsche Curve. 'Chicane:' This next segment essentially forms an extra-wide right-left-left-right ('bus stop') chicane as it leaves the public roads. Extreme care is required here, as the pavement is extreme narrow. Turn 20 (Porsche Curve): Light braking will likely be needed here, although experts can probably blast through here at top speed if not encumbered by traffic. An uphill rise begins here. Turn 21: The rise crests here as the course turns to the left. Turns 22-23: The course elevation drops at Turn 22 as the circuit turns to the left, making this corner more challenging than it would at first appear. Turn 23 follows immediately, turning to the right. Turns 24-27 (Prairie): There are four significant semi- corners (right-left-right-left) here. Top speed can be carried all the way through Prairie, but only with a flawless racing line, else you risk dropping a wheel in the grass and slowing yourself down. On exiting Turn 27, the single yellow line marking the Pit Entry begins on the right. Turns 28-31 (White House): These tight left-right-left-right S-curves are the finale of a rather lengthy lap of the Le Mans circuit. The pavement here is extremely narrow, making safe passing impossible; if any passing is to be done here, it is only by ramming another car off the pavement and into the kitty litter. The entire area is surrounded by massive sand traps, so if you slip off the pavement, you will be slowed almost to a snail's crawl, losing valuable time and allowing those behind you to pass with the greatest of ease. A VERY brief straightaway separates the first left-right combination from the second. Note that to keep your time in this section to a minimum, you will need to make use of the rumble strips on the inside of each corner; however, if you come through ANY corner of White House carrying too much speed (especially in wet racing conditions), the car will bounce severely and perhaps spin or slide out into the kitty litter. ==================================== DETAILS: BUGATTI This is the permanent section of the Le Mans circuit. Bugatti is a rather technical circuit, so top-end speed is generally not the best way to set up a car here. Those familiar with the Nevers Magny-Cours F1 circuit will certainly appreciate its similarity to the four semi-parallel straightaways on the first half of the Bugatti circuit. Turn 1 (Dunlop Curve): This is a rather nice right-hand fade which can be taken flat-out. However, it may be a good idea to begin braking for Dunlop Chicane when exiting Dunlop Curve. An elevation change begins here. Turns 2-4 (Dunlop Chicane): Given the continual upward slope through Dunlop Chicane, it is extremely easy to slip off the pavement on either side of the circuitS and both sides are filled with plenty of kitty litter. Braking well before entering the Dunlop Chicane is of UTMOST importance as the corners of the chicane are rather tight. At the beginning of a race, all the traffic can make this segment even more treacherous than it would be normally. Semi-parallel Straightaways: These four semi-parallel straightaways can produce an unexpected aural effect. Once traffic stretches out all around the circuit, whenever you are on the middle straightaways, you will almost certainly hear cars speeding past you on the straightaways to either side of you. Straightaway: The significant hill crests as you pass underneath the big Dunlop tire. Turn 5 (Chapel): This is a rather tight right-hand hairpin which will require moderate breaking on entrance. Chapel begins immediately after passing the tall Ferris Wheel on the left. Turn 6 (Museum Curve): This is a wide left-hand hairpin with an extensive sand trap to the outside of the pavement. Of the three consecutive hairpins, this is by far the easiest to handle, allowing for most cars to still carry some considerable speed through the hairpin, but braking is still required before entry. Turn 7 (Green Garage): Yet another tight right-hand hairpin requiring harsh braking. If you miss your braking zone, you will find yourself beached in the kitty litter to the outside of the hairpin. Turns 8-9 (Ox Way S): Hard braking is required here after the fourth of the semi-parallel straightaways. Beware the sand traps to the outside of each corner, and make sure not to overcompensate and roll through the grass on the inside of the corners. Turn 8 begins immediately after passing underneath the Bridgestone bridge. Turns 10-11 (Blues S): Brake early or Turn 10 will have you either out in the kitty litter or spinning around in the middle of the pavement. The right-handed Turn 10 is rather straightforward. However, there are then TWO pieces of pavement turning to the left. The official Turn 11 is the SECOND pavement, so do not turn too soon. Turns 12-13 (Connection): Pit Entry is to the right immediately before entering Connection, so beware of slower cars here. The Connection complex is extremely complex, as the final chicanes and the Pit Entry of the Le Mans course rejoin the Bugatti course here. Just make two right-hand, ninety-degree turns at a moderate pace (likely making good use of the rumble strips) and you will soon find yourself safely back on the Pit Straight. The pavement here is extremely narrow, making safe passing impossible; if any passing is to be done here, it is only by ramming another car off the pavement and into the kitty litter. ==================================== DETAILS: BRNO Located in the Czech Republic, this is another rather technical circuit, with massive sand traps on the outside of every corner, and sand traps on the inside of many corners as well. A reverse race configuration is also available at Brno (unlocked simultaneously with Reverse Donington National and Reverse Donington Grand Prix). Fortunately, this is a rather wide circuit, so racing three-abreast is easily done without anyone endangering the other cars involved; four-wide racing, however, is certainly NOT recommended at Brno, especially when cornering!!!!! Pit Straight: The Pit Lane barrier is set just far enough away from the official course (marked by the white line on the right side) that an unofficial paved lane is created. You can make use of this unofficial lane to pass several cars at once, especially on a standing start. However, beware of any cars exiting Pit Lane. Turn 1: This is a relatively-fast right-hand J-turn requiring light to moderate braking on entry. For good lap times, a minimum speed of 100MPH/160KPH is required through Turn 1, but I have been able to successfully hold speeds over 110MPH before oversteering begins to take effect. If you can successfully hold such speeds here, Turn 1 is a great place to pass other cars. Do not drift off-course on the left, or you will be beached in the sand. A gentle fade to the left occurs on corner exit. Turn 2: This left-hand corner will require moderate braking on entry to keep out of the sand. Again, good speed can be held through this