Gran Turismo 4 Driving Mission FAQ Copyright 2005 Pierce Hubbard (fphjr01) Date Created: 5/13/05 Last Updated: 5/24/05 [email protected] v1.0 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- LEGAL STUFF This FAQ may be not be reproduced under any circumstances except for personal, private use. It may not be placed on any web site or otherwise distributed publicly without advance written permission. Use of this guide on any other web site or as a part of any public display is strictly prohibited, and a violation of copyright. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If you have suggestions/comments/corrections email me and I will credit you. A site may use this faq, provided that my permission is requested via email Sites with permission to use this FAQ: www.gamefaqs.com www.neoseeker.com =============================================================================== Table of Contents 0.0 Introduction 1.0 The Pass [TP] 1.1 Missions 1-9 [M1-9] 1.2 Mission 10 [M10] 2.0 3 Lap Battles [3LB] 2.1 Mission 11 [M11] 2.2 Mission 12 [M12] 2.3 Mission 13 [M13] 2.4 Mission 14 [M14] 2.5 Mission 15 [M15] 2.6 Mission 16 [M16] 2.7 Mission 17 [M17] 2.8 Mission 18 [M18] 2.9 Mission 19 [M19] 2.10 Mission 20 [M20] 3.0 Slipstream Battles [SB] 3.1 Mission 21 [M21] 3.2 Mission 22 [M22] 3.3 Mission 23 [M23] 3.4 Mission 24 [M24] 4.0 1 Lap Magic [1LM] 4.1 Mission 25 [M25] 4.2 Mission 26 [M26] 4.3 Mission 27 [M27] 4.4 Mission 28 [M28] 4.5 Mission 29 [M29] 4.6 Mission 30 [M30] 4.7 Mission 31 [M31] 4.8 Mission 32 [M32] 4.9 Mission 33 [M33] 4.10 Mission 34 [M34] 4.10.1 The SLR 4.10.2 Preparing for Mission 34 4.10.3 Sector by sector analysis 4.10.4 Splits and AI Time 5.0 Credits ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 0.0 Introduction to Driving Missions The driving mission is new to the gran turismo series, and they are alot like license exams with other cars on the road with you. Unlike license exams you will not "fail" for going off the track, but, if you bump a wall, or another vehicle, you will earn a "5 second penalty" (more on this in a moment). So, to pass these missions, you will need to finish ahead of all the AI cars before an arbitrary finish line. Often times you are given a car with identical or sometimes inferior handling / acceleration characteristics, so you will need to be a better driver than the AI to win. In other cases, you will be given a far superior vehicle, but you will start way behind the lead car, and must use your skill and the vehicle's performance to catch the leader. If you are just starting to play GT4, then you'll probably find all of the missions (except 1-9) to be rather difficult. Rather than try and try again, I recommend playing other parts of the game first (beginner hall, pro hall, etc.), and then come back once you've gotten more experience. If you plan on passing the 3 Lap Battles and 1 Lap Magics, you MUST have each track memorized. Also, it takes a couple of tries even for a good driver to adjust to the handling characteristics of each car, which is different every time. The 5-second Penalty: This new, and in my opinion, _extremely_ frustrating addition to GT4, will probably cause you to fail more than once. If you get a penalty, you will not be able to accelerate faster than 31mph for 5 seconds. If you earn a penalty by hitting something at high speed, you will not automatically slow down, but rather will coast to 31mph. You can earn a 5-second penalty in the following ways: 1. You bump a wall, barrier, invisible boundary of the course, with the FRONT HALF (i.e. front bumper, or front sides) of your vehicle with more than a very slight force. 2. You bump another vehicle with the FRONT HALF of your vehicle with more than a very slight force. 3. Another vehicle bumps YOU, on the FRONT HALF of YOUR vehicle with more than a slight force. This one _REALLY_ sucks, because you can have passed an AI car, and if they decide to take a bonehead line and manage to bump you, then you get a penalty, through no fault of your own. Sorry. In general, if you hit a barrier, wall, or another vehicle with the REAR HALF of your car, then often you will find you will NOT get a penalty. Also, on some tracks you can "wallride", which basically means to VERY GENTLY bring the side of your car in contact with a wall, and then hold the gas around the turn, letting the wall redirect your vehicle. In a few situations that I will point out, wallriding can be used to a tremendous advantage, and, if you are careful, will not earn you a 5-second penalty. Finally, it should be noted that I play the US version of GT4. In some cases (specifically Mission 34), the times required to pass the mission are different for different versions (US, PAL, Japanese). =============================================================================== 1.0 The Pass [TP] 1.1 Missions 1-9 [M1-9] I'm not going to dwell a lot on these missions, because they are actually quite easy to do. For these missions, all you have to do is this: Note where the AI brakes for the turn. Brake slightly later than the AI, and turn inside of the AI car. You want to brake less than the AI, but not so much less that it causes your car to slide. A winning tactic will be to brake late, and steer your car so that the FRONT HALF of your car is ahead of the AI. Once this happens, you can make contact with the AI car without the 5-second penalty. Simply use the AI car to direct your vehicle around the turn, and then hit the gas to the finish. If you hit the gas too late, you may need to push the AI off the course. This is fine, provided the front half of your vehicle does not make contact with the AI car. 1.2 Mission 10 [M10] This is the first mission where you have more than one car to pass, and more than one turn in which to pass them. This mission takes place on the long straight of Sarthe Circuit I. There are 3 AI cars ahead of you. Sarthe I is the version with the chicanes, so you'll have to use a combination of drafting and good turning to catch the AI. The key to this mission is to use the R2 button (if you are driving an automatic). The auto-shifted car shifts too early in my opinion, and you can get quite an acceleration boost by running the car up into the redline. You should hold each gear until: 3rd - 74mph 4th - 91mph 5th - 115mph Using R2 and simply drafting the vehicles in front of you will probably be enough to pass the AI in this mission. However, if you want to take the turns well, then use the following strategy. For the first chicane, brake at the 100m sign, and slow to 65mph for the R turn. After cutting over the curbing, slow to 57mph, and coast through the second part of the turn, getting on the gas when you are clear. For the second chicane, brake AFTER the 100m sign, slow to 80mph and then 55mph. For the final turn, you should be ahead of the first place AI, but if you are not, just take an inside line and you should be ok. If you are REALLY far behind, just punt the leader into the sand by ramming into his vehicle at full speed. This will net you a 5 second penalty, but the AI will be so messed up you'll still be able to win. =============================================================================== 2.0 3 Lap Battles [3LB] For missions 11-20, you will start in last place, and will have 5 AI cars to pass. You will start near the starting line of the track given, and the AI cars will start ahead of you. Once you have control of the vehicle, you have 3 laps to pass all of the AI cars. Because you have three laps, you need to be consistent to catch all the cars. Contrary to what you may think, you dont need three perfect laps -- in fact, for most of the missions three average laps will suffice to catch all of the AI cars. The key to passing these missions is try not to get any 5 second penalties, and more importantly, dont quit if you have a subpar lap. One not-so-great lap out of three wont doom you to failure -- keep racing! For each of these missions, I'll provide some general strategy (how to drive the car, what to watch out for, when to pass cars, etc), and at the end I'll provide the split times that I got when I passed the mission. The hardest missions in this group in my opinion are 11, 14, and 18. --------------- 2.1 Mission 11 [M11] For this mission you'll be piloting an old toyota sports car. Lots of people like to bash this car, because of its "poor" handling, but give it a break -- the car is almost 40 years old! I think it actually handles quite well for a vehicle so old. The key to driving this car is to maintain as much speed as you can, and try not to slide sideways by entering a corner with too much speed. Anyway, here's the deal. You'll be driving around New York, a course that consists almost exclusively of 90deg turns. This is nice, because each turn is basically the same as