Races of Gran Turismo 5: Professional Series

(UPDATED: October 7, 2014)

Time to prove yourself in a tougher challenge than what the Beginner and Amateur levels provided- it's the Professional Series! In this series of races, you will need to improve your racing skill little-by-little to achieve greatness. The Gran Turismo World Championship is also part of the Professional Series. Are you World Championship material? The training wheels are off. Time to be a champion. No license is needed to compete in any race in GT5. So you can go out and find cars and compete in the appropriate races to boost your level.

This blog post pertains only to the GT5 Professional-level races. REMEMBER: You must be at Level 10 or higher to compete in this series.

BEFORE I BEGIN:

I will be working on creating as many of these race posts for Gran Turismo 5. Because this will all take some time to get everything completely right, I will be releasing posts like these one at a time based on my own Gran Turismo 5 progress. I will make any needed corrections if need be. Any loyal readers can freely contact me and provide extra information that I may have missed. To contact me, visit my Blogger/Blogspot profile and send me an Email. Alternatively, you can post a comment to the Wall of my Facebook fan page if you are on Facebook.

Basic Advice.

Each race has information on what tracks are raced and how many laps are run for both A-Spec and B-Spec. You must be at a certain level in A-Spec or B-Spec to compete in each event. Those level requirements are listed in parentheses () prior to the description of each series/championship. Each series is listed in a heading with a period at the end, and each championship is listed with an exclamation mark. Any listed requirements (if any) are noted at the end of each introduction. If you only see B-Spec requirements, then that means the race has no limitations for A-Spec.

Races of Gran Turismo 5 Series:

This lineup of posts will have more posts added in the future. Check back in this post (and others) for the latest updates and to link to other posts in this series.

• Races of Gran Turismo 5: Beginner Series
• Races of Gran Turismo 5: Amateur Series
• Races of Gran Turismo 5: Professional Series (YOU ARE HERE)
• Races of Gran Turismo 5: Expert Series
• Races of Gran Turismo 5: Extreme Series
• Races of Gran Turismo 5: Endurance Series

LATEST UPDATE(S)/REVISION(S):

OCT 7 2014 - added links to other posts in this series; updated overall look of posts and made several edits

--- Races of Gran Turismo 5: Professional Series ---

Let those other 11 cars know who the REAL World Champion is! Go hard or go home with the Professional Series.

Try to win every race and championship to receive the maximum money as well as the most experience points for each victory. If you win all the races in a championship or in a series, bonus cars will be rewarded to you. Bonus cars are offered for victory both in A-Spec and in B-Spec. Both offer different prize cars. Here is a look at the series and championships in the Professional Series.

REMEMBER: You must be at Level 10 or higher to compete in this series.

Mini Challenge (Level 10).

"A contest to see who can push their Mini to the max."

When BMW took over in bringing back the Mini Cooper, the original small car returned gloriously with a 21st Century makeover. You must harness this car's great abilities to win. This is a One-Make race limited only to the Mini Cooper. You must prove your talent by racing this car around the streets of Madrid while making sure to finish ahead of all the other Mini Coopers.

All versions of the Mini Cooper can compete. Sports Hard or less tires are required for B-Spec racing.

• Circuito de Madrid (3 laps A-Spec; 6 laps B-Spec)

Muscle Car Championship (Level 11).

"Harness that incredible power to become #1 in the world of muscle-car racing."

The Muscle Car Championship invites all American cars to compete in a great throwdown of American racing. In a two-race coast-to-coast contest of speed, bring out your American rocket to go for the win. Do your best to claim victory in this all-American championship. Have you the finest American steed to win?

Only American cars can compete in this championship. Sports Soft or less are required for B-Spec racing.

• Daytona International Speedway-Road (3 laps A-Spec; 6 laps B-Spec)
• Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca (5 laps A-Spec; 9 laps B-Spec)

Supercar Festival (Level 11).

"A dream race which high-powered monsters go head-to-head."

Supercars exemplify exclusivity, immense power, and jaw-dropping performance. These qualities are for you to experience in this series. Perhaps my primary suggestion- stay away from high-powered 4WD cars. Unless you are a good tuner, you are better off with a competent mid/RWD car. Three races will test your ability to race these dream cars properly against other supercars. Show you have the fastest and most capable supercar by taking on these races against other supercars.

Sports Soft tires or less are required for B-Spec racing.

• High Speed Ring [Reverse] (3 laps A-Spec; 6 laps B-Spec)
• Daytona International Speedway-Oval (3 laps A-Spec; 6 laps B-Spec)
• Nürburgring GP/F (3 laps A-Spec; 5 laps B-Spec)

Lupo Cup (Level 12).

"Use skillful technique to get ahead in this special race for the VW Lupo."

The Volkswagen Lupo is the car of choice for this one-race championship. That one race takes place at a track you may recall if you have done the VW Lupo race in Gran Turismo 4- Nürburgring Nordschleife. Good news is that this car is just right for this track. Prepare to log an easy 12 miles of racing here!

Only Volkswagen Lupo models are allowed to compete, including their Racing variants. Sports Hard or less tires are required for B-Spec racing.

• Nürburgring Nordschleife (1 lap A-Spec; 2 laps B-Spec)

Japanese '80s Festival (Level 12).

"Enjoy an event in some classic cars from the golden age of Japanese motorsports."

The 1980s are revived for this championship involving Japanese cars. Find a Japanese car from the 1980s and enjoy some '80s racing in this championship. The two race tracks that will be used are classic Gran Turismo venues- Autumn Ring and Deep Forest. Harness the power of these '80s Japanese cars to propel yourself to victory.

Only Japanese cars produced between 1980 and 1989 (including race cars) are allowed to compete. Comfort Soft or less tires are required for B-Spec racing.

• Autumn Ring (5 laps A-Spec; 10 laps B-Spec)
• Deep Forest Raceway [Reverse] (5 laps A-Spec; 10 laps B-Spec)

Lamborghini Exclusive (Level 13).

"A fight to decide the fiercest of all the charging bulls."

One of the most sought-after marques in automobiles, Lamborghini, made its proper debut in Gran Turismo PSP. GT5 marks the first major GT to feature Lamborghini. The raging bull of Lamborghini has been a tour de force since Automobili Lamborghini's founding in 1963. In this one-race event, you are racing with and against Lamborghinis. You will be racing on the streets of Rome against other Lamborghini models in this event. Do Ferruccio Lamborghini proud by winning this race with your Lamborghini land rocket.

As a recommendation, you might want to use and tune the Lamborghini Gallardo for this championship because you will need to have a Gallardo for a future race. It's a recommendation if you want to save up some money in the game. Otherwise, this is a championship for and limited to Lamborghinis.

Only Lamborghinis (all models) can compete. Sports Soft tires or less are required for B-Spec racing.

• Rome Circuit (3 laps A-Spec; 6 laps B-Spec)

British Lightweights (Level 13).

"Lightness is your greatest weapon in this battle of the sports car pioneers."

Lightweight cars boast a number of great advantages. Among other advantages, they are very agile and capable. There are British cars that surely take advantage of light weight. One of the most prominent marques of lightweight cars is Lotus. So you may want to look to Lotus for guidance for a car to use in this championship. Prove that lightweight British sports cars are among some of the finest sports cars in the world by trying your luck here. Enjoy racing in England for this two-race series.

Only British cars that weigh 1200 kilograms or less are allowed to compete.

• London (3 laps A-Spec; 6 laps B-Spec)
• Top Gear Test Track (3 laps A-Spec; 6 laps B-Spec)

La Festa Cavallino (Level 14).

"The fastest of the prancing stallions will be decided in this race."

Ferraris are on parade as this one-make race brings the prancing stallion to the forefront. You will race Monza, home to the Formula One Italian Grand Prix. This high-speed autodrome is known to test engine reliability with the long straights. Don't worry about engine failure in Gran Turismo 5- just show your Ferrari is better than the 11 other Ferraris that share the track with you.

All Ferraris (excluding the two Formula One cars) are allowed to compete. Sports Soft tires (or less) are required for B-Spec racing.

• Autodromo Nazionale Monza (3 laps A-Spec; 6 laps B-Spec)

Gran Turismo World Championship (Level 14)!

"A white-hot 5-race gathering of racing cars from around the world."

The Gran Turismo World Championship caps off the Professional Series. Only five races are featured, but they are all difficult to win. This is where some of the better racing machines come out to play for glory. Secure the Gran Turismo World Championship and show that you have arrived as a champion! This is the first championship in B-Spec that allows for Racing Tires. So if you are sick of using non-racing tires, now is the time to enjoy racing on Racing Tires.