corner, allowing you to pass one or two cars. Turn 3: After a brief straightaway, this right-hand corner will require light braking to stay out of the sand. Straightaway: The circuit begins its downhill run here. Turn 4: Continuing downhill, this right-hand J-turn requires moderate braking as the car lightens. Turn 5: A right-hand corner requiring light braking as the course continues downhill. Turn 6: After a brief straightaway, the course continues downhill through this left-hand corner, which requires light braking. Do not go wide on exit or you will be caught out in the kitty litter. Turn 7: Still continuing downhill, the course turns left here, requiring light braking. If you go wide, you will be out in the sand. Turn 8: This right-hand J-turn requires moderate braking to keep from sliding out into the sand on the outside of the corner. The inside of the corner also has a sand trap, so do not cut this corner too short if you need to pass other cars here. Turn 9: After a relatively long straightaway, the course has a right-hand downhill J-turn here requiring moderate braking. Drift left on exit, but do not go too wide or you will be beached in the sand. Turn 10: The course finally 'bottoms out' and begins a gentle uphill climb at the entrance of this left-hand corner. Light braking is required here to keep from running out into the sand. Turn 11: Almost immediately following Turn 10, this right- hand corner continues the uphill climb. Moderate braking is necessary here. Turn 12: Still continuing uphill, use moderate braking for this left-hand corner to keep out of the sand. Turn 13: The hill crests on entry to Turn 13. Use light or moderate braking here to stay out of the kitty litter. The single white line indicating Pit Entry begins just after the apex of Turn 13, so be mindful of cars slowing for Pit Entry. ==================================== DETAILS: DONINGTON NATIONAL This popular British venue is the host of many events, and has been included in other racing games. The outside of almost every corner has a very small strip of grass between the pavement and the sand trap. The only difference from the Donington Grand Prix course is that the two straightaways behind the Paddock Suite are bypassed. Turn 1: This right-hand J-turn requires moderate braking, and plenty of patience at the start of a race as traffic really jams up here. Turn 2: This is a long, gentle right-hand semi-corner, sloping downhill along its entire length. Turn 3: Continuing downhill, this left-hand corner will only require light braking, if the brakes are needed at all. Due to the downhill slope, it may be difficult to see the apex of the corner as you approach. Turn 4: Immediately after Turn 3, the course turns uphill to the right here, with light or moderate braking required. Turn 5: After passing underneath the pedestrian bridge, the course turns to the left here. No braking is required. Turn 6: This is really just a left-hand fade. Turn 7: Moderate braking is necessary as the course continues uphill through this right-hand turn. The barrier on the left comes rather close to the pavement, so there is not much grass and sand to stop you if you miss your braking zone. Turn 8: This lengthy, sweeping right-hand J-turn will require light braking to keep out of the grass and sand as the course continues slowly uphill. This corner opens out onto the longest straightaway at Donington. Turns 9-10: Shortly after passing underneath the big Dunlop tire, begin braking for the chicane. This is a tight right- left combination. Barriers to the inside AND outside of Turn 9 prevent any shortcutting. ==================================== DETAILS: DONINGTON GRAND PRIX This popular British venue is the host of many events, and has been included in other games. The outside of almost every corner has a very small strip of grass between the pavement and the sand trap. Turn 1: This right-hand J-turn requires moderate braking, and plenty of patience at the start of a race as traffic really jams up here. Turn 2: This is a long, gentle right-hand semi-corner, sloping downhill along its entire length. Turn 3: Continuing downhill, this left-hand corner will only require light braking, if the brakes are needed at all. Due to the downhill slope, it may be difficult to see the apex of the corner as you approach. Turn 4: Immediately after Turn 3, the course turns uphill to the right here, with light or moderate braking required. Turn 5: After passing underneath the pedestrian bridge, the course turns to the left here. No braking is required. Turn 6: This is really just a left-hand fade. Turn 7: Moderate braking is necessary as the course continues uphill through this right-hand turn. The barrier on the left comes rather close to the pavement, so there is not much grass and sand to stop you if you miss your braking zone. Turn 8: This lengthy, sweeping right-hand J-turn will require light braking to keep out of the grass and sand as the course continues slowly uphill. This corner opens out onto the longest straightaway at Donington. Turns 9-10: Shortly after passing underneath the big Dunlop tire, begin braking for the chicane. This is a tight left- right combination with NO room for error. The barrier on the inside of Turn 9 prevents shortcutting, and the sand trap to the inside of Turn 10 severely hinders anyone attempting to shortcut that corner. Turn 11: After a significant straightaway, this is a tight right-hand hairpin turn onto another significant straightaway behind the Paddock Suite. Essentially, think of this as changing runways on an airport circuit (such as at Sebring) and you should do fairly well here. Moderate braking is required here. If you miss your braking zone, there is a wide patch of kitty litter to the outside of the corner. Turn 12: The final corner of the circuit is a left-hand tight hairpin. Again, think of this as changing runways on an airport circuit. Moderate braking will be needed here. ==================================== DETAILS: CATALUNYA NATIONAL The Catalunya circuit is challenging, but good speeds can be carried along much of the circuit. For observers and drivers alike, plenty of action can be found at the Catalunya National circuit. Pit Straight: As usual, incredible speeds can be attained here. Watch for cars rejoining the race from the right side of the straightaway. Turn 1: This right-hand hairpin is rather tight, and rejoins the Grand Prix circuit just short of Wuth. Heavy braking will be needed to slow sufficiently for Turn 1 after the high speed attained on the Pit Straight. Turn 2 (Wuth): With a good racing line, you should be able to brake lightly to clear this semi-blind, slightly-downhill, left-hand corner. Beware the barrier on the inside of Wuth. The exit of Wuth has an immediate fade to the right. Turn 3 (Campsa): This right-hand corner can be taken at full speed, although other cars will usually swing wide-left and brake slightly while rounding