all the rest, so once you find the right speed through each turn, you're all set. I found that if you slow to 39-44mph before each of the 90deg turns, you wont slide and will have good exit speed. You may need to slow more than this for a series of turns in a row. In general, USE THE GEAR INDICATOR! I found that the light flashes at just the right time to start braking (maybe a little early). When the light flashes -- start braking! For the long circle 45mph is a good speed to have going around. For the final, tight hairpin, slow to about 33mph -- try to exit in a straight line with full gas. Also, if you are using an automatic transmission, make use of the R2 button. Holding a gear into the redline will get you a little bit more acceleration, and if done consistently throughout the 3 laps, will save you a nice chunk of time. You should pass the lead AI car soon after the hairpin on the final lap. Splits: Lap 1 +26.7 +24.1 +19.6 Lap 2 +17.1 +13.1 +8.9 Lap 3 +5.9 +2.9 -0.6 AI Time: 6'46.9 --------------- 2.2 Mission 12 [M12] For this test, you'll be piloting a LeMans version of the Ford GT. This car is super fast, has strong brakes, and handles very well. When piloting the GT, brake fairly late -- just before you actually take the turn. Most of the turns require brief braking, followed by a strong application of throttle. For the first turn, slow to about 60mph, and apply just enough throttle to keep your speed, without going off course. The rest of the corners leading to the corkscrew are fairly easy -- brake late, gas on at the apex, and dont drive into the grass. For the corkscrew, you can either choose to brake and drive through it properly, or brake and drive through the sand. If you choose the latter, do it carefully, or you'll earn a 5-second penalty when your car spins out of control. When I completed this mission, I found that the 5th place and 3rd place cars are spaced just right so that if you aren't posting blistering lap times, you'll have to pass them on the corkscrew. This is undesirable, because you'll waste a lot of time trying to get around them at a section of the track where there is no room to pass -- consider using the sand if this is the case. Also, the 4th place car appears right at the final tight left hand corner. 50mph is a good speed normally through this corner, but you may have to slow more than this, and pass 4th place on the straight. Slow more than you have to, and take an inside line to pass 4th place quickly. Splits: Lap 1 +18.3 +16.7 +15.6 +13.1 Lap 2 +10.9 +9.7 +7.9 +5.3 Lap 3 +3.0 +1.9 -0.2 -2.7 AI Time: 4'10.5 --------------- 2.3 Mission 13 [M13] This test takes place at Opera Paris -- a tight track with narrow lanes. It's difficult to pass cars on this track because of the close quarters, so be especially wary of the 5-second penalty! Your car handles pretty well in this test, so again you'll be braking fairly late for the corners. The first section of this track is the hardest to do quickly. I suggest you attempt license tests IA-9 and S-11 before you do this mission, so you have a good idea how to tackle this course. FFBeowulf has an excellent license test FAQ, so check that out if you have problems. For the back straight, there is a slight left hand kink in the road. To take this turn quickly, brake to ~105mph, COAST through the turn, and apply the gas once you know you wont hit the walls on the other side. The AI brakes way too early for the hard right at the end of the straight, so you'll probably pass several of the AI cars by going to the inside, and braking late. Splits: Lap 1 +10.0 +8.3 +5.9 Lap 2 +5.1 +3.5 +3.0 Lap 3 +2.4 +0.7 -1.3 AI Time: 4'37.9 --------------- 2.4 Mission 14 [M14] A lot of people have problems with this mission, and for good reason. First, the lead car is a Buick Special, and it has a much better top speed than you, so dont expect to catch it on the straights. Second, you are driving a muscle car, which basically means it's good at driving in a straight line, but sucks at taking turns. Read the information about this mission to help you learn to drive the superbird. You need to brake VERY early for the turns, and be careful not to get on the gas too quickly, or you'll get tons of oversteer. Thankfully, the gear indicator is pretty good for this test, so when it flashes, start braking! Also, if you are getting oversteer during a turn, turn the steering wheel in the opposite direction (with the gas ON), to straighten the car out. For the first turn, brake as soon as the gear indicator flashes. Slow to 34mph, and steer around the turn with little to no throttle. When you can clear the apex, hit the gas, using the countersteer technique just described to keep the car going in a straight line. For the jumping section, there are three hills to cross, and then a hard right. You need to brake right as you crest the short, flat section right after the third jump. You'll find the brakes are even less effective than usual, because your traction is low when cresting a hill -- be aware of this. For the back straight, use the gear indicator as a marker (before the 100m sign), and slow to 50mph. Use minimal throttle to go around the turn and into the last section. For the very last chicane, your exit speed is CRUCIAL to winning this mission. You MUST avoid sideslip, and you need to have as much speed as you can, because the Buick Special is going to run away (or catch you, if you're ahead!) from you on the front straight. Splits: Lap 1 +5.7 +4.9 +4.6 Lap 2 +3.2 +1.9 +3.0** Lap 3 +1.3 +0.4 -0.2 ** When I passed this test, I actually attempted to pass the Buick Special near the end of the 2nd lap. However, I bumped him, and earned a 5 second penalty, which is why my split went from +1.9 to +3.0. When you are racing, aim to get within +1.3 seconds of the Special at the top of the course on the last lap, and you should be ok. AI Time: 6'03.1 --------------- 2.5 Mission 15 [M15] For this test, you'll be piloting a Lancia Stratos around Cote d Azur -- a very tight street track with narrow roads. That being said, the performance of the Lancia is much better than the AI cars, so this test is a breeze. Be careful with the Lancia though, as it tends to freak out if you have too much speed in a corner -- brake early and more than you think. For the first turn, slow to 48mph or so, and you should be able to make it fine. At the top of the course, there is a long left hand sweeper and with a hard right immediately following. You can wallride around the sweeper and make up lots of time -- be careful doing this though, because it's easy to get a penalty trying to turn right after the wallride. If you choose to wallride, brake in a straight line once you have finished the wallride, then start driving again. For the back straight, there is a very tight chicane that requires a lot of braking. I found that the gear indicator flashes way too late to take this turn properly. Start braking when you pass the columns that stick out from the right of the course. Slow to 33mph or so, and you should be able to navigate the chicane easily. Splits: Lap 1 +39.3 +31.5 +28.8 Lap 2 +22.8 +13.9 +9.6 Lap 3 +5.0 -3.8 -7.7 AI Time: 6'27.1 As you can see, I was able to beat the AI by a ton in this mission, so dont fret if you aren't getting similar splits. Aim to finish in 6'27.0, or 2'09 per lap. --------------- 2.6 Mission 16 [M16] For this test, you and the AI will be driving identical VW Beetle race cars. Because all the cars are identical, you cant win by outpowering them on the straights -- victory will be won in the turns. Having said that, you CAN gain an advantage on the AI by holding R2 if you are using an automatic transmission. Suzuka is a tough circuit to drive quickly, so if you dont have a good idea of what lines to take, you probably wont be able to catch the AI cars. License test S-12 features this track, so try that first if you aren't familiar with the layout. For the esses after the first corner, the best approach is to lift off the throttle, and coast through the apex, applying the gas once you are through the turn. You need to use as many of the curbs as possible, because the esses is where you will make up most of your time on this track. Keep your speed high through here, and you'll start catching the opponents. For the back straight there is a left turn called 130R that leads to the final chicane. You can take 130R at full speed, just be aware that you will cut across the grass. In a license test this would cause you to fail, but its ok in the driving mission. Be sure to cut back onto the main road once you have the traction to do so. For the final chicane (Casio triangle) brake just before the Konami bridge -- this will feel very late, but your brakes are powerful so be brave! Navigate your way through the chicane, and then get ready to do