Racing Hard tires (or less) are required for B-Spec racing.

• RACES: Circuit de la Sarthe- (2 laps A-Spec; 4 laps B-Spec), Nürburgring Nordschleife (2 laps A-Spec; 2 laps B-Spec), Madrid (5 laps A-Spec; 10 laps B-Spec), Cape Ring (5 laps A-Spec; 5 laps B-Spec), and Grand Valley (5 laps A-Spec; 8 laps B-Spec)


Congratulations! The Professional Series has now concluded. You have proven and justified your arrival. You can't just stop playing the game since you won all the races in the Professional Series. If you do, you are just neglecting that there is still a lot more racing to do, including much tougher races! Don't back down now... more racing is ahead! Get your head in the game and make ready for the Expert Series! Make sure to challenge tougher series if you've acquired enough experience to reach tougher championships.





More to come for this series of blog posts regarding GT5's races! Until next time, thank you for reading!

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GT Could Use New Ideas

Gran Turismo has established itself as the finest racing game franchise since its inception in 1997 or 1998. More cars and tracks have helped to shape the franchise along with a healthy array of racing events to challenge all gamers. The old adage of "teaching an old dog new tricks" shouldn't have to apply for something like GT... right? Well, no. If you look at Gran Turismo 5, there was a LOT to be desired, as many felt disappointed at what GT5 COULD have been. Some people have lost their faith in the Gran Turismo series after what GT5 has produced. Even with its updates, some feel it is not enough to keep Gran Turismo as the top console racing game franchise in all of gaming. So what will save Gran Turismo for years to come? To me- new ideas.

--- What New Ideas Will Help GT6? ---

What do I mean by new ideas? Let's think about this for a moment.

Gran Turismo has done everything possible to make racing games better in a number of respects. Helping its own cause is a variety of races and race events along with various cars to take advantage of these races. A new venture lends itself to new opportunities for your game and your franchise. Case in point- Gran Turismo 2, where rally racing debuted in the GT series. It offered a parallel different from traditional circuit racing. In Gran Turismo 3, you would be fortunate enough to own a Formula 1 car- which debuted in the GT series. Gran Turismo 4 featured Le Mans Prototypes for the first time as well as Driving Missions. Gran Turismo 5 had its own new ideas- NASCAR, proper rally racing, and of course- online racing.

Even with these new additions to each game, the racing element still feels fairly stale. That's why I introduced my "Motorsports Makeover" series to discuss various aspects of racing that will make the series just an extra bit better. No matter how many cars or tracks are featured, they all mean nothing if the racing is stale.


It would be comical of me to say I'd need an entire blog post on this topic, but there are still a number of things that have yet to be properly executed. Here are some:

Drag Racing.

Gran Turismo 2 featured the first-ever drag racing cars with the HKS Drag 180SX and the HKS Drag R33 Skyline. Proper drag racing and proper tracks? No. Reports have talked about how the Gran Turismo team used Bandimere Speedway in the Denver area as its roster of real-world locations. Online racers have used Special Stage Route 7 for drag racing.

People have always thought of drag racing as "stupid." You know- just accelerate and go faster than the driver in the other lane. There is a science to drag racing that makes it what it is.

Track Challenges.

Certain tracks that have multiple layouts can benefit from track-based challenges. For example, a three-race series involving multiple configurations of a track (including reverse layouts) can be a start for track-based series. For example, this could be a three-race series involving Grand Valley Speedway:

• Grand Valley East-Normal
• Grand Valley East-Reverse
• Grand Valley Speedway-Normal

I thought of this from "SHIFT 2 Unleashed." You could even allow track challenges to even include various other events, like drift trials.

Time Attack.

Why not allow a mode where many cars are on the track at once trying to score the best time? If you're familiar with the SHIFT series, you know what I am talking about with the Time Attack events. Fastest time after a certain amount of time allowed wins.

A Career-Inspired GT Mode.

It would be interesting to make GT Mode seem more like an established racing career while not making it some linear storyline. If you make a storyline-like model for Gran Turismo, you make Gran Turismo more linear than GT usually is. You also run the risk of making Gran Turismo less fun and less free to do almost whatever you want. And I'm sure this is NOT what you want...

Unique Championships.

Many of the championships are based on car types. I would like to see GT maybe play around with some new ideas to make the tracks more interesting. Why not come up with some championships to take advantage of certain kinds of cars, tracks, and features? You could come up with championships based on the cars that could be Racing Modified in GT5. You could have (for example) a Camaro Cup based on the Chevrolet Camaro that could be Race Modified in GT5 and have the race ONLY feature Racing-Modified Camaros. This would be sort of a throwback to Gran Turismo 2, where there were One-Make Races limited to road-going cars and race-modified cars.

In addition, it would be nice to have certain championships and series feel more like proper championships rather than just a series of races. Infuse a certain character to some championships to make them feel like they are more than just a standard series of races. If you ask me, one of the best candidates would be the Gran Turismo World Championship. If PD is smart and creative, they can make several series infinitely better.

More Races With Loaner Cars.

You usually need a certain car or certain kind of car to compete in a championship or race. Having to own a certain car can get a bit old and stale. A better idea would be to give you races and series where cars are provided for you. You don't have to buy a car beforehand. I really don't know why Gran Turismo doesn't offer this in its games. For as many cars that are in a game like a Gran Turismo, there are few opportunities to really enjoy using a certain car that you either don't own or may be curious about knowing its performance characteristics.

Another way to think about this is to imagine trying to join a racing team or be among a given field. Let's say if you place well or win a championship, you win the car you race in. Added incentive for you and your racing career in Gran Turismo.

Rivalry Races and Duels.

If there was one thing the Forza Motorsport series has done right, it is a proper forum for putting cars to the test. One of many different rivalry series is the Camaro vs. Mustang battles. Or if you've played the SHIFT games, you may be familiar with the Manufacturer Showdown races, where two similar or evenly-matched cars are offered to you, and you must pick one car to compete in a Best-of-3 race series.

I want to see Gran Turismo make their own unique series of rivalry races. The possibilities are endless. They could start with a Supra vs. Skyline/GT-R rivalry series. It would help establish a connect between the featured cars and the racing. PD needs to be creative coming up with certain rivalry series that would make the battles interesting. If the player doesn't have the car for each rivalry race or duel, that player can be provided one of the cars per the request of the player. So if there was a rivalry between the latest Camaro and the latest Mustang, I could choose between either of the two cars and compete valiantly in a given rivalry race or duel.

Give the player options and keep the race interesting.

Race Weekends.

Practice. Qualifying. Warm-up. And of course- the main race. Why not make the racing a bit more interesting and realistic? You don't have to do all the elements of a race weekend, but at least it helps make the racing more realistic. Heat races would also qualify as part of a racing weekend. Imagine having to earn your way into a race or championship rather than just simply enter a race or championship. Yeah- make you work for it.

Race Formats.

A single race format is basic for any race. However, it helps to try some new things. Why not have a few different race formats for a few championships and series? Imagine if you could have a two-race format either with the same number of laps or where you reverse the finish order to determine the grid for the next race? What if you could have a dual-race format that consists of a sprint race followed by a feature race? It's just something to think about to add a little spice to races.


These are all among MANY different things Polyphony Digital can do to enhance the GT franchise.

--- Ideas vs. Execution ---

Ideas mean nothing without properly executing them. I am not saying or implying that Polyphony Digital fails at making races interesting; I am just saying that you have to have certain ideas, and then properly execute them just to make the package sweet. I make mention to a lot of things on JGTS in hopes of envisioning a more creative and fun game. What I want is for Gran Turismo to continue being one of the very best gaming franchises (let alone racing game franchises) on the market today.

Certain elements to enhance Gran Turismo will require a few new elements and ideas to make them magical. It may even mean doing some things differently than in past iterations of Gran Turismo. Certain elements may even require changes to car lineups, driving physics, etc.; but at least these changes can be done. To what extent each change will make GT6 better purely depends. The one thing I want is a different experience that still remains vintage Gran Turismo.

Is there something I think should be implemented proper that hasn't been fully executed or realized yet? To me, I'd like to see proper drag racing implemented. It's pretty pointless to not have something to take advantage of serious high horsepower additions in a proper environment. I am not talking about using a very long straight to simulate a drag racing environment. I am talking about proper drag racing with all the rules and nuances of drag racing.

--- Final Thoughts ---

Gran Turismo can use some new life and some fresh ideas. Do you want everything to be stale or show some vast evolution? There have been new ideas and cars and such. What GT REALLY needs is some more spice and spunk to show forward progress and further evolution. Maybe my ideas and insight can help. In addition, I hope my loyal readers can supplement their own ideas to help me help offer more suggestions for Polyphony Digital's great racing game franchise.