this corner. Note that the official circuit is to the right; do not drive directly ahead onto another patch of pavement, or you will lose plenty of time. Also, in a twilight or night race, Campsa is extremely difficult to see unless the taillights of other cars mark the corner for you, so approach Campsa with extreme caution. Turn 4 (La Cacsa): Severe braking is required for this left- hand corner. While not suggested, you may be able to pass other cars on braking here. As with Wuth, stay off the rumble strips and grass on the inside of the turn, or you will risk losing control of the car. This is a 'J' turn, and the corner seems to go on forever before you reach the exit. Turn 5 (Banc Sabadeau): Shortly following Turn 4, moderate or heavy braking will be needed here for the right-hand, upward- sloping corner. This is also a 'J' turn which is nearly a double-apex corner. If you need a recovery area anywhere on the course, it will most likely be here. It is possible to pass slower cars here by tightly hugging the inside of the turn, even running the right-side tires on the rumble strips. Turn 6: Light braking may be needed for this right-hand corner. The key here is to truly hug the inside of the turn and accelerate strongly through the exit. Watch for slow cars here preparing to go to Pit Lane for servicing. Turn 7: Entering this right-hand corner, the Pit Lane begins on the right, so be on the lookout for very slow cars here. If you take this final corner too tightly, or make a VERY late decision to go to the pits, you will likely damage the front of the car on a barrier. ==================================== DETAILS: CATALUNYA GRAND PRIX The Catalunya circuit is challenging, especially the two hairpins and the final corners of the race. Those who have played recent F1-based games will already have good familiarity with the Catalunya Grand Prix circuit. Pit Straight: As usual, incredible speeds can be attained here. Watch for cars rejoining the race from the right side of the straightaway. Turn 1 (Elf): This is a right-hand corner which requires light braking. Be careful not to hug the inside of the corner too tightly, or you will bang the right side of the car on the barrier. Strong acceleration out of Turn 1 creates great passing opportunities all the way to Repsol. Attempting to take Turn 1 at top speed will either cause you to lose control as you run up on the rumble strips, or send you too far off course to survive Turn 2 (IF you survive the kitty litter). Turn 2 (Elf): Immediately following Turn 1, the left-hand Turn 2 can usually be taken at top acceleration. With strong acceleration out of Turn 1, this is a prime passing zone. Turn 3 (Seat): A sweeping right-hand increasing-radius corner which can be taken at full speed, this is also a good place to pass slower cars, especially if you have the inside line. If you were able to slow enough for Turn 1, you can begin acceleration exiting Turn 1 and keep standing on the accelerator all the way through Seat, giving you an excellent speed advantage over many other cars which might be in the area. Turn 4 (Repsol): This is a semi-blind right-hand hairpin corner which requires moderate or heavy braking. The barrier on the inside of the corner rests almost directly against the track, and blocks your view around the corner. This can actually be a good place to pass on braking, but only with extreme caution. Don't come too hot into this corner or else you will find yourself in the sand. After clearing the first 90 degrees of Repsol, you should be able to accelerate fairly well if not encumbered by traffic. Turn 5: After a very short straightaway, this is a semi-blind left-hand hairpin, a bit tighter than Turn 4. Moderate or heavy braking will be needed here, or you will definitely be using the recovery area. Straightaway: This straightaway fades to the left. Good acceleration out of Turn 5 can create passing opportunities, especially in the braking zone for Wuth. Turn 6 (Wuth): With a good racing line, you should be able to brake lightly to clear this semi-blind, slightly-downhill, left-hand corner. Beware the barrier on the inside of Wuth. The exit of Wuth has an immediate fade to the right. Turn 7 (Campsa): This right-hand corner can be taken at full speed, although other cars will usually swing wide-left and brake slightly while rounding this corner. Note that the official circuit is to the right; do not drive directly ahead onto another patch of pavement, or you will lose plenty of time. Also, in a twilight or night race, Campsa is extremely difficult to see unless the taillights of other cars mark the corner for you, so approach Campsa with extreme caution. Turn 8 (La Cacsa): Severe braking is required for this left- hand corner. While not suggested, you may be able to pass other cars on braking here. As with Wuth, stay off the rumble strips and grass on the inside of the turn, or you will risk losing control of the car. This is a 'J' turn, and the corner seems to go on forever before you reach the exit. Turn 9 (Banc Sabadeau): Shortly following Turn 8, moderate or heavy braking will be needed here for the right-hand, upward- sloping corner. This is also a 'J' turn which is nearly a double-apex corner. If you need a recovery area anywhere on the course, it will most likely be here. It is possible to pass slower cars here by tightly hugging the inside of the turn, even running the right-side tires on the rumble strips. Turn 10: Light braking may be needed for this right-hand corner. The key here is to truly hug the inside of the turn and accelerate strongly through the exit. Watch for slow cars here preparing to go to Pit Lane for servicing. Turn 11: Entering this right-hand corner, the Pit Lane begins on the right, so be on the lookout for very slow cars here. If you take this final corner too tightly, or make a VERY late decision to go to the pits, you will likely damage the front of the car on a barrier. ==================================== DETAILS: SUZUKA EAST This is the initial section of the world-famous Suzuka Grand prix circuit. One of the most famous sights of the 'circuit' is the large Ferris Wheel on the left behind the grandstands as cars pass along the Pit Straight. Pit Straight: Good speeds can be achieved here with strong acceleration out of the chicane. The Pit Lane rejoins the course from the right near the end of the Pit Straight. Turn 1: This right-hand hairpin requires moderate braking on approach, and you will likely be tapping the brakes through the hairpin itself. This begins an uphill climb, and it is difficult to see the left side of the pavement on exit, so be careful not to run too wide and end up out in the sand. There is really no reason to overrun the hairpin on entry, as the corner is quite easily identifiable. Turns 2-5 (S Curves): This is by far the hardest section of the course - tight left-right-left-right corners. The first of the 'S' curves can