it all over. In general, this mission is fairly easy in my opinion, but I've driven Suzuka a lot, so I'm very familiar with it. Splits: Lap 1 +14.1 +12.5 +10.7 Lap 2 +6.8 +4.7 +2.5 Lap 3 -1.2 -2.7 -5.4 AI Time: 7'38.8 --------------- 2.7 Mission 17 [M17] This is a pretty easy mission. You will be driving an Audi R8 race car around Sears Point. The performance of the R8 is excellent in all respects, so it will probably take you a couple of tries to find it's limits in terms of cornering, acceleration, etc. If you want to practice, you can try the S-13 license test -- same course and car. My only tips for the course are: watch the S-13 license demo to find the right line through the top section; for the last of the esses leading to the final hairpin, slow to 140mph, and then you should be able to navigate the last turn under full throttle. Splits: Lap 1 +20.2 +16.6 +13.7 Lap 2 +11.8 +7.6 +2.9 Lap 3 +0.7 -3.5 -13.1** ** For some reason, the Bentley (the lead AI car), doesn't accelerate at all after taking the final right hairpin. You can see this by watching the replay. This causes the margin of victory to appear a lot larger than it really is. I'm not sure if the Bentley will accelerate out of the final turn if it is in 1st place around the final turn. AI Time: 4'12.6 --------------- 2.8 Mission 18 [M18] If you haven't done IA-16 and S-15 license tests yet, or you haven't done an endurance race around the Sarthe Circuit, then you are going to struggle with this mission. Your car is the uber-fast R92CP, and keeping this bad boy under wraps is no small task. If you simply cant be bothered to try the S-15 license, at least watch the demo to find what the racing lines are. This test uses the easier Sarthe II layout, without the chicanes on the Mulsanne straight so you don't have to worry about those. You need to be fast and consistent to pass this mission, so it's probably going to take several attempts. Sarthe is a very narrow track, so your driving lines MUST be precise, and your entry and exit speeds spot on, or you are going to lose a ton of time or fly right off the course. Again, consult FFBeowulf's license FAQ for an indepth look at the two license tests, especially S-15. There are two pieces of advice that I can offer when working on this test. First, you need to be fast through the infield section leading to the long straight on the first lap. If you can't catch the 5th place AI car before the very sharp right at the end of the Mulsanne, then you are probably going to lose too much time following, or get a 5 second penalty trying to pass. To do this, you need to hit the first split on the Mulsanne (2nd split overall) at +30.5s or so. It goes without saying that you should use the draft of the AI vehicles whenever possible -- just dont ram their rear end. Second, there are three sets of chicanes on this course -- one left-right near the starting line, and a pair back-to-back at the end of the course. The fastest line to take through these is of course a straight line -- dont try to follow the contour of the curbs, cut right through. If you are unlucky, an AI vehicle will appear right in your way, so if that's the case, cut through the sand to get around them. Some have suggested that for the final two chicanes, you can cut straight through the sand. This is a risky tactic, but it could save you a bunch of time. If you choose to sand-cut, then be sure that you do NOT make ANY steering inputs until all 4 of your tires are back on the pavement. If you turn/brake/accelerate with less than 4 tires on the pavement, I can almost guarantee that you'll spin out. Nevertheless, driving as straight a line as possible on the pavement through the chicanes will earn you a lot of time. Splits: Lap 1 +32.5 +30.3 +28.6 +27.9 +26.8 +26.1 +23.0 Lap 2 +20.3 +18.3 +16.5 +15.3 +14.2 +12.4 +9.4 Lap 3 +7.4 +4.9 +3.3 +2.3 +1.1 -0.7 -6.8 AI Time: 9'15.0 --------------- 2.9 Mission 19 [M19] For this mission, you and the AI will be piloting identical (though differently colored) S2000's. Like other missions with identical vehicles, you can't win with top speed -- you have to out-turn your opponents to win. That said, this mission is really easy. If you were able to pass the Beetle mission, then this race will be cake. This time, you are racing around Suzuka east, which only has the esses and a single straight. Since the cars are all the same, you will only make up time in the esses. For the first corner, which is a two part corner, brake to 85mph for the first turn, and then 58mph for the second. The next section consists of the esses, which you've seen before by now. Try to go through the esses at about 72-74mph. Before each turn, tap the brake slightly or lift off the throttle. Be careful lifting off the throttle mid-turn, though, because this S2000 (and all of them in the game apparently) possess a handling characteristic called lift-throttle oversteer. Basically what this means is if you are taking a turn with the gas on, and you let off the throttle, your rear end is going to swing wide. This is great for navigating sharp turns, but it doesn't help as much when taking gradual bends. Use the curbing as much as possible to keep your car on the proper line. I actually passed all of the AI cars in the esses on the 2nd lap, but I went into the sand leading onto the straight, which is why my split has me up 0.8s. Splits: Lap 1 +4.3 Lap 2 +0.8 Lap 3 -4.3 AI Time: 3'25.7 ---------------- 2.10 Mission 20 [M20] For this test, you'll be driving the Nissan mm-R car. This car has a lower top speed than the lead car, an NSX, so you'll have to make up time by out-turning your opponents. Like the description says, this car has excellent brakes, so you'll catch your opponents by braking much later and for a much shorter time than they do. Tsukuba has 3 hairpin turns and a long sweeper right before the finish line. For each of the hairpins, brake LATER than the gear indicator (quite a bit later actually), and slow to ~38mph. Hit the gas after crossing the apex, and keep your speed high through the rest of the turns. For the final sweeper, brake to 73-75mph, and dont hit the gas too early, or you'll go into the grass right before the finish line. This mission is fairly easy. Splits: Lap 1 +3.8 +2.3 +2.2 Lap 2 +1.8 +1.0 +0.3** Lap 3 -0.3 -2.1 -4.4 ** I actually passed the NSX around the final hairpin on the 2nd lap, but since the NSX has a better top end, he got around me on the straight. AI Time: 3'41.7 =============================================================================== 3.0 Slipstream Battles [SB] For each of these battles, you and the AI will be driving identical cars around Test Course. The goal here is to use aerodynamics to your advantage to catch and pass the lead vehicle, which is usually a good distance ahead. To do this, you need to "draft" the other vehicles. Drafting works to reduce the aerodynamic drag on your vehicle. With decreased wind resistance, your engine can push the car slightly faster, or you can accelerate to your top speed more quickly. The effects of a car's draft last for several car lengths behind it, so you dont have to be right on a car's bumper to draft it. So, for each of these missions, using the AI car's draft is the only way to catch them. Tips for drafting: 1. For missions 21, 22, and 24, keep the right 2 tires on the outer yellow line of the straight portions of the track. This will ensure that you pick up the AI's draft as soon as possible, which will help you catch the cars as quickly as possible. 2. Stay in the draft as long as you can. If it helps, switch views so that you can see your front bumper and the AI car's bumper. Pull out of the draft at the last possible moment, but don't do so abruptly -- sudden vehicle movements increase wind resistance, or can cause you to slide. 