Keep reading "John's Gran Turismo Space" for more commentary and for more ideas expressed. Thank you for reading!

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Gran Turismo 6 Discussion Now Open on JGTS

With Gran Turismo 6 in the works, I prepared this post to let my JGTS readers know that I will make a concerted effort to discuss elements of GT6. Because let's face it- GT5 has really been a disappointment. I love GT5, but it could have been much better. So I will be using JGTS (and maybe even YouTube) to discuss elements of GT6 to help offer my own vision of what GT6 needs to be in helping move past GT5's disappointments.

Most of what I publish regards speculation, ideas, commentary, and more. Those who follow my YouTube channel, "JohnMarineTube," may be familiar with what ideas I've made mention to. Things will be no different here on John's Gran Turismo Space. I want my blog readers to share and comment on my material here in regards to GT6. I value all of my readers worldwide. It was my effort to blog about the Gran Turismo series when I started off on John's Blog Space. Then, it was my continued passion to make a proper blog regarding the Gran Turismo series when I moved over most of my JBS material over here to JGTS. I want to continue this because I know I have fans who vastly appreciate my tireless efforts.

If there are elements you want me to discuss about GT6 or want my opinions about, message me on Facebook or contact me via E-Mail. I will try to make every attempt to address each thing you're speculative of if I see topics that interest me.

As an off-topic note, I will re-work this blog's layout a little bit to be more consistent with the other blogs of mine. I want to make it easier to edit in case I need to edit elements of its layout. Check the latest news and notices for more info.

About the Label: "GT6"

This blog label features various topics regarding Gran Turismo 6.





Thank you for reading!

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SuperTuxKart

SuperTuxKart- also known as STK- is a free, open-source kart racing game featuring Linux mascot Tux and many other characters. Karting fun can be had with this game either solo or against others. Prepare to take on a vast number of fun tracks with some high-speed thrills. As of this blog post, SuperTuxKart is a game I've downloaded before but never played until recently. I will be offering my own review of this free PC racing game.

The latest version of SuperTuxKart is Version 0.8.1, which is what I will be basing my commentary on.

--- SuperTuxKart at a Glance ---

For a look at the game I will be discussing in this blog post, please take a look at this video:


^ SuperTuxKart 0.8.1 trailer

SuperTuxKart it a kart racing game sure to please any casual racing game fan with its wild action and fun characters. Many lovely environments await gamers as they take on the many courses of SuperTuxKart. You can play as any character and race on any track. In addition to the tracks and karts offered, you can download more karts and tracks. Some of the in-game material has to be unlocked through progress in the game. There is support for both single player and multiplayer racing action. As many as 20 karts can compete on a track at once. Laps can last anywhere from 1 to 20.

SuperTuxKart: Single Race.

This game features a Story Mode and many different Single Race modes. In Single Mode, you can race any of the tracks you've unlocked or downloaded in a series of different events:

• Normal Race - an average race pitting you against the field with weapons enabled.

• Time Trial - go for the best time! Weapons disabled.

• Follow the Leader - stay with the leader, but don't pass the leader! Along the way, drivers will be eliminated after a set amount of time.

• Easter Egg Hunt - find all the eggs scattered across each track as quickly as you can.

SuperTuxKart: Story Mode.

Story Mode has you take part in a storyline. GNU has been kidnapped by the cruel Nolok, and the only way you can rescue GNU is to beat Nolok in racing. You will compete in a series of challenges spread about the land. You can enter any of the force field bubbles granted you have enough points to access each challenge. You earn points by clearing challenges. What you want to do is clear the Gold challenges to quickly earn points. But if you're just starting off or aren't as confident in getting those points, it is best to stick with the Beginner and Intermediate challenges. Clearing these challenges earns you points to access the more difficult events.

• Winning Bronze Challenges earn you 8 points.
• Winning Silver Challenges earn you 9 points.
• Winning Gold Challenges earn you the maximum- 10 points.

You can go back and take on any of the challenges again to improve your point total. Each of the challenges require you to finish in a certain position, collect a certain number of items, complete a race within a certain amount of time, etc.

SuperTuxKart: Characters and Tracks.

The various characters in SuperTuxKart are mostly Linux mascots. Of course, you can race as Mr. Linux himself- Tux. Who you want to race as is primarily your own call. There isn't really any difference or advantage as to who you actually race as. You can also play as other characters, such as Suzanne- the chimpanzee mascot of the Blender 3D modeling program. A few more karts can be unlocked through progress in the game.

Each of the tracks consist of a variety of beautifully-designed cartoon style tracks. They all have wonderfully-styled and colored venues for you to race on. Some tracks even have shortcuts for you to take advantage of. Be sure to learn each track and try to find every possible way to cut down your lap times especially when doing the harder challenges.

SuperTuxKart: Racing.

Races can include just yourself or as many as 20 opponents (including yourself). Race distances can last anywhere between one lap to 20 laps. You can configure these elements when doing Single Race or Multiplayer Race action. When racing, you pick up blue bottles and blue oil drums packed with Nitro. This Nitro is available for you to use at any time as long as you have boost available. Drive through the blue gift boxes to receive random items. You may even be able to pick up additional units of some weapons to get a little extra advantage. What you REALLY want to do, however, is avoid the bananas. Running through any of the bananas will slow your kart down and even screw around your driving temporarily.

And of course, make sure to avoid any environmental hazards as you go along.

SuperTuxKart: Modding.

Because SuperTuxKart is open source, you are able to model karts and tracks as add-ons for SuperTuxKart. You can visit SuperTuxKart's website to learn more on how to create mods for SuperTuxKart. Add-ons created for SuperTuxKart can be downloaded from the Add-Ons menu of STK. If you are a modeler, for example, you can use Blender to model karts and tracks for SuperTuxKart. Best of all... Blender can be downloaded for the absolutely low price of free.

IN CASE YOU'RE INTERESTED: To learn more about Blender 3D or to download Blender, please visit www.blender.org.


This gives you perspective on SuperTuxKart.

--- SuperTuxKart: Final Thoughts ---

This is really a fun experience. Anyone who is a fan of cartoon-style kart racing should easily find something to love about this game. The game itself is fun and has some wonderful music. Even doing the Story Mode is pretty fun. You aren't exactly tied to or indulged in the storyline, which is a good thing as far as racing games are concerned. You'll have a very fun experience playing SuperTuxKart. So if you have the PC requirements to play it, feel free to download and enjoy some fun kart racing!

For More Information...

Visit supertuxkart.sourceforge.net for more information on SuperTuxKart.





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iRacing Thoughts

(UPDATED: August 20, 2013)

iRacing is NOT just another racing game. It is a serious multiplayer simulation racer that even serves as a training tool. Its value is predicated on real racing on real courses. You have to pay for a subscription to enjoy the iRacing experience on your computer, but it's worth it to find quality competition. iRacing is about as close as many of us will get to ever being any kind of professional race car drivers. Some professional race car drivers- like Dale Earnhardt Jr. even play iRacing. This blog post is a look at my thoughts regarding iRacing and what I think it means to both racing games and racing in general. I have never played iRacing as of this post, and I may never get to enjoy iRacing with my current computer and its configuration. So therefore, this blog post is NOT a review. Why review a game I've never played? This post just contains my thoughts on iRacing.

For more information on iRacing, please visit www.iracing.com. This link will appear again later in this post.

BEFORE I BEGIN...

I have NEVER played iRacing, so this is NOT a review of it. It would be pointless to review a game I've never played. However, this is a digest of thoughts on iRacing. My thoughts are only on what I've taken in from reading and seeing videos on iRacing. This is mostly an impression-based look at iRacing.

This post was originally posted on "John's Blog Space" and edited heavily for this blog. Original date of first post: December 16, 2010. Updated content from that post is as accurate as of the date of this initial blog post (August 19, 2013).

LATEST UPDATE(S)/REVISION(S):

AUG 20 2013 - made several edits

--- iRacing at a Glance ---

iRacing is a serious sim racing title featuring real cars and real racing. It is not some casual racing game where you can enjoy crashing cars and driving like an idiot. This is a game where you can enjoy realistic racing and realistic driving in an intense multiplayer setting. The cars are real. The tracks are real. The racing is definitely real. Get ready for a racing experience that is second to none when you play iRacing.