likely be taken at full speed, with light or moderate braking for Turn 3. Turn 4 can be taken either flat-out (not suggested) or with light braking. No matter what, slam on the brakes for Turn 5, the tightest corner of the 'S' section. This entire segment of the course continues the uphill climb, making Turn 5 particularly more difficult. There is ample recovery room on either side of the course through the uphill 'S' section. The 'S' section is a good place to pass slower cars, if you have enough confidence in your brakes to pass during corner entry. No matter what, you will NOT be surviving the 'S' curves unless you use the brakes generouslyS or use only second or third gear (definitely not suggested if you want to win). Turn 6: The course continues gently uphill as it makes a wide hairpin turn back toward the Start/Finish Line. It is very easy to slip off the outside of the pavement here, so exercise extreme caution here. This is also a great place to pass other cars on braking on corner entry. If your chosen car has great acceleration, it will certainly be of benefit here on exit. Turn 7: After a very brief straightaway, the circuit turns gently to the right. No breaking is required here. ==================================== DETAILS: SUZUKA WEST This is the latter two-thirds of the Grand Prix circuit, with its own Pit Lane which is not used for F1 Grand Prix competition. This portion includes the world-famous figure- eight crossover. Pit Straight: The Pit Lane Entry is on the right just after exiting Spoon. Turn 1 (130R): Shortly after crossing the bridge, the course turns to the left. Some braking is required here. Prepare for the upcoming hairpin. Turn 2: This right-hand hairpin comes before what would be Chicane on the Grand Prix circuit, and brings you back out just short of Degner. Moderate to heavy breaking will be required to successfully clear Turn 2. Turn 3 (Degner): Here, the course turns to the right in anticipation of the figure-eight pattern. Light braking will likely be required, but it is possible to speed through here without braking. To the outside of the course is a wide expanse of grass and kitty litter in case you overrun the corner. Turn 4 (Degner): The final right-hand corner before passing underneath the bridge, this turn is tighter than the previous corner, thus moderate braking and a steady racing line will be required here. This is also another prime passing zone. Take care not to overrun Turn 8, as there is not much recovery room between the pavement and the barrier. Straightaway: Accelerate strongly out of Degner and you should be able to pass one or two cars as you race underneath the bridge. The course fades to the right here before reaching the tight Hairpin. Turn 5 (Hairpin): This is a tight left-hand hairpin which begins the next uphill segment of the Suzuka circuit. It is possible to shortcut a little here, but the grass combined with the angle of the hill here will really slow you down and perhaps cause you to spin and/or slide, especially in wet conditions. Be careful not to accelerate too soon, or you will be out in the grass. There is a sizeable patch of kitty litter for those who miss the hairpin completely. Turn 6: Continuing the uphill run, the course here makes a wide sweep to the right. Any braking here means losing track positions. The circuit here is rather bumpy, especially in wet conditions. Turns 7 and 8 (Spoon): This is a tricky pair of left-hand corners, in a decreasing-radius 'U' formation. The first corner is fairly standard, requiring only a little braking. However, Turn 8 is both tighter AND slopes downhill, so judicious usage of brakes and a pristine racing line are both important here, especially if attempting to pass a slower vehicle. If you misjudge any single corner at Suzuka, it will be Turn 8; fortunately, there is plenty of recovery room on both sides of the pavement here. However, do not roll up on the rumble strips or the grass on the inside of Turn 8, as that will almost certainly cause you to lose control and likely spin. ==================================== DETAILS: SUZUKA GRAND PRIX This world-famous circuit in figure-eight style is used for many forms of auto and motorcycle racing; as such, those who have played other racing games (such as Moto GP World Tour, or F1 Championship Season 2000) may already have some familiarity with the Suzuka circuit. One of the most famous sights of the 'circuit' is the large Ferris Wheel on the left behind the grandstands as cars pass along the Pit Straight. Pit Straight: Good speeds can be achieved here with strong acceleration out of the chicane. The Pit Lane rejoins the course from the right near the end of the Pit Straight. Turn 1: This right-hand hairpin requires moderate braking on approach, and you will likely be tapping the brakes through the hairpin itself. This begins an uphill climb, and it is difficult to see the left side of the pavement on exit, so be careful not to run too wide and end up out in the sand. There is really no reason to overrun the hairpin on entry, as the corner is quite easily identifiable. Turns 2-5 (S Curves): This is by far the hardest section of the course - tight left-right-left-right corners. The first of the 'S' curves can likely be taken at full speed, with light or moderate braking for Turn 3. Turn 4 can be taken either flat-out (not suggested) or with light braking. No matter what, slam on the brakes for Turn 5, the tightest corner of the 'S' section. This entire segment of the course continues the uphill climb, making Turn 5 particularly more difficult. There is ample recovery room on either side of the course through the uphill 'S' section. The 'S' section is a good place to pass slower cars, if you have enough confidence in your brakes to pass during corner entry. No matter what, you will NOT be surviving the 'S' curves unless you use the brakes generouslyS or use only second or third gear (definitely not suggested if you want to win). Turn 6 (Dunlop Curve): This sweeping left-hand corner is the crest of the initial uphill segment of the course, and can be taken at full acceleration. Turn 7 (Degner): Here, the course turns to the right in anticipation of the figure-eight pattern. Light braking will likely be required, but it is possible to speed through here without braking. To the outside of the course is a wide expanse of grass and kitty litter in case you overrun the corner. Turn 8 (Degner): The final right-hand corner before passing underneath the bridge, this turn is tighter than the previous corner, thus moderate braking and a steady racing line will be required here. This is also another prime passing zone. Take care not to overrun Turn 8, as there is not much recovery room between the pavement and the barrier. Straightaway: Accelerate strongly out of Degner and you should be able to pass one or two cars as you race underneath the bridge. The course fades to the right here before