3. On the corners, stay higher up on the track than the AI. When turning, the draft of the AI is still there, but it is in a line diagonal to the track. By driving a line higher than the AI, you can pick up an AI car's draft around a turn, which is better than waiting to do it on a straight. This also means you should pass AI cars to the OUTSIDE when going around a turn. --------------- 3.1 Mission 21 [M21] For this test, you'll be driving a Nissan Cube. These cars are really slow, so your acceleration is pretty bad. If you follow the general advice above, you should have no problem with this test. If you are using an automatic transmission, be sure to NOT let the car switch into 4th gear until you are well into the 5th place car's draft (you should pick it up around the turn leading onto the back straight). Once in the draft, you can switch to 4th and continue to accelerate. You only have 1 lap to pass all the cars. Splits: +11.5 +10.1 +7.8 +4.9 -1.4 --------------- 3.2 Mission 22 [M22] This test is identical to mission 21, except now you are driving a minivan instead of a Nissan Cube. The minivan is marginally faster than the Cube, but other than that, employ exactly the same tactics that you used in Mission 21. In particular, pass the AI cars to the outside, so you can pick up the next car's draft when rounding the turns. Also, stay out of 5th gear for the entire race -- if you switch to 5th, you wont be able to hold the speed that you gained from drafting as long as if you are in 4th. Again, this is a 1 lap race. Splits: +12.1 +11.0 +5.6 +3.2 -1.0 AI Time: 3'10.4 --------------- 3.3 Mission 23 [M23] Ahhh mission 23. If gamefaqs had a dollar for every thread this mission generated, CJayC would be a rich person. For whatever reason, Polyphony Digital decided to make this test much more challenging than the rest. First, the AI cars aren't equally spaced. The lead car is way, way ahead, and the 2nd-5th place cars are all in a pack. To catch the lead car, you need to take a "leapfrog" approach -- draft the AI cars, speed up and pass them, have the AI cars then draft and pass you, and then repeat the cycle. If you dont draft the AI, eventually you'll slow down to 163mph, which is the speed of the lead car, and you wont make up any ground. The catch is, the AI wont draft you unless you force it to. Finally, if any AI car is going faster than 163mph when it starts to turn around the long sweepers, it will hit the brakes (!) and slow to 163mph. So, you will need to do some serious manipulation of the AI cars to win this challenge. You have 3 laps to catch the lead car. If you've read the threads on the message boards about this mission, there are lots of different strategies. Some people say you need to stay in 5th gear the entire time, others say you should always have the AI bump you in the rear instead of draft them, etc. Here's my strategy, and I can beat this mission 10 out of 10 tries using it. So, for what its worth, here we go. 1. It doesn't matter whether you stay in 5th gear the whole mission or not. I've beaten the mission allowing the car to shift into 6th when it wants, as well as keeping it in 5th the entire time. My suggestion is let it shift when it wants. That's one less button to press for 10 minutes, and one less thing to worry about. 2. There are two ways to increase your speed over 163mph. First, you can draft an AI vehicle ahead of you. Second, you can let an AI car draft you, and when it is about to pass you (almost always to the inside, by the way), you cut it off, and the AI will ram your rear end, giving you a speed boost. 3. The preferred method of increasing speed is by drafting. You can get to higher speeds by drafting, and the total time you spend over 163mph is longer than if you get bumped in the rear. The exception to this rule is that if the AI car passes you right before a turn, it will slow down, and not give you any time to draft it. 4. Based on 3., you need to make a decision on the straights. You can either a) let the AI pass you when they draft, pull in behind the AI, and draft it, or b) block the AI and take a bump to increase speed. My rule of thumb is this. If you are more than 2/3 the way down the straight, take the bump. Otherwise, let the AI draft and pass you. You'll probably find that sometimes the AI will bump you even if you dont move. To prevent this, use your rearview mirror, and MOVE OUT OF THE WAY if you have to. 5. Never let off the gas at any point during the entire race. Never. So here's what you do. For the very first straight and the first turn, you'll be behind all the AI cars. You'll start to catch them around the first turn, where they should be in a big pack. Draft them as much as possible, and pass to the INSIDE of all the cars (yes the inside). Preferrably, you can get going as fast as 174-176mph on this first draft. Once you are past all the AI cars, let your car float up so that the right 2 tires are on the yellow line closest to the wall. Use as little steering as you can to make the turn, and then make sure your right 2 tires stay on the yellow line onto the straight. Because you got going so fast on this first turn, the AI will be pretty far behind on the back straight. Use your rearview mirror to make sure that your car and one of the AI's is in a straight line. Your first time down the back straight, the AI may not even get close enough to bump you. This is ok! As long as the AI cars are close to you around the turn, you're fine. For the second time down the front straight, the AI will likely be close behind, so let them pass, and then draft them. Always check your rearview mirror when you pass, and MAKE SURE one of the AI cars is always right behind you. This will help prevent a situation where you get so far ahead the AI can't keep up. For the rest of the straights, use the 2/3 rule. Use minimal steering inputs to negogiate the turns. Using this strategy, I can usually catch the lead car On the back straight of the 3rd lap. If you can see the lead AI rounding a turn, move up on the track to help catch it's draft. You'll be able to get going really fast by drafting the lead AI (180mph or even faster), so once you pass the AI, you are all set. Be sure not to let the AI draft you once you are in 1st place. Splits: Lap 1 NONE +13.7 +8.2 +7.7 +6.7 Lap 2 +6.6 +6.5 +4.5 +4.2 +3.0 Lap 3 +2.9 +2.8 even -1.5 -2.7 AI Time: 7'04.6 --------------- 3.4 Mission 24 [M24] For this mission you'll be driving a racing S2000 with a wing. Because of the wing, the draft effect is very drastic. I found that for this mission the quieting effect that you hear when you enter another car's draft is not as drastic as usual. That's ok though, because you'll be able to tell immediately when you have picked up a draft -- your car will accelerate quickly. Again, if you are passing AI cars during the turns, go outside, and stay high on the course to pick up the next car's draft. Finally, the AI seems to like to draft you on this course, so don't let them draft you once you are in first place! Splits: Lap 1 +9.4 +8.8 +8.0 +7.3 +6.0 Lap 2 +5.8 +5.4 +4.0 +2.9 +1.5 Lap 3 +1.3 +1.1 -0.5 -0.3 -0.4 AI Time: 5'52.2 =============================================================================== 4.0 1 Lap Magic [1LM] These tests are somewhat similar to the 3 Lap Battles, except instead of placing the AI ahead of you at the start, you have to sit and wait a predetermined amount of time, and watch the AI cars take off ahead of you. The wait times are up to 2 minutes, so this can quickly get annoying when you want to stop and restart. I dont know why Polyphony Digital chose to do it this way, but whoever was in charge should have been fired. Grrrr. Also, from the title, you now have one lap instead of three to catch all the cars. So, unlike the 3 Lap Battles, which required 3 decent laps, now you need one really good lap to win. A few of these are gimmies, but for the most part you need to be fast, with a capital 'F'. Mission 34 is far and away the hardest of any of the driving missions. Its probably the only reason you are reading this guide. Its also the hardest thing to do in the entire game, and may be the hardest challenge ever presented in a Gran Turismo game. --------------- 4.1 Mission 25 [M25] For this mission, you'll need to complete one lap around Fuji 80's in a Pitwork Z (JGTC car). You start 35s behind the lead car. This test is really easy, as there are only 3 turns in the entire lap that require braking. For the first hairpin, slow to 64mph, and then hit the gas once you can clear the 2nd apex. Dont slow at all for the slight left leading to the long right sweeper. For this sweeper, slow to 105-110mph, and coast until the course straightens out, and then apply gas. For the 4th turn (left hairpin), slow to 58mph, and then use the throttle to steer you out. From there, just hold the gas on the entire time, and dont ram any cars, as you'll be passing them at a significantly higher speed. Splits: +22.4 +14.8 +5.9 -1.6 AI Time: 1'51.1 --------------- 4.2 Mission 26 [M26] In this mission, you'll be driving an NSX around Suzuka. This mission has the second longest wait time (90s) of any of them, which can get you frustrated in a hurry, so try to stay patient. Because the AI cars are so much slower than you, they'll be way ahead -- which is good, because you dont have to worry about passing any of them until the last 1/3 of the course. This can be a problem, though, because the AI cars will appear almost stationary when you blast by in your race car -- so stay away from them! The first corner is a two-part, decreasing radius turn. The first part of this corner requires no braking -- go right for the apex at full throttle. Once you've passed the apex, brake in a straight line to ~65mph, and then turn through the second part of the corner. For the