The attention to detail and realism in handling and in racing is incredible. Its value is predicated on taking on other human racers. Therefore, you won't have to worry about bogus AI or anything. If you are thinking that this is another game where you can just drive like an idiot and race super-fast with unrealistic handling, think again. If you are thinking that you will be racing on fantasy courses on completely unrealistic tracks, think again. This is NO racing game for the casual gamer. So those of you into games like the Gran Turismo series or Need for Speed series will probably want to forego trying this deal out. This is a racing game for the sim racing fan who wants to be challenged in every possible way. That's not to say this experience lacks fun, however. The game is just tailored for real racing.

To progress through the game, you will need to earn various licenses in the game. Earning licenses through good driving and (more importantly) safe driving lets you go further up the ladder and go against more intense competition. Start small-time and work your way up to the bigger and better cars and races.

iRacing as a Training Tool.

I mentioned earlier that this game also serves as a training tool. I have heard or seen stories of racing teams and racing series using iRacing as a way to screen drivers on their racing skills. Those who obviously do well in the iRacing tests will be impressed with the screening test. So anyone looking to become their own quality racing driver can look to iRacing to better your skills in this age of simulations.

If iRacing weren't around, actual track time would be the barometer of your racing talent. Not many people are physically fit and able to take on the challenges of real racing and driving in real racing machines. So be thankful something like iRacing is around.

My Basic Thoughts Concerning iRacing.

For someone who has never played iRacing, I think this game is a greatly formidable challenge. I'm actually even scared to play this game for two reasons- (1) though I consider myself a sim racer, this is WAY out of my league, and (2) it seems too intense for me to try to race this title. I'd probably stick to rFactor, and even sometimes, I'm not really a pro with rFactor. The fun factor is certainly there. Various leagues are set up to feature various styles of racing. And if you think you can go around wrecking other cars and not get away with it- two things. First off, the game DOES have realistic damage, so your car will suffer from any damage taken. iRacing is a fully-sanctioned deal as well. Since it's fully-sanctioned, you may likely face some penalties for rough driving and avoidable contact. This is NOT the game to go wreck cars. Save that for the Burnout and Forza Motorsport games.

Want in on iRacing? Then here is what you should do: visit www.iracing.com, pay for a subscription, set up an account, install the software, and and go racing in iRacing! Just make sure you have a decent Windows PC, a racing wheel assembly, and a broadband assembly before trying this deal out.

--- iRacing: Cars and Tracks ---

The people at iRacing continually try to provide as many varieties of car and track. The one thing about iRacing is that it is not exclusively about road racing. For example, you can race machines like sprint cars and stock cars. The tracks are very meticulous in their detail. Many kinds of courses are offered to iRacing players ranging from ovals to road courses. Let's take a look at cars and tracks. All of the cars and tracks are items featured as of the date and time of this blog post.

I believe you can actually tune your car settings in iRacing. Just don't expect things like purchasing upgrades or dropping in a Stage 2 Turbo or Weight Reduction 3, though. I also believe you can change the paintscheme of your cars in iRacing. So you don't have to go with the iRacing red/white/blue liveries.

Cars.

Every car you can choose from is real. The various cars all help to expose players to multiple styles of cars and racing featured in iRacing. All cars have been meticulously-detailed based on actual specifications and features of cars featured in the game. Here is a look at some of the cars featured in iRacing (the introductions to each car type are my own):

--- NASCAR ---
The best in frenzied, hard-fought racing.

• Ford Fusion Gen6 Sprint Cup Car
• Chevrolet SS Gen6 Sprint Cup Car
• Chevrolet Impala SS Nationwide Car
• Chevrolet Silverado
• Chevrolet National Impala
• Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS Late Model
• Tour Modified
• SK Modified
• JR Motorsports Street Stock
• Ford '34 Coupe
• Chevrolet Impala SS COT Sprint Cup Car


--- Open-Wheel ---
"Real race cars don't have fenders." Meet these unforgiving race cars.

• Williams-Toyota FW31
• Dallara Indycar
• Lotus 49
• Lotus 79
• Star Mazda
• C and R Silver Crown Car
• Sprint Car
• Skip Barber Formula 2000


--- Prototypes ---
These are fast and exotic racing machines delivering high speeds and great downforce.

• HPD ARX 01c
• Riley MKXX Daytona Prototype
• Radical SR8 V8
• SCCA Spec Racer


--- Sports Cars ---
These are various GT and touring car racing machines ready for you to push to their limits. Some are street cars tuned for racing, and some others are proper racing cars.

• Chevrolet Corvette C6.R
• Ford V8 Supercar
• Ford GT
• McLaren MP4-12C GTC
• RUF RT 12 R (coming soon...)
• Cadillac CTS-V
• Kia Optima
• Mazda MX-5 Cup
• Mazda MX-5 Roadster
• Ford Mustang FR500S
• Volkswagen Jetta TDI
• Pontiac Solstice Club Sport

Learn more about each car by clicking here: iRacing - Cars

As of this updated post (August 19, 2013), the RUF RT 12 R is coming soon.

Tracks.

Upon my visit to iracing.com in preparing this blog post, iRacing has over 44 tracks with various configurations. These include both oval courses and road courses. There are many tracks from around the world featured in this game. Each track has been faithfully re-created using laser cutting technology. So if a track is very bumpy at certain parts of the track, you will feel all those bumps as you race around the track. The majority of the courses (since iRacing is American) are either American or Canadian. There are no fictional tracks, no tracks with fictional names to avoid copyright issues- just real-world licensed tracks for you to race. Most of these are tracks that I have blogged about in my "Race Tracks" series of blog posts on "John's Blog Space." Here are all the available tracks for iRacing users as of this blog post:

• Daytona International Speedway
• Silverstone
• Indianapolis Motor Speedway
• Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps
• Phillip Island Circuit
• Bristol Motor Speedway
• Watkins Glen International
• Charlotte Motor Speedway
• Road America
• Michigan International Speedway
• Interlagos
• Brands Hatch
• Pocono Raceway
• Circuit de Gilles Villeneuve
• Kansas Speedway
• Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course
• Suzuka Circuit
• Circuit Park Zandvoort
• Thompson International Speedway
• Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (formerly Mosport)
• Dover International Speedway
• Sebring International Raceway
• Twin Ring Motegi
• Darlington Raceway
• Iowa Speedway
• Kentucky Speedway
• Oran Park
• New Smyrna Speedway
• Talladega Superspeedway
• Texas Motor Speedway
• Oulton Park
• Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca
• Rockingham Speedway
• Okayama International Circuit
• Atlanta Motor Speedway
• Phoenix International Raceway
• Milwaukee Mile
• Richmond International Raceway
• Las Vegas Motor Speedway
• Martinsville Speedway
• New Hampshire Motor Speedway
• Concord Motorsport Park
• Chicagoland Speedway
• Stafford Motor Speedway
• Homestead Miami Speedway
• Oxford Plains Speedway
• Lanier National Speedway
• USA International Speedway
• Irwindale Speedway
• Sonoma Raceway
• Road Atlanta
• Lime Rock Park
• Virginia International Raceway
• Summit Point Motorsports Park
• Barber Motorsports Park
• Centripetal Circuit
• Langley Speedway
• Circuit Park Zolder
• South Boston
• Auto Club Speedway (coming soon...)
• Mount Panorama Circuit (coming soon...)


Learn more about each track here: iRacing - Tracks

Think that's a great assortment of tracks for iRacing? It is! Two tracks are coming soon to iRacing as of this post- Auto Club Speedway and Australia's Mount Panorama Circuit (popularly known as Bathurst).

--- iRacing: Final Thoughts ---

iRacing has become one of the most important games as far as the evolution of racing games are concerned. It has become a top-flight game for bringing professional-style racing to those who otherwise may not ever take a single lap around any course professionally. Maybe a game like iRacing doesn't have casual appeal or a Gran Turismo-style path to greatness. What it does provide is a completely engaging and challenging real racing experience actually sanctioned and governed like most real racing series. In other words, it is like its own FIA... only you don't have any bogus behavior or silliness from the likes of Bernie Ecclestone.

The amount of detail, attention, and passion to make iRacing both a competitive racing game and a training tool is all worth it for making iRacing truly wonderful. This game is its own unique racing title. It doesn't need to be like any console racing game to be popular. Also, it doesn't need the theatrics and insanity of arcade racing titles. If you care anything about racing games, at least consider what all iRacing has to offer for gamers and serious sim racers alike. It's okay to be drawn in to an amazing title like this one- and for good reason.

Race 'em hard if you do iRacing!

--- iRacing: Videos ---

Prepare to see iRacing in action. I have found videos on YouTube to help you to see what iRacing has to offer. I want to thank the various YouTube channels that allowed for their videos to be embedded. You can view the videos on YouTube by clicking on the links below the videos (if you are unable to view embedded videos). Take a look:

iRacing Explained by Leigh Diffey.