reaching the tight Hairpin. Turn 9 (Hairpin): This is a tight left-hand hairpin which begins the next uphill segment of the Suzuka circuit. It is possible to shortcut a little here, but the grass combined with the angle of the hill here will really slow you down and perhaps cause you to spin and/or slide, especially in wet conditions. Be careful not to accelerate too soon, or you will be out in the grass. There is a sizeable patch of kitty litter for those who miss the hairpin completely. Turn 10: Continuing the uphill run, the course here makes a wide sweep to the right. Any braking here means losing track positions. The circuit here is rather bumpy, especially in wet conditions. Turns 11 and 12 (Spoon): This is a tricky pair of left-hand corners, in a decreasing-radius 'U' formation. The first corner is fairly standard, requiring only a little braking. However, Turn 12 is both tighter AND slopes downhill, so judicious usage of brakes and a pristine racing line are both important here, especially if attempting to pass a slower vehicle. If you misjudge any single corner at Suzuka, it will be Turn 12; fortunately, there is plenty of recovery room on both sides of the pavement here. However, do not roll up on the rumble strips or the grass on the inside of Turn 12, as that will almost certainly cause you to lose control and likely spin. Straightaway: Power out of Spoon and rocket down the straightaway, passing multiple cars. After you cross the bridge, start thinking about Chicane. Turn 13 (130R): Shortly after crossing the bridge, the course turns to the left. Some braking is required here. Also, look for cars on the right slowing for the Pit Lane entry just before the chicane. Turns 14-16 (Chicane): This is a very tricky part of the course. The chicane begins with a moderate turn to the right, then a tight left-hand corner, then ends with a wider turn to the right and empties out onto the Pit Straight. The inside of the chicane is filled with sand AND barriers. Be careful coming out of Turn 15 so that you don't go too wide and bump the right side of the vehicle on the Pit Lane barrier. Pit Entry: The Pit Lane begins to the right just before Chicane. Note that the Pit Entry is the SECOND patch of pavement to the right coming off the main course. ==================================== DETAILS: ROAD ATLANTA This circuit is perhaps most famous for its final turns, a blind right-hand corner on a severe downhill slope beginning just as the cars pass underneath Suzuki Bridge, then a fast right-hand corner onto the Pit Straight. Good speeds overall can be obtained at Road Atlanta, but there are still a number of challenging corners to tax the drivers and their cars. Pit Straight: This is the point of lowest elevation on the circuit. Turn 1: This seemingly-neverending J-turn begins the circuit's long uphill climb; the first two-thirds of the turn is rather significant, with the radius slowly increasing for the last third of the corner as the course climbs steeply uphill. Light braking is suggested here, and perhaps even moderate braking will be preferred by many players, but it is possible to speed through Turn 1 at top speed with NO braking. However, with little or no braking, if you do not have sufficient tire grip, you will slide out into the grass and bang the barrier on the outside of Turn 1. If you have an oversteer condition, expect to spin right at Pit Exit (at the end of the significant portion of the turn), and just hope that no one is coming out of Pit Lane at that very moment!!! If competing in the Petit Le Mans, the light on the inside of Turn 3 can overpower the glare from competitors' taillights as you climb the steep hill out of Turn 1 and into Turn 2, thus causing you to misjudge the distance to the next vehicle in front of you and potentially contributing to an incident, so exercise great caution here (moreso than usual) when racing at night. Turns 2-4: At a momentary plateau in track elevation, the left-right-left semi-chicane can be a surprise. The apex of Turn 2 is unsighted on entry. Turn 2 requires at least light braking to keep on the pavement. Turn 3 requires moderate braking, although light braking is possible if you drop the right-side tires in the small patch of sand on the inside of Turn 3. Turn 4 can often be taken at top speed, although light braking may be necessary to stay on the pavement. With fresh tires and excellent reflexes, this complex can be taken at top speed, but be ready to countersteer and/or slam on the brakes, especially when exiting Turn 4. This complex is also one of the areas where CPU-controlled cars are likely to spin out or otherwise run off-course, so be constantly wary here. Turns 5-7 (S Curves): The course begins a gentle downhill slope just before the entry of Turn 5, a right-hand corner which can be taken flat-out. Turn 6 begins the next uphill stage as the pavement turns to the left; again, this can be taken at top speed. The right-hand Turn 7 can also be taken at top speed, however, it is best to begin braking for Turn 8 here. Turn 8: This is the second-nastiest place on the Road Atlanta circuit. This blind left-hand corner requires moderate or severe braking as the hill (now a mini-mountain) climbs steeply, cresting just beyond the exit of Turn 8. If you miss the braking zone, you will find yourself in a sand trap. If you can get past that, however, there is another paved road which will rejoin the official course. If you get beyond THAT, however, you will bang a barrier. Only experts will be able to successfully clear this nasty corner (if not blocked by other cars) at over 100MPH/160KPH. Straightaway: The mini-mountain crests shortly beyond the exit of Turn 8. In terms of elevation, this straightaway is essentially a roller-coaster ride, but the general trend is downhill. Turn 9: Moderate braking for this ninety-degree right-hand corner is required, but there is kitty litter to collect you if you miss the braking zone. There are two pieces of pavement turning right here; the first is the sealed-off Pit Entry for other racing series, so do not use the first turn- off. Turn 10: After a very short straightaway, the course again makes a ninety-degree right-hand turn here. Moderate braking is again required to keep out of the grassy recovery area. Straightaway: This 'straightaway' has several fades along its length. After the first fade to the left, the course resumes an uphill slope. Beginning with the repaved section just after the fade to the right, the course begins its overall downhill trend. Turns 11-12: This nasty left-right chicane requires plenty of advance braking, or you will be caught out in the grass/sand/barrier-filled zone on the inside of Turn 12. Be careful not to run wide exiting Turn 12, as the outside of Turn 12 also has plenty of sand to stop runaway vehicles. Turn 13: This is by far the nastiest place on the circuit. As you pass underneath Suzuki Bridge, the course has