esses, try to go through them at 95-100mph, and keep up your speed, because you make up a lot of time here. For Degner, brake to ~100mph, and turn right at the 50m marker. For the second half of Degner, slow to 67mph, and drive over the curbing to get good acceleration out of the turn. For the sharp hairpin after Degner, slow to 35mph, and hit the gas once you can clear the turn. For Spoon, follow the black tire marks that are on the track -- you'll need to brake a fair amount for the first turn, but not much for the second -- coast here instead of braking. The final turns are 130R and the Casio triangle. If you aren't super fast through the first 2/3 of the course, then you will find that the 3rd place AI vehicle will be sitting in the middle of 130R, which makes it almost impossible to pass. Your 2 options are: 1) Go to the outside, and I mean WAY outside of the vehicle at high speed, which risks a 5 second penalty because you'll hit the outer wall 2) slow down enough so that you pass the AI to the inside. Neither of these options is a great one, so my suggestion is really work hard on the first part of the course to get a fast split. If you dont get to the split right after Degner at +52.0s or less, then you'll probably have a problem with the 3rd place AI. If you can beat +52.0s, then you'll be able to pass 3rd place on the straight, JUST before 130R, which makes life A LOT easier. For the final chicane (Casio), use the gear indicator to start braking. Cut across the curbs as much as you can, and mash that gas so you can catch the last two cars -- go to the inside of them or you'll be in the grass. Splits: +51.7 +15.8 -0.5 AI Time: 3'30.1 --------------- 4.3 Mission 27 [M27] This time you'll be driving the great 787B around Laguna Seca. You've probably seen this track before, if you've already done Mission 12, so now you'll be driving an even faster car, and the AI will be slower -- which makes passing dangerous. You start 50s behind the lead car. I found that the 787B understeers a good bit once the gas is on, so you will probably have to tap the gas around the corners to avoid going off into the grass. Dont go to full throttle until you are quite sure you'll make the turn. You'll want to pass the RX7 (5th place) BEFORE the HMMMM bridge, or it will slow you down on the short straight leading up to the corkscrew. Also, the 3rd and 2nd place AI vehicles are very close to each other, and when I went through, I had to pass them on the final hard left turn. If this happens to you, brake a ton, and pass to the inside of both of them. Here's a list of suggested speeds through some of the corners: 1st turn - slow to 50mph, and drive deep into the first turn, then cut sharply around the 2nd turn -- wait to apply the gas or you'll go into the sand. 2nd turn - slow to ~75mph, then hit the gas (again wait just a bit) 3rd turn - 90mph 4th turn - 73mph Corkscrew - brake just before the curbing on the right side of the course appears, go through the 'screw at about 45mph or so Turn after the corkscrew - slow to about 90mph, gas on once your are going in a straight line Splits: +33.4 +21.5 +11.0 -1.3 AI Time: 2'09.8 --------------- 4.4 Mission 28 [M28] In this mission, you'll be driving a JGTC Celica around a newer Fuji track. This test is only slightly harder than Mission 25, because there are a few more corners that require braking. If you've made it this far, then you have a pretty good idea how to drive a race car. You start 37s behind. For some reason, there aren't any splits during this race, so I'll provide some times where I got to certain parts of the course to help you out. Overall, this test is pretty easy, so you shouldn't have many problems. Just watch out for the turns leading onto the final straight -- they are exceptionally sharp, and basically impossible to see before you are right on them, so take it slow. Time Checks: 1. Hairpin in the middle of the course (4th? turn overall): 1'21.xxx 2. Start of final straight: 2'09.xxx If you can get to the final straight by 2'11 or so, you'll be fine. Split (at finish): -4.3 AI Time: 2'30.9 --------------- 4.5 Mission 29 [M29] For this mission, you'll drive a C5R around Sears Point. This car isn't as fast as the Audi you drove in Mission 17, so in some respects this test will be easier, because you won't reach the insane speeds you did in the audi. Hopefully by now you've got a good idea of what to expect from Sears Point -- the first part is tricky because of the elevation changes, the last part is pretty easy provided you dont go into the grass in the esses. The only AI car that is difficult to pass is the 3rd place car. The best way to do it is just go inside of it -- this will take you into the grass, but dont worry about it, its faster than trying to overtake the car to the outside. Some suggested speeds for various turns: 1st Left-Right combo: 125mph up the hill, then slow to 60mph for the 2nd turn 2nd Left-Right combo: 90mph through the first, then slow to 80mph for the 2nd Hairpin after ^: slow to 55mph, gas on at the apex Sweeper after ^: 80mph or so, stay to the inside as much as you can, hit the gas when you see the curbing on the left Hairpin after ^: 40mph Last Hairpin: 48mph Splits: +31.3 +14.1 -0.1** ** This last split is a little deceptive. I was on track to win by a second or so, but I went into the sand right before the final hairpin, as I was a bit overzealous in the final S-turn. If I hadn't gone off, I'd probably have won by a much bigger margin than 0.1s AI Time: 2'15.1 --------------- 4.6 Mission 30 [M30] For this mission, you'll be driving a WRX STi race car around Tsukuba. This is a short track, and you are 53s behind, so you have a lot of ground to make up, and not much time to do it. Fortunately though, it is pretty easy to drive fast around Tsukuba. There are 3 hairpin turns to negogiate, and all the rest are pretty easy. The gear indicator flashes too early for all of the turns in this mission, so ignore it. Your brakes are very powerful, and you never get going all that fast, so brake REALLY late, right before you actually make the turn. Suggested speeds for the hairpins (in order): 1st - 43mph 2nd - 40mph 3rd - 38mph For the final sweeper, brake to 78-80mph, and hug the inside line. The apex is really late for this turn, so gently tap the gas to maintain speed until you can go full throttle. Dont go to far to the outside, or you'll bump the lead AI car right before the finish. Splits: +34.2 +23.1 -0.3 AI Time: 1'56.8 --------------- 4.7 Mission 31 [M31] This mission is pretty annoying. Unlike the previous tests, where you have a nice car to drive, the Lotus Espirit featured here has lousy handling. You'll be doing one lap around the high speed ring, so you'll need to make the turns keeping your speed as high as possible to win. You have 18s to make up. For the first turn, use the gear indicator as a brake point and slow to about 90mph. Tap the gas to maintain speed until you have cleared the turn, THEN go to full throttle. You should pass the elise in 5th just before an S-turn. For the first turn in the S, slow to 70mph or so, again staying OFF the gas until you have cleared the turn. For the second part, slow to 65mph. Keep in mind there wont be much of a straight, so you wont be applying much gas through the S turn. For the right hand turn at the bottom left of the graphic on the screen, slow to 90mph or so -- use as much of the track width as you can to keep your speed high. For the final turn, no braking is required -- you may need to let off the gas to make the turn, but you need to have your speed as high as possible in order to catch 1st place before the finish -- again use all of the track width. Finally, draft the 2nd place and 1st place cars to get a little extra speed, trust me you'll need all you can get to win this one. Splits: +10.1 -0.2 AI Time: 1'44.6 --------------- 4.8 Mission 32 [M32] For this test, you'll be driving the Ford GT around Seattle reverse. This mission is really easy -- I got a 5 second penalty right after the jumping section, and I still beat the SHO to the finish by a second. The only problem I forsee anyone having is learning to drive the Ford GT appropriately. The Ford GT has a good amount of lift-throttle oversteer, which I've explained before. Seattle is an excellent place to take advantage of L.T.O., as most of the turns are very tight. The key to using the GT effectively is realize that you cannot trailbrake in this car and go fast. You MUST do all the braking BEFORE you start your turn -- this way you can tap the gas in mid turn, take advantage of L.T.O. to round the corners quickly and get on the gas. Like I said, I got a 5 second penalty and still won this mission. Also, the splits below aren't that great -- a good driver of the GT can do much, much better. Enjoy the