Leigh Diffey is one of my personal favorite motorsports announcers. Allow the Australian to tell you all about iRacing in this video:


^ "iRacing Explained By Leigh Diffey"

Getting Started With Your iRacing Career.

If you were intrigued by iRacing but don't know where to start, maybe this video can help you:


^ How To: Plan Your iRacing Career

Dale Earnhardt Jr talks about iRacing.

^ "Dale Earnhardt Jr talks about iRacing"

Wow. Imagine being able to go against actual pro drivers in a gaming environment. Let me give you an analogy- that would be like saying you slam dunked a basketball over LeBron James or Shaq.

Full iRacing Preview.

Have a lot of time on your hands (like almost 17 minutes)? If so, here is a video from Shaun Cole of the critically-acclaimed "Inside Sim Racing" giving you a full preview of iRacing:


^ "iRacing Full Preview by SRT's Shaun Cole"

iRacing Radical highlights from Road Atlanta.

Now for some ACTION. Check this one out:


^ "iRacing Radical Highlights from Road Atlanta"

iRacing Highlights Video.

Finally, let me share with you a sample of a highlights package from the actual material iRacing streams online. Check this out:


^ "2010 NASCAR iRacing.com World Championship - Round 11 - Daytona "

There's your video insight on iRacing!

--- Want to Try iRacing? ---

My blog post of thoughts on iRacing is basically over. Do you want to learn more about iRacing or show your love for iRacing? Click on any of the following links to learn more about iRacing:

• iRacing Official
• iRacing World (official community of iRacing)
• iRacing Facebook Fan Page
• Follow iRacing on Twitter!
• iRacing TV
• iRacing on YouTube
• VirtualR News on iRacing

More relevant links may be added in the future.





Do you share the same sort of ideas of mine regarding in iRacing? Be sure to visit www.iracing.com for more information on iRacing. Thank you for reading!

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rFactor Series

rFactor succeeded Sports Car GT back in 2005. This game from Image Space Incorporated not only continued where SCGT left off, but went crazy in offering many more kinds of cars and many more environments and races to compete in. This simulation racing game offers no shortage of racing cars or racing types for racing gamers alike. Anyone with a PC powerful enough to play rFactor would have no reason
to pass this one up. My blog post here is a look at rFactor.

BEFORE I BEGIN...

This post originated from my "John's Blog Space" blog. The version you are reading here is a revised version made exclusively for this blog. Here is the history of the blog post you are about to read. In a blog post dated back in December 2009 on JBS, this post was updated substantially on April 12, 2011. It was updated again for this blog on August 18, 2013. All of my input regarding rFactor is based on the 1.150 version of rFactor.

About the Label: rFactor

rFactor is one of the best PC racing games today with a multitude of races and race cars. Posts under this label concern the rFactor series. It may also contain a look at various mods for rFactor as part of the label's featuring.

--- rFactor at a Glance ---

Get to know rFactor with this section. Here's a picture:


^ from: www.amazon.com - rFactor: Customize. Control. Connect.

When Sports Car GT was released back in 1998 or so, it was praised for its great racing, but also for its mod-friendly nature. One was able to create mods for the Sports Car GT engine. These mods came in the form of tracks and cars. But amid the fun of making mods for this game, the experience was completely limited. You can only choose day/dry, night/dry, day/wet, and night/wet. They are all determined on if the tracks will allow certain mods. Downloaded cars and car packages didn't have their own in-car views. Certain engines sounds were made available. As good as Sports Car GT was, there was always room for improvement, and even the best can be made better. So back around 2005, Image Space Incorporated, the makers of Sports Car GT (as well as other great racing game titles), made a game that is no doubt a TRUE and complete successor to Sports Car GT. This would be a game that may not have rain or wet effects for its tracks, but it did include dynamic time changes among other features. Detailed interiors of cars and impressive 3D graphics brought SCGT's finest features and enhanced upon them. That eventual game got a memorable name. Introducing... rFactor!

Considered by many to be the finest simulation-type racing game on the market today, rFactor is really a testament to both racing and the modding community. This is a racing game created with modding in mind. Later versions of rFactor only build upon what the original started off with. You get a fairly expansive number of cars and tracks for which to race in rFactor with. What other racing game offers all of the following right out of the box:

• sportscar racing
• open-wheel racing
• stock car racing
• a short oval
• a speedway-type oval
• a superspeedway-type oval
• a street course
• an off-road rally course

This game gives you a whole lot out of the box. You pay good money for an experience like this, and Image Space delivers again as they've done for at least a decade. rFactor was made with the sim racer in mind. It can be as forgiving or as unforgiving as the racer would like. You can race with your keyboard or any other gaming device compatible with rFactor. The hardcore set will lovingly play rFactor with a proper steering wheel assembly. rFactor is even used in a number of different driving and other simulations. It makes rFactor one of the most significant racing games of the past decade.

As much as the game offers so much out of the box, the REAL key to rFactor's success is with the modding community. People will lovingly create mods to make an already great game even more so with their own modifications. People will create their own championships and series using mods. Many cars introduce racing game fans to a variety of different cars and racing series. Many track mods help expand the already deep track lineup and offer new opportunities to enjoy racing full speed. Different utilities and add-ons only make this game even more accessible and feature-rich. If people are making all kinds of mods for a game like this and if many people are praising it, then rFactor HAS to be totally worth it, right?

SimBin Controversy.

I have mentioned the rFactor modding community. One of the other such modding sources come from mods made from SimBin games. One of the most popular- yet most controversial mods for rFactor was the FIA GT Championship mod for rFactor. What contributed to its controversy was that the mod entirely consisted of every car from "GTR FIA GT Racing Game" and GTR2." It also consisted of various tracks from both games converted for rFactor. Funny enough... the GTR series uses the rFactor game engine, known as isiMotor.

Mods created by SimBin and converted for rFactor require the user to have the proper SimBin game prior to playing the given mod(s) for rFactor.

IN CASE YOU ARE INTERESTED... Here is an article on VirtualR showcasing SimBin's letter to rFactor modders converting SimBin material: "SimBin Issues Modding Statement" (VirtualR - Sim Racing News).

--- Why rFactor? ---

rFactor is a racing game that allows you to enjoy great simulation-type racing across various styles of racing. Everything from sportscar racing, open-wheel racing, stock car racing, rally racing, and more can be found in this game. You get a complete racing experience that's completely customizable. The addictive nature of making and installing mods makes this game like crack for the sim racer.

(DISCLAIMER: John Marine does not endorse or condone illegal drugs or using terminology like "crack for the sim racer" as a means of expressing something. In other words- it's just an expression. Pull yourself together!)

So what's changed between SCGT and rFactor? LOTS of things!

Got Time?

You are able to do proper endurance races. Would I be joking to you if I told you that could do a 24-hour day-to-night-to-day race in only 24 minutes? You can do a full 24-hours of gaming, but the only problem is that you have to give up about 24 hours of your life to play a game for hours and hours, even while your lover tweets you and texts you wanting you to go out on a date. You may have to tell your imaginary blow-up doll the hard truth- "I'm playing a racing game for hours on end, I need my time, baby. I'ma treat you so good when I'm done racing, alright, baby?" Once your lover (whether real or fake) understands that you're pursuing the racing experience of your life, you can note that the skies go from a sunny day to a starry night beautifully. You note lights turned on around the track and also note cars turning on their lights to prepare for nighttime battle. You can set races to be decided on time, with dynamic time changes, or just set a normal race that has time fly by. You could even set a race to be decided on laps or time

Crazy Customization!

rFactor is in no way an overnight success. This game has earned all of its awards for a reason- addictiveness of modding. You can customize elements such as various game dynamics, customizing certain cars with performance parts, class racing, type of race start (standing start, rolling start, etc.), kind of race weekend, length of the race (laps, time, laps and time), flag settings, what classes will race... I'd need a seperate blog to discuss all the different nuances of this game. Basically, you CAN create your dream race weekend.

How Do You Like Your Racing?

This game is a pure sim racer. There's nothing arcade in nature about this game. All cars handle realistically. The only restriction on how you want things like damage and tire wear depends on you and your skill level. Do you increase the aggression to make for a frenzied race? Do you turn damage all the way up to 100% to where your car is guaranteed to screw your car up for the rest of the race? It's all up to you. SCGT didn't come with various driving aids. This game allows you to tone down the experience to better suit your driving skill and your racing ability.


Once you settle down, you can find several packages and settings that suit you best as you play the game.

--- Starting Out with rFactor ---

Life with rFactor is grand, isn't it? You have one of the finest and most customizable racing games on the market. But like many things in life, you have to start small.