its most significant elevation drop, resulting in cars lightening to the point that - depending on your speed and racing line - they may momentarily leave the ground!!!!! This is a blind right-hand corner (due to the significant elevation drop) which can actually be taken at full-throttle, but light braking is really the preferred method of success here (at the very least, be prepared to suddenly jam on the brakes anyhow, just in case). Edge to the right as you approach Suzuki Bridge and you should be okay; if you carry enough speed, by running your right-tide tires just off the pavement, the momentary lifting of your car will allow you to clear the small grass/sand patch without ever toughing the ground, thus without any loss of speed. However, Pit Entry is on the right just beyond Suzuki Bridge, so beware of slowing cars. If you do have trouble here, make use of the 'extra' paved lanes on the left (which actually go to a Pit Lane used for other racing series) until you can edge back onto the official course. Turn 14: This is the final, right-hand corner of the circuit. Unless encumbered by traffic, this corner can be taken at top acceleration. ==================================== DETAILS: ROAD ATLANTA NATIONAL This circuit is perhaps most famous for its final turns, a blind right-hand corner on a severe downhill slope beginning just as the cars pass underneath Suzuki Bridge, then a fast right-hand corner onto the Pit Straight. Good speeds overall can be obtained at Road Atlanta National, but there are still a number of challenging corners to tax the drivers and their cars. Pit Straight: This is the point of lowest elevation on the circuit. Turn 1: This seemingly-neverending J-turn begins the circuit's long uphill climb; the first two-thirds of the turn is rather significant, with the radius slowly increasing for the last third of the corner as the course climbs steeply uphill. Light braking is suggested here, and perhaps even moderate braking will be preferred by many players, but it is possible to speed through Turn 1 at top speed with NO braking. However, with little or no braking, if you do not have sufficient tire grip, you will slide out into the grass and bang the barrier on the outside of Turn 1. If you have an oversteer condition, expect to spin right at Pit Exit (at the end of the significant portion of the turn), and just hope that no one is coming out of Pit Lane at that very moment!!! Turns 2-4: At a momentary plateau in track elevation, the left-right-left semi-chicane can be a surprise. The apex of Turn 2 is unsighted on entry. Turn 2 requires at least light braking to keep on the pavement. Turn 3 requires moderate braking, although light braking is possible if you drop the right-side tires in the small patch of sand on the inside of Turn 3. Turn 4 can often be taken at top speed, although light braking may be necessary to stay on the pavement. With fresh tires and excellent reflexes, this complex can be taken at top speed, but be ready to countersteer and/or slam on the brakes, especially when exiting Turn 4. This complex is also one of the areas where CPU-controlled cars are likely to spin out or otherwise run off-course, so be constantly wary here. Turns 5-7 (S Curves): The course begins a gentle downhill slope just before the entry of Turn 5, a right-hand corner which can be taken flat-out. Turn 6 begins the next uphill stage as the pavement turns to the left; again, this can be taken at top speed. The right-hand Turn 7 can also be taken at top speed, however, it is best to begin braking for Turn 8 here. Turn 8: Moderate braking is heavily suggested here as you reach the top of the hill during a left-hand turn. Turn 9: After a short straightaway, Turn 9 is a gentle left- hand turn which requires no braking as the course rejoins the full Road Atlanta circuit. Straightaway: Beginning with the repaved section just after the fade to the right, the course begins its overall downhill trend. Turns 10-11: This nasty left-right chicane requires plenty of advance braking, or you will be caught out in the grass/sand/barrier-filled zone on the inside of Turn 11. Be careful not to run wide exiting Turn 11, as the outside of Turn 11 also has plenty of sand to stop runaway vehicles. Turn 12: This is by far the nastiest place on the circuit. As you pass underneath Suzuki Bridge, the course has its most significant elevation drop, resulting in cars lightening to the point that - depending on your speed and racing line - they may momentarily leave the ground!!!!! This is a blind right-hand corner (due to the significant elevation drop) which can actually be taken at full-throttle, but light braking is really the preferred method of success here (at the very least, be prepared to suddenly jam on the brakes anyhow, just in case). Edge to the right as you approach Suzuki Bridge and you should be okay; if you carry enough speed, by running your right-tide tires just off the pavement, the momentary lifting of your car will allow you to clear the small grass/sand patch without ever toughing the ground, thus without any loss of speed. However, Pit Entry is on the right just beyond Suzuki Bridge, so beware of slowing cars. If you do have trouble here, make use of the 'extra' paved lanes on the left (which actually go to a Pit Lane used for other racing series) until you can edge back onto the official course. Turn 13: This is the final, right-hand corner of the circuit. Unless encumbered by traffic, this corner can be taken at top acceleration. ==================================== DETAILS: REVERSE COURSES I leave it to the reader to figure out how to handle the three reverse courses: Reverse Brno, Reverse Donington National, and Reverse Donington Grand Prix. However, there are no (useful) distance-to-corner markers on the reverse courses, so players must make sure they TRULY know these courses in their normal configurations before attempting to compete in the reverse versions of these circuits. ==================================== ==================================== ==================================== COMPLETELY SUBJECTIVE SECTION This will likely be utterly useless information for some (unless these items miraculously happen to become answers on Jeopardy!), so this section should be taken with several grains of salt and a large raw salmon. My Favorite Courses: Brno Catalunya Grand Prix Donington Park Grand Prix Le Mans Road Atlanta (full circuit) Suzuka Grand Prix My Least Favorite Courses: Bugatti Catalunya National Road Atlanta National Suzuka East Suzuka West My Favorite Corners: Brno: Turn 1 Bugatti: Museum Curve Catalunya Grand Prix: Seat Le Mans: Mulsanne and Porsche Curve Road Atlanta: Turn 8 (the second-nastiest corner) and Turn 13 (the nastiest corner, passing underneath Suzuka Bridge) Road Atlanta National: Turn 12 (the nastiest corner, passing underneath Suzuka Bridge) Suzuka Grand Prix: Degner Suzuka West: Degner My Least