easy one. Splits: +18.3 +6.2 -1.0 AI Time: 2'14.3 --------------- 4.9 Mission 33 [M33] In case you haven't gotten totaly sick of driving around Sears Point, here's one last chance in the driving mission arena. This time, you'll be driving the Cadillac Cien. The Cien has lots and lots of horsepower, but I think the brakes leave a lot to be desired. Hence, you need to brake much earlier for this test than you have in the past. That said, the gear indicator is pretty decent in this test. You start 21s behind, and its not difficult at all to catch the lead AI. The 4th place and 2nd place AI vehicles are a little annoying to pass -- 4th place appears right at the hairpin at the top of the course, and 2nd place will present the same problem that you had in the corvette challenge. Use the same strategy to pass the 2nd place car -- go inside over the grass. For 4th place, go to the inside, which will require you to slow down a lot. Again, this mission is pretty easy, and the splits below aren't that great, so you shouldn't have much problem. Splits: +16.2 +6.1 -1.5 AI Time: 2'10.3 ---------------- 4.10 Mission 34 [M34] 4.10.1 The SLR The SLR you'll be driving in this mission has a ton of horsepower, so it is capable of very fast speeds. However, it also weighs a lot for being a sports car, so you'll have to fight all that inertia through the corners. Another problem here is that the combination of high speed and inertia result in a tendancy for the SLR to lose contact with the pavement. This is really bad, because if you land and make even a SLIGHT steering adjustment, more than likely you will fly wildly out of control. Sometimes you dont even have to make steering adjustments -- the car will land and just become uncontrolable. This is a result of the texture of the road surface been rather uneven. So, how do we control this beast you ask? The key to keeping the SLR on the pavement is timely use of the airbrake. If you drive the SLR, you'll notice that any time you hit the brakes, a spoiler will pop up from the trunk area. The purpose of the spoiler is to provide extra downforce to help slow the car down. If you want to pass mission 34, there are a few sections where this will be essential to staying on the pavement. Also, because the SLR has so much power, and you're only given sport medium tires to work with, the car will understeer if you try and turn a corner with full or even partial throttle. To avoid this, your strategy should be to trailbrake through the corners, and hit the gas once you are clear of the apex. Trailbraking is tricky though, because if you dont brake enough before the turn, then you're simply going to go off course -- finding the right brake points is the key to driving fast around the ring. The except to the trailbraking rule is if you encounter a multiple corner (i.e more than one corner in a row without any straight in between). If you attempt to trailbrake for multiple corners (like S turns or the technical section after the banked pavement), you'll find you wont be on a good line for all the corners after the first one. For multiple corners, you need to brake before the corners, and then use the throttle judiciously to get through. A final piece of advice regarding the transmission. The stock tranny on the SLR is geared extremely wide. There are 6 gears I think, and my bet is you'll never see 5th or 6th at any point on the ring. Because of the wide gearing, you need to make every gear count. If you drive an auto, make sure to use the R2 button to hold each gear for maximum acceleration. For 2nd gear, hold R2 until 97mph (a little more or less depending on whether you are going up or down hill). For 3rd, hold it until you hit 149mph. After the first turn, I was in either 2nd or 3rd for about 90% of the course. Holding R2 consistently will save you a lot of time. 4.10.2 Preparing for Mission 34 Perhaps the most annoying feature of this mission is that you have to sit and wait for 123 seconds before you can even take a shot at this mission. When you are just starting out, and you screw up on the first few turns, this is really annoying when you want to start over and try again. Because of this, I recommend that you practice elsewhere before you attempt this mission. Here's what you need. 1. You need a car that matches the one that you'll be driving in M34. Fortunately, all you need to do is buy a stock SLR from the Mercedes dealer, and you'll be all set. Leave the driving aids on default, and you should have a decent replica of what you can expect from M34. When I was practicing for this mission, I found that the SLR in the mission is a bit floatier than the stock one you buy -- so maybe the suspension is a little softer? I wouldn't mess with it though. If you haven't practiced much, even the stock SLR will present a challenge for you around the practice course. 2. The second thing you need is a target lap time. Obviously, you dont want to recreate the conditions you'll see in Mission 34, because then you'll be waiting for 2 minutes every lap. Practice laps give you a running start, and in mission 34, you start from a standstill -- so what do you do? Here's the deal. The lead AI in mission 34 finishes in approximately 9'13.0. The range of times will be a few tenths above or below this time. You start 123 seconds behind the SLR, so that brings the lap down to 7'10.0. However, the lead AI starts in first place, and you are in sixth on the starting line. From a standstill, it takes about 3.5s or so to reach the starting line. So figure on aiming for, AT MINIMUM, a lap of 7'06.5 in practice. Until you can get a laptime within a second or so of this time, dont bother with mission 34. Either run the 4hr 'Ring endurance race, or practice on the practice track until you can get this time. Be careful in practice though, because you wont be penalized for hitting walls -- try to run as clean a lap as you can! No cheating! Once you can hit 7'06 or so reasonably consistently, you are ready to take a shot at the mission. Here are some splits to guide you on your 7'06 quest. I used the full running start to get them: T1 45.6 T7 4'32.0 T2 1'19.9 T8 5'14.3 T3 1'46.7 T9 5'36.2 T4 2'39.1 T10 6'19.5 T5 3'16.6 T11 6'41.5 T6 3'43.1 Finish 7'04.3 4.10.3 Sector by sector analysis Ok, so you've practiced to the point where you can get a 7'06.5 with a reasonable amount of consistency. The focus of this section is to help you to shave off those last few seconds from your time so you can pass the SL and be done with this mission. Please keep in mind that the speeds / strategy posted here is the result of MY run when I finished -- it is by no means the best or 'official' way. It's simply what worked for me. What works for me may not work for you, but I'm writing the FAQ, so maybe you should at least consider my advice. Start -> T1 This is a fairly easy section to learn and become consistently fast at. There are a pair of complex corners, but neither of them is really all that tough. Here's the breakdown. 1st L - You'll be able to accelerate from your 6th place position to a decent speed, so you'll need to slow to about 50mph to round this corner. As I've said above, trailbrake here. 2nd R - You can take this turn much faster than you think -- check out S-16 for the right idea. The SLR needs only the BRIEFEST of a tap on the brakes, and if you turn in very early, you can round this corner at high speed. Try to not slow down more than 107-108mph, and you'll be doing well. LR Combo - The left turn in this section isn't much of a left, basically all it does is prevent you from braking in a straight line. With that, focus your braking on being able to make the R turn without crashing into the wall. If you slow to about 62mph or so and hug the inside line, you can hit the gas early and leave with good exit speed. LRL Combo - These corners require slight braking. None is required for the initial left. You should tap the brakes to slow to ~84mph, throttle on for a brief moment, and then brake slightly longer to 70mph for the final L. If you do this properly, your momentum will carry you to the outer curbing, but not onto the grass. Banked R - This turn is a little tricky, because the road dips away from the curbing. The optimum line is to allow your car to dip slightly with the road, and NOT over the curbing. Finding the right time to brake here is tough -- practice a few different spots to get it right. The fastest I was able to get through was at 62mph or so. L after ^ - This turn shouldn't require any braking. From here, just hit the gas hard, and dont forget to use R2 when changing gears. T1 -> T2 There are only 3 real corners in this section, but you can lose a surprising amount of time on them. This section is also very high speed -- so you will have to worry about the SLR flying up off the