NOTE: I bought rFactor as version 1.150, so all of what you are about to read pertains to this edition of rFactor.

The Cars.

Even Image Space Incorporated does their part to bring new tracks and cars to their own game, making it all the better. This is one of those games in which it's made better with modding. Because I'm so much of a sportscar racing fan, I'd recommend you try out the ZR Cup as it's the first championship you take part in. You race in events to make money and gain experience. Now the experience relates to being able to purchase future cars. Not all cars are available right away to purchase. On completing the ZR races, you move on to series like the Hammer cars and go all the way up to the H6 Howston cars, the best race car of the SR Class.

Prefer open-wheel? There's the OWC, Open Wheel Challenge. You start out with cars that resemble the Skip Barber Racing Series, go on to rF3 (rFactor's Formula 3 series), and to Formula IS. You even have the BMW Sauber Formula 1 race car. It's easily the fastest car in the game among cars you could race right away. If you want to start making money right away in OWC, you'll need to race with the BMW Sauber F1 cars in competition. Perhaps because of my history with this mode, I've often struggled with F1 cars. But... it's the only way to get ahead. Do you want to get those 2 million Credit Formula IS cars or what? However, you can get the rFactor-livery Formula IS cars for free without needing lots of experience points. It's a tough road ahead.

Stock car racing fans can enjoy the NSCR (National Stock Car Racing) championship where you're locked in the intense stock car racing battles that define the character of racing in the United States. You can purchase equipment sets that prepare your car for various ovals and road racing setups.

The 1.150 package I bought features the Lienz events, a series of races based in the fictional Austrian course, Lienz. Tracks range from a simple romp through the village all the way to a super-long course ranging from the village and into the mountains (that even has a 24-hour course, if you can believe it!). This series features lots of rally-type cars. The cars are peppy and fun to race.

There are many more cars for you to explore and enjoy racing with, so I'll leave it up to you to explore all the richness rFactor has to provide! I recommend you go to rFactor Central for more cars for rFactor, including mods created by ISI. Other kinds of cars and other categories of racing can be found from mods from rFactor Central.

The Tracks.

The appeal rFactor brings can be found in its cars and tracks. Out the box, you feel like you're playing multiple games at once. Tell me what other game gives you this combination of tracks:

• multiple road courses
• three ovals of varying lengths
• a street course
• some real-life circuits (Circuit de Gilles Villeneuve, for example)
• a dedicated rally course

There are many more you can download to enhance your racing experience. But the tracks are all there available to race however you want, whenever you want. Hell, you can set a race to be run at midnight if you want to. Your possibilities are endless. I recommend you go to rFactor Central for more tracks for rFactor, including tracks created by ISI.

This is a quick look at each of the default courses released by ISI:

• Barcelona - race on Circuit de Catalunya, home of the F1 Spanish Grand Prix.

• Brianza - the Italian Grand Prix course around Monza is available for you to race in one of six different configurations.

• Essington - a fictional British circuit with a mix of high speed and technical corners.

• Jiading - put your racing skills to the test when you challenge the Shanghai International Circuit in three different configurations, including the Chinese Grand Prix course.

• Jacksonville - a fictional superspeedway oval similar in character to Daytona International Speedway. Enjoy high-speed battle on the high banks and straights of this tri-oval.

• Joesville - get ready for short oval track racing around this fictional short oval in Montana!

• Lienz - this is a fictional course that features multiple race courses in and around the Austrian village of Lienz. There is also an off-road configuration to enjoy your off-road racing in rFactor. So there is something for everyone with this mod.

• Mills Metropark - a great amateur-type road course with two different layouts; one of which can be run in the reverse direction.

• Montreal - the F1 Grand Prix of Canada course at Circuit de Gilles Villeneuve offers high speed battle with some tricky corners.

• Northamptonshire - this is the Silverstone Circuit, with three different variations including the Grand Prix course. Considering rFactor was released in 2005, the configuration does NOT include the new Arena configuration of today's Silverstone Circuit.

• Nuerburg - the Nürburgring Grand Prix course is a tough one to master. This game features the Grand Prix course and its short configuration, but not the 12+ mile Nürburgring Nordschleife.

• Orchard Lake - consisting of a speedway oval and an infield road course, Orchard Lake is a great place to enjoy high-speed racing. I personally use Orchard Lake's oval as a test track.

• Sardian Heights - a fictional street course with two different configurations. Get ready for an intense street fight around the tricky confines of this street course!

• Toban - this is an amateur-style race course with challenging depths. It has a number of configurations available to test you on a number of levels.


There are many more tracks you can download to enhance and expand your racing experience. So if you want more, just download away! I'll point you towards places where you can download more content for rFactor later in this blog post.

--- rFactor in Review ---

rFactor is one of the most addictive racing games of all time. It is a fantastic racing title with little or no gripes or compromises. There isn't any dynamic weather, if you want some kind of nit-pick on this game. I think if you love racing games PERIOD, you go check this game out and enjoy it. You will not be disappointed, I promise you.

--- The Future of rFactor: rFactor 2 ---

rFactor 2 was just a mere concept when I did my original post on rFactor in "John's Blog Space." rFactor now has itself a series with the coming of rFactor 2. It was released in January 10, 2012 as an Open Beta. Work is still being done to it in helping it continue what rFactor started. Most of the work done for rFactor 2 is mostly based on past mods and tracks from the first rFactor. Some of the earliest tidbits on rFactor 2 included courses like the 1960s version of Spa-Francorchamps, a vintage-style Circuit de Monaco (where the F1 Grand Prix of Monaco is held), and the Sepang International Circuit among others. Beautiful day-to-night transitions and weather effects make up rF2's more appealing bits.

My current PC can't handle rF2, so I can't say I am part of the crowd playing rFactor 2. All I can say is that Image Space Incorporated has helped design perhaps the finest racing games on PC. They have the Midas touch when it comes to racing games. So I wouldn't be surprised to see rFactor 2 continue ISI's portfolio of great racing games.





If you want to get this game now, click on this below:


^ rFactor for PC.

--- rFactor Resources ---

Visit these links by clicking on the headers. They will point you in the direction towards more rFactor content.

• rFactor (official site) « Visit rFactor's official website.

• rFactor 2 (official site) « Visit rFactor 2's official website.

• rFactor Central « rFactor Central is the largest and most complete resource for downloading mods for rFactor. Sign up to rFC to download an entire host of mods while also following work-in-progress mods.

• Simraceway « if you fancy online racing, this is where you can enter and take part in a number of competitions for rFactor.

• rFactor League « Enjoy F1 racing with this rFactor League. Download packs and find many more things for which to increase your racing pleasure with rFactor.


• VirtualR - Sim Racing News (rFactor Link). « Get the latest sim racing news on rFactor through VirtualR.

• VirtualR - Sim Racing News (rFactor 2 Link) « If you want the latest news and notes on the upcoming rFactor 2, VirtualR has you covered with this link.


I will include more resources in the future if I can find some more that may be of interest.





And that concludes this blog post. Thank you for reading this re-made blog post!

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Sports Car GT

Sports Car GT in 1998 challenges gamers to push a GT car to its limits on a variety of intense race courses. This game was made by Image Space Incorporated and published by Electronic Arts. It would be released on PC and even the PlayStation 1 (or PSone or PSX). This game is a memory in today's gaming realm. So to help discuss as much as possible as to why even bother with SCGT, I present to you this blog post. I want to discuss as much as I can about Sports Car GT and give you as much insight as possible as to why it is such a revered game.

This blog post mostly pertains to the PC version of "Sports Car GT," though I may mention the PS1 version.

--- Sports Car GT at a Glance ---

Allow me to introduce you to Sports Car GT (SCGT):


^ from: www.amazon.com - Sports Car GT (PC Version).

Sports Car GT is really a breath of fresh air among racing games featuring licensed vehicles. For one, it isn't another NASCAR game or another game based on Formula 1. Sports Car GT is a simulation racing game featuring a variety of exotic cars. Your racing adventures in this game lets you race a number of American and European cars. You get to race on fictional and real courses around North America and Europe. Races can be run either on laps or time. You can actually adjust the level of tire wear and fuel consumption as well as damage. Before patches came along for SCGT, the damage was only mechanical. Races can be run under a number of conditions. Based on various tracks, these combinations were possible: day-dry, day-wet, night-dry, and night-wet. Almost all of the cars have lights on them to light up the darkness. Wet tracks have actual rooster tails of water getting kicked up as cars speed around race tracks. As many as 16 or so cars could race on a track (including yours). One patch allowed for as many as 24 cars to race at once at a track.