Favorite Corners: Bugatti: Dunlop Chicane Catalunya Grand Prix: Banc Sabadeau Catalunya National: Banc Sabadeau Donington Grand Prix: Turns 9-10 Donington National: Turns 9-10 Le Mans: Dunlop Chicane, White House Suzuka Grand Prix: Chicane My Favorite Driving Conditions: Broad daylight, dry weather conditions Complete darkness, clear sky, with few trees or other obstacles to block the view of the stars and moon Sunset with clear skies (especially in the Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta coming down the back straight) My Least Favorite Driving Conditions: Early morning in Le Mans 2000 Hour after hour after hour after hour of non-stop incessant neverending water droplets dripping continuously from the dark clouds above ==================================== ==================================== ==================================== UNLOCKING CIRCUITS (SPOILERS!!!!!) Here is how to unlock new circuits. Initially-available circuits are so indicated. The following expanse of white space is to present a buffer so that those who wish to learn this on their own will not accidentally see it. Note: The locked circuits were opened using a closed prototype car (the Audi RBC from Audi Sport UK) with Intermediate Handling and easy AI Driver Skill at 3 laps per race. If your quest is to open all the courses as quickly as possible, why make it any harder on yourself than absolutely necessary????? Le Mans Initially available Bugatti Win at Le Mans in Quick Race Brno Win at Suzuka West in Quick Race Donington National Initially available Donington Grand Prix Win at Catalunya National in Quick Race Catalunya National Win at Road Atlanta National in Quick Race Catalunya Grand Prix Win at Road Atlanta in Quick Race Suzuka East Initially available Suzuka West Win at Donington National in Quick Race Suzuka Grand Prix Win at Bugatti in Quick Race Road Atlanta National Initially available Road Atlanta Win at Suzuka East in Quick Race Reverse Courses: Win at ALL normal-direction Brno circuits in Quick Race; all Donington National three reverse Courses are Donington Grand Prix unlocked at once ==================================== UNLOCKING CARS (SPOILERS!!!!!) Here is how to unlock all the cars in Le Mans 24 Hours. The initially-available cars are so indicated. Note that often, the same make and model of car is used by different teams (with different paint schemes and racing number). A multiplier (such as 'x3') means that the stated team has more than one 'version' of the specified car, with each 'version' differentiated by racing number. Also, there are a few instances where identical cars (with different racing numbers) by the same team are not acquired together, but by completing separate sections of the game. In this case, these cars are listed on separate lines in the table below, with the notation 'different car' for all such lines after the first. The following expanse of white space is to present a buffer so that those who wish to learn this on their own will not accidentally see it. Cars Teams Procurement -------------------- --------------- --------------------- Audi A8C Audi Sport UK Initially available Audi R8 (x3) Audi Sport Team Win Le Mans 2000 at Joest 24 minutes Audi R8C Audi Sport UK 0:40.000 or better at Suzuka East in Time Trial Audi R8R (x2) Audi Sport Team Win Super Enduro Joest Championship BMW V12 LM Thomas Bscher Win Petit Le Mans at Promotion 30 minutes BMW V12 LMR (x2) BMW Motorsport Win Winter Challenge Championship Cadillac N LMP (x2) Team Cadillac Win Le Mans 2000 at 10 minutes Cadillac N LMP (x2) Team Dams Win Le Mans 2000 at 10 minutes Chrysler Viper GTS-R Carsport Holland Win Petit Le Mans at 10 minutes Chrysler Viper GTS R Chamberlain Initially available Engineering Chrysler Viper GTS R Chamberlain Win Rookie GT (different car) Engineering Championship Chrysler Viper GTS R Paul Belmondo Initially available Racing Chrysler Viper GTS R Team Goh Initially available Chrysler Viper GTS R Team Oreca Win Pro GT (x2) Championship Chrysler Viper GTS R Team Oreca 1:00.000 or better at (different car) Donington National in Time Trial Chrysler Viper Team Oreca Win Petit Le Mans at GTS-RT (x3) 10 minutes Chevrolet Corvette Corvette Racing Win Petit Le Mans at C5-R (x2) 10 minutes Courage C 36 La Filiere ELF 1:34.000 or better at Bugatti in Time Trial Courage C 52 Courage 1:45.000 or better at Competition Brno in Time Trial Courage C Pescarolo Sport Win Le Mans 2000 at 52-Peugeot 24 minutes Courage C 60-Judd SMG Win Petit Le Mans at 30 minutes Debora LMP2000-BMW Bonnet Didier Win Petit Le Mans at 30 minutes GT2 Konrad 0:46.000 or better at Motorsport Road Atlanta National in Time Trial GT2 (different car) Konrad 1:01.000 or better at Motorsport Suzuka West in Time Trial GT2 Larbre 1:01.000 or better at Competition Catalunya National in Time Trial GT2 Roock Racing Win Rookie GT Championship GT2 Team Augusta Initially available Racing Jaguar XJR9 LM Jaguar Win Petit Le Mans at 100 minutes Lancia LC2 Lancia Win Le Mans 2000 at 24 hours Lister Storm GTL Newcastle 1:47.000 or better at Lister Storm Suzuka Grand Prix in Time Trial LMGTP (x2) GTC Competition Initially available LMP JMB Competition Initially available LMP Joest Racing 1:09.000 or better at Road Atlanta in Time Trial LMP Kremer Racing Initially available LMP Pilot Racing 1:34.000 or better at Catalunya Grand Prix in Time Trial Lola B2K10-Ford Konrad Initially available Motorsport Lola B2K10-Judd Team Rafanelli Win Petit Le Mans at 30 minutes Lola B2K40-Nissan Multimatic Initially available Motorsports Marcos Mantara Team Marcos 1:21.000 or better at LM600 Donington Grand Prix in Time Trial Nissan R390 (x2) Nissan Win Open Prototype Motorsports Championship Nissan R390 Nissan Win Prototype Enduro (different car) Motorsports Championship Nissan R391 Nissan Win Prototype Enduro Motorsports Championship Panoz Esperante GTR Panoz Initially available (x2) Motorsports Panoz LMP Spyder Panoz Win GT Endurance (x2) Motorsports Championship Panoz LMP-1 (x2) Panoz Win Le Mans 2000 at Motorsports 24 minutes Panoz LMP-1 Team Den Bla Win Petit Le Mans at Avis 30 minutes Panoz LMP-1 TV Asahi Team Win Le Mans 2000 at Dragon 10 minutes Panoz LMP07 Panoz Win Le Mans 2000 at Motorsports 240 minutes Peugeot 905 Peugeot Talbot Win Le Mans 2000 at Sport 24 hours Porsche 911 GT2 Freisinger Initially available Motorsport Porsche 911 GT2 Konrad Initially available Motorsport Reynard 2KQ-Judd Johansson Initially available Matthews Racing Reynard 2KQ-Mopar Mopar Team Oreca Win Le Mans 2000 at (x2) 24 minutes Reynard ROC Win Petit Le Mans at 2KQ-Volkswagen 30 minutes (x2) Riley & Scott MKIII Riley & Scott Initially available S2 Europe Sauber C9 Sauber Win Petit Le Mans at 10 hours WR LMP-Peugeot Welter Gerard Win Petit Le Mans at 30 minutes WR LMP-Peugeot Welter Rachel Initially available ==================================== ==================================== ==================================== INFORMATION