pavement -- use the airbrake to control this. Hard R - This turn will appear right after you crest a small hill after getting your T1 split. IMMEDIATELY after cresting the hill, slow to 115mph or so (this will be a short hold of the brake), and start your turn. Depending on how quickly you can start your turn, you will probably have to coast a little before applying throttle or you'll go off in the grass. You dont want that to happen, because you can't accelerate very well on grass. This turn is difficult. Hard L - This is the hard left turn after the reasonably long 'straight'. Again, you will crest a hill, causing a loss of contact with the pavement almost immediately before you need to make steering / braking inputs. I did NOT use the airbrake here -- you dont want to lose any speed, and the car will remain stable provided you dont make any changes until you land. For this turn, I made good use of the gear indicator -- hit the brakes when it flashes, and AS SOON as it stops, turn hard for the left-side curbing and hit the gas. If you do this correctly, you'll slow from 180mph to 140mph, and round the turn at full throttle. Hard R - There is a large sand area on the far side of this turn, to save you if you overshoot. There isnt much time between when you finish the turn above and when you need to start braking. If you look closely at the pavement there is some graphiti written in red. This is an excellent point to hit the brakes. Slow to 60mph or so. This is a fairly long braking period. Towards the end of the braking, tap the steering wheel SLIGHTLY to the right, which should start to guide the car towards the right-hand curbing. Hit the gas until you drift to the curbing on the opposite side. T2 -> T3 Another short section. This section was easier for me, because I used a grasscut right before the T3 checkpoint. You start going fast downhill, with a few minor lefts and rights that can be handled at full speed. You'll turn left and head uphill. For this next section, I strongly suggest you revisit license IA-13. You'll need to brake earlier than in that test, but your line should be exactly the same. Your braking needs to be complete before you veer left over the curbing, or you'll probably hit the wall on the opposite side. If you can clear the trickly left-right, then just follow the left curbing to the tight chicane. Instead of navigating the chicane, simply drive straight over the small hill, and start turning right once you can see the road. I found that having the gas on before you hit the pavement helps to prevent from sliding all the way across the road and into the grass on the other side. If you choose to use the grasscut, and do it correctly, it saves you about 1.5 seconds! T3 -> T4 The upcoming section is featured in license test A-14. Although your SLR is way faster than the TT, again, watch what the TT does to find the proper line. After the T3 timecheck, there is a slight left, followed by a sharper left. Take the first left at full throttle, but slow to 108mph for the 2nd left. This leads to a L-R combo. As I've said before, do NOT trailbrake into combination turns, as you will not be on a proper line. For this L-R use the gear indicator as a brakepoint, and slow to 62mph. When you cross the apex of the first L, you can go full throttle through the 2nd. Hard R - The next turn is a hard R, and is a decreasing-radius corner. Be careful of this type of corner, because you have to slow down in advance, and more than you initially think. Also, the wall is very close to the opposite side of this turn, so if you are too fast you will almost certainly bash the wall and earn a 5 second penalty. LR Combo - This turn is very similar to the L-R combo you saw a few seconds ago. You can go through this turn at a higher speed than before, but use caution, as the road surface is very uneven and may cause the SLR to freak out. Slow to 95mph before the corners, and you should be able to take both corners (in as straight a line as possible) at full throttle. R,R Combo - Following ^, there will be two R turns. Slow to 95mph for the first, and then coast as you hug the inside of the turn. Wait to apply throttle until you can see the road straighten -- if you hit the gas too early, then you'll go off into the grass. RLR - This sequence is the last part of A-14. The brakepoint for these corners is later than you think -- hold the throttle until just before the curbing on the right hand side of the road. You'll have to steer while you brake, so keep this in mind. Slow all the way down to 46mph, and then throttle on hard. Hug the right curbing initially, but then allow the car to drift to the outside for a little better acceleration. You'll get the T4 check when you cross some red graphiti on the pavement. T4 -> T5 This section will start going downhill, and then there will be a gradual left-right combo. L - If you look over to the right as you head downhill, you'll notice a diagonal strip of pavement. Hit the brakes as you pull even with this strip, and slow to 67mph, coast briefly through the bottom of this 'valley' and then apply throttle. R - This turn is soon after the L mentioned above. The driving surface is very uneven here, so that will reduce your grip and force you to slow down more than you think you should have to. Also, this R occurs at the crest of a small hill, so your traction is reduced even more. Slow down to 70mph or maybe a little less, and you'll find that you can just make it without crossing over into the grass (which I did a zillion times by not slowing down enough). Brake early for this turn -- if you are late, you wont be able to save it. R - This is the same turn that you had to navigate in license IB-2. This is also the site of your first wallride (if you choose to do that sort of thing). For this turn, you want to gradually go off course and bring your left side in contact with the railing. Hold the gas on through the entire turn. When you've completed the turn, you should be in 3rd, going about 78mph or so. As you cross back onto the pavement, let off the throttle BRIEFLY, which should cause the transmission to shift up to 2nd gear. If you dont do this, your acceleration will be lousy, and it will cost you several mph of speed in the next section. Hold R2 as you normally would. T5 -> T6 This section is almost entirely uphill. For the uphill section, you should be able to take every turn with full throttle. Also, be sure to hold R2 until you hit 149mph -- this will ensure you can get as much speed as possible. At the top of the hill here, there is a sharp L turn. I chose to wallride around this turn. Be careful, though, as this is a difficult turn to wallride without earning a 5 second penalty. You need to bring the ride side of your car in contact with the wall well in advance of the turn. Instead of just holding the gas through, also turn L on your wheel or dualshock as you round the turn -- if you do it correctly, you wont hit the wall with the front of your car. Let off the gas when you are around the turn, and gently guide your car back onto the pavement. Use minimal steering inputs here, as it is easy to upset the car's balance. T6 -> T7 If you've done everything well up to now, you should have the SL65 in your sights. Soon after you get the T6 split, there will be a R turn. Slow briefly to 112mph for this turn. Hard R - This is a sharp hairpin turn that leads to a short uphill section that ends in the first banked section of pavement (Karrusel?). Hit the brakes when you cross the curbing on the left side of the track, and slow to 50mph. Again, this is a decreasing-radius corner, so dont get eager with the throttle until the road straightens out. I passed the SL65 going uphill BEFORE I got to the banked pavement. Banked Pavement - I wallrode around this turn. Its pretty easy to do, and will save you a nice chunk of time. Also, if you aren't going super fast, then you'll probably have to battle the SL65 here. Wallriding makes it much easier to pass this car. L - This turn is a slight left just before a LR combo that leads onto the 'technical' section of the 'Ring. For this L, tap the brakes VERY briefly. You may even be able to coast through this turn without braking -- just dont go on the grass on the opposite side. LR Combo - This turn is uphill, and leads directly into the technical section. The gear indicator is spot-on here, so use it as your guide to start and stop braking. Be careful though, as it doesn't appear without flashing, so you'll need to be watchful for it to appear. T7 -> T8 This is the 'technical' section of the 'Ring. I cannot stress enough just how important this section is to your overall time. More likely than not, you'll go through this section a couple of times, and think that you've got it down, when in fact you are still giving