If SCGT was famous for one thing, it was a classic concept- take something great, then make it better with add-ons. That's right. The modding community was key in making Sports Car GT better than it already was. In fact, I can say that a future game- rFactor, would not be possible had it not been for the modding community who helped make Sports Car GT even better than it already was.

More than ever, Sports Car GT had an appeal among simulation racers that almost no other racing game at the time- even including the Need for Speed series- could equal or better. That was even if SCGT wasn't as pretty or as brash as the NFS series. Sports Car GT is more one of the most important racing games as far as the evolution of simulation games are concerned.

Now that you have insight on Sports Car GT, let me give you a brief overview of SCGT and what it has to offer.

--- Sports Car GT: General Overview ---

Let me tell you as much as I can about the more general aspects of Sports Car GT.

The Racing.

When you begin Sports Car GT, you can run a Quick Race format, a championship Season, or you can play online multiplayer. A quick race allows you to do one race with one of a few cars or any car from your Season play. You can set variables for tire wear, fuel consumption, damage, and more. Season Mode has you with fixed settings. You can buy and upgrade cars in this mode. You will run in separate championships to earn money towards buying better cars and upgrading your current ones. When you successfully clear one championship, other championships will open up for you. The only real control you have over championships is how many cars you want to race against and how long you want the races to be. If you prefer online racing, you can do so from the game's online racing suite.

Most tracks allow for all possible options. All tracks are raced in the daytime, but some can be run at night. Some tracks allow for racing under dry conditions or wet conditions. True to sportscar racing, races are mostly set by time distance and not by laps. One important thing to note in races is when the Halfway Point is set. Once the race reaches the Halfway Point either on time or laps, the race is declared official. So if you exit a race after the Halfway point has been reached, you will DNF and not get any points towards the championship, nor will will you receive any money. So try to complete every race. You can't actually retire from terminal damage or anything, but just try to complete each race you take part in. You can always try a race again if you don't reach the Halfway point of the event.

There are four classes of competition in SCGT. From slowest to fastest: GTQ, GT3, GT2, and GT1. There is even a fifth class for when you successfully win the GT1 championship. The higher classes mean faster speeds and more unforgiving driving mechanics.

If your computer can't handle so many cars on a track at once, you may want to scale down the graphics or even have fewer cars on track at once.

The Cars.

The cars you race in this game consist of American and European manufacturers. You start off with 100,000 Credits and a choice of three different cars- the BMW M3, the Panoz Esperante, and of course... the Porsche 911. The Quick Race mode starts you off with either the GT3-spec BMW M3 and the GT2-spec Porsche 911. You will be able to race other kinds of cars later in the game once you start making more money. Other cars you get to race include the Saleen Mustang, many more Porsche 911s, the Vector M12, the Porsche 911 GT1, the McLaren F1, Panoz Esperante GT1, and the Mosler Raptor among many other cars.

Each car can be upgraded with various upgrades. Your options include turbo upgrades, tires, weight reduction, brakes, suspension, and more. You can sell your car if you're short on cash. The cost of the car and all of its upgrades factor into how much you can get back when you sell your car. You can even tune your cars with a variety of settings at your disposal.

The Tracks.

The tracks in Sports Car GT are a combination of real courses and fictional courses. You only get to race four tracks when you start out, but more will become available as you progress through the game (or if you use a certain cheat). Each of the tracks allow you to make pit stops if needed. Here is a look at the four tracks available to you when you first play SCGT:

• Chatham - a fictional road course that rides like an oval for the first half, but then becomes a somewhat tricky road course in the second half. Expect quick lap times in the fastest cars.

• Lime Rock Park - a very short and technical racing course in Lakeville, Connecticut, USA. Don't take this seven-turn road course lightly!

• North Point - a fictional technical race track.

• Sardian Park - a fictional road course that feels like a temporary street circuit. It has some interesting elevation changes to challenge your driving skill.

Once you get past these courses, here are some of a few more courses for you to challenge:

• Sebring - America's famed airbase turned race track turned 3+ mile racing facility. This track in Sebring, FL, USA will test you no matter what cars you drive around this venue famous for the 12 Hours of Sebring.

• Road Atlanta - famous for the Petit Le Mans, Road Atlanta is a technical and fluid race track designed to push your driving skills to the limit.

• Desert Speedway - the game's only "roval," this is an oval with a tough infield road course.

• Donnington Park - This classic British circuit has many tricky sweeping sections and difficult corners- including the super-slow hairpin on its full course.

Those are among many courses in SCGT for you to race on.

Modding Community (PC Only).

You could drop in new cars and new tracks to expand the experience of Sports Car GT. This helps make the game even more enticing and satisfying and extends the amount of fun you can have racing in this game. Make sure to have all the needed files to successfully be able to play each car and track mod. Not every mod is ready to go as you downloaded them, so make sure that if you do have a problem that you're able to get it rectified and corrected so you can enjoy the mod in question.


This concludes mostly a look at the PC version of Sports Car GT.

--- Sports Car GT: General Overview (PS1 Version) ---

The PlayStation 1 version of Sports Car GT was made by Point of View and not Image Space Incorporated. Many of the same dynamics of SCGT are there for the PS1 version, but it is not as addictive or as fun as the PC version. There are only six cars to a track (including yours). There aren't as many tracks as the PC version of SCGT. Unlike the PC version, the PS1 version of this game is rather heavy on lens flare effects. So while the PS1 version isn't as good as the PC version (I know because I actually owned the PS1 version before buying the PC version), many of the same cars and racing still make up the fun this game provides. Only thing the PS1 version has that the PC version doesn't is a hidden race track set in some city.

--- Sports Car GT: Final Thoughts ---

Sports Car GT is a racing game that is a big part of the simulation racing crowd. Its appeal and charm makes it incredible even for a game of its time. What makes the game respect-worthy is what the game had to offer towards simulation racing. This game had beautiful graphics and amazing gameplay that few PC racing games could match for its time. For as much as this game gained so much popularity and praise, its future success wouldn't be possible had it not been for the modding community. That future success would come in the form of a future game called rFactor. But before rFactor, there was Sports Car GT. This is a must-own game if you care anything about racing games- let alone simulation racing games.

Previews.

You can view old pictures of Sports Car GT from ISI's website. Check it out:

Sports Car GT | Image Space Incorporated

Here are previews I'd like to share of Sports Car GT. I tried to find the best possible videos to showcase both versions of this game. I'd like to thank these YouTube channels for allowing embedding of their videos (click on the links to view on YouTube if you can't view the videos):


^ "Sports Car GT (EA 1999) - PC gameplay"


^ "Sports Car GT - Gameplay PSX (PS One) HD 720P (Playstation classics)"

Special Request...

One member of the modding community has gladly retained a lot of the released mods for Sports Car GT. If you have Sports Car GT and want to install mods for it, please visit this site:

RaceCarSim.com

Enjoy Sports Car GT!

And there you have it.





I hope I've done enough to convince you about Sports Car GT. If so, I have a favor to ask of you. I have included these items below so you can buy SCGT online and add it to your game collection. Please use the items below and help support my work. I would appreciate your business and your cooperation:



The PC version is on the left, and the PS1 version is on the right. You can also try to get Sports Car GT on eBay by clicking this:

Sports Car GT on eBay



Thank you for reading this blog post! I hope you have a great day/night.

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Races of Gran Turismo 5: Amateur Series

(UPDATED: October 7, 2014)

The Amateur Series is the next step in your progression through Gran Turismo 5. The races will be a bit longer and a bit tougher. You will be asked to demonstrate many more racing abilities than what you have shown doing the Beginner Series. Among other things, you will be racing in faster cars than you were doing the Beginner Series races. Remember that a license is not needed to compete in any race in GT5. So you can go out and find cars and compete in the appropriate races to boost your level.

This blog post pertains only to the GT5 Amateur-level races. REMEMBER: You must be at Level 5 or higher to compete in this series.

BEFORE I BEGIN:

I will be working on creating as many of these race posts for Gran Turismo 5. Because this will all take some time to get everything completely right, I will be releasing posts like these one at a time based on my own Gran Turismo 5 progress. I will make any needed corrections if need be. Any loyal readers can freely contact me and provide extra information that I may have missed. To contact me, Contact Me via E-Mail. Alternatively, you can post a comment to the Wall of my Facebook fan page if you are on Facebook.

Basic Advice.

Each race has information on what tracks are raced and how many laps are run for both A-Spec and B-Spec. You must be at a certain level in A-Spec or B-Spec to compete in each event. Those level requirements are listed in parentheses () prior to the description of each series/championship. Each series is listed in a heading with a period at the end, and each championship is listed with an exclamation mark. Any listed requirements (if any) are noted at the end of each introduction. If you only see B-Spec requirements, then that means the race has no limitations for A-Spec.