ON THE WEB (LE MANS 2000 AND PETIT LE MANS) For more information on The 24 Hours of Le Mans, visit these Web sites: The Official Web Site of The 24 Hours of Le Mans: http://www.24h-le-mans.com/ Automobile Club de l'Ouest (race organizers): http://www.lemans.org/ GL24H: http://www.gl24h.fr.st/ Le Mans Register: http://user.tninet.se/~aiq291w/ Maison Blanche (named after the final segment of the Le Mans circuit): http://www.maisonblanche.co.uk/ Mulsanne's Corner: http://www.mulsannescorner.com/ For more information on Petit Le Mans, visit these Web sites: Petit Le Mans - Photo Flashbacks from '98/'99: From the FastDetails.com Web site http://www.fastdetails.com/alms/oldplmpics.htm Petit Le Mans Radio Web: Listed on Yahoo!, but the server does not respond as of the writing of this guide http://www.petitlemans.com/ Professional Sports Car Racing, Inc.: Official Web site of the governing body for the American Le Mans Series (ALMS), which hosts Petit Le Mans http://www.professionalsportscar.com/ Road Atlanta: Official Web site of the host circuit of Petit Le Mans http://www.roadatlanta.com/ ==================================== ==================================== ==================================== WISH LIST Here are some of the things I would personally like to see in future incarnation of the game: 1.) The Melbourne House/Infogrames promo is definitely cute, but extremely out of place in a racing game with a real-world emphasis. This promo desperately needs to be changed (or eliminated). 2.) Faster loading times overall. Many screens take an ENORMOUSLY long time to load, which can be rather frustrating. Learn some tips from the programmers of Tokyo Extreme Racer Zero and F1 2002 and Kinetica!!! 3.) More options for car set-up. There is certainly no need for exact gear ratios, etc., but more modification possibilities would add another level of challenge to the game. 4.) This is essentially a simulation game, so flags really should be added. At the very least, local and global yellows should be included. 5.) Add a/an (oval) test course. This would allow players to experiment with different cars and set-ups to try to find the fastest possible speeds, which can be very important in certain modes of the game. 6.) Damage modeling. I realize this can be a sticky issue in receiving licenses from car manufacturers, but damage modeling adds a lot of realism to the game, and forces the player to be extremely careful with the cars - this is especially true in the full versions of the Le Mans and Petit Le Mans races. Otherwise, bored players (like me!!!) are likely to purposely bang around the other cars on the circuit. 7.) At the bare minimum, Pit Stop times should be given at the end of a Pit Stop. Ideally, a Pit Stop Clock should be running when a car comes in for service. 8.) After an off-course excursion, a longer trail of grass/sand debris should be left behind on the pavement. 9.) In a Championship series, a Forfeit (or similar) option should be available in case the player wishes to skip a particular round. This can be especially valuable if a player has already won all the initial races in a Championship series and will win the series overall even if forfeiting one or two rounds. 10.) For those (like myself) with small television screens, much of the text-based information is FAR too small; numbers and letters run together, and the green and red colors also do not help much when trying to read specific information or numbers (with the lack of separation, 5 and 6 look too much alike, etc.). A larger font needs to be used, and an additional one-point or two-point spacing between the characters would also help greatly. 11.) When in a Pit Stop, why does rain 'fall' on the lens of the overhead camera!?!?!?!?!?! I have never seen such a phenomenon except in the 1980s Dungeons and Dragons cartoon series!!!!! 12.) Detail to corner workers. With such exquisite detail given to weather and lighting effects, the cardboard cutouts representing corner workers is completely, totally, absolutely, inadequately sub-par. (Note that this is most noticeable at Le Mans.) Even if they never do anything but stand behind the guardrails and watch the race unfold, the corner workers should at least be afforded 3-D rendering. Fortunately, the trees do not look like cardboard cut-outs, but they could certainly use some fleshing out as well. 13.) The Le Mans circuit needs MANY more timing points. 14.) Why can I put my car directly in front of another, slam on the brakes, and bring us BOTH to a full stop? Even worse in terms of realism, why can I then put us both IN REVERSE!?!?!?!?!?! The is simply ignorance of basic laws of physics, and is NOT acceptable!!!!! 15.) A brand-new, never-before-seen racing venue created by Infogrames would be a great addition to the game. This should be an unlockable feature, perhaps contingent upon unlocking ALL other items in the game. 16.) Unfortunately, every Pit Stop is the same. Some degree of randomness or non-coordination should be introduced to make Pit Stops a bit more realistic. For example, the tire changers rarely ever work exactly on the same cue; perhaps one tire changer is slightly slower on a given Pit Stop. 17.) Le Mans 24 Hours is GREAT overall!!! I strongly suggest that Infogrames do more endurance-racing games, perhaps one based on the American Le Mans Series (ALMS). At the very least, a game not necessarily specific to a series but featuring endurance races at many circuits around the world (such as the 24 Hours of Daytona and the 24 Hours of Spa) would be very interesting. Should this happen, advertise heavily on Speed Channel (in the States) during their coverage of such endurance races as the Petit Le Mans and the 12 Hours of Sebring!!! ==================================== ==================================== ==================================== CONTACT For rants, raves, etc., contact me at FEATHER7@IX.NETCOM.COM; also, if you have enjoyed this guide and feel that it has been helpful to you, I would certainly appreciate a small donation via PayPal (http://www.paypal.com/) using the above e-mail address. To find the latest version of this and all my other PSX/PS2 game guides, visit FeatherGuides at http://www.angelcities.com/members/feathersites/ ==================================== ==================================== ==================================== ======================================================================= Wolf Feather Jamie Stafford ======================================================================= Just as there are many parts needed to make a human a human, there's a remarkable number of things needed to make an individual what they are. - Major Kusanagi, _Ghost in the Shell_ ======================================================================= What isn't remembered never happened. - _Serial Experiments Lain_ =======================================================================