up a couple of seconds. The proper line through here is almost entirely over the curbs. If you find your car in the middle of the road, then you are off line and probably going too slow. You need to brake briefly BEFORE each turn as it comes, and stay on the curbing! Get half of the car over it if you can. I'm not going to post speeds through here, because there are so many corners in a row, you'll never have time to check your speed and stay on the course. My suggestion is go back and do license test A-16. If you cant get gold on that test, then you aren't driving the section properly. In fact, you should be able to do quite a bit better than gold. If I recall correctly, the gold time is 54.150s. You should be able to go through in no more than 54s flat. If you have problems getting the gold, press the R3 button (the right analog stick, press DOWN on the entire stick) for track lines to follow. Practice this license test over and over and over again. Keep in mind that you can go about 10mph faster in the SLR than in the license test. A-16 ends on a short straight, so for the next few turns you wont have a demo. If all is going well, then you should pass the SL500 just before the finish of A-16. The next turn is a R, with a large sand trap off to the opposite side. Slow to 70mph for this turn, and wait to get on the throttle, or you'll probably visit said sand trap. The final series in this section is a LR combo. Again, this turn is uphill, which makes your visibility poor, so brake in advance. You can cut the grass for the R turn of this combo if you dont slow enough for the initial left -- this is ok, just keep in mind you are on the grass, and traction is bad. If you slow to 65mph before this combo, you should be able to negogiate them both under full throttle. T8 -> T9 This section starts with a slight left that can be taken at full throttle, which then leads to a downhill section followed by a sharp right. Just before you need to make the right, however, there is a dip in the pavement, which will cause your car to fly through the air. Because of this, you need to brake BEFORE the dip, and when you land, slow to 85-90mph as you hug the inside curb. There is a large sandtrap here, so if you go off, you'll slow down a ton, so do this turn correctly. If that wasn't difficult, then the next little section certainly will be (at least it was for me). There is a very slight left that leads sharply downhill, which again will cause your car to fly in the air. The added bonus here is that the road has a very sharp crown. This little turn cost me many a good run. If you want to go through full throttle, it is possible. The best line I found was to set up on the right hand side of the road, and try to drive over the middle of the crown, and then hope I landed in a straight line -- which doesn't happen often. Good luck to you if you take this approach. A safer one, in my opinion, is to use the airbrake. If you tap the brakes just before you crest the crown in the road, then you wont fly in the air. This slows you down, sure, but you can get immediately back on the throttle. I found that by hugging the inside left of the crown, the body of the SLR rolls a bit, but you wont fly in the air if the airbrake is up. If you drive over the middle of the road, you will still probably leave the pavement. In either case, make sure your car is settled before making any inputs -- even if this takes you slightly over the grass. For the final turn, which is a slight R, tap the brakes or coast through, depending on how successful you were in keeping the car on-line through the previous section. There's a large grass area here, and the road is reasonably straight, so even if you get the whole car off, you can recover without much of a speed loss, so be brave. You should be able to get going pretty fast for the next section. T9 -> T10 This section starts with a reasonably 'straight' section of the course, and the first turn requires braking from high speed. R - Use the gear indicator here as a brakepoint, slow to 85mph, and hug the curbing as you do it. Gas on at the apex. L then L (banked) - For the first left in this series, there is another large sandtrap on the opposite side. Slow to 72mph and wait to get on the gas, or you'll probably end up in the sand. For the banked turn, brake quite early, and slow to 60mph or so. Coast through the bank, and hit the gas just before you leave the banked pavement. If you're doing well, you'll pass the 190E Touring car before you take the R,R combo that leads to the very long straight. R,R combo - These corners are tricky, and it is quite easy to go off into the grass if you are too fast. For this first right, brake at the graphiti on the road, and slow to 90mph. Dont get on the gas just yet! Coast through the 2nd R turn, and hug the curbing. Hit the gas just before you can see the road straighten out. If you hit the gas too early, you'll find that the tires will squeal, and you'll slide sideways. This is ok provided you dont go off, but it doesn't give you maximum exit speed for the straight. If you wait just briefly while you coast around the 2nd turn, you wont slide, and you can exit just a bit faster. T10 -> T11 Not much to say here. Hold the throttle down, and use R2 for max acceleration. If you are doing really well, you'll pass the Kompressor just before the T11 split at the bridge. T11 -> Finish The final sequence of turns goes like this: A slight L, a RL combo, and then a RLR combo. For the slight left (which isn't that slight when you are going through it at 200mph) can be taken flat out, provided you set yourself up correctly and turn early. You'll need a lot of braking (from 200mph!) for the RL combo that comes up very quickly. The gear indicator is way, way late, so if you aren't braking well before it flashes you're in big trouble. There is curbing on the left side of the road. Start braking about 5 car lengths before the curbing -- this is hard to gauge correctly, so I'd work on it in practice mode a few times to get it right. Slow to 120mph or so, and then hold the gas briefly to take you to the final section. You should now be very close to the SL as you navigate the RLR combo. If the SL wasn't there, then you could slow to 55mph for the first turn, full throttle through the second, and then slow to 50mph for the final turn that heads uphill. However, the SL will probably get in your way if you've run a good lap, so be very careful! The SL AI takes a pretty tight line through here, and its probably the line you want to take. So either stay right on its bumper until the final uphill stretch, or go in the grass around it. Dont worry about not passing it right away -- you have way, way more horsepower, and can easily win a drag race to the finish, even if you are a car length or two behind it rounding the final turn. 4.10.4 Splits and AI Time Listed below are the splits that I got when I beat this mission. I have no problem using the grasscut and wallrides described above, so factor that in if you are a driving purist. For the driving purists out there, I found another set of splits, and I'm pretty sure the driver (Tazio) didn't use any cuts or wallrides to get them. So you can use those as a standard (I did when I was working on this mission). Here they are: My Splits: Tazio's Splits: T1 +1'49.9 T1 +1'50.3 T2 +1'40.6* T2 +1'40.9 T3 +1'31.5 T3 +1'33.0 T4 +1'19.2 T4 +1'20.1 T5 +1'05.7 T5 +1'07.2 T6 +53.9 T6 +56.2 T7 +37.9 T7 +41.4 T8 +29.6 T8 +32.9 T9 +23.4 T9 +26.4 T1 +12.0 T10 +14.2 T11 +3.6 T11 +5.9 MOV -0.2 MOV -0.4 * I was way late hitting the brakes just before this split, and almost went into the sand. I probably could have been at high 1'39.x without that mistake. I ended up beating the lead AI by only 0.2s, but that is because I was EXTREMELY conservative on the final section (it's really, really easy to spin out while braking from high speed). After many, many tries, I didn't want to risk blowing it after such a good lap. I was behind the SL during the final S turn, and I chose to wait to pass it until the final stretch uphill, as I wasn't worried about losing a drag race. In retrospect, I could have easily cut through the grass, and probably finished ahead by 1-2 seconds. If you get to T11 at +6.0s or less, then you'll have a great shot at catching the SL. Finally, Tazio used a driving force pro setup, and I used the dualshock 2 controller. AI Time: 9'13.0 (again, plus or minus 0.2s or so) =============================================================================== 5.0 Credits Tazio (aka Nuvolari), as I snagged your splits for mission 34 from a forum on GTPlanet if I recall correctly. They were immensely helpful to me when tackling this mission. Orion_SR, for suggesting that I add target split times for practicing for mission 34. END OF DOCUMENT