Races of Gran Turismo 5 Series:

This lineup of posts will have more posts added in the future. Check back in this post (and others) for the latest updates and to link to other posts in this series.

• Races of Gran Turismo 5: Beginner Series
• Races of Gran Turismo 5: Amateur Series (YOU ARE HERE)
• Races of Gran Turismo 5: Professional Series
• Races of Gran Turismo 5: Expert Series
• Races of Gran Turismo 5: Extreme Series
• Races of Gran Turismo 5: Endurance Series

LATEST UPDATE(S)/REVISION(S):

OCT 7 2014 - added links to other posts in this series; updated overall look of posts and made several edits

--- Races of Gran Turismo 5: Amateur Series ---

The races will be longer and faster, but victory is not impossible. So give it your best!

Try to win every race and championship to receive the maximum money as well as the most experience points for each victory. If you win all the races in a championship or in a series, bonus cars will be rewarded to you. Bonus cars are offered for victory both in A-Spec and in B-Spec. Both offer different prize cars. Here is a look at the series and championships in the Amateur Series.

REMEMBER: You must be at Level 5 or higher to compete in this series.

Clubman Cup (Level 5)!

"This is the perfect championship for beginners."

For the first time since Gran Turismo 1, the Clubman Cup is a championship series. The Clubman Cup to higher-level Gran Turismo racing is like the Sunday Cup to beginner-level Gran Turismo racing. Declare your arrival to the Gran Turismo world stage by clearing this championship.

Tires of Sports Medium or less are required for B-Spec racing.

• RACES: Tsukuba Circuit (5 laps A-Spec; 10 laps B-Spec), Tokyo R246 (3 laps A-Spec; 6 laps B-Spec), Cape Ring Periphery (3 laps A-Spec; 6 laps B-Spec)

European Hot Hatch Championship (Level 5).

"A pitched battle between European hot hatchbacks."

Bring out your European hatchbacks for this one. European hatchbacks, such as the Golf, Lupo, and others are on display for this championship. Utilize your ability to race these hatchbacks to victory in this two-race series. If I may, I recommend the Renault Clio V6 hatchback. This car is the mid-engine/RWD Clio that is such a blast to drive. To me, this is the original hot hatch. You may need something more powerful for the B-Spec race around the first track. Totally NOT recommended, but I won easily in B-Spec at Eiger Nordwand Short Track with the Lancia Delta S4 rally car. Again- totally NOT recommended!

Only European cars are allowed to compete. Sports Hard tires or less are required for B-Spec racing.

• Eiger Nordwand Short Track (3 laps A-Spec; 6 laps B-Spec)
• Rome Circuit (3 laps A-Spec; 6 laps B-Spec)

NR-A Roadster Cup (Level 6).

"A one-make race for the Mazda Roadster."

The Mazda Miata/MX-5/Roadster is severely underrated. It is always seen as a girly car to most people. This championship gets you into the mood to go "Zoom-Zoom" with Mazda's baby sports car. It is a one-race deal where Mazda's entry-level sports car is the centerpiece.

Only Mazda MX-5/Miata/Roadster models are allowed to compete. Sports Hard tires or less are required for B-Spec racing.

• Tsukuba Circuit (5 laps A-Spec; 10 laps B-Spec)

Pick-Up Truck Challenge (Level 6).

(A-Spec) "A competition for powerful pick-up trucks, iconic symbols of American motorsports."

(B-Spec) "This championship is perfect for beginners."

The performance truck race series returns for another tour of duty after making its debut in Gran Turismo 4. Despite their heavy curb weight, these are performance trucks that can be just as fun to drive as any performance car. You will need to shop around in the Used Car dealer because no pickup trucks are Premium models in GT5. Funny enough, the quote in the B-Spec series says "This championship series is perfect for beginners." If you can get one, I recommend the Toyota Tacoma X-Runner. Mod the heck out of it to stand the best chance of winning. I say the Tacoma because for a lot of times I've run races with this series, the Tacoma is usually atop the standings commonly. Do NOT use the Daihatsu Midget D-Type unless you WANT to fail.

Only pickup trucks (the Ford SVT Lightning, Toyota Tacoma X-Runner, Dodge Ram 1500 Hemi Laramie, Chevrolet Silverado Concept, Chevroler SSR, and Daihatsu Midget D-Type) are allowed to compete. Sports Hard or less tires are required for B-Spec racing.

• Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca (3 laps A-Spec; 6 laps B-Spec)
• Daytona International Speedway-Oval (3 laps A-Spec; 6 laps B-Spec)

NOTE: The Daihatsu Midget D-Type is also among the eligible vehicles for this championship. Then again, you would stand absolutely no chance winning this championship using the Midget D-Type, so get a real pickup truck instead for this championship. If you actually won a race (A-Spec or B-Spec) in this series with the Daihatsu Midget D-Type, PLEASE tell me about it or show me a video!

Japanese '90s Challenge (Level 7).

"A celebration of some of Japan's most renowned racing cars."

If this was GT1, GT2, or GT3; you'd be racing some of the most current Japanese sports cars. The Japanese '90s Challenge is back from its debut in GT4 and is set to challenge you in the GT5 realm. The '90s have produced some more-than-capable sports cars for Japan. You will be asked to bring your '90s Japanese contribution to Japan's 1990s sports cars to compete in two races.

All Japanese cars made between 1990 and 1999 are allowed to compete in these events. Sports Hard or less tires are required for B-Spec racing.

• Tsukuba Circuit (5 laps A-Spec; 10 laps B-Spec)
• Cape Ring-North (5 laps A-Spec; 7 laps B-Spec)

Tous France Championnat (Level 7).

"A fiery fight between hot hatches to see which one is the king of French racers."

If you love French automobiles, then this is your championship. Find a French car to help you to become the fastest of the French automobiles. You will be racing at Le Mans and on the streets of Madrid. French cars exude many unique styling characteristics. Do you have the fastest French car in Gran Turismo 5? Prove that you do in this championship!

Only French cars can compete, even though the notion is on French hatchbacks. Sports Hard tires or less are required for B-Spec racing.

• Circuit de la Sarthe (l lap A-Spec; 2 laps B-Spec)
• Circuito de Madrid (3 laps A-Spec; 6 laps B-Spec)

Festival Italia (Level 8).

"Unique Italian cars compete for prowess."

It's full speed ahead as Italian cars take center stage for the Festival Italia. Enter the world of Italian cars by bringing your own Italian muscle to this championship. Take to the streets of Rome and London in this contest of speed involving Italian cars. Forza Italia!

This championship is restricted to only Italian cars. Sports Hard or less tires are required for B-Spec.

• Rome Circuit (3 laps A-Spec; 6 laps B-Spec)
• London (3 laps A-Spec; 6 laps B-Spec)

Classic Muscle Car Championship (Level 8).

"Put the pedal to the metal and make your mark on the tarmac!"

Are you ready to wrestle with power? Get ready for a contest of speed where American cars rule. While the venue isn't American, the cars you are racing against and will use are American. Take advantage of these American muscle cars to make some sweet moves on the race track as each American car sings beautifully with their engines. Do you have the fastest muscle car ever made? Bring your American muscle car and get cracking. It's go time, gosh darn!

Only American cars produced in 1980 or earlier are allowed to compete. Sports Medium tires or less required for B-Spec racing.

• Autodromo Nazionale Monza (3 laps A-Spec; 6 laps B-Spec)

Supercar Nostalgia Cup (Level 9).

"A competition for the supercars that made an era."

If you fancy a vintage supercar, you'll race against plenty of them here. Who cares about those fancy pants modern supercars (like the Bugatti Veyron)? This championship is all about classic supercars that were some of the most lusted-after and sought-after cars of their day. They were the top performers of their day even before all sorts of technological improvements and advances came along to further improve the modern automobile. If you need a car to compete in this series, look to cars like the Lamborghini Countach LP400.

All vehicles produced in 1979 or earlier are allowed to compete in this series. Sports Hard tires or less required in B-Spec.

• Rome Circuit (3 laps A-Spec; 6 laps B-Spec)
• Suzuka Circuit (3 laps A-Spec; 6 laps B-Spec)
• Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca (3 laps A-Spec; 6 laps B-Spec)


This concludes the Amateur Series. This championship is a fair degree tougher than what you've experienced in the Beginner Series. Guess what? The Professional Series awaits you next! If you are nowhere near "prime time" material, you'd better step your game up before challenging for the Professional races. Make sure to challenge tougher series if you've acquired enough experience to reach tougher championships.





More to come for this series of blog posts regarding GT5's races! Until next time, thank you for reading!

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